Psychology And Kinesiology In The Treatment Of Diabetes

Psychology and Kinesiology in the treatment of Diabetes Diabetes is a serious medical condition in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood because there is not enough insulin. There are two principal types of diabetes, type 1, where the body does not produce insulin, and type 2, where the body does not use insulin properly, and a third less common, gestational diabetes that occurs in pregnant women whose hormones create an insulin resistance ("Types of Diabetes | NIDDK."). Currently there is no known permanent cure to “heal” diabetes, but there are several treatments that can be done in order to improve the symptoms of diabetes. Symptoms of diabetes may include any, all, or some of the following: urinating often, feeling …show more content…
Kinesiology is a study that involves the body and its movements from psychological, physiological and biological perspectives. Kinesiologists have been using a method called Applied Kinesiology and Energy Medicine more recently as a solution to the digestion impairment that causes diabetes. After a patient is diagnosed with diabetes by a medical doctor, there are multiple routes to start Applied Kinesiology treatment. There is no formal education required in order to start this treatment, however, most applied kinesiologists have doctoral degrees or practice holistic medicine. Applied kinesiology is also considered muscle strength testing. It is a method of diagnosis and treatment based on the concept that various muscles are linked to particular organs and glands, and that specific muscle weakness can signal distant internal problems such as nerve damage, reduced blood supply, chemical imbalances or other organ or gland problems, such as the insulin discrepancy in the pancreas with patients with diabetes (Weil). Since exercise plays an important role in the regulation glycemic control, it only makes sense to study the effects that exercise can have in improving diabetic …show more content…
Pat O’Connor and one of his graduate students in his lab, they emphasized that kinesiology is much more than just sports medicine, but an ever expanding field that is very similar to psychology. It has become more popular over the years and has yet to reach its full capacity of studies. Since the visit to Dr. O’Connor’s lab was mostly in relation to sports psychology and just showing us around his lab, I learned many new things about kinesiology rather than differences. Dr. O’Connor’s lab studied the effects the cycling had on test taking skills and there was an improvement in the exam results that was consistent with more cycling. This is parallel to the support shown in the study aforementioned where more physical exercise improved the body’s ability to lower blood glucose and improve a diabetic’s A1C