With this first post on New Year's day, I commence a new series of MYTHBUSTERS on my blog.
India has the dubious distinction of being the Diabetes capital of the world! It is estimated that by 2030, over 100 million people in India will have type 2 diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) avers that almost 9% of the Indian population between the ages of 20 to 70 would suffer from diabetes. By 2040, an additional 70 million are also estimated to become pre-diabetic (whatever that means).
The good news is for the healthcare industry, which estimates a growth of 20% in insulin requirements over the next decade. The bad news is that insulin does not cure diabetes, it is merely replaces the deficient hormone that the body does not produce in case of type 1 diabetes and in case of type 2 diabetes, it regulates blood sugar, which can be fatal if it goes beyond a certain proportion. Of all the diabetics I know, none have ever gotten better, however their dependency on insulin keeps going up with time.
As recently as last week, yet another (out of dozens I have interacted with over the years) acquaintance told me that he was diabetic only due to the fact that it was hereditary. I did not contest it at that time, so firmly entrenched is the belief in people's minds that if one of their parents had type 2 diabetes, they are likely to have it too, irrespective of all the preventive care they intend to undertake. This is not true! Its a myth!
I can provide dozens of research references, for the moment, let us consider a research-based genetic home reference section from the US National Library of Medicine. It clearly mentions that "Type 2 diabetes does not have a clear pattern of inheritance, although many affected individuals have at least one close family member, such as a parent or sibling, with the disease." Even in case of type 1 diabetes, it goes on to state that "A predisposition to develop type 1 diabetes is passed through generations in families, but the inheritance pattern is unknown." Further, even in case of an inherited predisposition to type 1 diabetes, there is no guarantee that the child will inherit the disease. It has been found in case of twins that if one has developed the disease, the other has less than 50% chance of getting it.
What I am trying to say here is obvious, as I have been conveying through my Nirmiti Nidra workshops all the time. To my mind, there is a 'risk' or a 'predisposition' to the disease that is inherited and the disease will not develop, unless it has been triggered by certain influencing factors - these can be mental, physical and emotional - as I shall explain in a subsequent article.
India has the largest population of type 2 diabetes in the world! Type 1 diabetes is relatively insignificant as compared to type 1, but off late it has also been increasing at 3 to 5 per cent per annum. Prior to 1900, diabetes in India was extremely rare, less than 0.3% of the population I believe. It was around 1% in 1970s and is currently affecting over 7% of the Indian population. Nearly 50% of the diabetic population in India is at or below 40 years of age, which means they have to endure another 3-4 decades of pills and injections.
If all of the diabetics in India had genetically inherited this disease, surely it cannot be multiplying at this rate? It has reached epidemic proportions in the last 50 years - this is logically impossible in terms of genetics, which you would agree. It is the mindset (negative beliefs) and lifestyle changes that are responsible for this. Now, I would like to believe that if type-2 diabetes can be brought about by you unintentionally but through choices you have made, you should also have the capacity and the ability to reverse it!
I would like to believe type 2 diabetes can be reversed (of course under regular medical supervision) and intend to devote a certain amount of time to researching this subject over the coming weeks and eventually, author a book that can help millions in India. The cost of a book in comparison to years of pills, injections, heartaches, pain, fatigue and frustration is nothing. If you are one of those interested in being one of the first to lay your hands on the book when it is completed, you can simply register here.
Out of the series of books that I desire to write over the next few years, a couple of them would be dedicated to tackling the two biggest scourges the people of India face today - obesity and diabetes.
Notes: Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset diabetes, and is characterized by a lack of insulin production. Type 2 diabetes is non-insulin-dependent and also called as adult-onset diabetes, which is caused by insulin resistance or the body's ineffective use of insulin. Excess body weight in case of hypothyroidism and type 2 diabetes are quite common. Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia that is first recognized during pregnancy and is not necessarily either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.