India has been described as the Diabetes Capital of the world with an estimated 70 million people diagnosed. Prevalence in South India and Bangalore is especially high, in part due to the increasing Western lifestyle which has been adopted since the IT boom in the eighties.
I met Dr. Prasanna Kumar at MS Ramaiah hospital on 4th Feb and we discussed the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in relation to his epidemiological studies. His latest trial is investigating the efficacy of yoga and a supplement of curcumin seeds versus a placebo and lifestyle intervention.
Dr Mohan Badgandi is a leading consultant diabetologist at Manipal Hospital and has also studied and worked in Leeds and Newcastle. I was grateful for the experience of sitting in clinic (9th Feb) and observed his patient consultations. These were routine appointments for endocrine conditions, the vast majority were people with diabetes having routine check ups. I also spent some time with Varsha Koppikar, Nutrition Consultant, who enlightened me in the ways of online data capture for clinical trials.
Through a matching grant, Rotary Club JP Nagar District 3190 and Rotary club Minneapolis University USA District 5950, opened a diabetes diagnostic centre known as 'Samatvam'. I spend time on 11th Feb with two of the diabetes counsellors and learned that many of the issues in prevention of diabetes are common between our countries. It was particularly touching to see a patient, overwhelmed with gratitute to one of the ladies who had taught him, almost fall at the lady's feet in reverence for her and showering her with blessings for her continued work.
With two more visits and my special trip to Chennai, I feel so very lucky to have been given this opportunity to learn new things every day, and meet the most inspiring people, which I look forward to sharing when I return to work.
You are clearly gaining a great deal from the many contacts and from sharing experience and knowledge. Interesting that the approaches you describe are holistic rather than looking at single approaches.
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