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Medication Not A Long-Term Solution For Chronic Lifestyle Diseases: Take a Holistic Approach

Medication Not A Long-Term Solution For Chronic Lifestyle Diseases: Take a Holistic Approach
Lifestyle diseases are on the rise owing to unhealthy habits, stressful jobs and sedentary lifestyle.

Medications provide merely symptomatic relief, lifestyle management is essential to prevent, treat and reverse chronic lifestyle diseases.

Written by Longjam Dineshwori |Updated : June 22, 2021 2:13 PM IST

Lifestyle diseases are diseases resulting from one's bad habits and lifestyle choices, such as lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating, alcohol, substance use disorders and smoking tobacco. Common lifestyle diseases include obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, lung cancer, etc. With people becoming more sedentary and increasingly adopting unhealthy diets, as well as the use of tobacco and alcohol abuse surge, there is a significant increase in lifestyle diseases. Sadly, these lifestyle diseases are affecting people of young age as well. Medications are not enough to manage these chronic lifestyle diseases. Lifestyle management is also essential to prevent, treat and reverse these diseases, says Rohan Verma, Co-founder and CEO, Breathe Well-being.

Breathe Well-being is a health-tech startup founded in 2020 by Rohan Verma (ex-McKinsey) & Aditya Kaicker(ex-Accenture). They help people prevent, manage and reverse Type 2 Diabetes through their clinically verified digital program that is based on diet, exercise and stress reduction. In an exclusive interview with The HealthSite, Rohan Verma sheds light on the common chronic lifestyle diseases prevalent in India, their causes, and how yoga plays role in preventing, managing and reversing chronic lifestyle diseases.

Excerpts:

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Q. What are common Chronic lifestyle diseases prevalent in India, and which one is occurring rampantly?

India is the diabetes capital of the World and over 200M patients are estimated to be suffering from chronic lifestyle diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, PCOD, thyroid and hypertension amongst many others. The number of people at risk of such diseases is even greater and steadily on the rise owing to unhealthy habits, stressful jobs and sedentary lifestyle. When it comes to Type 2 Diabetes, India has 70M+ diabetics making it the highest affected number in the World.

Obesity, for example, is a complex disease not just a cosmetic concern. It is one of the most common lifestyle diseases and is a doorway for other diseases and health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, diabetes and even cancer. Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases are more often than not deeply interlinked.

In India, we see cases of diabetes and heart diseases rising rampantly. At Breathe Well-being, we help people prevent, manage and reverse Type 2 Diabetes through our clinically proven, #DigitalTherapeutic program that is based on diet, exercise and stress reduction. The program helps people with Type 2 Diabetes to control their blood glucose levels, reduce HbA1c and eventually stop all medications.

Q. Talking about the common chronic lifestyle diseases, can you also elaborate on their causes?

Stress and an inactive lifestyle are the root cause of chronic lifestyle diseases. It leads to putting on weight, a majority of which is unhealthy fat. Excess fat obstructs the actions of two key hormones, Insulin and Leptin, resulting in high insulin resistance in the body which eventually leads to triggering of diabetes. Other primary reasons for chronic lifestyle disorders include an acidic and inflamed system interfering with repair processes and a lack of micronutrients interfering with energy generation and repair.

Q. Medication is not the long-term solution for chronic lifestyle diseases. Please elaborate on this.

Breathe Well-being strongly believes that integrated steps are necessary to effectively manage lifestyle diseases as medications are not a long-term solution. Lifestyle management is the clinical application of healthy behaviours to prevent, treat and reverse diseases.

Research underscores the need of medications that provide merely symptomatic relief. The six domains of lifestyle medicine that should be offered to patients are: whole food plant-based nutrition, regular physical exercise, restorative sleep, stress management, addiction reduction or elimination, positive psychology and social connection.

Breathe Well-being's personalised coach-driven, community-first approach through interactive gamification helps people with their lifestyle tracking, reduce stress and manage anxiety and sleep patterns while building long-term healthy habits.

Q.How yoga helps in preventing, managing, and reversing chronic lifestyle diseases?

Yoga is one of the world's oldest mind-body wellness methods. Yoga has numerous advantages for those with chronic diseases; it promotes mental and physical endurance in people of all ages and enhances physical abilities. Breathing control, basic meditation, and the adoption of particular body postures are all part of yoga. As part of an overall healthy lifestyle, yoga may help:

  • Improve physical strength of the body leading to better mind and body balance
  • Reduce body pain
  • Lower anxiety levels
  • Maintain blood pressure
  • Improve respiratory function and heart rate
  • Boost overall circulation and improve bone density as well as muscle tone
  • Improve your overall well-being while offering strength-building benefits

At Breathe Well-being, our yoga gurus and health coaches evaluate each member's requirements and develop a personalised 'yoga health insurance' for them. This insurance is obtained by implementing a yogic lifestyle which includes diet, attitude, and various yogic practices that help build an overall positive well-being, allowing them to endure and manage stress better.

Q. Share some yoga benefits for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Yoga is a comprehensive and integrated life science that addresses the individual's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Yoga may also be used to cure diabetes. In the instance of Type 2 Diabetes, we at Breathe Well-being help our members manage and prevent it by recommending the following:

  • Pancreatic cell rejuvenation - We share yoga asanas (relaxation postures) that stretch the pancreas, stimulating the creation of insulin-producing beta cells.
  • Muscle activity - Yoga, like any other exercise, improves glucose absorption by muscular cells, which helps to lower blood sugar, improve circulation, and lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Weight loss - Yoga can help you lose weight and improve your weight control, which are both important for preventing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases
  • Improving mental well-being - Practicing yoga on a regular basis assists to focus the mind and develop the proper mental attitude for coping with diabetes.

Yoga's positive benefits on diabetes are mediated through psycho-neuro-endocrine and immunological systems. Regular practice helps attain glycaemic control and reduces the risk of complications in people with diabetes.

At Breathe Well-being, we have noticed that specific yoga postures have a positive effect on glucose utilization and fat redistribution in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Q.What according to you are best yoga asanas for diabetes patients?

The key to practicing yoga is consistency. Pancreatic function is improved by seated postures including Ardhamatsyendrasan, yoga mudra, and Mandukasan. Forward bends massage and pressurize the pancreas, which stimulates insulin production. Squeezing and massaging the intestines in poses like Vakrasana and Ardhamatsyendrasan (seated spinal twist) prevents the stagnation of colonic contents.

The postures should be held for 30 seconds to 1 minute for therapeutic purposes, depending on individual capacity, the duration can be gradually extended. Please find below a few poses that can help diabetic patients.

  1. Kapal Bhati (Skull Shining breathing technique)
  2. Supta Matsyendrasana (Lying-down body twist)
  3. Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
  4. Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend)
  5. Ardhya Matsyendrasana (Sitting half spinal twist)
  6. Vakrasana (Twisted pose)
  7. Pavanmuktasana (wind-relieving pose)
  8. Padahastasana (hand under foot pose)
  9. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations)
  10. Trikonasana (the triangle pose)
  11. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
  12. Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
  13. Shalabhasana (Grasshopper/Locust pose)
  14. Mandukasana (Frog pose)
  15. Viparit Karani (legs up the wall pose)
  16. Shavasana (Corpse pose)

Trikonsa Asana especially helps with the damaging effects of diabetes on kidneys which is one of the major risk factors for every diabetic patient. It also aids in better digestion. By extending the abdominal muscles, Matsyasana aids in the proper toning of the abdominal organs as well as the pancreas. This asana, when performed with regulated breathing, helps to encounter diabetes.

Shalabhasana, Padahastasana and Viparit Karani aid in the regulation of blood sugar levels. Thesa asanas are beneficial in the treatment of diabetes because it presses the abdominal organs, strengthens the leg and back muscles, and relieves tension in the body.

Padahastasana Yoga Asanas for Diabetes also aids in blood sugar regulation. The direct stimulation of glands and organs in the abdomen area, such as the liver, pancreas, and kidneys, is aided by this forward-bending yoga position. It aids in the strengthening of abdominal muscles as well as the proper functioning of abdominal organs.

Pavanmuktasana (wind-relieving pose), a gas-releasing yoga position, that aids in the relief of constipation and release of excess gas in the belly which are typical problems among diabetics.

These are some of the yoga poses that are extremely helpful for diabetic patients as it helps with body strengthening, improves blood circulation in pancreas and upgrades the use of insulin in the body.

At Breathe Well-being, we value holistic care and strongly believe that medications are not a long term solution for Type 2 Diabetes and that Type 2 Diabetes reversal is a genuine possibility. We are here to help people move towards a healthy life and lower their risk of chronic lifestyle illnesses through our clinically-proven diabetes reversal treatment, which includes lifestyle tracking and tailored exercise, yoga, and nutrition coaching to help people reverse diabetes and get off medicines eventually.