Myths and Facts About Diabetes
Myth 1: Diabetes is a health issue that can be cured through medication.
Fact: Diabetes is one of the progressive diseases. Hence, it can not be cured, but controlled through proper medications, following a healthy diet, and regular exercise. It can be controlled and not cured. There is a very good solution to control it and that is – Yoga for Diabetes!
Myth 2: To work on Diabetes, Ayurvedic medicines are the best for the treatment.
Fact: Ayurvedic medicines alone should not be taken for the treatment of Diabetes. However, it can be taken along with other allopathic medications but only if your doctor permits to do so. Make sure your doctor is aware of the Ayurvedic medicines you are looking, to begin with.
Myth 3: Eat bitter ingredients and your blood sugar levels would be reduced.
Fact: There are many people who suggest having bitter ingredients like Neem, karela, methi, etc. for reducing the blood sugar levels. But the fact is that they come with a quite minimum impact on the blood sugar levels. On the other hand, they might come with a severe impact on gastritis and other stomach issues.
Myth 4: Eating less is the key to control blood sugar levels.
Fact: No doubt, the blood sugar levels would definitely reduce on avoiding eating too much, but one might suffer from weakness which can hinder your daily routine. This can also lead to hypoglycemia or reduced blood sugar and unconsciousness.
Myth 5: Merely keeping control over the blood sugar levels is sufficient to control diabetes.
Fact: Diabetes is not only connected with blood sugar levels. The people suffering from Diabetes also need to keep a watch on their blood pressure levels, uric acid, weight, and cholesterol as all these help in keeping the heart healthy which is also essential in Diabetes.
Diabetes – A Global Rampant
According to a survey, around 425 million people with an age range of 20 to 79 are suffering from Diabetes in the year 2017, which is suspected to rise to around 62 million in 2045.
Diabetes is a situation or disease which basically occurs when the blood sugar levels in the body, or blood glucose levels are too high. Blood sugar is an essential energy source that is obtained from the meals. The pancreas in the body produces a hormone named insulin which provides the cells of the body with glucose obtained from the food for energy. However, sometimes, the body fails to make the required levels of insulin or doesn’t produce insulin at all. In such a situation, Glucose remains in the blood and fails to reach to other cells of the body. And when this happens, the doctor prescribes you with Diabetes.
No doubt, many people think merely avoiding sugar and other sugary substances would help in controlling diabetes. However, the fact is that apart from only sugar and sugary substances, there are still some other things you need to focus on for overall control over diabetes. Diabetes is not only controlling the blood sugar levels, but having control over the blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, and uric acid too. And hence, for controlling Diabetes, you need to have a proper diet along with proper medicines and yes, regular exercises.
There are different exercises the patients of Diabetes are asked to carry out regularly, but apart from walking and exercising regularly, Yoga is emerging as an effective workout session for Diabetes too.
Yoga – A Solution to Various Health Issues
You might have observed many people practicing various poses in the gardens while going for morning walks. This is a kind of physical exercise which is known as Yoga. Yoga is getting quite trendy these days, especially, among youths. Originated in India, around 5000 years back, Yoga helps with spiritual, physical and mental disciplines that add some flexibility to your body and mind.
Yoga is a practice that helps in the coordination of mind, body, and breath for the boosting relaxation, providing inner peace, and develop awareness in proper breathing. Yoga is a combination of different asanas, that includes different movements and postures, meditation, and breathing techniques which promote mental composure as well as physical comfort.
Yoga is a kind of physical and mental training that provides various health benefits like improved sleep, reduction in depression and anxiety, improvement in blood circulation, immune system, and digestion, boosts concentration, and much more. And Diabetes is among the list of its benefits.
Talking about Diabetes, Yoga is among the effective treatments which can help in the prevention of Diabetes as well as help in reducing and managing Diabetes as well. There are various postures of Yoga that work in the form of mind and body therapies which help in reducing the stress levels as well as high blood pressure levels. All these come with a positive impact on the blood glucose levels and controls it.
Similarly, having control over the stress levels through Yoga is also helpful for the treatment of Diabetes. When anyone is stressed, the levels of blood pressure increase which also comes with an impact on the blood sugar levels. This can also lead to various heart issues. Practicing yoga can be much helpful in such a situation.
Yoga combines body postures, meditation, and breathing techniques which altogether provide your body with relaxation, which adds some positive impact to Diabetes.
Benefits of Yoga for Patients Suffering from Diabetes Type-2
Yes, there are two types of Diabetes, Type-1, and Type-2. And luckily, Yoga is helpful for both the types. Talking about Diabetes Type-2, both blood glucose levels and blood pressure levels hold a vital role in its development and other complications.
Here are the benefits of Yoga for Diabetes Type-2.
1. Yoga Rejuvenates the Pancreatic Cells
There are many Asanas in Yoga which boost overall relaxation of the body. They also carry out the stretching of the Pancreas which helps in the production of Insulin that produces beta cells. Hence, Yoga postures rejuvenate the Pancreatic cells and works on insulin levels.
2. Complete exercise to the Muscles
Similar to other exercises, the postures of Yoga boost the uptake of glucose through the muscular cells. This in return reduces the blood sugar levels, reduces the chances of cardiovascular health issues, and improves blood circulation too.
3. Yoga Asanas Help in reducing weight
Yes, Yoga is much helpful if you are looking for some weight loss or want to control or manage your weight. This is also helpful when you are looking for protecting yourself from Diabetes Type-2, heart issues, cancers, and the management of Diabetes.
4. Improvement in Mental attitude
Practicing Yoga regularly is quite essential if you are looking to improve focus and begin with a correct mental approach for dealing with Diabetes. Hence, Yoga helps in relaxing the mind and body which is quite helpful in improving Diabetes.
Hence, practicing Yoga is much helpful in reducing the risk of developing diabetes along with other complications related to it.
Which Yoga Poses are Helpful for the Patients of Diabetes?
Yoga postures or Asanas for Diabetes need to be focused primarily on flexibility, strength, and stress reduction. All these help in improving the life quality of the people suffering from Diabetes. Here are some of the essential postures that would be helpful for Diabetes patients.
1. The Mountain Pose
Also known as Samasthiti or Tadasana, Mountain Pose is one of the standing poses or Asana of the Modern Yoga. It is among the best resting poses as well as helps in improving the posture and balance of the body too. For practicing this asana here is what you need to do:
- Stand straight with the arms on the sides and feet flat. You can place the feet a little apart from each other.
- Pleat the tailbone which combines the gluteal, hamstring muscles, and the abdominal.
- Breathe in as you extend the arms in the upward direction and out the sides when your palms are up.
- Slowly bring down the arms to the original position as you exhale.
You can hold the position for around 1 to 2 minutes and prepare a set of 5 to 10 for the same.
2. Child’s Pose
Also known as Balasana, this is a resting position which boosts relaxation and beta cells that promote insulin. Apart from Diabetes, this position is also helpful for stress, fatigue, neck pain, and back pain. For doing this Asana, here is how to do it:
- Get into a kneeling position keeping the knees nearly with hip width apart.
- Sink back and get your buttocks on the heels.
- Lean forward towards the floor and rest the forehead there.
- Extend the arms and place them in front of you while the palms are facing in the upward direction.
- Hold the position for around 5 minutes and release the position as you lift in a seated position.
While practicing the position, you can also place a cushion between the calves and thighs for additional support.
3. Hatha Yoga
This is a slow yoga style that helps with the basics. Hatha yoga includes moving into different yoga poses along with having strong control over the breath. Every movement made while practicing the poses needs either inhaling or exhaling while proper breathing is carried out while you hold the posture or asana for some time, which is a minimum of 5 breathes. Hatha yoga proves to be the best for the beginners as well as the people suffering from diabetes as it includes quite a gentle movement. Again, Hatha comes with hundreds of postures, which makes you strong and flexible too.
4. Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar yoga can be defined as a combination of Hatha yoga, various asanas and lastly, pranayama. Iyengar yoga is carried out with various positions and props that help in building stability, strength, awareness, and elasticity. There are around 200 poses of Iyengar yoga with around 14 different breathing techniques. All the poses can be worked out by the beginners of Iyengar Yoga as well as the advanced practitioners of Yoga. Iyengar Yoga is not only beneficial for people having diabetes but also for the people suffering from any injuries.
5. Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga comes with a base of the Iyengar yoga. However, it comes with Asanas that are very slow. Yes, there are only 5 to 6 asanas in Restorative yoga, but each asana is to be held for nearly 10 minutes. As a result, your body experiences complete relaxation and falls for the poses very easily. There are different backbends, light twists, and forward bends included in the poses which are carried out with different props. No matter how much flexibility you are, you surely need a prop to work on the asanas. The asanas are the best if you are willing to work on your stress levels, which is one of the major issues in diabetes.
Apart from all these, other yoga asanas include Viniyoga, downward-facing dog position, Bridge’s Pose, Plank Pose, Tree’s pose, Corpse pose, and many more asanas are much helpful in controlling and managing diabetes, both Type-1 and Type-2.
Conclusion
Yoga is much helpful for the patients of Diabetes. When one starts working or exercising their blood sugar levels are sure to get affected with it. Hence, it is essential to talk with your doctor before starting with any exercise program or even any Yoga therapy. This is because the people suffering from diabetes also suffer from other health issues. Hence, getting proper guidance from doctors is much essential. Apart from all these, there are other exercises which are suitable and helpful for people suffering from diabetes like swimming, walking, stretching, strength training, etc. All these exercises and Yoga help in managing the stress levels and improving the flexibility, stamina, and strength of the body.
So, meet your doctor today and begin with your yoga routine today.
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