[노당캠페인 현장] Hosting Nodang Camp at Bukhansan Hot Springs to spread sound knowledge about diabetes

[뉴스투데이=송대욱 전문기자] It is said that we are now in an era where there are 10 million people with diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes is increasing and the control rate is decreasing. People suffering from diabetes are divided into those who are overly concerned and worried about diabetes complications, and those who think that taking diabetes medication is safe because it controls blood sugar levels. There are many cases where everyone has misunderstandings about diabetes.

On November 25, 2023, a special event was held at the Bukhansan Hot Springs Bizen Training Center. A diabetes camp hosted by the Labor Party Action Headquarters (JUN) and sponsored by Good Enzyme was held. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., patients suffering from diabetes or in pre-diabetes who would soon need to take diabetes medication listened closely, listened to lectures, and learned and practiced Ttukdang exercises.

I was in charge of the first lecture in the morning. Before the lecture, we took a lifestyle habits questionnaire and checked our blood sugar levels so that we could know our own situation. In my lecture, it was said that carbohydrate addiction formed from lack of happiness, self-esteem, or wrong eating habits is the beginning of diabetes.

It is said that when sugar, fructose, and refined carbohydrates are consumed, blood sugar levels rise rapidly and a lot of insulin is secreted, causing blood sugar levels to drop rapidly, forming carbohydrate addiction, and the sugar is stored in fat cells, causing obesity. He explained that obesity caused by accumulation of neutral fat causes insulin resistance, and as blood insulin concentration remains high, carbohydrate addiction becomes more serious and progresses to type 2 diabetes.

He also warned that obesity and diabetes can cause metabolic and endogenous inflammation, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and even cancer. In addition, as a way to reduce carbohydrate addiction and insulin resistance, the four main constitutional lifestyles of right eating habits, bright mind, sufficient physical activity, sleep and rest were discussed.

If there is an imbalance in the human body, various detoxification treatments are suggested, including body temperature management such as hot compresses or half-body baths, slow and deep breathing to calm the mind, and time-limited diet. It was a lecture that instilled awareness that the cause of diabetes lies in one’s physical constitution and that a bright mind is important for health.

After lunch, we had time to practice Dr. Baek Dong-gi’s Ttukdang exercise, which was filled with endless laughter. Dr. Baek Dong-gi said that walking is not exercise but a physical activity, and he explained that this is because walking does not improve physical function. He said that exercise that damages the body is labor.

He explained that exercise requires four things: direction, balance, angle, and heart rate. It is easy to think of balance only as left and right balance, but 4D balance was emphasized, including up and down balance, front and back balance, and up and down balance centered on the joints. After doing 10 different exercises, your blood sugar level drops by 20 to 30 mg/dL. Ttukdang exercise has the characteristic of being an exercise that can be done indoors, outdoors, sitting or standing.

The final lecture by Park Chan-young, director of Eoseongcho Oriental Medicine Clinic, begins by pointing out the problem of diabetes. Diabetes means that sugar is excreted in the urine, but more than 70% of people diagnosed with diabetes do not have symptoms of sugar in the urine. It was emphasized that in order to properly recognize diabetes without diabetes, the name must be changed to hyperglycemia.

It emphasized that errors in diabetes treatment arise from errors in perception, and presented a new perspective that most cases of hyperglycemia that cause weight gain can be easily treated with diet and weight control as the pancreas is intact. One person who attended the diabetes camp said, “I was diagnosed with diabetes, but I am currently controlling it well without taking any medication, just by eating an enzyme diet and exercising. “Now I know why,” he said, nodding his head.

Director Park Chan-young explained the diabetic diet as ‘Rice like a side dish, and a side dish like rice.’ He also emphasized the importance of order in eating. He explained that if you eat vegetables, mushrooms, and seaweed first, then proteins and fats, and finally carbohydrates and sugar, your blood sugar level will rise less and you can manage it with the same amount of meals.

About 100 participants who attended that day were satisfied with the opportunity to gain new knowledge about diabetes and experience Ttukdang exercise. The instructors who attended that day also felt rewarded for imparting correct knowledge, and all instructors and participants requested that such events continue.

◀Song Dae-wook’s profile▶ Doctor of Oriental Medicine at Kyung Hee University Graduate School of Oriental Medicine / Director of Deoksu Oriental Medicine Clinic / Director of Clinic Research Center / MBTI instructor / Developer of SnCi Sasang Constitution Test / Regular member of Sasang Medical Society / Regular member of Korean Society of Fermentation and Detoxification / General affairs director of Seongjeong Sasang Medical Society