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I haven’t quit sugar and I’ve no intention of doing so because Nutella, doughnuts and the red velvet Tim Tams* that Adriano Zumbo has just developed with Arnott’s. Also, candied bacon.
So looking at the I Quit Sugar Facebook page the other day was a pointless exercise that was only ever going to end in stress eating (of foods mentioned above). And the development of a twitch in my right eye.
The I Quit Sugar (IQS) Facebook admins had caught on that last week was National Diabetes Week and were outraged – OUTRAGED – to discover that on some diabetes sites were recipes containing sugar. Because, you know, sugar causes diabetes. Right?
Wrong!
But let’s not allow facts, a broad evidence-base, and the medical fraternity to get in the way of a good bit of ignorance, will we?
I know; I should have walked away. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Instead, I read. And read and read and read post after post after post of ignorance and judgement and lies.
Whilst for the most part I sat there shaking my head at the witlessness of the posts, it was when people started outright lying that I decided that I had to write something. One woman claimed that the Australian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) is run by ‘pharmacy companies that make insulin’. She went on to say that JDRF is ‘owned and run by pharmacy companies with an interest in insulin’.
Both these statements are complete lies. The APEG Council is made up of very highly regarded healthcare professionals. The current President of APEG is Professor Fergus Cameron who is the head of Diabetes Services at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
JDRF is a global not-for-profit, raising much-needed funds which go towards research that is looking to find a cure for, and improve management of type 1 diabetes. Run by pharmacy companies? I don’t think so.
The conspiracy theorists on the IQS bandwagon remind me of the anti-vax brigade. The ridiculous claims that the entire medical establishment is simply trying to keep people unwell and feed the pockets of Big Pharma is offensive. The only difference between the two is that the anti-vaxxers are stupid and dangerous. The IQS zealots are just plain stupid.
But here’s the other thing that I find so offensive about so many of the posts from proponents of IQS – the judgement. One woman (in a comment that has now been removed) said she’d like to ‘slap diabetics who eat sugar’.
Quitting sugar is a personal choice – a lifestyle choice, if you will. In exactly the same way that doing yoga, going for a run, not eating red meat or only wearing stripes is a personal choice. These things may work for you, which is terrific, but judging someone because they still want to eat sugar – or wear polka dots – is crazy.
The foolish conspiracies on the IQS website say the advice provided by the medical establishment and health organisations should be questioned and ignored.
But, as I posted in my comment on their FB page, whose integrity should we really be questioning here? Researchers and healthcare professionals with years of training in their specialised field? Organisations supporting people, and raising money to help researchers further developments in living well with these conditions? Or money-making endeavours based on pseudo-science with no evidence-base run by a celebrity?
DISCLAIMERS
*I am so not sponsored by Arnott’s, but seriously – these are amazing! And perfect for an intended week of eating only red food to coincide with a new-found addiction to True Blood!
Professor Fergus Cameron is a member of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Diabetes Camps Victoria Program at Diabetes Australia – Vic. I am employed by DA-Vic and the chair of this committee.
On the sixth day of #NDW14, I’m looking beyond our shores and remembering that we really are lucky here when it comes to accessing diabetes supplies.
Last night, I attended a special screening of Sweet 16, a movie about a young Canadian woman with type 1 diabetes. The documentary film tells the story of Katia Shannon, who shares her story of life with diabetes.
Featured in the film is Insulin for Life, a not-for-profit organisation founded (and based) here in Australia. There are affiliates all over the world. I’ve known about Insulin for Life (IFL) for a long time and have been aware of the incredibly important work undertaken by this organisation. The objectives of IFL include obtaining diabetes supplies (insulin, syringes, BGL meters and strips) and then donating and distributing them to diabetes associations in countries in need. They also look at developing and implementing sustainable improvements in accessing diabetes supplies in countries in need.
The film last night highlighted a kids’ camp program in Ecuador. The average monthly income for many families in this South American country is $250 and a month’s supply of insulin is $200. Do the maths and think about that for a minute. You can see how dire this situation is for many families. Without IFL, many people in Ecuador would not be able to access insulin to treat their type 1 diabetes. This is just one country supported by IFL.
Today, with National Diabetes Week drawing to a close, have a look at the Insulin for Life website and see some of the amazing and much-needed work they are doing. Supporting them is good karma.
It’s Friday after a very long week, but’s not over yet? So, to keep up our energy, here’s some Georgie Fame to get you (go-go) dancing. Yeh Yeh!
On the fifth day of #NDW I’m shouting #SHOWMEYOURPUMP. Well, maybe not shouting it out to random people – that would be weird – but I’m certainly getting very excited about it.
Last week, the interwebs were on fire with a photo of Bethany Townsend who lives with Crohn’s Disease. Whilst on holiday, she posed in a bikini with her colostomy bags clearly visible. In a campaign of solidarity and Crohn’s awareness, other people with the condition started posting photos online showing their colostomy bags, which are usually hidden away.
Not to be outdone (not that it’s a competition) the diabetes world has our own advocacy queen this week with the newly-crowned Miss Idaho, Sierra Anne Sandison who stood on stage this weekend in a bikini with her insulin pump clipped to her bikini bottoms. Just like that!
And with it came a call for people with diabetes to be just as out and proud by posting photos of themselves with their pump, using the tag #ShowMeYourPump
By last night, the photo of Sierra and her pump had been retweeted nearly 2,000 times and there were hopes that the #ShowMeYourPump tag would trend on Twitter. Today, both my Facebook and Twitter feeds are full of pictures with the tag.
This is an easy, fun and far-reaching advocacy and awareness campaign that (once again) shows how social media can be used for good.
So, for a bit of fun, take a photo of you and your pump. There’s no need to pop on a bikini to do it, but knock yourself out if you want to. For my money, it’s Melbourne black – and far too cold for bikini craziness!
Showing our pumps in the office today. #ShowMeYourPump
Sara from Moments of Wonderful has left a comment below reminding me of this great awareness campaign from a couple of years ago. Pumps and glasses! I thought I’d share it here too.
On the third day of #NDW14, I’m trying to avoid the doom and gloom. Which is proving rather difficult, I have to say. Tweet after tweet; article after article – it’s all bad news and promises of complications. The negativity of the reporting of diabetes can get me down.
So I’m trying to equal things up a little.
During the American Diabetes Association conference last month, I saw this photo tweeted.
Look at those stats for just one minute and maybe bookmark this page and come back to it if you are feeling overwhelmed by what you’re hearing and reading. (You can read more about this research here.)
And this morning, this one from RCH foundation.
And this from Professor Jane Speight and CERA.
I am not saying that we need to sugar coat (no pun intended) diabetes and only talk about the good things. But the doom and gloom can be a little overwhelming. Equally, I am not here to be Pollyanna and start listing all the reason that we should be celebrating that we have diabetes.
However we can, perhaps, have a little bit of balance. By all means, get the message out that diabetes is serious – it is! But how about also making sure that some of the better news – advances in research; better management options, etc. are reported too. How about we try that for a day?
Have you seen any GOOD news stories about diabetes? As the #OzDOC crowd would say, share the #dlove!
Speaking of #OzDOC – 8.30pm (AEST) tonight on Twitter it’s party time! Follow @OzDiabetesOC and join the two year anniversary celebrations.
On the second day of National Diabetes Week, I’m having a smile, giggle, laugh out loud moment(s) and grimace. At these things:
Grimacing at Khloe Khardashian who says kukumbers kure diabetes. How kompletely kool!
Giggling at this very well-played post from the Queensland branch of St John Ambulance.
Laughing out loud at this cartoon (and pretty much everything on Bird Wing Press).
Smiling – really widely – at the thought of the OzDOC two year anniversary virtual party that’s taking place tomorrow night on Twitter. BYO cupcakes!
Hope you’re all buckled in – the week is just beginning! Follow #NDW14 to keep up with National Diabetes Week.
What’s got your attention?
It’s the Friday before National Diabetes Week here in Australia. Over the next 10 days, diabetes will be in the press. A lot. And that means a lot of misreporting and a lot of people saying the wrong things about diabetes.
So, here are some of my thoughts about how to address this:
- Stay calm. If you hear or see or read something about diabetes that is incorrect, don’t get angry. Send a balanced, calm response to the journalist, radio/TV station/person talking with CORRECT information. Be brief, use facts – dot points are good.
- Know your facts! And that means no perpetuating other myths to bust the one that’s pissed you off.
- Get over the type 1 versus type 2 thing. Seriously. Don’t bash the ‘other’ diabetes.
- I send the Diabetes Australia Language Position Statement out to any journalist who uses damaging language when writing about diabetes. I tweet the link directly to journos all the time!
- Naming and shaming is okay if you’re nice and polite about it.
- Don’t engage. Make your point and walk away. There is no need to enter into an argument that will most likely get heated and result in abuse. Grace and dignity are amazing qualities; demonstrate them in spades!
- Action! If you’re going to complain, make sure you actually do something meaningful with it. It’s all very well to bitch and moan amongst your peers, but find the source of whatever has upset you and write to them directly. (See point 1 for the tone to use.)
- Follow up. And if you do take the time to write, you should expect a response. If you don’t get one within a reasonable time, re-send your correspondence.
- Pick your battles. I can tell you now that no one has bucket loads of money to spend on diabetes campaigns, so no matter how much you want the government or diabetes organisation in your state to run a full-blown campaign explaining the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, it’s not gonna happen. Accept it!
- Remember that you know a lot about diabetes out of pure necessity. Don’t expect that same level of knowledge from everyone. Most of the stupid things people say are out of sheer ignorance or bad manners. Politely correct and move on.
- There are some great resources out there that can help. Check out this and this.
The primary aim of National Diabetes Week is to raise awareness of the condition – specifically awareness about prevention of type 2 diabetes. Consider any misreporting or silly comments an opportunity to provide information and education in the hope that the people perpetuating the myths won’t do it again. And as your (and everyone’s) grandmother would say: Keep yourself nice.
It’s Friday! And it’s freezing here in Melbourne. I’m trying to imagine warm sun on bare skin, so here are The Beatles with ‘I’ll Follow the Sun’.
Next month the annual ADS-ADEA Scientific Meeting will be held in Melbourme. This is the leading diabetes conference in Australia and attracts diabetes healthcare professionals from all over the country and boasts a program of outstanding local and international speakers.
This year, for the first time, there will be a consumer stream as part of the conference. This is really exciting because it seems that finally, after many years of petitioning (by petitioning, I mean whining), people with diabetes are actually involved and encouraged to attend.
Details of the Consumer Outreach day are below.
Someone has commented to me on Facebook that registration should be free for consumers and whilst I understand the reasoning behind that, I also know the costs involved in putting on a conference of this magnitude. I also know that sponsorship dollars are tight at the moment. I would urge anyone who wants to attend, but cannot afford it, to contact their local diabetes organisation and see if there is any way they can contribute to the costs.
I also know that having an event during the day on a Friday may not be ideal for many who work. But that’s the reality – conferences are held during the week. If you have any time in lieu owed, or an annual leave day you are prepared to take, this is a great way to spend it! Not only will you get to hear some interesting presentations, but it will be an opportunity to hang out with some incredibly awesome diabetes people.
Peer support for the win!
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
#OzDOC will be providing two scholarships to cover the cost of registration for the event. To apply, jump on Twitter and send a direct message to @OzDiabetesOC. Make sure you include your email address in your message. You’ll then receive an application form. See you there!
DISCLAIMER
I am on the organising committee for the Consumer Outreach program. I am not receiving any payment for my involvement in this committee; however, my registration fee for the entire conference has been covered. I am also an invited speaker at the ADS-ADEA conference (at both the healthcare professional and consumer sessions and I have been involved in the submission of two abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the conference).
1.13am – Heart thumping at what feels like 1,000,000 beats per minute
1.15am – 1.8mmol/l
1.15am – 10 jelly beans
1.20am – 1.8mmol/l
1.22am – 200ml pineapple juice
1.28am – 1.7mmol/l
1.28am – 10 jelly beans
1.28am – 1 pump’s basal rates reduced to -100% for 30 minutes
1.35am – 1.8mmol/l
1.39am – 1 piece of toast with 2 tablespoons of Nutella
1.45am – 1.8mmol/l
1.45am – 30 minutes under 2.0mmol/l
1.50am – 2 mandarins
1.55am – 1.9mmol/l
2.05am – 1.9mmol/l
2.05am – 5 jelly snakes
2.14am – 1.9mmol/l
2.15am – 60 minutes under 2.0mmol/l
2.15am – 200ml pineapple juice
2.29am – 2.0mmol/l
2.30am – 1 high 5 for hitting 2.0mmol/l
2.42am – 2.0mmol/l
2.55am – 2.0mmol/l
2.55am – 1 fridge raid resulting in 1 small tub peaches and 1 small tub yoghurt
3.13am – 1.8mmol/l
3.13am – awake dealing with this low for 120 minutes
3.13am – 5 very loud curse words beginning with f
3.15am – 20 jelly beans
3.22am – 2.3mmol/l
3.34am – 2.9mmol/l
3.48am – 3.2mmol/l
3.48am – first time in 2 hours and 33 minutes I’ve been above 3mmol/l
3.59am – 3.8mmol/l
3.59am – 1 deep sigh of relief
4.08am – start counting sheep. 1….2….3….4….
4.35am – 1 person with diabetes, wide awake, unable to sleep
Sometimes, it actually is all about numbers….
