Diabetes mellitus—is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced.

Classical symptoms are:

• polyuria (frequent urination).
• polydipsia (increased thirst).
• polyphagia (increased hunger).

There are three main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes:

Results from the body’s failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes.)

Type 2 diabetes:

Results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM for short, and adult-onset diabetes.)

Gestational diabetes:

Is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 DM.

Other forms of diabetes mellitus include congenital diabetes, which is due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus:

It is characterized by loss of the insulin-producing beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas leading to insulin deficiency.

This type of diabetes can be further classified as:

• Immune-mediated.
• Idiopathic.

The majority of type 1 diabetes is of the immune-mediated nature, where beta cell loss is a T-cell mediated autoimmune attack.There is no known pre0ventive measure against type 1 diabetes. Most affected people are otherwise healthy and of a healthy weight when onset occurs.

Sensitivity and responsiveness to insulin are usually normal, especially in the early stages. Type 1 diabetes can affect children or adults but was traditionally termed “juvenile diabetes” because it represents a majority of the diabetes cases in children.

Brittle diabetes, also known as unstable diabetes or labile diabetes, refers to a type of insulin-dependent diabetes characterized by dramatic and recurrent swings in glucose levels, often occurring for no apparent reason.The result can be irregular and unpredictable hyperglycemias, frequently with ketosis, and sometimes serious hypoglycemias. Brittle diabetes occurs no more frequently than in 1% to 2% of diabetics.

Causes:

• Due to loss of the insulin-producing cells (beta cells of the islets of Langerhans) of the pancreas.
• Auto- immunity (disturbance of immune system).
• Genetic factors.
• Viral infections.
• Stress-related or environmental factors (such as exposure to certain chemicals).

Suggestion about homeopathic treatment:

In case of Insulin Dependent Type I diabetes, the role of homeopathy is restricted to controlling the complications of diabetes such as diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy, etc. Homeopathy does not have medicines that could stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin in cases of Type I diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by insulin resistance which may be combined with relatively reduced insulin secretion. The defective responsiveness of body tissues to insulin is believed to involve the insulin receptor. However, the specific defects are not known. Diabetes mellitus due to a known defect are classified separately. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type.

In the early stage of type 2 diabetes, the predominant abnormality is reduced insulin sensitivity. At this stage hyperglycemia can be reversed by a variety of measures and medications that improve insulin sensitivity or reduce glucose production by the liver.

Causes:

• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Pregnancy.
• Hypertension.
• Cardiovascular diseases etc.

Gestational diabetes:

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) resembles type 2 diabetes in several respects, involving a combination of relatively inadequate insulin secretion and responsiveness. It occurs in about 2%–5% of all pregnancies and may improve or disappear after delivery. Gestational diabetes is fully treatable but requires careful medical supervision throughout the pregnancy. About 20%–50% of affected women develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Even though it may be transient, untreated gestational diabetes can damage the health of the fetus or mother.

Suggestion about homoeopathic treatment:

When we talk about diseases like diabetes, we talk in terms of management rather than cure. Homeopathic treatment along with intake of hypoglycemic drugs and/or insulin can prevent the progress and the complications associated with this condition. Moreover timely administered homeopathic medicines help in maintaining the levels of exogenous insulin and hypoglycemic drugs at minimum possible dosage and in preventing the further progress of the disease. However, it may be noted that there is no substitute to insulin in homeopathy. The role of a healthy diet and exercise cannot be underestimated along with all the above treatment measures.