Diabetes Is Not A Disease
- Madhukar Dama
- Sep 21
- 10 min read
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๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ โ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒโ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ
Food is digested and glucose is released from it.
Glucose is the basic fuel of the body.
Every cell, muscle, organ, and the brain runs on glucose.
The heart beats with glucose.
Insulin is the key.
Insulin is made by the pancreas.
Insulin opens the doors of the cells.
When the doors open, glucose enters.
Inside the cell, glucose burns and gives energy.
Glucose in the blood must enter the cells.
Glucose left outside is harmful.
Excess glucose in the blood is toxic.
Diabetes begins when insulin fails.
Sometimes the pancreas makes less insulin.
Often the cells stop responding to insulin.
This is insulin resistance.
The key is present, but the doors do not open.
When this happens, glucose stays in the blood.
Cells remain empty of energy.
The body feels weak and tired.
The pancreas tries harder, makes more insulin.
Over time, the pancreas becomes exhausted.
Diabetes is not a separate disease.
Diabetes is the imbalance of glucose handling.
Diabetes is the result of disturbed food, movement, rest, and hormones.
Diabetes is the bodyโs call for correction.
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๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ
Diabetes is not a disease, it is sitting long hours that make muscles inactive and unable to absorb glucose.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is eating refined foods like white rice, white bread, sweets, and soft drinks that flood the blood with glucose.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is stress that signals the liver to release glucose continuously.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is sleepless nights that disturb insulin and other hormones.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is junk food and fried snacks loaded with chemicals and fats that weaken the pancreas.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is belly fat that blocks insulin action.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is fatty liver from overeating, alcohol, and fried food that prevents glucose regulation.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is poor gut health from low fiber, high glucose foods, and antibiotics that disturb metabolism.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is smoking and alcohol that damage pancreas, liver, and blood vessels.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is vitamin and mineral deficiencies โ vitamin D, magnesium, chromium โ that weaken insulin action.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is hormonal changes like PCOS and menopause that reduce insulin sensitivity.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is childhood habits of cold drinks, packaged snacks, and screen time that grow into adult insulin resistance.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is genetics combined with wrong lifestyle that awaken family tendencies.
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๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ
Diabetes is not a disease, it is depending only on medicines that lower glucose temporarily but never correct the cause.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is eating carbohydrate-heavy meals three times a day that raise glucose again and again.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is overeating more than the body needs, which keeps glucose high all the time.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is lack of daily movement that keeps glucose floating in the blood.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is believing diabetes is lifelong and fixed, which prevents reversal.
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๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ
Diabetes is not a disease, it is frequent snacking that keeps insulin constantly active.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is overeating out of fear of hunger that spikes glucose again and again.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is artificial sweeteners that confuse insulin and increase cravings.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is emotional eating during stress, sadness, or loneliness that adds hidden glucose.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is ignoring mental health โ anxiety, depression, loneliness โ that keep stress hormones high.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is wrong medical advice that focuses only on numbers, not real correction.
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๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ
Diabetes is not a disease, it is relying only on tablets and insulin without lifestyle change.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is social pressure at gatherings and festivals that push wrong food choices.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is ignoring early body signals like thirst, frequent urination, tiredness, and cravings.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is excuses like โno time to walkโ or โI cannot leave sweets.โ
Diabetes is not a disease, it is fear of leaving glucose-rich foods like rice, bread, and sweets.
Diabetes is not a disease, it is blind trust in doctors without self-effort.
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๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ โ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐
Diabetes is not a disease, it is a lifestyle imbalance.
Diabetes is caused by wrong food, inactivity, stress, poor sleep, addictions, and social habits.
Diabetes is maintained by medicines without lifestyle change.
Diabetes is increased by fear, overeating, and ignorance.
Diabetes refuses reversal only when excuses and dependence replace self-effort.
Diabetes reverses when food is corrected, movement is daily, rest is deep, stress is managed, and the body is respected.
Diabetes is not permanent.
Diabetes is reversible.
Diabetes is not an enemy.
Diabetes is a teacher that demands balance.
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๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐
A Socratic Dialogue at Yelmadagi
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๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐
The off-grid homestead wakes with the first light. Birds call in the neem tree. Firewood smoke curls from the kitchen hut. The hills beyond Yelmadagi still wear a shawl of mist. Clay cups of tea steam in the hands of the small circle on the verandah.
Madhukar, host and guide, sits cross-legged. Around him:
The Patient โ burdened by type-2 diabetes, fearful, weary.
The Doctor โ trained in modern medicine, cautious, clinical.
The Elder Farmer โ weathered, rooted in old ways of eating and working.
The Homemaker โ practical, juggling kitchen, children, traditions.
The Philosopher โ quiet, probing the inner dimension.
The air is unhurried, meant for slow unfolding.
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๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐
Madhukar: Patient, you asked us here. Begin with what weighs on you.
Patient: My glucose rises every day. My pills lower it, but I still feel tired. Doctors warn me of blindness, kidney failure, amputations. I fear my future. I fear hunger if I change food. I fear being odd at festivals. I fear being trapped in medicines forever. Tell me โ is there a way out?
Madhukar: There is a way. But it is not a pill. It is a path. We will walk it together, question by question.
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1. ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐
Doctor: Let us begin with science. Food becomes glucose. Insulin from the pancreas opens doors of cells so glucose can enter. In diabetes, the doors resist.
Patient: Then glucose floats in blood. That is why my numbers rise. But why do doors resist?
Madhukar: Because they are tired. Muscles unused become stubborn. Fat in the belly and liver blocks the signal. Sleepless nights confuse hormones. Stress orders the liver to pour out more glucose. Think of a house with locked doors and overflowing buckets outside. That is diabetes โ not a new disease, but a jam in the system.
Farmer: In my youth, we worked in fields. Muscles pulled glucose. Today, people sit long hours. Muscles forget.
Madhukar: Exactly. Muscles are the largest storehouse of glucose. When used, they open willingly. When idle, they resist. That is why movement is not advice โ it is medicine.
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2. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ
Patient: But Madhukar, if I reduce rice, bread, and sweets, I will be hungry.
Madhukar: Hunger comes from spikes and crashes. When refined rice floods blood with glucose, insulin rushes, then glucose crashes, leaving hunger again. Millets, pulses, vegetables release glucose slowly, steadily. They fill stomach with fibre, calm hunger. Replace quality, not just quantity.
Homemaker: But children and guests want rice and sweets.
Madhukar: Then begin with yourself. Fill half your plate with vegetables, one quarter with protein, one quarter with whole grains. Serve sweets in small size, after food, not before. Culture can bend slowly without breaking.
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3. ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ง
Philosopher: Many eat not for hunger, but for stress. Why does stress raise glucose?
Madhukar: Stress releases cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones tell the liver, โDanger! Release glucose for fight or flight.โ But the person only sits. The extra glucose floats unused. Add sweets, and the flood doubles. That is why stress management is not luxury โ it is glucose control.
Patient: Then what is the alternative to food when stressed?
Madhukar: Breath. Silence. A short walk. A song. A prayer. A few minutes in nature. These calm cortisol, stop the liverโs flood, and soothe the mind without glucose overload.
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4. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
Patient: I fear blindness, dialysis, amputations. Is that my fate?
Madhukar: No. Complications come from years of uncontrolled glucose damaging small vessels โ eyes, kidneys, nerves. But when glucose is balanced, risk falls sharply. Many who change early never reach these complications. Fear is useful only if it awakens change, not if it paralyses.
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5. ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ
Homemaker: He sleeps late, wakes tired. Does that matter?
Madhukar: Sleep is the hidden pillar. Poor sleep raises cortisol, lowers insulin sensitivity, increases cravings. Even one week of late nights raises glucose. Sleep is not wasted time โ it is the bodyโs nightly repair.
Patient: Then sleeping earlier is part of my medicine?
Madhukar: Yes. A dark, cool room. No screens before bed. Wake with dawn. That is as strong as any tablet.
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6. ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ
Doctor: What of belly fat?
Madhukar: Belly fat is not decoration, it is poison. It releases chemicals that block insulin. Fatty liver does the same. Even 5โ10% weight loss makes cells responsive again. That is why the aim is not thinness but reducing belly.
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7. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
Farmer: In my home, curd and buttermilk were daily. Are they important?
Madhukar: Yes. Fermented foods, fibre, and diversity feed gut microbes. Good microbes make short-chain fatty acids that improve insulin sensitivity. Antibiotics, low fibre, and processed foods kill this balance.
Doctor: And nutrients?
Madhukar: Vitamin D, magnesium, chromium โ their deficiency weakens insulin. Many urban people are low in these. Correcting them strengthens control.
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8. ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
Patient: I sometimes drink. Does it matter?
Madhukar: Alcohol adds empty glucose, causes fatty liver. Smoking increases resistance and damages vessels. Both worsen outcomes. Each step away from them is a step towards control.
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9. ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ
Patient: Am I condemned to pills forever?
Madhukar: No. Medicines are tools, not destiny. They lower glucose while you work on the root. As belly fat reduces, muscles activate, liver clears, stress calms, and sleep repairs, your need for medicines may fall. But never stop suddenly โ reduce only under your doctorโs watch. Medicines manage; lifestyle corrects.
Doctor: And type-1?
Madhukar: Type-1 diabetes always needs insulin. Lifestyle supports health but cannot replace insulin. In type-2, remission is possible. Distinguish clearly.
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10. ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ
Homemaker: Children live on cold drinks and screens. Will they face diabetes too?
Madhukar: Yes, if habits stay. Childhood obesity, inactivity, packaged foods plant the seed of future diabetes. But the same law applies โ movement, whole food, sleep, calm โ they prevent the seed from sprouting. Prevention begins at the kitchen table.
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11. ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ง
Philosopher: Women often sacrifice their health for family.
Madhukar: True. Women cook for all but eat last. They face stress of work and home, and hormones of PCOS or menopause that increase resistance. Self-care is not selfish. A healthy homemaker sustains the familyโs health.
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12. ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐
The sun rises over Yelmadagi hills.
Patient (softly): Then diabetes is not my enemy, but my messenger.
Madhukar: Exactly. It is not a curse, but a call. It says: Move me. Feed me wisely. Let me rest. Calm me. Free me of poison. Give me joy. Then glucose flows, and life flows.
Patient: My first step?
Madhukar: After breakfast, walk fifteen minutes. Replace one portion of rice with millet. Sleep half an hour earlier. Drink water often. These are not sacrifices โ they are freedoms.
Philosopher: And joy?
Madhukar: Joy is the root. Discipline without joy dies. Discipline with joy blossoms. Reversal is not about deprivation โ it is about energy, clarity, and freedom.
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โ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ
Walk 15 minutes after meals.
Half plate vegetables, quarter protein, quarter whole grains.
Replace refined carbs with millets, pulses, vegetables.
Reduce snacking and late-night eating.
Sleep early, 7โ8 hours.
Practice stress relief: breathwork, prayer, silence, song, nature.
Correct vitamin D, magnesium, chromium if deficient.
Drink water regularly.
Quit smoking, reduce alcohol.
Monitor glucose with doctor; adjust medicines gradually.
Involve family in food choices and celebrations.
Aim to reduce belly fat steadily.
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๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ข๐
you donโt go blind overnight.
you donโt lose a kidney in one day.
your nerves donโt die in a week.
itโs slow.
years of extra glucose
gnawing at the small vessels
until the eyes blur,
the feet burn,
the urine froths.
but the body whispers warnings
long before it screams.
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drink water, it says.
not soda, not whisky, not a can with a label.
just water.
your kidneys wash out the excess
if you let them.
eat minerals, it says.
not tablets in bottles first,
but greens, nuts, seeds, sunlight.
magnesium steadies the gate,
vitamin D sharpens the signal,
chromium tunes the response.
deficiency is another word for resistance.
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donโt forget the gut, it says.
those tiny creatures inside
are not freeloaders.
they ferment fibre into strength.
they train the body to accept glucose.
feed them curd, buttermilk,
idli batter, pickles without poison.
stop killing them with packets,
antibiotics, and empty food.
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childhood is where it begins.
the bottle of cola in a school bag.
the packet of chips at recess.
the screen glowing all day,
legs that never run,
muscles that never remember.
fatty livers in teenagers
become full-blown diabetes in adults.
the seed is planted early.
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women carry double.
they cook what others demand,
eat last, sleep least.
PCOS adds resistance,
menopause shifts hormones,
stress doubles the load.
yet they hide their fatigue,
carry on,
until numbers betray them.
a womanโs self-care
is family care.
neglect her
and the house breaks.
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and the pills?
they are not evil,
they are not saviour.
they are a stick you lean on
while you learn to walk again.
but the stick cannot take you home.
home is muscle moving,
belly shrinking,
liver clearing,
mind resting,
cells opening.
---
complications are not destiny.
blindness, dialysis, amputations, heart attacks
are not punishment.
they are the bill
for ignoring the whispers too long.
listen early,
pay less.
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and joy,
donโt forget joy.
this is not about fear.
not about deprivation.
not about numbers alone.
this is about freedom.
the lightness of a morning walk.
the strength in legs that carry groceries.
the quiet hunger that ends with vegetables
and leaves you satisfied.
the laughter at a festival
where you taste one sweet,
not ten,
and donโt feel left out.
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reversal is not a miracle.
it is work,
daily,
boring,
unseen.
but one morning
you wake lighter.
your glucose drops,
your doctor lowers the dose.
you smile because you know
you did this,
step by step.
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diabetes is not a disease stupid.
it is the story of how you live.
change the story,
the ending changes.
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