A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON DIABETES:

The word “diabetes” has Greek origins as the name for a disease involving the discharge of excessive amounts of urine. Its English derivative was first recorded as “diabete” in a medical text written around 1425.

In 1675, the word mellitus from the Latin word for honey was added as a reference to the sweet taste of the urine.

In 1776, Mathew Dobson confirmed that the sweet taste was caused by an excess of sugar in the blood and urine of diabetic patients. This had been discovered much earlier in ancient India when Sushruta (6^th century BC) classified diabetes as “Madhumeha” meaning “sugar urine disease”. He further correctly identified it as being linked to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity.

While the identification of the disease goes back to ancient times, the causes of diabetes were only identified much more recently.

The discovery of the connection with the pancreas is generally credited to Joseph von Mering and Oskar Minkowski, who in 1889 found that dogs developed all the signs and symptoms of diabetes following the removal of their pancreas and died soon thereafter.

In 1910, Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer further postulated that diabetics were deficient in a single chemical normally produced by the pancreas; he proposed calling this substance insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose in the blood. The existence of insulin and its role as a preventative against diabetes was proven by Sir Frederick Grant Banting and Charles Herbert Best, who in 1921 demonstrated that they could reverse induced diabetes in dogs by giving them an insulin extract from the pancreas of healthy dogs.

Banting, Best and others went on to develop insulin injections and the first patient was treated in 1922. Banting and a laboratory director called MacLeod received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 and today Banting is honored on World Diabetes Day, which is held on his birthday, November 14.

TYPES OF DIABETES:

Type 1 Diabetes:

Type 1, which is the most serious, occurs approximately in 10 percent of all diabetics and is usually diagnosed in children and adults. In this variant, the pancreas does not produce insulin at all and therefore insulin therapy is the basic form of treatment and is administered by syringe, pen, or pump. Glucose levels build up in the blood instead of being used for energy and insulin is needed to regulate its production.

The chief distinction between Types 1 and 2 diabetes is that that the taking of insulin is virtually mandatory with Type 1 whereas this may not be necessary with Type 2. With both Types 1 and 2 diabetes, a healthy diet and exercise are essential to keep glucose levels down.

Type 2 Diabetes:

Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes and occurs when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that is produced.

Glucose is produced by the body from certain foodstuffs like rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, milk, and fruit. It is meant to be utilized for energy purposes. However, in diabetics, unless steps are taken to regulate its production, the levels will continue to build up in the bloodstream and will not be expended for energy purposes.

Type 2 diabetes is less serious than Type 1 and blood glucose levels can be regulated by eating healthy meals and snacks, exercising regularly, and taking diabetes medications (including insulin) if necessary.

Over time, high blood glucose levels can cause complications such as blindness, heart disease, kidney problems, nerve damage, and erectile dysfunction. Fortunately, good diabetes care and management can prevent or delay the onset of these complications.

Gestational Diabetes:

Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It occurs in about 2 percent to 5 percent of all pregnancies and may improve or disappear after delivery. It is fully treatable but requires careful medical monitoring and supervision throughout the term of the pregnancy. About 20 percent to 50 percent of affected women develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Untreated gestational diabetes during pregnancy can be dangerous to the health of the fetus or mother. Common complications include macrosomia (high birth weight), congenital cardiac and central nervous system anomalies, and skeletal muscle malformations. There is also the possibility of red blood cell destruction and sometimes cesarean sections are required if there is marked fetal distress.

A 2008 study conducted in the U.S. found that more American women are entering pregnancy with preexisting diabetes, and the number of cases may have possibly doubled in the last decade. This is particularly problematic as diabetes raises the risk of complications during pregnancy, as well as increasing the potential that the children of diabetic mothers will also become diabetic in the future.

RISK FACTORS AND SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES:

There is an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes for people who are aged 40 or more. There is also an increased risk for overweight individuals, especially if most of the weight is abdominal fat. Typical symptoms and signs of diabetes include the following:

• Unusual thirst
• Frequent urination
• Weight change (gain or loss)
• Extreme fatigue or lack of energy
• Blurred vision
• Frequent or recurring infections
• Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• Trouble getting or maintaining an erection

It is important to recognize, however, that many people who have Type 2 diabetes may display no symptoms. After the age of 40 the risk of diabetes 2 increases and should be tested for every three years at least. Certain ethnic groups are more susceptible to the disease than others e.g. Aboriginals, Hispanics, Asians, South Asians, and Africans.

There is also a hereditary and genetic correlation – individuals are more at risk if a brother, sister or parent has the disease. Diabetes has a direct linkage to obesity, especially if the weight is centered around the midriff.

MANAGING DIABETES:

There are some important tips diabetics can follow in order to keep the disease under control and help maintain overall health and wellness.  They include:

• Not smoking.
• Following  a balanced meal plan.
• Maintaining a regular exercise regimen. It is not necessary to exercise vigorously in the gym every day, but it is important to be physically active. Little tips that help include walking briskly where possible instead of taking cars or other transport. Swimming, other sports, biking, yoga etc. are healthier alternatives to sitting in front of the television or computer all day long.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.
• Controlling stress.
• Regulating blood pressure.
• Checking  blood glucose levels regularly.
• Keeping cholesterol and other blood fats within a target range.
• Take care of your feet. Diabetes can cause nerve damage and poor blood flow to the feet so it is important to check your feet regularly for cuts, blisters, sores, swelling, redness, or sore toenails.
• In addition to regular check-ups with your doctor, regular visits to your dentist and eye doctor are advisable. As we mentioned earlier, diabetes can lead to blurred vision and eventual blindness. Diabetics are also more vulnerable to germs in the mouth and therefore more likely to have infections of their gums and the bones that hold the teeth in place.

DIET TIPS FOR DIABETICS:

As discussed earlier, a healthy diet is critical in helping to control blood glucose levels. Some important factors to be taken into account include:

1)      Eating meals at regular times and not spacing them more than six hours apart. Eating at regular times helps in controlling glucose levels.

2)      Limiting the intake of sugar and sweets as these increase blood glucose levels.

3)      Eating high fibre foods like whole grain breads and cereals, lentils, beans and peas, brown rice, vegetables, and fruit. These help to lower glucose and cholesterol levels.

4)      Avoiding fried and high-fat foods in order to regulate body weight.

5)      Avoiding soft drinks and juice which raise blood glucose. Water is best.

The key food groups for a balanced diet include vegetables and fruit, grain products, milk or substitutes, and meat or substitutes. Every meal should contain at least three foodstuffs out of these four groups.

The Canadian Diabetic Association (http://www.diabetes.ca/) offers some guidelines with regard to the portions of each of these food groups when planning a meal and suggests using your hands as a ‘handy’ measuring tool in estimating the correct size of these portions:

1)      Fruits/Grains/Starches: an amount the size of your fist for each of these items.

2)      Vegetables: as much as it is possible to hold in both hands.

3)      Meat and substitutes: an amount the size of the palm of your hand and the thickness of your little finger.

4)      Fats: an amount the size the tip of your thumb.

SUMMARY:

The purpose of this article is to give our readers a general understanding of diabetes and its symptoms along with general guidelines for controlling the disease. As is the case with so many other health-related illnesses, the increasing prevalence of diabetes has a direct correlation to modern sedentary lifestyles, stress, obesity, and unhealthy diets. There are approximately 285 million people worldwide affected by the disease with this number expected to hit 438 million by 2030. It can, without exaggeration, be termed a global epidemic

We will follow up shortly with a second article (Part Two) in which we examine various holistic options for preventing and treating diabetes. We do not claim that these treatments are a cure in themselves. However, coupled with wise choices with regard to physical activity, healthy eating, and weight loss they may help to prevent or delay the onset of this disease, and to significantly mitigate or even reverse its often devastating effects.

Key References Sources:

1)      Canadian Diabetes Association

2)      The Heart And Stroke Foundation Of Canada

3)      Wikipedia – Diabetes mellitus

Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is only intended to educate and inform our readers. It is in no way intended to provide medical advice or to diagnose or treat any disease. If you have a health problem, you should consult a healthcare practitioner before taking any substances for medicinal purposes.

“Love the world as your own self then you can truly care for all things”

Tao Te Ching

“…there is but one possible way in which human elements, innumerably diverse by nature, can love one another: it is by knowing themselves all to be centred on a single ‘super-centre’ common to all.”

Teilhard de Chardin

We have been inspired to write this article by several recent incidents in our lives and by two important concepts: “pay it forward” and “the butterfly effect.” It is not intended to be “goody goody” or “preachy,” but rather to suggest that the ideas expressed in it could be tried out in an experimental manner and the results observed.

Most of us have the instinct to help those in need who come to our attention, but in today’s busy and materialistic world, the time or effort required often prevent us from actualizing this instinct.

The other day, two of us, Radi and Mithu, came across an abandoned, ill, and emaciated dog in the market place near our home in India, so we stopped and offered him water and food. He took a few feeble sips of the water and a little bit of the food. While this was going on, a small group of people passing by gathered around to watch the proceedings. At first just curious (one sees so many starving and dying dogs in this country), it gradually became a “caring circle” with others offering to help feed and protect the dog. Eventually the dog was taken to a veterinary hospital, but for those few moments, a random group of individuals became a caring unit, and a suffering dog, otherwise invisible, became visible. One can only hope that some of the members of that small group will “see” and extend a helping hand to an animal or a human in dire need because of this experience. This is one example of several instances where a kind act done in a public place inspired others to do the same.

Radi remembers walking down a street in Toronto feeling vulnerable and frightened a few days after the 9/11 incident when feelings were running high against the “Other.” A man passing by noticed her expression and body language and called out “Hi” with a reassuring smile. He will never know how much that greeting meant, but it has been “paid forward” many times over when we have noticed a worried or sad face, as well as more generally. A smile in one’s direction, especially when unexpected and from a stranger, lights up one’s day.

Having experienced the sometimes inspiring effect a kind action can have on witnesses, we could perhaps link this to a fascinating theory, “the butterfly effect” attributed to Edward Norton Lorenz, a mathematician and meteorologist, and one of the first proponents of chaos theory. In this theory, “the butterfly effect” was used to suggest that the wing movements of a butterfly might have significant effects on wind strength and movements throughout the weather systems of the world, perhaps creating a tornado or altering its path. This is on a physical level. On the mental level, we all know the power of an idea when its time has come and since, as we firmly believe, life on this planet forms an interconnected web of vibrations and consciousness, human actions driven by ideas, good or bad, could cause a ripple effect across the entire web. So who knows what the consequences of a very small, kind action in a small corner of the world will be?

Peter Russell in his thought provoking book “The Awakening Earth” talks about humanity eventually evolving into the Earth’s “Global Brain” in which each of us is an individual nerve cell. The vast and varied communication network linking all parts of our global village is compared to the billions of tiny fibers linking the nerve cells in the brain. Russell goes on to say that for successfully functioning organisms – the human body is one such – the one quality they share is that the many components naturally function together in harmony with the whole. This characteristic is described by the word “synergy” from the Greek “syn-ergos,” which means to work together. When synergy levels drop and the organism as a whole does not receive the support of its many parts, it becomes ill, and when synergy is lost altogether, the organism dies.

We seem to be living at a time when, with healthy synergy levels, progressive integration of human minds could evolve into a single living system. But, conversely, low synergy levels, such as are being demonstrated in the world today, could lead to a breakdown of human society. The worst case scenario with synergy lost could be a descent into chaos and perhaps even extinction.

Dane Rudyar, in his seminal work, “Rhythm of Wholeness,” talks of the state of our present day humanity being in a phase of transition between two fundamental levels of Being – the biological level given human features through local and exclusivistic cultures, and the level of what he terms the “Pleroma.” Present day evolution features “being I” as a separate person with sovereign rights and an autonomous will with exclusive characteristics intent on its own individual development. By contrast, the “Pleroma,” towards which we are evolving, involves humans who have passed through the condition of individualized and separate selfhood, and operate as a planetary whole in which mental and spiritual integration provides conditions for the safe actualization of faculties and powers latent in our present day state.

Whether or not one subscribes to these and similar theories on humanity being one “under the skin” so to speak, it is becoming increasingly clear that a high level of synergy in human society as a whole will be needed to bring us back from the brink of human and planetary destruction on a large scale.

The concept of “paying it forward” as opposed to “paying it back” may be one of the simple methods that can be put into practice by anyone in order to help bridge the gap between “me” and “the other.” Not a new one, this concept was more recently rediscovered and brought to the attention of a large audience in a film based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde called “Pay It Forward.” The concept is described as an obligation to help three other people in payment for a good deed one receives. Thus the need to help one another creates ripples that spread through society and may even create a social movement. We would add that if a good deed could be done to a stranger, perhaps of another nationality or religion, it would be a more potent way of bridging the divide between people by the empathy created for people of other cultures and societies. If we help even one person and ask them to “pay it forward,” or make invisible suffering visible by helping an animal or a human, we light a small candle that might light a hundred others in an ever darkening world.

Who knows what the consequences of a small act of kindness could be as it ripples across the web of life, and who knows what unexpected and unusual blessings it might bring into our lives. To conclude in the words of two wise men, Albert Einstein and Teilhard de Chardin:

“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.”

Albert Einstein

It is not a tête-a-tête or a corps-a-corps that we need; it is a heart-to-heart…If the synthesis of the Spirit is to be brought about in its entirety (and this is the only possible definition of progress), it can only be done, in the last resort, through the meeting, centre to centre, of human units, such as can only be realized in the universal, mutual love.”

Teilhard de Chardin

We would truly welcome comments and contributions from our readers on other ways of reaching out and bridging divides within and between our many different societies.

Health and sustainability are two of the most widely used and far reaching words that crisscross the globe in daily conversations, in public discussions, in the media, and in a wide variety of publications whose audiences range from scientists and academics to the general public. A quick search for these terms on Google demonstrates the amazing extent of their reach through the powerful medium of the worldwide web.

What is striking though is that in common usage these words are disconnected through their association with different scales of reference and action. When we speak of health, we generally speak about our own health or the health of a limited circle of family, friends, and acquaintances who make up our individual networks. The term health therefore has a personal association and a limited scale of reference in general parlance.

When, on the other hand, we speak of sustainability, we generally think of a much wider scale of reference – the earth or a particular country or region upon which the collective practices of a much wider group of people are involved. Sustainability, in comparison to health, is therefore seen to be more distant and removed from our personal spheres of knowledge and action.

This is especially apparent when governments and international donors speak of sustainable development and sustainability impacts in relation to particular countries or regions associated with the highest levels of poverty, pollution, and environmental degradation. But what do these places and people have to do with us and with our own health? The dots remain unconnected.

In recent years, as the frightening specter of climate change looms ever larger, more attention is being given to the health-related impacts of global warming by scientists and the media, particularly in certain regions of the world. Given this increasing concern, health and sustainability are finally being brought into the same conversations within public discourse. However, this is still happening mostly at wider and more removed scales of reference than those that apply more directly to us both individually and collectively as a global community.

Yet these impacts are tangible. Recent research provides a growing body of evidence of the health risks posed by global warming. While these impacts are especially felt by poor and vulnerable communities in the developing world, they are spreading. One example is the production of shifts in the geographical distribution and incidence of infectious vector-borne diseases which are now being reported in parts of the world and in areas where they did not previously occur. Other known health risks associated with global warming include increased incidences of heat waves, tropical cyclones, and diminishing supplies of safe drinking water, all of which have clear health implications for large populations across the globe.

While conducting her Ph.D. research on an eco-development program in the Indian Himalayas, Radi was struck by the heightened awareness of the vital links between health and sustainability within the rural communities she interacted with. Several people, particularly village elders, spoke of a series of painful losses that they had experienced over the last several decades: loss of traditional nutritious crops, pulses, and oil seeds; loss of organic farming techniques as a result of Green Revolution compulsions to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides; loss of medicinal herbs and knowledge of how to use them; loss of traditional livelihoods, especially agriculture and animal husbandry which are no longer able to support families, compelling younger members to move to the cities to earn a living; loss of the joint family support structure as a result of migration away from rural areas; and loss of a healthy and unpolluted environment by those who have had to relocate to crowded and hazardous cities.

A number of people explicitly linked these changes to a wider and deeply felt loss of what was once a sustainable way of living rooted in the land and its resources and directly linked to their health and well being. They also pointed to increased incidences of hitherto uncommon diseases in the region such as cancer, kidney and gallbladder stones, AIDS, and now even a few instances of swine flu that have penetrated the region.

This little excerpt from Radi’s fieldwork indicates how small rural communities in a Himalayan locality are beginning to connect the dots, at least retrospectively, between health and sustainability within their own lives. Isn’t it high time that these connections were made more widely at scales that stretch from the individual to the global?

Before we leave the Himalayas, we want to share with you a powerful personal influence on our own approach to these central issues. This influence comes in the form of a very dear and valued friend, Didi Contractor, who became a second mother to Radi during and after the two years she spent in the Himalayas doing her research. Didi has for many decades embraced the vital connections between the health of the whole (which includes all living beings and their environment) and sustainability within her life practice and her work. She is widely known in and well beyond this region for her beautifully designed houses constructed out of mud and other local materials that sit lightly upon the earth. We too are hoping to be part of this community of earth dwellers!

During a recent conversation within a small circle of friends on the occasion of her eightieth birthday, Didi shared a rather startling observation that she had come upon. According to this observation, cataclysmic events in the distant past were associated with the extinction of top species such as dinosaurs and saber tooth tigers. If similar events were to be repeated, Didi asked us: which is the top species that would face extinction this time around?

This is certainly food for thought that if thoroughly chewed by enough of us might lead to a radical shift in perspectives and action that could have far reaching implications for protecting ourselves and our planet during this time of peril. Most importantly, it points to a fundamental truth that seems to have been swept aside as a result of divisive politics and economics within our world. This truth is that we are all connected not just to each other but to the entire ecological foundation that supports and sustains us. If we destroy this foundation, then we destroy ourselves. All of the dots are integrally connected by flows of energy within a wondrous pattern that is evidence of an all encompassing and intelligent life force of whose workings we have much to learn. Our refusal to accept our place within this wider community of sentient life would be at the risk of our very survival.

Our purpose in sharing these powerful insights with you is to sound an alert and perhaps a last wake up call for us all as a connected and concerned global community. Though the road ahead will be a difficult and challenging one, we believe that there is still a chance to make a positive difference to this beautiful living planet that is home to such a plethora of diverse and remarkable species.

When we think about our health and act upon it from this perspective of connection and collective well being, then we are thinking and acting sustainably in relation to the basic foundation of our existence. Though this may seem to be too wide and abstract a concept to grasp, it can be concretely realized in our daily choices and actions as the examples below show.

To share some examples of how we might connect the dots, we may choose to eat mainly organic, seasonal fruits and vegetables that are grown according to the best practices of sustainability. If more of us choose these products that are health enhancing for us all and for our environment, then more growers would embrace the organic revolution instead of using harmful chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides that poison the soil and harm our health. Moreover, those of us who have gardens could grow our own vegetables, while those of us who do not have this option could purchase local organic produce from farmers’ markets and other groups that embrace the principles of health and sustainability.

Our lifestyle choices extend to all aspects of the environment we live in – the buildings we live in, the water we drink, and the energy we consume, all of which have a bearing on our health. Some of the materials we use to build our homes contain dangerous chemicals such as formaldehyde in insulation (known to be a highly toxic and carcinogenic chemical) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paints and varnishes, which cause serious health problems.

When we choose to build safely using alternative products that are good for ourselves and our environment, we are connecting the dots in a significant way. There are always better choices available, for example using paints that contain little or no VOCs or using cellulose instead of formaldehyde for insulation.

We can of course also choose more environmentally and health friendly technologies in relation to the many gadgets and machines that we use in our daily lives, while also cutting down, wherever possible, on their use. In terms of transport, for example, we could opt for using public transport and developing car sharing schemes, limiting our use of cars and the number of cars we own within our families. When we require a car, we can choose from among the new hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which are certainly a much better choice than gas guzzling models that further deplete scarce resources and choke us with their fumes.

To mention a few more examples, we can adopt methods of conserving water, which is fast becoming a dwindling resource. These include harvesting rainwater, ensuring that our taps do not drip and our pipes do not leak, and avoiding wasteful use of water (having long showers or regularly washing our cars are two common examples).

There is much that we can do to make the connections between our health and collective well being and living sustainably, but this requires commitment and effort in order to educate ourselves to make informed choices in every aspect of our lives. Joining the dots is not just a question of putting our garbage in the right slot. It involves a conscious way of thinking and living that is integrated into our daily practices. At times this may not be at all easy and in fact may be far from convenient, but isn’t it worth the effort? After all, the health and well being of ourselves, our world, and our future depend on us making choices to connect the dots.

To end this article with a couple of beautiful and thought-provoking bits of wisdom from the past:

“Whatever, befalls the Earth, befalls the people of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it.”

Chief Seattle

“Treat the Earth well It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children.”

A Kenyan Proverb

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