URBANISATION, DIETARY SHIFTS, AND THE RISING INCIDENCE OF MADHUMEHA: INVESTIGATING THE CAUSES

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (T2DM) or Madhumeha, as it is known in Ayurveda, is a multifactorial and complex global healthcare issue that is rapidly increasing with urbanization, lack of physical activity, and alterations in eating habits. The growing weight of this pathology indicates the current need for the creation of integrative strategies that go beyond the traditional biomedical explanations and involve integrating traditional knowledge into practice. This paper attempts to address the etiology of Madhumeha pathogenic process through the synthesis of Ayurveda principles and modern biomedical paradigms, including insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and neuroendocrine disorder. The aim is to find out general causative agents such as inappropriate nutrition, lack of exercise, mental strain, and derailment of biological timetables, and assess positive approaches to both prevention and cure. To this end, the paper relies on classical Ayurvedic sources, on good peer-reviewed biomedical literature, and the paper is cultural authentic and scientifically credible. The findings are significant in that urban environmental exposures can be thought of as upstream determinants of metabolic risk, and integrative approaches, including Dinacharya (daily regimen), Pathya-Apathya (dietary guides), Medhya Rasayana (rejuvenative therapies) and Yoga integrated with modern tools of public health such as digital health systems, policy change, and city planning and design, can offer upstream examples of prevention. The result of this effort highlights the possibility of incorporating the ancient Ayurvedic knowledge combined with the modern sciences to develop a culturally aware, community-related, and systems-level model of diabetes prevention and management.