Diabetes is becoming a leading health concern across the globe. It will not be an overstatement if we say that we all know at least one person who has succumbed to diabetes. A further cause for concern is the dramatic rise of diabetes among children and adolescents.
There are more than 194 million people (adult population) living with diabetes worldwide.
The prevalence of diabetes in India, now dubbed as the "diabetes capital of the world," is around 61 million — this number is expected to reach 100 million by the year 2030.
There are 2.9 million people living with diabetes in the UK. That’s more than one in 10 people in the UK with diabetes (diagnosed or undiagnosed). This figure has more than doubled since 1986, when there were 1.4 million. By 2023, it is estimated that five million people will have diabetes in the UK alone.
Quick Facts
- In type 1 diabetes, there is a lack of insulin and in type 2 diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly.
- Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, which accounts for about 90% of diabetes across the globe.
- Overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity are some of the risk factors for developing diabetes.
- In India, 68.6 million people were living with diabetes in 2014 and the number is expected to rise up to 109 million people by 2035.
- Diabetes is associated with a number of complications such as blindness, amputation, and kidney failure.
- Good news though: physical activity and a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) or diabetes, as all of us know, is a disorder in which the body (particularly the islet cells in the pancreas) fails to secrete adequate insulin. It can also be attributed to the body's decreased ability to utilize insulin.
In a healthy individual, food is digested to release glucose into the blood. This causes the pancreas to release insulin (a hormone) into the bloodstream. Insulin helps in the transportation of glucose from the blood into the cells so that it may be converted into energy. When the pancreas fails to produce adequate amounts of insulin, or if there is insulin resistance, glucose remains within the blood and the body cannot convert it into energy. This is what leads to the condition of diabetes.
Types of Diabetes
There are two types of diabetes — insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), also known as juvenile-onset diabetes or Type 1 diabetes, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), also known as maturity-onset diabetes or Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the common form of diabetes, affecting 90% of diabetes cases all over the world.
Symptoms of Diabetes
The warning signs and symptoms of diabetes can be so mild that you may not even notice them. That's especially true for Type 2 diabetes. In most cases, diabetes remains unnoticed and left untreated. The common symptoms of diabetes are frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, fatigue, weight loss or weight gain, and hair thinning.
Homeopathic Treatment for Diabetes
Diabetes is a lifestyle disorder; hence, one should always think about management rather than cure while treating the disease. Homeopathic medicines for diabetes emphasize the holistic management of diabetes rather than the disease.