This article isn’t touching on technology so much as basic language. The way in which people talk about our diabetes can cause a lot of unnecessary friction. “Control”? Often we hear references to our “diabetes control”. “[your] diabetes is well-controlled.” “[…] poorly controlled”. “[…] uncontrolled”. “How has your diabetes control been?” Usually this language comes …
What are “diabetes complications”? This is a term I have real problems with: it’s misleading, and has unfortunate impacts on everyone. I tend to think of there not actually being any such thing as a “diabetes complication”. There’s usually nothing “diabetic” about health complications. What are people referring to? Basically, at a crude level it’s about …
Recently I spent a day participating in a training course for endocrinology registrars (i.e. doctors). It was the Practical Skills Course for Endocrinology & General Medicine Advanced Trainees run by the Australian Diabetes Society. I’ve participated in this course for several years now. I was there as a consumer/demonstrator to help educate the attendees on things like …
Language is a funny thing. We use it every day to communicate with each other, and there are many nuances to the way we use various words. Some words are simple and inherently positive (such as “health” and “happiness”) although some (e.g. “gay”) have taken on extra associations over time. Other words have negative connotations: …