Is Basti Good For Diabetes?

Madhumeha or Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome with disturbed metabolism and hereditary immune-mediated involvement (in type-1 diabetes) and it becomes worse with life-threatening complications like Neuropathy, Nephropathy, and Retinopathy along with pathological changes that involve small and large vessels leading to myocardial and cerebrovascular problems.

Ayurvedic Approach to Diabetes Treatment

Ayurveda emphasizes two types of treatment namely: 1) Shaman and 2) Shodhan types of treatments, sometimes alone or both together, but the larger goal is to get your body organs to work at an optimum level post-Shodhan or detoxification which we call in modern terminology. Although, the sole word detoxification can’t do justification with the deep and vast process of ‘Basti Karma’.

Shaman Chikitsa

Shaman Chikitsa is mainly achieved with the help of medicines which can be a single herb, minerals, or herbs-mineral complex and a personalized dietary regimen, their main functions in the body are to balance the vitiated doshas from the body.

Shodhan Chikitsa

Shodhan is a process of elimination of the excessive vitiated doshas or toxins out of the body, this can be achieved by medications that cause Vaman (medicated emesis) or Virechan (medicated purgation or loose stools), or by the use of Basti (Involves consumption of medicines and internal administration of oil/decoctions) whose roles primarily are of bio-cleansing in nature and to correct the essential pathological factors involved in the disease.

This helps in body tissue regeneration and to regularize metabolism. Thus, we can see ‘Shodhan’ is more than just a detoxification which has become a fad word around us.

Exploring the Panchakarma Process

Although it is difficult to bind all Panchkarma processes in a small set of words but to put it succinctly, ‘Panchakarma’ is a specialized procedure that not only helps in the removal of toxins but also re-establish the internal intestinal flora by cleansing the minutest body cells and channels and enhances the nutrient-absorbing capacity of the body which helps in the regeneration of new healthy cells.

The materials used in the Panchakarma process are medicated oils, medicated ghee, and medicated decoction of herbs, together the Panchakarma procedure sequentially loosens and removes lipid-soluble toxicants from their deposited sites and stimulate their elimination.

How Basti Treatment Helps in Diabetes?

Since this blog is intended to emphasize the utility of Basti treatment in Diabetes, I shall briefly try to explain how it helps patients with Diabetes. The medicines given with basti directly reach the intestine through the rectal route using an enema pipe. The Basti dravya (medicine) spreads all over the body through the minute Srotas (cells) in the same way as the water reaches all parts of the plant from its root.

The usual steps we follow at our clinic during the Panchakarma process for patients with diabetes are as follows-

1. Snehan (Medicated oil massage)
2. Swedana (Medicated steam)
3. Udvartanam- The medicated powdered massage helps greatly in losing body fat in a quick and healthy succession of time.
4. Basti (Administration of medicated oils, ghee, or decoction/s through rectal route)

Patients suffering from Type-2 Diabetes have:

1. Increased insulin resistance (in type-2, the pancreas is unable to make Insulin or makes very less Insulin)
2. Abdominal adiposity (higher waist circumference despite lower body mass index in some cases) except for the people who have lost weight post prolonged diabetes or lean people suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Curing patients with type-2 Diabetes overweight is relatively easy as compared to the lean and thin (Krush) patients since the formers need to get rid of extra fat from their body for the Insulin to take action on their body cells (correction of Medo-dusty).

Benefits of Basti Treatment

The procedure of Basti helps patients of Diabetes in the following ways and that too in quick remedial courses-

1. Improves Insulin Sensitivity- Basti clears the clogged body channels and removes fat from the cells, thereby increasing the action of insulin and taking up blood sugar to use.
2. Reduction of Unwanted Visceral/Abdominal Fat- Since people with visceral fat lives with more chances of having Diabetes at any stage of their life, Basti (specifically lekhan Basti) here can help greatly in quick fat loss and removing fat from the abdomen, giving flat belly to the patients of Diabetes.
3. Weight Reduction- Basti helps in achieving ideal body weight keeping the chances of Diabetes at bay since obesity is a co-morbidity increasing the risk of Diabetes. 
4. Restoration of Metabolism- Basti helps in the restoration and regeneration of healthy intestinal flora and helps the body with improved digestion and metabolic activities.

In Charak Samhita, Acharya Charak has mentioned the importance of Basti while calling it a half treatment itself which means it augments any existing treatment modality and brings faster, and long-sustaining desired results. That’s the reason you see celebrities, sportspersons, and people from all walks of life adopting this Ayurvedic process of Shodhan which includes Basti as the major treatment process.

Conclusion: Basti is a Safe and Beneficial Modality

For patients suffering from Diabetes, Panchkarma, and especially Basti is a beneficial and safe treatment modality. It not only removes excess toxins which are constantly being generated in the body due to low metabolic and catabolic systems but also helps in balancing vitiated doshas which are another reason for neuropathy and prolonged degeneration of body cells and tissues and that include nerves as well.

Basti as a treatment can be regularly taken as a preventive and curative treatment by patients with diabetes for lower blood sugar levels and other complications related to it.

If you are seeking a complete cure for diabetes and want to experience the transformative power of Ayurveda, we strongly advise you to explore Ayurvedic Treatment for Diabetes. We will take you through personalized therapies and a holistic approach to bring your body back to optimal functioning.

Don’t wait any longer—take charge of your health and embark on a journey towards complete wellness.

Contact us today to schedule your consultation and start your Ayurvedic journey toward a diabetes-free life.