Yoga can make life easy for diabetics

Old School

Right from ancient age, yogis, medics, and gurus alike have stressed upon the magic yoga practise can bring about, even for diabetics writes Raj Reddy.

Lately, Diabetes Mellitus has become a common disease among people of all ages. Almost every country is educating the society about it and doing its best to prevent it. Every one in five Indian adults living in urban cities suffer from diabetes.

Diabetes Mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases. It creates high glucose levels because the body becomes unable to produce enough insulin or make use of the insulin store. Basically, it marks defeciency in insulin secretion of the body, and affects the pancreas, liver, intestines, and muscles.

Body mechanism

The food we eat is broken down and used by the body for energy in the form of glucose-sugar which enters the bloodstream. This glucose is the source of fuel for the body. Pancreas produce insulin, which is a hormone that controls blood sugar. The main job of insulin is to move glucose from the bloodstream into muscles, fat, liver and the brain cells.

Diabetics have high levels of blood sugar. This is because either the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the muscles, fat, and liver cells do not respond to insulin normally. In some cases, both problems exist.

Diabetes is associated with long-term complications that affect almost every part of the body. Medical technology may have advanced, but so has the cost of treatment. At times when medicine doesn’t seem like a good enough answer, yoga always comes to your rescue. It is the most holistic method to deal with diabetes - both physically and mentally.

Study on diabetics

According to new studies, 7 yoga postures have proved to be the most effective form of exercise for diabetics. Brahmari Pranayam, Ardha Vakrasana, Siddhasana, Padma Vakrasana, Shashankasana, Dhanurasana, and Bhujangasana are the 7 yoga postures. Research carried out in India on non-insulin-dependent diabetics resulted in nearly 70% of participants benefiting from yoga therapy. Another study highlighted increased insulin release from the pancreas when adopting specific yoga postures. A further study found Yoga to alter insulin levels positively and decrease fasting glucose levels. The evidence, it would seem, backs up what many yoga practitioners have concluded long ago – yoga can help with the treatment of diabetes.

As we see, for both types of diabetes, exercise is a common method of treatment. From the evidence presented, yoga can provide the right form of exercise to help control the condition. The 7 yoga postures themselves lower blood sugar levels and help control weight.

Yoga for diabetics

- The 7 yoga postures (known as ‘asanas’) rejuvenate pancreatic cells (the cells involved in insulin production).

- Asanas also exercise muscles, which in turn, helps to reduce blood sugar levels and improve circulation (bad circulation is one of the main complications of diabetes).

- Yoga reduces stress in diabetics

- Yoga reduces risk of heart problems among diabetics

The mind of diabetics

One factor that has a profound effect on treating diabetes is stress management. Controlling the amount of mental stress you are placed under is one of the keys to controlling diabetes. When we’re stressed, our blood sugar levels increase and elevated blood sugar levels increase the chances of heart disease, infections, and strokes.

Yoga has been found to lower the stress hormone known as ‘cortisol’. The postures and breathing exercises, coupled with meditation, have a big impact on stress reduction. As an exercise regime, yoga is more beneficial in reducing stress than other forms of exercise. It also helps to focus the mind and give a positive make-over to a person’s attitude. Diabetes is a life-altering condition and having the right mental approach to dealing with it will relax and restore mental balance.

Some handy tips

- Best time to practice - Early morning before sunrise and late evening after sunset;practice on empty stomach and bladder  

- Time need to practice - 30 to 40 minutes

- Number of counts per asana - 10 to 15 counts each, relax for 2 minutes between every two asanas  

- Regularity of practice - Practice everyday without fail

If you are already a diabetic, or have just been diagnosed with the condition, consider yoga as your choice of regular exercise, and couple it with a well-balanced diet. With the kind of magic that yoga practise does to your body, diabetes can be quite a managable disease, and you can have a healthy and normal lifestyle.

(The writer is a yoga trainer)