Life is sweet
October 2009
By Ranjini Banerjee
Diabetes is one of india’s most widespread lifestyle diseases and it debilitates the life of millions. an exploration of how alternative therapies can combat this plague
Most Indians have a sweet tooth. Every occasion, ceremony or ritual demands the presence of a box of sweets. Every meal is enjoyed in anticipation of the dessert. Now imagine that a person used to celebrating every little joy in his life with sweets, is suddenly denied them. Not just sweets, but many other foods, which form an essential part of the Indian diet, like potatoes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that can literally take the sweetness out of your life!
The disease
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by inherited and/or acquired deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas, or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin produced. Such a deficiency results in increased concentrations of glucose in the blood, which in turn damages many of the body’s systems, in particular the blood vessels and nerves.
Diabetes may be either Type I (insulin-dependent) or Type II (non-insulin-dependent). In Type I category the pancreas fail to produce the essential insulin, whereas in Type II the body fails to respond properly to the insulin being produced by the pancreas.
The root cause
Many medical practitioners, particularly those of alternative healing, believe that almost all our diseases have their origins in our thoughts and emotions. When we ignore the subtle hints, the illness takes root in our physical bodies. The root cause of diabetes, therefore, lies in our emotions.
Master Del Pe, pioneer of the Energy Healing system, observes that diabetes is one such psychosomatic disease caused by the impact of negative emotions on the pancreas and kidneys. According to surveys, India ranks amongst the top three nations with diabetes. It is not surprising since we Indians have a high emotional quotient compared to other global citizens.
Some alternative cures
Medicines and insulin injections are a part of a diabetic’s life, as the disease is often believed to be a lifelong companion. However, alternative healing offers some hope in the form of holistic solutions. Here is a look at some available options, which have worked wonders for many. “Diabetes is about suppressed anger without the sense of freedom to express it,” says Martin Brofman.
Mudras
Mudras are symbolic gestures using the hand, arm, and body traditionally practised in Hinduism and Buddhism. Each movement gives a set of particular benefits to the practitioner bringing about physical and spiritual well-being when done in the correct manner.
The Apana mudra is believed to be particularly useful in regulating diabetes. In this mudra, the tip of the middle finger and the ring finger are joined with the tip of the thumb, while the remaining fingers are stretched out straight. The mudra helps in regulating the excretory system, and helps digestion. Daily practice of this mudra for 45 minutes or more is therefore considered beneficial for diabetes patients.
Pranic healing
Pranic healing is an ancient technique of healing using the vital energy, ‘prana’, what we term as the life force. A healthy person has an equal amount of energy surrounding his body evenly. However, a person suffering from diabetes will have an energy body which is depleted in certain areas.
Pranic healing involves cleansing and energising the energy body and chakras (energy centres) of the person. In diabetes, the main chakras to be worked on would be the front and back solar plexus chakras. Energising the back solar plexus chakra would in turn energise the pancreas. The ajna chakra, present between the eyebrows, also plays a crucial role in treating diabetes, as it controls the pituitary gland, which in turn controls the pancreas. Hence, it would also be required to heal the ajna chakra to provide better results in regulating diabetes.
Ayurveda
According to ayurveda, diabetes is primarily a metabolic kapha type of disorder. A multi-pronged approach involving dietary modification, detoxification methods, asanas, and lifestyle changes is used to deal with this disease. Some common methods for regulating the sugar level in the blood and thereby treating diabetes are as follows:
• Panchakarma
• Turmeric and aloe vera gel, mixed with ground bay leaf helps in regulating the pancreas and liver functions during the early stages of diabetes
• Juice of bitter melon or bitter gourd is considered beneficial
• Shilajit may be taken with the juice of stone apple
• Filling a copper vessel with water at night and drinking that water in the morning is also believed to be beneficial
• Pranayama and regular walks are helpful Acupressure
Patients suffering from diabetes have found that using acupressure regularly has helped them to regulate the sugar levels in their blood and reduce the severity of the disease greatly. Ten pressure points are used in the treatment of diabetes; these points are near the ears, neck, elbow, shoulders, and knees.
Mantras
Chanting mantras in a prescribed form and manner is believed to raise the vibrations in our bodies, which in turn brings about numerous physical, mental and spiritual benefits to the practitioner.
In his book, Mystical Formulae (Part 1 – Mantras), KT Shubhakaran, an authority on nakshatra-based predictions with remedial measures, writes that the reciting of the following mantra would help in relieving patients with diseases connected with sugar (diabetes): “Om Hum Mudana Swaahaa”
Affirmations
We are what we think. Positive affirmations and thoughts can have remarkable effects even in dealing with chronic diseases like diabetes. Louise L Hay believes that we can take full responsibility for our own health. She believes that the probable cause for diabetes is a longing for unattained goals, and a great need to control. It may also indicate deep sorrow and a lack of sweetness left in life. She suggests the following affirmation, when repeated daily, would help to bring about a positive change in the mental health and thereby on the physical health as well, regulating diabetes:
“This moment is filled with joy. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today.”
Astrology
Our astrological birth charts act like a guide map for our lives. Important events and situations like a disease are therefore reflected in our birth charts as well. Dr K S Charak, honorary editor of the bi-monthly Vedic Astrology, gives some common astrological combinations for diabetes:
• Jupiter debilitated or located in houses 6, 8 or 12
• Saturn and Rahu afflicting Jupiter by association or aspect
• Venus in 6th house aspected by Jupiter from the 12th house
• Jupiter retrograde and afflicted in a trika house
In diabetes, it is also quite common to find Jupiter in Aries, Libra, or Scorpio natally and in the first, sixth or twelfth house, or the afflicting planet in one of these houses, particularly the sixth. If this pattern is not found in the natal chart, it often occurs in the progressed chart at the onset of diabetes in later life.
The liver, which metabolises glucose, and the pancreas, which produces insulin, are located in the upper part of the abdomen, which is under the jurisdiction of the fifth house. Jupiter is significant for liver as well as part of the pancreas. Venus rules the remainder of the pancreas as well as the hormonal system within the body. Jupiter, Venus, and the fifth house thus gain importance in giving indications for diabetes as well as for predicting remedial measures, which may help in regulating and/or controlling the disease.
Life beyond diabetes
A daily struggle with a disease, which is known to be chronic and even fatal in nature, cannot possibly be an easy task for the patient and the family. However, instead of simply giving in to the disease we can and must fight back with all our might. If the disease indicates that all sweetness has gone out of our lives, it is time that we sit up and take notice. A positive change in the manner of thinking, and doing activities, which keep negative emotions at bay, is the first step towards healing. So go on and make a list of things that make you happy and then go ahead and do it! Life beckons, so what are you waiting for?