Pregnancy for diabetic patients

[Guest guest]

Can someone suggest precautions or lifestyle changes a diabetic patient

needs to make once she gets pregnant, from an ayurvedic point of view? I

want to know what suggestions ayurvedic medicine has in such a case

apart from keeping blood sugar under control.

 

warm regards

Heera

[Guest guest]

A simple answer to your question is that pregnancy of a diabetic

patient is a boon also and additional responsibility of protecting one

more future patient in the womb. Whatever precautions she took and

lifestyle changes she adopted to "conceive" can straight-forwardly

carry on into pregnancy period. glucose and glycosugars are utilised

by brain and endocrine glands in the body, in order to give rise to

conception and later baby. Earth+water is Kapha, also sweet taste,

highly needed for growth of the new soul. That is the reason incorrect

food will be vomitted out and correct food will be craved. That is

under the assumption that Central nervous system is working in top

condition. It does work. All the resources are mobilised to see that

this mega event goes through well.

 

Hence first advise that comes logically: listen to the body.

 

Having said that the patient is already diabetic, perhaps hypertension

is also present. Generally, as a side effect of allopathic medicine, on

kidney brings in hypertension. Modern science then adds another tablet

here. If congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs, resulting swellings add

another diuretic tablet. And if muscular pains or numbness starts,

still one more tablet/injection. As medicines start increasing, liver

gets loaded with toxins, cravings/swlling/pains increase, patient

starts going in depression, which helps the diabetes further!

 

Beta blockers and diuretics – designed to lower blood pressure –

increase the grip of diabetes, a major new study has found.

Conversely, two other types of antihypertensives – the ACE inhibitor

and the angiotensin-receptor blocker – reduce the effect on sugar

control.

(Source: The Lancet, 2007; 369: 201-7).

 

Two MDs have studied the subject of in-utero life of babies. Michel

Odent,MD with his book, "Primal Health" and works by Peter Nathaneilsz,

PhD.(vet) MD (OB) "Life Before Birth and a Time to Be Born: The

Challenges of Fetal Development", and "Life in the Womb: The Origin of

Health and Disease". "Prental Prescription" was written to condense the

information for mothers. If you can read any of these books, they

explain how diabetics pass on diabetes to next generation. The work of

Michel Odon is available online:

 

"We must first wonder how and when the systems that regulate our

appetite and our capacity to store fat adjust themselves and reach

their `set point levels'. In general, in the field of health, we

should first be concerned with the programming of our biological

computers during the primal period of life", says Michel Odent, MD at:

 

http://www.wombecology.com/obesity.html

 

babies born heavier are also likely victims of obesity, diabetes,

pcos, CHD etc, later in life. Programming of obesity from before

birth will result in an inter-generational cycle of obesity. We need

to stop infants from becoming obese in the first place. But who can

do it? Mothers and health care professional who advises them.

 

The incidence of babies heavier than 6 lbs is increasing in India

too, notably in Metros. Tribal babies are skinny, just a mass of

bones and skin, like their mothers. Author wonders how babies become

satisfied with breast milk. Despite small breasts, milk supply is

never poor in tribals!

 

ayurveda and many other scriptures mention that all the wishes of the

pregnant mom should be fulfilled, they are not hers but those of baby in

the womb. If we apply simple logic here, dietary restrictions should

only take care of prevention of miscarriage! Suppressed food cravings

is what drives baby to diabetes in later life, if words of Michel Odon

are to be believed.

 

One pregnant lady of indian origin and presently in US, even though she was not diabetic, was given

glucose tolerance test and was restricted on foods such as rice, idli

etc. on the ground that they have high glyceimic index.

 

"Choose C-section, Your baby is big, the uterus may rupture, you may

have to go through

episiotomy etc are the standard opinions which push a would-be-mom to

C-section."

 

Author advised this mom not to bother about her doctor and eat what she

is craving to eat. at the end of her term, she delivered normally

without much problem and baby was not heavy. If a persons body is made

from Rice idli dosa from childhood, suddenly one cant force some

foreign low glyceimic index food based on science alone! In another post author mentioned that all glands work in unison, and pancreas are no exceptions. Who controls salivation and thereby digestion?

 

Few days back, author wrote (message# 8621) that diabetics may get benifitted by not only taking glycosugars, but also high carbs, cereals such as whole grain foods. same thinking is now studied by others. diet rich in fiber can halve the risk of breast cancer among young women, according to a new study by Leeds University. Cereal fiber, such as that found in whole bread and cereals, was found to be particularly effective. Three reasons are put forward.

 

First, fiber has a stabilizing effect on the body's insulin levels. High insulin levels have been shown to contribute to the risk of cancer. Second, high-fiber foods also tend to be rich in other essential nutrients, including those with antioxidant properties.

Third, and perhaps most relevant, dietary fiber reduces the levels of estrogen in the body, which has been shown to correlate with the risk of breast cancer. These levels are higher in younger women, which may explain the age split that researchers discovered.

http://www.newstarget.com/021523.html

 

One more advantage of the fiber rich diet is the reduction in obesity becomes easy, which will be discussed at length in a separate post.

 

Beyond this there are many many herbs which are to be avoided during

pregnancy against which the list of those which can be taken during

pregnancy is very small list. All toxic herbs are to be avoided,

exception being castor oil to be taken for initiating an overdue

pregnancy if midwife suggests. Few more herbs to ease labor pains, few

to reduce intermittent spotting/bleeding and few to ease itching on

skin can be enquired when problem arises.

 

Other members, especially diabetic mothers, may add their valuable experiences to our growing archives.

 

ayurveda, "heera1974" <heera1974

wrote:

>

> Can someone suggest precautions or lifestyle changes a diabetic

patient

> needs to make once she gets pregnant, from an ayurvedic point of

view? I

> want to know what suggestions ayurvedic medicine has in such a case

> apart from keeping blood sugar under control.

>

> warm regards

> Heera

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply. From the doctors I have consulted I understand the

critical thing is to keep blood sugar under control. She is taking insulin to

achieve that. Also she is obese. I came to know that pregnant diabetic

woman carry a greater risk of mis-carriage. Any suggestions from an

ayurvedic stand point?

 

regards

ayurveda, "Shirish Bhate"

<shirishbhate wrote:

>

> A simple answer to your question is that pregnancy of a diabetic

> patient is a boon also and additional responsibility of protecting one

> more future patient in the womb.

<snip>

[Guest guest]

ayurveda, "heera1974" <heera1974 wrote:

>

> Thanks for the reply. From the doctors I have consulted I understand the

> critical thing is to keep blood sugar under control. She is taking insulin to

> achieve that. Also she is obese. I came to know that pregnant diabetic

> woman carry a greater risk of mis-carriage. Any suggestions from an

> ayurvedic stand point?

>

> regards

> ayurveda, "Shirish Bhate"

> <shirishbhate@> wrote:

> >

> > A simple answer to your question is that pregnancy of a diabetic

> > patient is a boon also and additional responsibility of protecting one

> > more future patient in the womb.

> <snip>

>

 

the most effective way to control blood sugars is to dramatically lower the carbohydrate

content of the diet - insulin will only create havoc later on, for both mother and child

 

i recommend a low carb diet in such situations, emphasing non-starchy vegetables, lean

organic meat and wild fish, and healthy fats such as butter/ghee, coconut, olive oil and

sesame oil - sometimes an additional fiber supplement, such as fresh ground flax or hemp

seed is taken to ensure bowel regularity

 

for vegetarians, substitute the above meat and fish with legumes such as chana, mung,

and kidney beans, eaten with whole grains as barley, brown rice, and oats - all of which

have a low glycemic index - the fats mentioned above are OK take in moderate amounts,

along with the grains to lower the glycemic spike

 

there should absolutely be NO sweets or sugar, no flour (only whole grains), and limited

fruits (to non-sweet varieties, such as passionfruit or guava; here in canada i would

suggest only berry fruits like blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, as well as apple, but no

sweet "tropical" fruits such as banana, mango, pineapple, orange etc.)

 

and make sure she gets adequate folic acid and EPA/DHA,

 

obesity and pregnancy are never a good mix, and anyone wishing to get pregnant would

do well to detoxify and lose the weight before - even with pregnancy alone many women

can end up spending years trying getting their metabolism back on track

 

best... todd caldecott