Diabetes is both the worlds and the nation’s fastest-growing disease, affecting nearly one in four people. Ranging from newborn babies to the very elderly, more than one million Australians have diabetes. That’s approximately 7.5 per cent of the Australian population, a figure three times higher than 20 years ago. Diabetes is the seventh major cause of death in Australia. Half of the Australians who have it are unaware they do.

What is diabetes?

In order for the body to work properly, it needs to convert sugar into energy. In those people who have diabetes, either the hormone insulin, essential for the conversions of glucose (sugar) into energy, is no longer produced in sufficient amounts by the body or the insulin produced is not working properly and therefore glucose cannot be absorbed. Both of these then result in high sugar levels in both the blood and urine.

The most common symptoms for those people with diabetes include the need to urinate often, frequent thirst, weight loss and increased appetite.

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a disorder of the pancreas characterised by glucose in the urine and is the most common form of diabetes, of which there are two main types.

Type 1

Type 1, in which almost no insulin is produced, represents about 15 per cent of Australian cases and is one of the most common childhood diseases in developing nations. It is also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile diabetes). It usually affects children, teenagers and young adults and requires daily injections of insulin. It is one of the most common childhood diseases in Australia and is at a very high rate compared with most countries in the world.

Type 2

Type 2, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes (adult-onset diabetes), is aggravated by unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and obesity. Although its found mostly in adults over 45 who are overweight, its increasingly being found in younger people. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the majority of people with diabetes have Type 2.1 In fact, Type 2 diabetes is potentially preventable because many of the major risk factors are related to lifestyle and can be modified, such as obesity, lack of physical activity and poor diet too.

Personal experience

There were tears of gratitude in the eyes of 50-year-old Prema Krishnamurthy as she narrated her experience: It was in the year 2001 that I had the greatest opportunity of my life, to attend the Art of Living Course. After the one-week course I was able to do the daily yogic and breathing practices, including the kriya (a truly wonderful breathing technique) as part of my regular routine. Within six months I was able to notice considerable change in my blood sugar level and my family doctor was amazed with my rapid recovery. From insulin-dependent to oral medication, the change was so fast.

It is now two years since I did the course. I continue doing the practices every day and feel healthy. People who see me now say there is freshness in my look and I am very active throughout the day. I feel that I have been healed both mentally and physically. I would like to convey this healing experience to as many people as possible.