Diabetes Mellitus (DM) or diabetes, as all of us know, is a disorder in which the body (particularly the islet cells in the pancreas) fails to secrete adequate insulin. It can also be attributed to the body’s decreased ability to utilise insulin.

In a healthy individual, food is digested to release glucose into the blood. This causes the pancreas to release insulin (a hormone) into the bloodstream. Insulin helps in the transportation of glucose from the blood into the cells so that it may be converted into energy. When the pancreas fails to produce adequate amounts of insulin, or if there is insulin resistance, glucose remains within the blood and the body cannot convert it into energy. This is what leads to the condition of diabetes.

1. In type 1 diabetes, there is a lack of insulin and in type 2 diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly.
2. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, which accounts for about 90% diabetes across the globe.
3. Overweight, obesity and physical inactivity are some of the risk factors for developing diabetes.
4. In India, 66.84 million people were living with diabetes in 2014 and the number is expected to rise up to 109 million people by 2035.
5. Diabetes is associated with a number of complications such as blindness, amputation and kidney failure.
6. Good news though; physical activity and a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes.

Homeopathy emphasises on the holistic management of diabetes. Its aim is primarily focused on maintaining ‘normal’ levels of insulin, or keeping conventional anti-diabetic drugs at the minimum possible dosage, and in preventing the progression or complications of the disease.