ALLOPATHY HELPLINE --- OM SAI RAM
DIABETES AWARENESS
A :- Luckily, I am not a diabetic yet !
B:- Are you sure ?
A:- Yes, I got my sugars checked yesterday and they were normal.
B:- That’s fine. But who knows, your sugars might be normal at the cost of excess insulin production produced by pancreas to overcome insulin resistance (IR) .
A:- So what ? My sugars are normal and that is sufficient for me.
B:- That’s okay. But, just think for a while. How long can your pancreas produce excess insulin and what happens when it gets exhausted?
A:-That’s true. Pancreas, if overburdened, after some time, gets exhausted and insulin levels go down leading to increase in blood sugars.
Now, what am I supposed to do?
B:- Don’t worry . Just think rationally. If your blood sugars are normal there are two possibilities
Normal insulin levels are required to maintain normal blood sugar levels because there is no IR
Excess insulin levels are required to overcome IR and to maintain blood sugars
A:- Yes, I have understood this. How do I know that my pancreas is being stressed because of IR?
B:- For that you have to check your insulin levels even though your blood sugars are normal
A:- But we do not check our insulin levels routinely.
B:- That’s the point here. Though your blood sugars are normal and since you do not know about your insulin levels, you are not aware whether your pancreas is being stressed or not.
So, adopt indirect methods
A:- What indirect methods should I adopt?
B:- You have to target IR.
If you can reduce IR, stress on pancreas will be reduced and it need not produce excess insulin.
A:- Your idea seems to be very attractive. But how can I reduce my IR?
B:- For that, you are supposed to know the cause for IR.
A:- Can you please tell me about IR?
B:- IR is a situation where in there is resistance to the insulin action at the cellular level. Research has shown that it is excess weight (Obesity) that is responsible for IR. And it is not just excess fat but it is abnormal distribution of fat that is responsible for IR. So, in general, any person who has excess visceral fat (that fat which is present in the abdomen) than subcutaneous fat is supposed to have more IR and is at high risk for developing diabetes mellitus .(DM)
A:- You mean to say , we have to loose excess weight to reduce IR.
B:- Exactly
A:- How do I know that I am obese?
B:- Simple. There are 2 methods for that
Approximately, Height (cm) – 100 = weight (kgs)
For females , height (cm) -100 x 0.9 = weight (kgs)
2. Body mass index (BMI)
Weight (Kgs)
BMI = _____________
Height (mt) X Height (mt)
18.5 to 25 Normal
25 to 30 Overweight
More than 30 obese
A:-That’s fine. We should maintain ideal body weight to reduce IR.
B:- Yes, but maintaining ideal body weight is not just sufficient.
A:- What do you mean?
B:- I had already told that it is not just excess fat but abnormal distribution of fat is important . So, even though you have normal weight, if you have excess visceral fat, then you might be having increased IR.
A:- Then, How do I know whether I have increased visceral fat or not?
B:- For that you should measure your waist circumference . More the waist circumference, more the IR.
A:- So what are the normal values?
B:- Normally, males should have less than 90 Cms and females should have less than 80 Cms of waist circumference.
A:- You mean to say that if we maintain our weight and waist, we can reduce IR.
B:- Exactly.
A:- Can you tell me some general tips which will help me to maintain my weight and waist ?
B:- Sure, why not
Reduce mental stress
Diet
a. Drink adequate amount of water.
b. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits.
c. Reduce the intake of Non vegetarian diet. If required, take fish, boiled eggs without yellow.
d. Decrease rice consumption because polished rice which is available now leads to increased
deposition of visceral fat.
e. Avoid junk foods (Soft drinks,pizzas,burgers,cakes etc.)
f. Avoid sweets
g. Decrease salt, sugar and oil to as much minimum as possible.
Exercise.
h. Do it regularly, minimum 1 hour per day.
i. Though brisk walking is very beneficial, in addition to that do some resistance exercises also.
j. In case of children, allow them to play out door games for minimum of 1 hr daily.
Avoid tobacco in any form and avoid alcohol.
Give adequate rest to the body by sleeping for 6 to 8 hours daily.
All these things should be followed from childhood itself and the interesting point to note here is that these tips cost nothing. Only thing which is required here is little bit of concern towards one’s own health.
A:- Thank you for the valuable information and tips you have given and from now on I will never forget my concern towards my health.
B:- Don’t just thank me. Instead, I request you to spread this one’s own concern towards one’s own health to all the friends you know.
Vishwanath
Servant of Baba
Topic: ALLOPATHY - HELP LINE (Read 82244 times)