Hello, My name is Justin and this is my Weebly website page about the medical condition of diabetes. The purpose of this site is to take the explorer through five distinct sections or approaches within the subfield of medical anthropology. This page you are currently on is the introduction page, as can be seen at the top tab. The tabs allow you to progress through each section/approach to understand a different perspective on this disease. As you progress from one tab to another, you will start to develop an overall better understanding of how the medical field of anthropology deals with understanding diseases and problems from one culture to another, but more specifically with a focus on diabetes. I hope you enjoy!
My outlook on diseases has change tremendously since the beginning of the semester. Previously, when I heard anything about diabetes I normally didn’t give it much thought or consideration even though I hear about so many people who have it. My lack of concern or interest in diabetes might have simply been somewhat due to the fact that I hear about so many people who have it. My mind could have been, in a sense, accustomed to this medical condition to the point where I didn’t even consider it to be an illness anymore. I can now unquestionably say that diabetes is a real problem and the people who have this condition are at real increased risk of many things, including death. I chose to look deeper into diabetes in order to better understand the impact it has on people’s lives, considering my own mother is diabetic and must take insulin shots every morning.
For starters, it might be helpful to understand what diabetes exactly is. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
“Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or cant’ use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.” Something that seems so harmless as too much sugar in the bloodstream can have significant health implications. What I found shocking about diabetes was that not only in the United States is it the seventh leading cause of death, but it can result in many various health complications which include: heart disease, kidney failure, amputations, and even blindness!
It is important to consider non-medical factors such as culture, economics, and politics when studying illnesses in general because they can have a huge impact the quality of healthcare delivered to the patients. Looking more closely at economics, people who would normally seek out medical treatment for a condition might not if money is tight. Cultural stigma and social norms might also keep people from seeing a medical professional because of fear of being discriminated or being labeled. Understanding cultural values can help to explain why some people are reluctant to talk about some issues or get help in the first place. Evaluating at household income levels and job satisfaction is also meaningful when studying diseases because people with more money generally have better professionals with the latest and greatest equipment and medicines to keep them from getting sick.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Basics about diabetes." Last modified September 6, 2012, http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/learn.htm.
Rockefeller News Of The World Magazine. "Latest Study Shows Vitamin D Could Improve Pancreas Function." last modified July 9, 2011, http://www.rockefellernews.com/21569/latest-study-shows-vitamin-d-could-improve-pancreas-function/.
My outlook on diseases has change tremendously since the beginning of the semester. Previously, when I heard anything about diabetes I normally didn’t give it much thought or consideration even though I hear about so many people who have it. My lack of concern or interest in diabetes might have simply been somewhat due to the fact that I hear about so many people who have it. My mind could have been, in a sense, accustomed to this medical condition to the point where I didn’t even consider it to be an illness anymore. I can now unquestionably say that diabetes is a real problem and the people who have this condition are at real increased risk of many things, including death. I chose to look deeper into diabetes in order to better understand the impact it has on people’s lives, considering my own mother is diabetic and must take insulin shots every morning.
For starters, it might be helpful to understand what diabetes exactly is. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
“Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or cant’ use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.” Something that seems so harmless as too much sugar in the bloodstream can have significant health implications. What I found shocking about diabetes was that not only in the United States is it the seventh leading cause of death, but it can result in many various health complications which include: heart disease, kidney failure, amputations, and even blindness!
It is important to consider non-medical factors such as culture, economics, and politics when studying illnesses in general because they can have a huge impact the quality of healthcare delivered to the patients. Looking more closely at economics, people who would normally seek out medical treatment for a condition might not if money is tight. Cultural stigma and social norms might also keep people from seeing a medical professional because of fear of being discriminated or being labeled. Understanding cultural values can help to explain why some people are reluctant to talk about some issues or get help in the first place. Evaluating at household income levels and job satisfaction is also meaningful when studying diseases because people with more money generally have better professionals with the latest and greatest equipment and medicines to keep them from getting sick.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Basics about diabetes." Last modified September 6, 2012, http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/learn.htm.
Rockefeller News Of The World Magazine. "Latest Study Shows Vitamin D Could Improve Pancreas Function." last modified July 9, 2011, http://www.rockefellernews.com/21569/latest-study-shows-vitamin-d-could-improve-pancreas-function/.