Sudhir Ahluwalia's Blog, page 40
July 29, 2021
Is cinnamon bark good for diabetes?
The medicinal properties of cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum -common name true cinnamon) have been scientifically studied, and preliminary results suggest it has antidiabetic properties (Ranasinghe et al., 2012). Other studies indicate that cinnamon can reduce cholesterol, thus making the species cardio-protective (Shan et al., 2007).
However, cinnamon is not listed as one of the popular anti-diabetic herbs in Ayurveda. There is mention of another species belonging to the genus Cinnamomum. The species is a small tree, and its leaf is used as a spice. The plant’s botanical name is Cinnamomum tamala common name – tejpatta ancient spice name given by Romans -malabathrum).
The main medicinal action of the plant is its ability to reduce blood sugar. Experiments on rats validate this property. The effect is comparable to the antidiabetic modern drug Glibenclamide (Chakraborty et al., 2010). These studies raise the likelihood of its probable use as an adjunct medicine for treating diabetes (Kumar et al., 2012).
The plant is also known to reduce cholesterol levels in rats (Dhulasawant et al., 2010; and AL-Mamun et al., 2011)
Additional reading:
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July 28, 2021
Managing a highly educated and skilled workforce
People drive growth in the organization. They are the most valuable assets. How well you deploy assets for business growth depends a lot on leadership. Assets -human and financial, when deployed efficiently, yield growth for a business entity. These are fundamental principles for the well-being of any organization – for profit and not profit; healthcare and others.
Efficient deployment of human resources is best achieved when the leader recognizes that people are individuals. Each individual has strengths and weaknesses. Like in medicine, we move towards personalized healthcare; ideally, personalization of people management is a desirable goal.
Based on my research and experience in various organizations, I have learned that at the top of my list of things in human resource management lies communication.
The leader should communicate his vision of the company and his expectations from the workforce. Elon Musk stresses the free flow of communication within his companies. His organizations are flat structures where people come together to achieve a clearly defined goal. His organizations are staffed with A-listers, highly skilled, highly educated people.
Hierarchical organizations make communication across levels difficult. Lack of communication and dialog is one of the primary causes of attrition. Misunderstandings, the inability of innovative people to communicate their ideas to leadership, and intellectual stagnation are some of the causes of dissatisfaction and ultimate exit.
Poorly defined roles and responsibilities are another cause of employee dissatisfaction. Management should invest time and think in the selection and deployment of people.
Financial compensation also plays an important role in human resource management. Each person should get his due share. Transparency in financial compensation will go a long way in building a good HR climate within the entity.
Intellectual satisfaction: Educated workforces want their career to be intellectually fulfilling. Leadership has to play its part in helping in the intellectual growth of its workforce.
Organization and people management are individual company-specific, and the above thoughts have to be customized to an individual company’s realities.
About me:
Sudhir Ahluwalia is an author. He is a content writer who likes to undertake writing projects that require deep thinking and analysis. Kindly take a look at his UPWORK Profile.
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July 27, 2021
Can acupuncture/acupressure treatment cure Type 2 diabetes?
Acupuncture is a popular therapy in China. It is said to be most effective in dealing with pain. Instead of making a subjective statement on the role of acupressure and acupuncture in diabetes treatment and management, let us look at the scientific evidence on this subject:
A review of published scientific papers between 1979 and 2009 notes that acupuncture treatment reverses metabolic disorders such as enhanced blood sugar levels, inflammation, obesity, and other effects contributing to building insulin resistance. (Liang, F et al., 2010) Acupuncture and moxibustion, individually or together, were observed to be effective therapy for diabetes. (Liao, H., et al., 2007).
Acupuncture is a compelling long-term maintenance treatment for diabetes patients suffering from pain caused by the stimulation of nerves. This condition is called peripheral neuropathy. People with diabetes often observe unexplained pain in the feet. Diabetes causes damage to neural networks. The damage can result in pain in the feet or other parts of the body. This phenomenon is called peripheral neuropathy. Acupuncture helps reduce the pain caused by peripheral neuropathy. (Abuaisha, B.B., et al., 1998; Zhang, C., et al., 2010; Tong, Y. et al., 2010)
Points in the abdominal region are often targeted in acupuncture to provide relief to obese type 2 diabetes patients. Acupuncture leads to lowering blood pressure, blood sugar level, improvement in insulin resistance, and lowering lipid levels in the blood. (Yang, Y., et al., 2015; Wang, Y., et al., 2014; Zhi-cheng, L., et al., 2004) Experimental rats show a similar impact. (Peplow, P.V. et al., 2012).
If you carefully look at the scientific studies supporting acupuncture on diabetes patients, most of these have emanated from China. The lack of geographical variation is a cause of concern. The scientists further stress the need to train Chinese researchers to undertake fair trials. (Chen, W., et al., 2013) However, the publishers of the journal have distanced themselves from the comments of this group of scientists. But doubts do remain.
My conclusion is based on the weight of scientific evidence available that acupuncture has a role in pain management. But does this extend to bringing down blood sugar levels or having any other direct impact on diabetic conditions is a question on which the jury is still out?
Additional reading:
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July 26, 2021
Do we need a mentor to lose weight?
While behavioral interventions seem to be effective in promoting weight loss, maintaining them is a challenge. Most individuals tend to regain the weight or at least a part of it within a year, even after losing weight.
Behavior change helps sustain weight loss. Behavior change happens if you enjoy it, and it prevails when accompanied by self-monitoring and coping strategies. Physical and psychological resources are required to be made available to maintain self-regulated change behavior. The changes need to be supported by a supportive environment and social support.
Group activity helps in supporting weight loss efforts. Joining a support group, learning from others’ experiences, and getting motivated are hugely beneficial in achieving weight loss goals. Dietitians and nutritionists have created many such support groups. There are other groups too, and these may contain weight loss and fitness enthusiasts.
Support groups are a great place to have a candid conversation on the challenges faced by group members in achieving weight loss. A lot of experience and information sharing happens in these groups, and these are self-motivating too.
The daily routine and lifestyle provide the behavior pattern. Changing a set routine and a lifestyle is not an easy change to bring about. A bit of patience and support from family, friends, and group members goes a long way to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
Behavior change interventions’ effectiveness is a widely studied subject. (Linde et al., 2006) An expert committee recommended four stages of obesity care. The first is brief counseling, followed by subsequent steps recognizing the importance of social and environmental change to reduce obesity. (Barlow, 2007)
Family support helps much in achieving weight loss goals. (Epstein et al., 1994) When extended to offices where such individuals work, encouragement lends support to weight loss programs. (Spear et al., 2010) When food and activity behavior change is targeted, this helps achieve beneficial results in pediatric obesity cases. (Epstein et al., 2000).
Mentoring and support groups are critical to bringing about sustained weight loss.
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July 25, 2021
My grandma had high blood pressure, which led to diabetes, which lead to cancer. But now I got my blood report done and it turns out I have high blood sugar as well, and I am scared. Will I be okay?
I have looked at cancer, obesity, and diabetes from the point of view of exploring possible evidence-based natural solutions for these diseases. Let me share with you, in brief, some of my findings:
Obesity, diabetes, and cancer are lifestyle diseases. A healthy lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary goals that seek to bring down calorie intake can help reduce the risk of these ailments.
Yes, risk levels rise because of genetic factors. But I also learned that epigenetic factors are more important than genetic reasons. This brings us back to the point of following a healthy lifestyle.
Most of our genes are turned off and on by signals from our environment. These include stimuli from thoughts, actions, beliefs, and emotions. Negative emotions are known to trigger stress hormones such as cortisone and adrenaline. Hormones such as oxytocin and DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) are known to be healing hormones.
For instance, older adults with diabetes observing moderate leisure-time activity and walking, higher intake of dietary fiber, and consumption of low-fat diet, especially trans fats, easily digestible carbohydrates, cutting down on smoking, and reducing central obesity helped reduce lifestyle disease risk. (Mozaffarian et al., 2009).
Adjunct treatments for these ailments include relaxation therapies such as meditation, hypnosis, yoga, art, music, tai chi, and qi gong (Elkins et al., 2010).
Many scientific studies have shown that regular psychotherapeutic exercises like meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qi gong are beneficial in both disease prevention, aggravation, and management. Some of these practices have been mainstreamed in treating all these lifestyle-related ailments, including diabetes, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.
As long as you don’t worry too much and lead a healthy, low-stress lifestyle, my research tells me that you should do fine.
However, it is best to check with a physician before following anything that I have stated above.
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July 22, 2021
What are Sichuan peppercorns?
Sichuan peppercorn is one of the spices in the five-spice powder popular in Chinese cuisine. It comes from the outer peel of berry fruit and is locally known as “hu jiao.” The earliest references to Sichuan pepper, also called Schezuan pepper, are seen in the Classic of Poetry, said to have been compiled by Confucius (551-479 BC).
Sichuan pepper comes from several species of Zanthoxylum. These species are distributed across China, Nepal, Bhutan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and India. An allied species, Zanthoxylum americanum, is found in North America.
Z. americanum is a North American species, colloquially called the toothache tree because of its anesthetic properties that the Native Americans used to relieve a toothache.
The pepper was used in China as a medicinal herb and for seasoning food. In ancient China, the pepper was steeped in wine to give it a unique peppery, lemony flavor. Avicenna (c. 1020 AD) referred to the spice as fagara. The spice came to the Persian and Arabic regions with traders who took the Silk Route from China to the region.
The import of Sichuan pepper was banned in the US in 2005 to protect the orange crop from citrus canker disease from infected peppercorns. Untreated berries carrying the bacteria Xanthomonas axonopodis can have a disastrous effect on citrus crops.
Bacteria contained in Sichuan pepper is killed when berries are gently roasted, a traditional practice. Imports into the US were re-opened but only for heat-treated peppercorns. Limited quantities of Chinese peppers are imported into the US, mainly for Chinese eateries and lovers of Chinese food.
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July 21, 2021
Do we always need to breakdown silos in large corporations?
All organizations, public and private, require teams to perform individual, often specialized tasks with expertise and efficiency. Organizations are therefore divided into units. Each unit has a hierarchy with a leader responsible for oversight. Hierarchies exist even in flat organizations.
Members of individual units get used to the internal ecosystem in which they operate. Collectively, they protect their turf and prevent others from creeping into their domain. Each unit is a silo, comfortable with itself and resentful to outside influence. Silos retard cross-fertilization of ideas from outside. They impede innovation.
Management practices claim that organization development and growth require periodic breaking down of silos. It is often assumed that silos retard business growth. The problem lies in the silos but the lack of collaboration mechanisms between silos.
Let us take a look at Apple. The company is known for producing great customer-centric innovative products. It, therefore, has a strong Product design division that is staffed with A-plus people, lead by an A-plus leader. The design team works independently. It is a hub for innovation and produces great products.
The Apple organization structure leverages the Product design division silo giving it all the financial support required. The Product design head reports directly to the Apple board. The Board offers prompt feedback, recommends changes to new products, and mentors the product team.
The collaboration mechanism is lying here at the level of the Board. Traditional organization re-design experts may find the retention and hard walling of the Product design team inappropriate. But we all know that the hard-coded Product Design silo is working well for Apple.
PS: I am an author and content writer. I enjoy taking up challenging content work that requires out-of-the-box thinking and analysis. Kindly take a look at my UPWORK profile.Similar Posts:
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July 20, 2021
On the ethical level, should we buy organic food?
Of the total global land (1.5 billion hectares), about 11% is under cultivation. 2015 figures published by FiBL put the global organic agriculture area under cultivation at 50.9 million (FiBL, 2015).
Most of the organic producers are in developing countries. FiBL 2017 Survey puts the total number of producers in the world at 2.4 million. The studies reveal that the actual area under organic farming is much more than the area certified as organic.
Organic food consumption is concentrated in countries where consumers have high purchasing power like North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, etc.
Farmers in the US do not find it profitable to shift to organic crops from traditional high-yielding genetically modified crops.
Organic farms also do not need cash for buying chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Most small farmers do not hire labor for farming. The major farming cost is seed, fertilizer, and pesticides. In organic farms, the farmer does not need to buy either seed, fertilizer, or pesticides. Organic farming for this category of a farmer is a profitable venture.
The certification process is cumbersome and requires detailed documentation. Compliance with the exacting standards of regulators and certifiers is difficult to achieve. This is especially true for less developed regions of Asia and Africa, where the bulk of the organic farmers reside. Farmers here largely come from underprivileged and poorer sections of society, with many being partially or completely illiterate. These people find it cost-ineffective to go in for a cumbersome organic certification process.
The major cost for organic farms is obtaining external certification for the crop. The cost is often too high and beyond the reach of such farms.
Organic food is pesticide-free, organic farming consumes less energy. This makes organic food and organic farming environmentally friendly.
However, if we look at it from an economic standpoint, organic farming after certification does not yield higher returns for the farmer. Most organic farmers are poor. Just like their richer counterparts in the US, they do not find it financially attractive. The poor get into organic farming when they receive a subsidy from the government.
As far as ethics is concerned, for the poor, it is food in the stomach that matters; ethics is for the rich.
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July 19, 2021
What are steps for sustainable weight loss?
Many people are looking for a silver bullet to reduce weight with the least effort quickly. Losing weight is best achieved when we proceed systematically. Obesity is a complex disease, and it is important to exclude medical conditions before initiating any weight loss program.
Begin with a medical assessment so that physiological and genetic causes of obesity are ruled out. If there are no clinical recommendations, we move to the next stage of the weight loss process.
It entails consulting a physical therapist who will recommend an exercise schedule appropriate to your physical condition. Remember, physical therapy is a science of its own. It is best to consult with a physical therapist to arrive at a customized training suited for you.
The next step is diet planning. Many people suffering from obesity make the nutritionist or dietitian the first port of call. To my mind, the role of the dietitians comes into play only after the completion of a thorough clinical examination.
The expert will help you fix short-term and long-term goals and help put a self-monitoring mechanism in place. Behavior and motivation are critical to achieving weight-loss goals and require integration into a weight loss regime.
If you follow this routine, the chances of successful weight loss will be high.
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July 18, 2021
Is tai chi and qigong help reverse diabetes?
A scientific literature survey on the role of Chinese exercises – tai chi and qi gong in Type 2 diabetes patients shows limited support. Benefits appear to be limited to improvements in mobility. Here below are the summary of the studies that I have identified during the course of my research.
Older people over the age group of 60 with impaired mobility showed more improvements performing tai chi when compared to vigorous exercise. (Orr, R., et al., 2006)
Health benefits have been noted in individuals practicing Chinese medicine exercises like qigong and tai chi. (Jahnke, R. et al., 2010)
Scientific support in support of Gi gong’s positive impact on diabetes management and control is still tenuous. (Xin, L. et al.,2007)
There are scientific studies that claim that gi-gong may improve insulin resistance. This exercise form may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment for individuals with type 2 diabetes. (Tsujiuchi, T et al., 2002)
I did find evidence in support of the positive role of yoga and meditation in the management of diabetes. Here below are some examples:
A systematic review of articles and studies on the health impact of Yoga shows that its’ practice helps in weight control, reduction of blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar. (Yang, K., 2007; Youngwanichsetha, S. et al., 2014)
Yoga and standard physical training exercises both have a positive impact on individuals who have diabetes. It helps reduce oxidative stress and bring about improvements in antioxidant profiles. (Gordon, L.A., et al., 2008)
Diabetic individuals who performed pranayama felt a sense of well-being in 7 to 10 days of practice. Demand for insulin, other diabetes control medicine dropped. In this trial, four types of pranayama were practiced for 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of resting yoga posture called Shavasana (a dead person pose posture). (Sahay, B.K., 2007)
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