A transdisciplinary Ayurveda Biology platform for diabetes | Chethala

Summary :
⁣Diabetes is a multifactorial disease with complex multi-organ-multi-target crosstalk in the body. While the currently available molecular drugs effectively reduce hyperglycemia, they are inadequate to address the multifactorial etiopathology, chronicity and systemic complications of diabetes. A more holistic and systemic approach is essential for the successful management diabetes and associated metabolic diseases. We hypothesize an integrative diabetes management strategy, combining holistic principles of diabetes management with its molecular understandings, would be more appropriate to fill this gap. We propose a novel trans-disciplinary ‘Ayurveda-Biology’ approach for deepening the holistic understanding of the pathophysiology of diabetes as well as designing novel integrative strategies for managing diabetes and restoring whole body glucose homeostasis. While Ayurveda and modern biomedicine uses different epistemology and ontology for describing diabetes, both the systems recognize the central role of gut and gut derived factors in postprandial glucose disposal and whole body glucose homeostasis. Essentially, the principles of both Ayurveda and modern biomedicine overlap at a gut centered view of diabetes management; and Gastro-intestinal mediated glucose disposal, a holistic concept of glucose metabolism. Therefore, an integrative disease management strategy, focusing on an Ayurveda Biology framework, would be the prerogative for successful management of diabetes. This can also offer novel strategies for cost effective, holistic and multi-targeted management of diabetes.


About Author :
⁣A researcher, trained in cell biology and molecular biology, with more than 10 years of research and teaching experience at various institutes and Universities in India and South Korea. Interested in medical pluralism and integrative medicine for wellness and disease management. My research interests are metabolic diseases, with special focus on glucose metabolism and its role in obesity and diabetes. Our team is working on creating trans-disciplinary knowledge framework between Ayurveda, the traditional Indian System of Medicine (ISM) and modern biology for delineating the complex biology of metabolic homeostasis and metabolic diseases. Our team envisage that the effective merger of both holistic and reductionist views of biology is imperative for successful health and disease management. Recognizing and logically bridging epistemologically and culturally different perspectives of health and disease management would have significant contribution in the contemporary healthcare sector, particularly in the management of chronic lifestyle diseases.