Patient education in Diabetes

 The first person to introduce patient education in type first 2 diabetes was Apollinaire bouchardat in his book le diabete sucre in 1883 , he recognized that fasting was a method to reduce glycosuria and speculated that the principal cause of the disease, he stressed the importance of exercise and developed a procdure for self-testing of urine to determine the presence of glucose. His treatment of the disease, he stressed the importance of exercise and developed a procedure for self-testing of urine to determine the presence of glucose. His treatment of diabetes mellitus was by the use by the use of a low- carbohydrate diet, he developed self-monitoring by the patiens by means of simple chmical reagents.


Dr.M.S.Singhal

Diabetes in ancient days

             In 650 a.d. the treatment of diabetes in ancient days, hardly contributed to an improved quality of life paul of aegina refined the diagnosis of “dypsacus” (causing thirst), associated with the weakness of the body, leading to dehydration. For diabetes,he prescribed a remedy of pot- herbs, endive,lettuce,rock-fishes, juices of knotgrass, elecampane in dark colored wine and decoctions of dates and myrtly to drink. He warned against the use of diuretics,but venesection was permitted.


Dr.M.S.Singhal 

The term ‘ Diabetes’.was first used by aretaeus of Cappadocia

Mile stones in diabetes -
          In 250 b.c the term ‘ Diabetes’.was first used by aretaeus of Cappadocia as a generic description for conditions causing “increased urine output”. Diabetes was described by him as ‘the melting down of flesh and limbs into urine’.the word diabetes, meaning “siphon” was given by him to patients who were experiencing a great thirst. Aretaeus wrote an accurate factual descripation of the condition which is instantly recognizable today and concluded that it was due to  a fault in the kidneys.

Milestones in Diabetes

     In 500/400 b.c  symptoms of diabetes were first  reported in Sanskrit literature at the time of two notable Indian physicians, sushrut and charak. Charak described diabetes as “madhumeha” (honey urine) or “iksumeha” (sugarcane urine) in his work “charak samita”. Both charak and sushrut diagnosed diabetes, by testing the urine for sweetness or noting how many ants were attracted to the urine. The urin of polyuric patients was described as “testing like  honey, being sticky to the touch and strongly attracting ants”. They were the first to differentiate between the two types of diabetes, observing that thin patients developed diabetes at a younger age and survived long, in contrast to heavier patients who had a later onset and lived longer.

Milestone Diabetes

                 1552 b.c-: Hesy-ra who lived during the 3^rd dynasty of Egypt was the first to mention diabetes in 1552 B.c. he mentioned polyuria (frequent urination) as a symptom of the disease. He examined a patient who very frequently went to the bathroom. Although he didn’t khow why his patient had this problem, he put him on a special diet made up of fruits grains and honey.this diet worked because it cut the suger down.ebers papyrus’ (oldest preserved medical document),form 1500 B.C. contains the lists of remedies that were used to fight the “passing of too much urine”.

Ayurveda & Gestational Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus & Ayurveda

                                   Gestational diabetes is de­

fined as diabetes discovered during pregnancy and repeated abor­

tions without any cause referred to the same and have four other 

sub varieties like Incipient type I & II Preexisting type II and 

Newly overt type I comprehensive research goes in the favor 

of insulin in 3-4 divided doses, even OHGA should be withdrawn as earliest possible as pregnancy conceive.

So, one should be  vigilant and must not try any herbal recipes. 

Because no research work has been carried out in any Ay.research 

institute. So I will suggest to  my colleagues, confirm the 

diagnosis and refer such patients to an consultant diabetologist.

In Ay. texts no direct ref is available in the chapter of Prame­ha,  but an indirect ref. is available to us in which our Acharyas describe this problem under repeated abortion 

and month wise herbal recipes are describe in detailed.  

Simultaneously they also discuss a sever problem like post deliv­

ery pains with their remedies, which is an difficult problem of 

modern science till date. 

I think ancient Rishi's  are were well aware about the fact of 

hormonal change in every trimester during pregnancy. A comprehen­

sive research work can be performed with the help of voluntary 

females for the evaluation and establishment of the therapeutic 

effects of these remedies, it is difficult but not impossible.