Diabetes is often framed as a purely medical condition, managed through medications, blood sugar monitoring, and lifestyle changes. For many Indigenous youth in Canada, however, history and culture shape how they experience the condition. The enduring impacts of colonialism, intergenerational trauma, and the healthcare system’s failure to provide culturally sensitive[Read More…]
Tag: diabetes
Weekly Ozempic shown to improve control of type 1 diabetes
While both type 1 and type 2 diabetes involve issues with insulin—a hormone needed to absorb sugar from the bloodstream to produce energy—their methods of action are not the same. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a patient’s immune system attacks their pancreatic cells, thereby preventing[Read More…]
The science behind Ozempic’s triumph
On Sept. 23, McGill’s Office for Science and Society (OSS) organized the Annual Trottier Public Science Symposium, aiming to increase understanding of Ozempic and its deeper implications. Moderated by Joe Schwarz, professor in chemistry and Director of OSS, the event featured two experts in the field. Research leading to discoveries[Read More…]
Patient-centric progress: Advancements in technologies for type 1 diabetes
Living with diabetes goes beyond managing its symptoms. It involves grappling with social stigma, the necessity of a continuous supply of insulin, the lurking fear of hypoglycemia, and the financial burden of disease management in failing healthcare systems. Recent advancements in diabetes technology aim to assist with insulin adjustment and[Read More…]
Type 2 diabetes: A cellular miscommunication issue?
On Feb. 22, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) presented a lecture from members of the RI-MUHC community, as part of their ongoing Distinguished Professors Lecture Series. This month’s distinguished professor was Guy Rutter, a professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal and researcher specializing[Read More…]
On a mission to remission: How researchers are trying to combat type 2 diabetes
What we call insulin today was first manufactured in 1921 by Charles Best and Frederick Banting. The hormone, originally called pancreatic extract, gives those with diabetes a chance at a healthy life, especially the six million people in Canada who live with some form of the disease. There are three[Read More…]
Smoothing the road of glucose highs and lows
Though diabetes was officially discovered in 1899, records of diabetes-like symptoms, such as excessive thirst and urination, go back 3,000 years to ancient Egypt. Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood sugar for a prolonged period of time as a result of[Read More…]
Smart pump improves insulin delivery to diabetics
With frequent needle pricks and the need for meticulously-managed blood sugar levels, most type 1 diabetics lead lives of constant monitoring and planning. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 often develops during childhood and cannot be controlled simply by changes to diet and exercise, although it can be mitigated. Until[Read More…]
A difficult transition into the adult care of chronic conditions
Anyone who has ever been a first year in university can remember how overwhelming it can be at times: Navigating campus, taking on large course loads, making new friends, and perhaps even living away from home. Eighteen-year-old freshmen who live with a chronic illness, like type 1 diabetes, face the[Read More…]
