Category: Mind

Ozempic. It was developed to help people with type 2 diabetes but has morphed into a "miracle" drug for weight loss. How should we make sense of that?

Oprah’s Ready to Talk about Ozempic, Are You?

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If anyone’s personal experience with changing body size and weight loss is the embodiment of societal stigma and prejudice around body weight, it is Oprah. 

Changes in her body size and her personal weight journey have played out in the public over the past 25 years. We’ve seen her body shrink and grow and shrink again. At each turn her personal habits, integrity, and discipline were scrutinized and put up for public comment and commerce.

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Disaster preparedness with diabetes, are you ready?

Revisiting disaster prep with diabetes

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It was about five years ago that I wrote my first article about the importance of disaster preparedness when living with diabetes. Looking back, the advice I gave then seems almost quaint. It was all about making sure your devices were charged up and you had a backup battery. These days disaster prep requires so much more.  Every place I’ve ever lived has had the potential for a disaster or emergency. In California there were earthquakes. But they don’t happen very often and are generally small. Then, in Hawaii there were hurricanes, tropical storms, tsunami warnings, and lava flows. Those give more warning and need more active preparation. And now that I’m back on the mainland, wildfires have become very common. This summer in the Pacific Northwest I don’t think we’ve had a week without an active wildfire in either Washington or Oregon. And though the flames have been miles

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Will you take the pledge to end diabetes stigma? Visit EndDiabetesStigma.org

Let’s work to end diabetes stigma

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𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? This international effort by 51 people affected by diabetes from 18 countries generated a strong research-backed statement in response to the harm done by diabetes stigma and discrimination. Let it be a catalyst for positive change. To find out more and take the pledge visit EndDiabetesStigma.org.

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800K souls lost to COVID-19

800,000 souls lost to COVID-19

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2021 was bookended by COVID. We started the year hoping that the pandemic would end and we could get back to some kind of normalcy. But, here we are. Not only does COVID remain at the forefront, with the Omicron variant it looks like the pandemic will continue to disrupt our lives well into 2022. People are tired of living their restricted life and with all the uncertainty. They want it to end. They want to return to normal, even if it’s a “new” normal. They question how much longer they can continue keeping their distance and wearing masks. Maybe they should ask their friends and family how they got through World War II. Oh yeah, the 1940s are now barely at the edge of living memory. How soon we forget.

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You Are Your Own Best Health Advocate

Excerpt: You Are Your Own Best Health Advocate

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“I’ve learned a lot from living with type 2 diabetes, but no lesson rings truer than this: no one knows you better than you. “No one else understands what you are experiencing as you manage life with type 2 diabetes. Your medical team will go over your numbers. Friends and family might mention they’ve noticed changes. But 99.999% of the time, you are managing your diabetes on your own. That puts you in a unique–and powerful–position. …” Read the full article on Healthgrades.

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Diabetes Shouldn't Mean Giving Up Who You Are

Excerpt: Diabetes Shouldn’t Mean Giving Up Who You Are

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“Right now, all over the world, there are people successfully managing life with type 2 diabetes. Regardless of our culture, race, or ethnicity, we are living full lives. But even though we have the same condition, we don’t all manage diabetes in the exact same way. Each of us has to find a way to care for ourselves within the context of our own lives, cultures, and values. “In diabetes care, some days it might feel like everything is about the numbers. How many grams of carbs have I eaten today? How many steps did I take? What’s my A1C? Hit the numbers and you’re a “good” diabetic—at least that’s what we’re told. “When I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, more than a decade ago, I remember the doctor saying I’d need to drastically change my habits in specific ways to hit these numbers. But change is hard,

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