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Time and again, India has been named the world’s diabetes capital. In India, there are an estimated 77 million people above the age of 18 years who are suffering from Type 2 Diabetes and nearly 25 million are prediabetics (at a higher risk of developing diabetes in near future)!
Diagnosing Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune condition where the pancreas produces little to no insulin. Often, these are genetically inclined but could be triggered due to external factors as well.
Celebrities across the world are testament to this fact. Take American singer, songwriter and actor Nick Jonas, for instance. Taking to social media to raise awareness of the disease, the entertainer has been vocal about being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 13.
The sweet news, though, is that Type 2 Diabetes is manageable — and — in some cases — reversible, too. Type 2 is when the way the body uses and processes blood sugar is affected by one’s lifestyle.
“Diabetes can have early warning symptoms that are usually ignored. Increase in thirst and frequent urination are typical signs that the body is trying to get rid of extra glucose. When the body is unable to use sugar for fuel, it might result in unexplained weight loss even with regular or excess eating. When it is associated with Insulin resistance, one can also see an unexplained weight gain. Other early warning indicators include fatigue, impaired vision, and slow-healing wounds. Diabetics can also experience persistent infections, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.” explains Dr. Manoj Kutteri, CEO & Medical Director, Atmantan Wellness Centre.
Stories of Success
Now aged 31, Jonas, suffering from the genetically-inclined Type 1 Diabetes, has publicly admitted to being more mindful about his diet and fitness, which includes monitoring his sugar levels regularly. Like him, actors including Sonam A Kapoor, Kamal Haasan, Samantha Prabhu and Sudha Chandran are also successfully thriving with Type 1 Diabetes. Other actors such as Tom Hanks, Larry King, Drew Carey, Delta Burke and Gaurav Kapur, have also found ways to control their chronic Type 2 ailments despite leading strenuous lifestyles.
These success stories, however, are just not reserved for those on the upper rungs of the social and economic ladders. While Type 1 diabetes centres around prevention and treatments, Type 2 can be reversed under proper guidance and support. Atmantan, a result-oriented integrated wellness centre in Pune, offers personalised doctor-guided programmes to help individuals create a lifestyle overhaul and achieve their wellness goals. The case study of a 62-year-old guest being able to reverse his Type 2 Diabetes at the wellness centre is a testament to this.
“When I checked into Atmantan, they connected me to the diabetic risk profiler. I was told that I am in the moderate risk category,” tells the patient. His creatinine and triglycerides were on the higher side, leading to calcification in blood vessels that resulted in high pressures, too. Further diagnoses revealed that he was at a risk of developing kidney stones as well. But within 30 days of leading the Atmantan Way of Life, the man successfully reversed his six-year-old Type 2 Diabetes.
Reversing Diabetes with Atmantan
Seeing integrated wellness as the means to treat (or reverse, in the case of Type 2) Diabetes, Atmantan addresses underlying factors that contribute to the condition. While personalised programmes are the core of any treatment here, they all begin with proper diagnostics to chart the plan of action. This includes analysing lifestyles, blood work, arterial health, vascular ageing, and more to pinpoint any deviations or corrections. Tailored programmes follow suit.
Diet and Nutrition
Noting that most diseases kickstart in the gut, the doctors at Atmantan craft a personalised nutrition plan for the duration of the stay. The low carb high-fat plan is grain-free, sugar-free, and anti-inflammatory. Instead, unprocessed foods with healing fats are recommended. The doctors also address nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, overuse of medications and changes in hormones with the right food.
Physical Activity
Diets need to be backed by regular physical activity to achieve a healthy weight. This, backed by boosting blood sugar metabolism, is the ideal long-term strategy to keep blood glucose levels in check. The wellness centre offers a combination of core conditioning, Theraband exercises for muscle toning, therapeutic yoga, aqua and aerobic exercises, muscle strengthening and more to assist and kickstart the body’s natural healing and optimal hormonal mechanism.
Stress Management
Diabetic disorders can escalate with inflammations and hormonal imbalances — a direct result of stress mismanagement. The Atmantan Way of Life incorporates stress reduction techniques such as therapeutic yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness practices.
Adequate Sleep
Sleep deprivation directly increases inflammation, in turn heightening the risk of diabetes. Lack of sleep can also negatively affect hormonal balance and glucose metabolism. The doctors at the welness centre guide patients towards appropriate sleep hygiene habits that can improve sleep parameters in the long run for sufficient restorative healing.
Education and Support
Understanding any medical condition and knowing how to manage, control or even reverse it independently is crucial for sustaining good health. Doctors at Atmantan routinely share information on the patient’s condition, guiding one to make informed lifestyle modifications even beyond the stay. They also have established a comprehensive Atmantan Aftercare programme wherein the team offers continuous support to the guests even after they have checked out.
Mind and Body Practices
The integrated mind-body approach at Atmantan includes practices of gastro packs and therapies, cupping, energy healing, pranayama, mediation, and counselling to improve and reduce inflammation and hormonal imbalances.
Herbal and Natural Remedies
Certain herbal supplements and nutraceuticals, such as Dia-solve, Omega-3 fatty acids, Ivy Gourd, Indian Barberry, and Pterocarpus Marsupium are known to have positive effects on metabolising blood sugars. The trained doctors of Atmantan also possess knowledge of integrative medicine to prescribe natural formations.
All photographs courtesy: Atmantan
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