Diabetes and yoga:

Introduction :

Diabetes mellitus represents a cluster of metabolic diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia). This may be as a result of defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both.Insulin is a hormone secreted by beta cells of islets of langerhans, situated in pancreas.

The glucagons produced by alfa cells have anti-insulin action. Both in unison keep a constant glucose level in the blood. Insulin also acts as gate keeper, where, only in its presence can the blood glucose enter the body cells and provide fuel and energy to work.In diabetes, the cellular fuel is thus compromised, while excess of glucose remains in the circulation.

Yoga Related Observations:

Regular practice of yoga does reduce blood sugar levels, the blood pressure, weight, the rate of progression to the complications, and the severity of the complications as well.The symptoms are also reduced to a great extent, so are number of diabetes related hospital admissions.

The quality of life questionnaires do reveal a remarkable improvement in the scores. These finding are uniform for all those who are trying to find effect of yoga on diabetes.

How Yoga works? (Possible mechanisms)

1. Glucagons secretion is enhanced by stress. Yoga effectively reduces stress, thus reducing glucagons and possibly improving insulin action.

2. Weight loss induced by yoga is a well accepted mechanism.

3. Muscular relaxation, development and improved blood supply to muscles might enhance insulin receptor expression on muscles causing increased glucose uptake by muscles and thus reducing blood sugar.

4. Blood pressure plays a great role in development of diabetic and related complications, which is proven to be benefited by yoga. The same holds true for increased cholesterol levels.

5. Yoga reduces adrenaline, noradrenalin and cortisol in blood, which are termed as ‘stress hormones’. This is a likely mechanism of improvement in insulin action.

6. Many yogic postures do produce stretch on the pancreas, which is likely to stimulate the pancreatic function.

In India, we are having many patients controlled only on so called ‘lifestyle modification’ i.e. yoga essentially.We are also trying to recruit many ‘impaired glucose tolerance’ patients (Pre-diabetic patients, as suggested by clinical and laboratory evaluations) in our ‘Prevention of Diabetes - Yoga Way Programme’ (PDYW).We accept that our work is going very slowly due to lack of funds, but we are certain that we will stun the world soon with our results.

Use the Power of Yoga To Make Your Weight Loss Breakthrough:

If you have ever tried to lose weight, then you probably already know what doctors and weight loss experts know: most weight loss diets only bring temporary results.

If you take some diet pills and you may lose weight because your appetite is temporarily suppressed. When you stop taking the pills your appetite will return and you will be faced with the same problem. The pills are a short term solution, and in some cases may even be harmful to you.

If you adopt an extreme weight loss diet you may get dramatic results while you stay on the diet, but if you live a normal life, surrounded by your family and friends, you probably will not be able to stay on that diet for a long time. As soon as you quit the diet and return to your old ways, you will gain weight again.

In addition, as with pills, many weight loss diets, are not healthy and can even be harmfulFor long term weight loss you need to go to the root of the problem and make changes in your life and lifestyle. Excess weight in our society is mostly due to a sedentary lifestyle and poor selection of food.

It may also be due to psychological stress and in some cases metabolic problems (that is, your body is not efficient in turning food into energy).

How can yoga help me to lose weight?

If you go to a lecture on nutrition and they will tell you that eating too many fatty foods will lead to obesity. After you attend the lecture you "know" that it is not healthy to eat a lot of junk food. But, when you get out on the street and go past a fast food burger restaurant you will get hungry.

Intellectually you "know" that it is not good to eat junk food, but can you control yourself? Sadly the answer is usually no.Our body is like a chariot pulled by horses. The horses are our desires and the various organs that they use to fulfill themselves such as hands, feet, mouth etc. Sometimes these desires are running like horses out of control. Our mind "knows" so many things and wants to chart a sensible path, but our mind is not strong enough to reign in the wild horses.

Yoga helps you to put your mind in control; it helps you to have the strength to do the right thing at the right time.The Yoga Weight Loss Secrets course will show you how to do physical exercises and meditation exercises that will gradually change you from the inside out. It is good if you can stop or check a desire to do the wrong thing. It is even better if this desire never arises in your mind. The effects of yoga is to make deep rooted changes in your inner being. As you feel more relaxed and calm, nervous eating will vanish.

If you learn how to apply yoga to your life you will get a long term solution to the problem of achieving self control and self fulfillment. Without any special equipment you will be able to do exercises that keep you in shape, you will learn how to do meditation that will put your mind at peace, you will become internally balanced, and you will make the choices that are right for you.