Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Updated : June 24, 2016 6:13 PM IST
The number of diabetes cases in the country is on a steep rise and India is slowly becoming the diabetes capital of the world. Diabetes is a slow killer and the only way to treat it is to manage it properly.
It is commonly believed that diabetes is an old age diseases and affects people only their late 40s and 50s. Family history is also a major deciding factor for diabetes. If it runs in your family, you are highly likely to suffer from it. But what happens when you are diagnosed with this deadly disease at the age of 37, and no one in your family has it? Here's the story of Ashok Jain on how he managed his diabetes and how his struggle led to starting the world's largest chain of diabetes management clinic, Lifespan!
Here's an interview with him
When were you diagnosed with type 2 diabetes?
I was diagnosed on 24th October 1995, at age 37. I was never in the high-risk group because I have no family history of the disease, and there was no way to find out what caused diabetes. I remember that I lost about 8kg around the time of diagnosis.
What was your blood glucose level when you were first diagnosed? What did the doctors tell you?
My sugar level was quite high at the time of my diagnosis, it was over 400 mg/dL. I was scared and very confused and had to learn to deal with it myself. I had no information about diabetes to work with.
What was your treatment course like? Did you have to depend on insulin?
For the first eight years after the diagnosis, I was only on medicines. But after that, my doctor started me on insulin injections. I also tried a few natural medicines at first but only as an adjunct therapy, never as my main therapy. In the end, I found the results were inconsistent for me.
What were the lifestyle changes you had to make?
There were no significant lifestyle changes I had to make. I never smoked or drank alcohol even before the diagnosis, so there was nothing much to change. When it comes to exercising and following a diet, I didn't do anything of that in the beginning. I just followed my treatment course thoroughly. It was only after first five to six years that I started exercising and correcting my diet.
What was your fitness and diet plan? Any tips for someone with a sweet tooth?
I made up my fitness plan and stuck to it. When it comes to my diet, I cut down on my calories. I had a sweet tooth but I managed to tame it too. The key to controlling a sweet tooth is self-control; I used no other special tricks. I believe it's not about cutting down sweets but cutting down on calories. You have a lot of options like eating small amounts of foods that are too sweet, fresh fruits, dry fruits. In fact, whenever I crave sweets, I eat a small handful of dry fruits. Here's my advice to anyone who wants to know how to control their cravings for all things sweet: A little sweet can never hurt a diabetic as long as they're watching their calories.
Did you face any complications such as diabetic neuropathy or diabetic retinopathy?
Except for some minor complications like skin rashes, I have never experienced any other complication.
How do you keep diabetes under control now?
Over time I did make a few changes to exercise routinely. I never did yoga to control my diabetes before, but I have started doing it now. I am also active in the office. I walk around the office several times a day. As far as my diet is concerned, I follow the food exchange system, and I am always regular with my diet.
Why did you start Life Span?
After more than 22 years of managing diabetes, I've come to the conclusion that you need 24x7 management as well as people who know this disease inside and out; someone who will explain it to you in really simple ways. But in India, people don't have easy access to these resources. At the same time, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a loss of productivity in your personal and work life. I want to stop this; I want diabetics to lead fully productive lives that are not hindered by this disease. That's what Lifespan does; we provide 24x7 diabetes expertise and management everything under one roof.
The growing problem of pre-diabetes is another reason why I've started Lifespan. If we can control the number of pre-diabetics in the country, we'll be able to control the eventual number of diabetics. We'll be able to stop people becoming just another statistic because of diabetes. You may like to read how Mohit Sawhney reversed his diabetes.
Image source: Ashok Jain
