Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body's cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), and they will become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia). 
The 2005 AusDiab Australian Diabetes, obesity and Lifestyle study showed that 1.7 million Australians have diabetes, but that up to half of the cases of type 2 diabetes remain undiagnosed. Diabetes has become so common that it has now reached epidemic proportions in Australia and around the world. Staggeringly, it's estimated that by 2031, up to 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 diabetes.
This is likely driven by rising obesity, the aging population, dietary changes, and sedentary lifestyles. The rising incidence of type 1 diabetes is also contributing to the growth of diabetes in Australia, and the prevalence of type 1 diabetes was actually predicted to increase by 10 percent between 2008 and 2013.
 

Types of Diabetes Mellitus:
There are three types of diabetes:

1. Type 1 diabetes: This type is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes, or early-onset diabetes. The body does not produce insulin, people usually develop type 1 diabetes before their 40th year, often in early adulthood or teenage years. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1.
2. Type 2 diabetes: The body does not produce enough insulin for proper function, or the cells in the body do not react to insulin (insulin resistance). Approximately 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are type 2.
3. Gestational diabetes: This type affects females during pregnancy. Some women have very high levels of glucose in their blood, and their bodies are unable to produce enough insulin to transport all of the glucose into their cells, resulting in progressively rising levels of glucose. Diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made during pregnancy.

What is prediabetes ?
The vast majority of patients with type 2 diabetes initially had prediabetes. Their blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to merit a diabetes diagnosis. The cells in the body are becoming resistant to insulin. Studies have indicated that even at the prediabetes stage, some damage to the circulatory system and the heart may already have occurred.
 

Causes of Diabetes:
Diabetes causes vary depending on your genetic, makeup, family history, ethnicity health, and environmental factors. There is no common diabetes cause that fits every type of diabetes.

Causes of Type 1 diabetes:
It is caused by the immune system destroying the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. This causes diabetes by leaving the body without enough insulin to function normally. This is called an autoimmune reaction, or autoimmune cause because the body is attacking itself. There are no specific diabetes causes, but the following triggers may be involved:

1. Viral or bacterial infection.
2. Chemical toxins within food.
3. Unidentified component causing an autoimmune reaction.

Causes of Type 2 diabetes :
Type 2 diabetes causes are usually multifactorial - more than one diabetes cause is involved. Often, the most overwhelming factor is a family history of type 2 diabetes. This is the most likely type 2 diabetes cause. There are a variety of risk factors for type 2 diabetes, any or all of which increase the chances of developing the condition:
Other type 2 diabetes causes such as pregnancy or illness can be type 2 diabetes risk factors.

1. Obesity.
2. Living a sedentary lifestyle.
3. Increasing age.
4. Bad diet.

Causes of Gestational diabetes: The causes of diabetes in pregnancy also known as gestational diabetes remain unknown. However, there are a number of risk factors that increase the chances of developing this condition:

1. Family history of gestational diabetes.
2. Overweight or obese.
3. Suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome.
4. Have had a large baby weighing over 9 lbs.
5. Causes of gestational diabetes may also be related to ethnicity- some ethnic groups have a higher risk of gestational diabetes.

Other diabetes causes:

1. Pancreatitis or Pancreatectomy is a cause of diabetes. Pancreatitis is known to increase the risk of developing diabetes, as is a pancreatectomy.
2. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). One of the root causes of PCOS in obesity is linked to insulin resistance, which may also increase the risk of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
3. Cushing's syndrome- this syndrome increases the production of cortisol hormone, which serves to increase blood pressure levels. An overabundance of cortisol can cause diabetes.
4. Glucagonoma- patients with glucagonoma may experience diabetes because of a lack of equilibriums between levels of insulin production and glucagon production.
5. Steroid-induced diabetes (steroid diabetes) is a form of diabetes that occurs due to prolonged use of glucocorticoid therapy.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes:

1. Frequent urination including bedwetting.
2. Feeling thirsty all the time.
3. Blurred vision.
4. Unexplained weight loss.
5. Unexplained weakness and fatigue.
6. Having cuts that heal slowly.
7. Itching, skin infections.
8. Mood swings.
9. Headaches.
10. Dizziness.
11. Leg cramps.
12. Vaginal discharge or itching in young girls.
13. Nausea and vomiting.
14. Excessive hunger.
15. Numbness and tingling in the feet or legs.

Ayurvedic View :
It is always said and proved that in a way that Ayurvedic remedies for diabetes mellitus are the oldest among all the obtainable treatments. Ayurveda is an ancient Hindu word that means the science of life. It originated in India and continues to be used by millions of people worldwide. The approach of Ayurved towards diabetes mellitus is that it is a disease caused due to dosha. The doshas are the three that govern the human body. If even one of the doshas (vata/pitta/kapha) is vitiated, then it can lead to diseases, and diabetes mellitus is one of them.
Ayurveda includes diabetes mellitus in the 'prameha' category. Pramehas are a list of urinary disorders, especially characterized by profuse urination with several abnormal qualities. There are twenty kinds of pramehas in Ayurveda. Out of these, one of the four Vataja prameha is Madhumeha. Diabetes mellitus is correlated with this Madhumeha. Also, any of the prameha (urinary disorder), if neglected ultimately ends up in madhumeha due to the nature of the illness. A characteristic feature of Madhumeha as per Ayurveda is that it is a disease in which the urine of the patient is sweet like honey and quantitatively increased as well as astringent, pale, and rough in quality and the whole body of madhumeha becomes sweet.
 

Causes of Diabetes (Madhumeha) according to Ayurveda :

1. Comfortable seating (luxury, sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activities and exercise).
2. Comforts of excess sleeping.
3. All foods and lifestyle activities that increase Kapha dosha.
4. Inherited factor.
5. Stress, grief, fear.
6. Long-standing illness.
7. Sedentary life.
8. Eating flesh or meat soup of animals living in water and marshy regions.
9. Excessive consumption of milk, its derivatives, and preparations including curd.
10. Food, drinks, and dishes prepared from new grains, etc.
11. Jaggery, its derivatives, and dishes made out of it.
12. Sugar cane.
13. Sweet substances.
14. Eating very much carbohydrate-rich food.
15. Excessive food intake, heavy food intake, improper food.

Clinical features of Diabetes (Madhumeha) according to Ayurveda Excess urination :

1. Turbid urine.
2. Urine is similar to honey- sweetish astringent.
3. The pallor of the body.
4. Dryness of the body.
5. Debility.
6. Loss of sexual urge.
7. Bad body order.
8. Emaciation.
9. Excessive urge to have food.
10. Excess urination

Curability of Madhumeha:
The incidence of diabetes is increasing day by day. Being a silent killer, it is attacking the young generation secretly increases the burden of the exchequer on the people as well as the government. Two things are common these days- side effects and insulin resistance among the people who are taking modern medicines for diabetes mellitus treatment. It leads to searching for an alternate system of medicine where Ayurveda has greater application and importance. Ayurveda treats diabetes through drugs, diet, panchakarma, and exercise.
Madhumeha is a palliative disease, it cannot be completely cured; but can be controlled by food and Ayurvedic drugs. In rare cases, if it originated due to any secondary cause or stress or medicine etc, on cure of the main illness or on withdrawal of the medicine, it will be subsided on its own.
 

Ayurvedic treatment concept for diabetes:
Depending on the physical constitution or body type (Prakriti), or the health status of an individual, Ayurvedic classics advocate two different types of therapy schedules for diabetics. They are:

1. Apatarpana-de-nourishment treatment-useful in obese diabetic patients; usually in kapha body type patients.
2. Santarapan- nourishing treatment in lean diabetic patient, usually in vata or pitta body type patients.

Useful Ayurvedic formulations for Diabetes :

1. Jambvasava.
2. Pathyakshadhatryadi kashayam.
3. Chanderprabha vati.
4. Nimbamritadi panchktakam kashayam.
5. Kattakakhadiradi kashayam.
6. Varanadi kashayam.
7. Shilajatu vati.
8. Dhatri Nisha.
9. Panchanimba churna.
10. Gugguluthiktakam kashayam.

 

Ayurvedic formulation, an Ayurvedic diet, and a healthy lifestyle will definitely help not only with preventing diabetes but also treating the same without side effects. For a detailed assessment of your diabetic condition by expert Ayurvedic doctors, please contact Life Line Ayurvedic Herbal Clinic at the earliest.