Fighting diabetes

Pune, India, July 20 — At age 65, a diabetic like me dependant on self-administered insulin generally finds the going a bit hard because the physical strain and the mental well-being needs close attention and strict controls to balance the body’s delicate metabolism.

The Diabetic Association of India through its local branches in different states provides various programs for members like me to understand and deal with our condition. Programs aim to address misunderstandings that patients have either through wrong information or plain ignorance. Such programs also keep members informed of the latest news and technologies surrounding diabetes and provide advise on new methods of diagnosis and remedies.

Recently, I attended an annual camp organized by the Pune branch, which was specifically tailored for senior citizens with diabetes. The three-day study cum nature camp included lectures, games, and group activities and was held at a picturesque tourist hill resort called Matheran.

Lying midway between Pune and Mumbai, Matheran turned out to be an ideal playground to blend nature with knowledge and the relaxed pace of the small town accessed by a small train running on narrow gauge rails alienated me from my diabetic condition – albeit for a temporary period. However, swaying the mind and tuning the body towards nature, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, turned out to be both therapeutic and thematic and a sense of rejuvenation was felt.

Pune city with its 2.5 million population is situated at a distance of about 190 kilometers from Mumbai or Bombay. Matheran lies somewhere midway between both cities.

Lectures by expert doctors that made us introspect on our own diabetic condition while helping us pick solutions and remedies to alleviate it formed the backbone of this exciting and novel event.

Dr. Bhaskar Harshe, a renowned diabetologist and the event organizer who runs a clinic in Pune, spoke about the increasing number of people in India who develop diabetes simply by pursuing wrong lifestyles and bad food habits. He also presented a paper on obesity and its ill effects on diabetes. Supplementing with slides, he explained in detail the functioning of our pancreases and cells that produce insulin and highlighted a live example where an obese patient who previously could not even stand was able to do so after proper diet, exercise and medication.

Another expert, Dr. Subhash Kale, along with Dr. Ramesh Godbole, discussed new remedies, research and inventions on diabetes treatments. “No matter what the pace of discovery is, to counter genetic diabetics, a change in lifestyle is vital,” he emphasized, endorsing Harshe’s report.

However, the event was not all classroom study but also involved yoga sessions, nature walks and dietary advise. On one such lunch session, a variety of food was displayed and participants were told to choose and eat as per as their discretion and diabetic condition. And in the questions and answer sessions, questions were asked by doctors and participants were required to answer based on their experience and knowledge. This cleared misunderstandings instantly when participants came up with wrong or inappropriate answers.

One of the highlights of the program was a night session devoted to music therapy and its impact on patient’s health. Dr. Shekhar Kulkarni, director of a breast cancer support group in Pune, along with another expert Dr. Vikas Kashalkar, explained how music notes have differing effects on the mind and body of an individual.

Beyond therapies and medicines, cultivating a peaceful mind is critical for a diabetic patient. This program in many ways succeeded in driving home the importance of nurturing a peaceful mental equilibrium that helps the body deal with one’s diabetic state.

Besides the new friends that I made during the three-day event, such programs have largely taken up the role of "support groups" that care for senior citizens like me.