Possible management of type 2 diabetes mellitus through patient-centered Ayurvedic approach: An experience

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus attributes to a heavy disease burden over the globe due to its high prevalence and the extensive morbidity it causes, impacting individuals, health systems, and national economies. The aim of the management is to prevent or delay complications through an individualized patient-centered approach and improve the quality of life. Ayurvedic principles of treatment focus on the body as well as the mind through medicines, Ahara (~diet)-Vihara (~lifestyle intervention), yoga, and Satvavajaya chikitsa (~psychotherapy) which can be considered a holistic approach. A 58-year-old female homemaker presented with chief complaints of weight loss, pain in bilateral calf muscles, tingling sensation in bilateral soles, excessive thirst, dryness in mouth, palate, and throat, generalized weakness, knee joint pain, blurred vision, excessive urination, and burning micturition that subsided with the present treatment. Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) was 372 mg/dl and Post Prandial Blood Sugar (PPBS) was >500 mg/dl. The patient was given Gokshuradi guggulu, Panchavalkala kwatha, Nisha amalaki churna, Kutaja churna, Shilajatvadi lauha, and tablet M Liv for Vyadhi pratyanika (~disease antagonistic treatment) as well as Rasayana (~rejuvenative) purposes. The FBS and PPBS came to normal range after a four month Ayurveda therapeutic intervention. HbA1c reduced from 12.3% to 6.7% and all the symptoms subsided. Obtaining glycemic control in a diabetic patient remains a critical clinical challenge and even exerting a regulation on HbA1C is possible only through a precise patient-centered treatment approach.