Patients beware! Standing on Karela puree for 15 minutes won’t reverse diabetes, BP

A video informing people how to stabilize blood pressure and diabetes levels in 15 minutes is being widely shared on social media. The video is promoting unproven and unscientific methods of stabilizing hypertension and diabetes.

In the viral video, you can see Acharya Manish, an Ayurvedic practitioner, claiming that one can reverse blood pressure and sugar levels back to normal merely by standing on a plate with bitter gourd and neem leaves pulp for 10-15 minutes. And if you check after 15 minutes your blood sugar level and blood pressure will show normal.

Netizens do not seem to agree with Acharya. The comment section is filled with comments from people who have tried the same and saw no difference in their blood pressure or blood sugar level. Some have also called it a 100% lie.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false.

What is High Blood Pressure?

According to the CDC, blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. A normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on your activities. Having blood pressure measures consistently above normal may result in a diagnosis of high blood pressure (or hypertension). The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for other health problems, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

What is diabetes?

World Health Organisation says: “Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.”

WHO lists out major types of Diabetes such as:

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is characterized by deficient insulin production and requires daily administration of insulin. Neither its cause nor the means to prevent it are known.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes affects how your body uses sugar (glucose) for energy. It stops the body from using insulin properly, which can lead to high levels of blood sugar if not treated. Over time, type 2 diabetes can cause serious damage to the body, especially nerves and blood vessels. Type 2 diabetes is often preventable. Factors that contribute to developing type 2 diabetes include being overweight, not getting enough exercise, and genetics.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is hyperglycemia with blood glucose values above normal but below those diagnostics of diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery. These women and possibly their children are also at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the future.

Can karela puree seep through the skin for such a miraculous effect in 10-15mins?

We further contacted Dr. D Dinesh Kumar MD, FRCP to debunk the claim.

He said, “It is a hoax. Penetration into the skin depends on a lot of factors. Even if the juice has some active ingredients. The active ingredient in the juice cannot penetrate the skin and reach a therapeutic concentration in the bloodstream. I would not recommend relying on this remedy for Blood Pressure or Diabetes for that matter. Visit your nearby physical if the patient needs some emergency support.”

We further contacted Dr. Umesh Wadhavani, Nutritionist and wellness coach to debunk the claim.

“The notion of `thinking a bitter thing will help cure a sweet's problem’" is called 'pseudo-rational science.'Some other examples include beetroot improves blood health because it is also red, and walnuts are excellent for brain health because they're shaped like the brain. This correlation might have some truth, but science and nature don't work like that,” he said.

𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞t𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚 -

Bittergourd has 3 active components,

• Vicine

• Charantin

• Polypeptide-p

These 3 are said to have hypoglycemic effects, lowering your blood sugar levels.

However, there is not enough research on these active components for us to use them for treating diabetes and diabetes is a lifestyle condition. One pill or food item will not help you completely cure the condition. It may give you temporary relief from the symptoms. We don't know the recommended dosage. It may become more harmful than beneficial if you overconsume it.