Do Better, Eat Better:
The Effects of Diabetes on
Native Americans
Emerald Ortiz|San Felipe Pueblo
Embedded Files
Research Log 1
Sharing One skin
In this article, there were many things I learned about the Okanagan people. Specifically their identities and their responsibilities. As I read this article, it talked about the importance of the lands, identity, and themselves as indigenous people. The Okanagan people shared their experiences and put into this article about how they see themselves, where they come from, and how “Sharing One Skin” connects to them. They identify themselves as individuals within their bodies and identify themselves as a whole person having four main capacities that operate together. The four capacities of self-include, the physical self, the emotional self, thinking intellectual self, and the spiritual self. These four capacities have their own meaning. The Physical self means, the whole self that depends on parts of us beyond the skin. The body is sacred. The emotional self is in our language and the heart we are feeling. The spiritual self requires the other parts of self-capacity in order to use the spiritual self. Okanagan's not only connect with their immediate families, but they connect with their extended family and friends, and they call it “sharing one skin”.
Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward
Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club
Books, 1996. Pp 460-470
Personal Photo, 2021
How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape
There are many stories behind naming places of lands, especially native land. As I was reading this source, it talked about the impacts of giving sites an indigenous or colonized name. Many of the place names define how we perceive and connect to landscape. Although we live in a big, populated world with places named for colonizers, we still connect to them through our elders who would tell us stories from back then. The names of these places have an impact on the indigenous minds. In the article it was said that topography of sacred landscapes is overlaid with mythical events that occurred during creation. The overwriting sacred place names with different information interrupts connections to mythic beings and colonial place names lack these deep connections. Repeating colonizers' names keeps the trauma fresh and it’s the reason for loss of homelands, hunting grounds, and especially sacred sites. They are destroyed. Having colonial names as landscapes is giving them more power. There aren’t many elders left and it is hard to believe what stories belong to the landscapes and its indigenous peoples. But calling a place by a sacred name will always be there. It’ll never go away.
Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the
https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see
-landscape. Accessed 27 August 2022.
Personal Photo, 2021
Research Log 2
Native American Fight Historical Discrimination to Lower Diabete, Obesity Rates
Native American Fight Historical Discrimination to Lower Diabete, Obesity Rates
For this second research log, I read an article called “Native American fight historical discrimination to lower diabetes, obesity rates,”. This article stated two members who are in a relationship wanting to better their health and want their son to be well aware of his health as well. This family are native Americans, in which many indigenous people are more affected by diabetes. With the help of their community having a program they are showing progress in their health. Many of the high diabetes and obesity rates lead to the historical discrimination and modern disparities that have left Native Americans with less access to good farmlands. Native Americans were relocated to different places, and they were isolated in areas with unfarmable land. There were very few water resources. Many of the indigenous peoples consumed junk food after coming from work because they were too tired to cook on their own. Which causes high obesity rates. But limited physical activity is also a cause of high diabetes and obesity rates.
Gatalica, Daniel. "Native Americans fight historical discrimination to lower diabetes, obesity rates." Indian Life, vol. 40, no. 4, Jan.-Feb. 2020, p. 11. Gale In Context: Middle School,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A618384861/MSIC?u=nm_s_santafeis&sid=bookmark-MSIC&xid=31ccdfaf. Accessed 12 Oct. 2022.
Personal Photo, 2022
Diabetes
Diabetes
I also read another article about the history of my topic and it was called, Diabetes. Diabetes was a disease that was rarely seen among Indigenous people. But during the past several decades, diabetes has grown to an epidemic among Native Americans. This health crisis Native Americans are facing is interlinked with poverty, alcoholism, drastic changes in diets, exercise, and eating habits. Researchers have determined that the reasons diabetes is more prevalent among Native Americans is because of substance abuse and chronic stress. Some traditional activities such as hunting, fishing, gathering, trapping, and farming were drastically disrupted, reduced and in some cases, eradicated. Native Americans witnessed their territories being reduced to small parcels of land to make way for the white settlers. The lands set aside for them often had the poorest soil and depleted wildlife. Traditional diets were adapted to environments and consisted of a variety of wild game, fish, marine mammals, and vegetables. Wild game, marine mammals, and fish do not contain the cholesterol and fat content of modern-day grain-fed farm animals. The fat contained in wild animals is often quite beneficial and contains vitamins useful to the human body. Although, Indigenous people are more likely to be at a higher risk for this disease, diabetes.
Cree, Lysane. "Diabetes ." The American Mosaic: The American Indian Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2022,
americanindian-abc-clio-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/Search/Display/1385430. Accessed 12 Oct. 2022.
Personal Photo, 2020
Discovery of Insulin
Discovery of Insulin
In the past, insulin was not discovered yet. Many people, but mostly children, were suffering from diabetes. Before 1920 children only had days, weeks, and months to live. But very famous clinicians found ways for these people to live a little longer by treating them with harsh diets, avoiding carbohydrates intakes which were called “Ketogenic Diets”. People survived, although they lost all their weight, muscles, and fat tissues. This was a very grim prognosis. In 1921 an orthopedic surgeon, Frederick Banting was given a lab space to research. He met other pharmacists that made purified extracts. This extract was then allowed to be experimented in humans. On January 10, 1922, a young boy dying from diabetes was treated with the insulin for the first time in Toronto. In Toronto, they realized they couldn’t manufacture much insulin’s to treat everyone so many other industries decided to help. Very soon after, people started altering the nature of insulin to treat patients with diabetes. This was the dark ages of treating people with insulin. Overall, they are still trying to get treatments where people will no longer have to take insulin.
Nature Video. “The Discovery of Insulin”, June 18, 2021.
Research Log 3
As deadline looms, Congress urged to reauthorize diabetes program for Native Americans.
As deadline looms, Congress urged to reauthorize diabetes program for Native Americans.
Numerous people were affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, particularly Native Americans who had diabetes. This article discusses the declining rates of diabetes among Native Americans. Recent legislation to reauthorize a federal program that fights diabetes in Native American Country was required by the state of Arizona's senators as the pandemic began in order to lower the high rates of diabetes. "If we want our people to be stronger and be able to prevent and fight off diseases, then we need our people to eat good foods and boost their immune system," a former president of the Navajo Nation said. Adult Native Americans in the United States have the highest rates and are more likely to have this chronic condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Congress has in the past assisted in and established a specific diabetes program for Indians, and on November 30 the money from this program will run out. However, the Federal Cares Act funds would assist the program to keep doing its work. Ultimately, this program has received some improvement within Native American communities of the decreasing rates of diabetes.
Urbatsch, Deagan. "As deadline looms, Congress urged to reauthorize diabetes program for Native Americans." Indian Life, vol. 41, no. 1, July-Aug. 2020, p. 2. Gale In Context: Middle School,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A634771366/MSIC?u=nm_s_santafeis&sid=ebsco&xid=0b82f3ec. Accessed 22 Nov. 2022.
Personal Photo, 2021
NRF2 and Diabetes: The Good, the Bad, and the Complex
As some may know, diabetes has been around for a while now and for those who suffer with this disease, it sometimes seems impossible to deal with it. Since this research log is focused on the current state of the issue of our topics, I found this article. The article says “diabetes continues to represent an incredibly complex and difficult disease to treat” and so far researchers have not yet found ways to help diabetics. Although they have been working with a treatment called the NRF2 and this is a protein that controls how certain genes are expressed. The function of this is that NRF2 modulates diabetes progression. Just recently, there have been no activators in clinical trials for the treatment of patients with diabetes. The author, Donna Zhang mentions they are still reviewing the NRF2 but they are still working towards progressing this protein diabetes field forward.
Matthew Dodson, Aryatara Shakya, Annadurai Anandhan, Jinjing Chen, Joe G.N. Garcia, Donna D. Zhang; NRF2 and Diabetes: The Good, the Bad, and the Complex. Diabetes 1 December 2022; 71 (12): 2463–2476.
https://doi.org/10.2337/db22-0623
Personal Photo, 2023
The Diabetic Epidemic: The Latest on Treatment and Prevention
Despite all the work done to educate people about the value of a healthy diet and regular exercise, type 2 diabetes still poses a serious threat to many people's lives today. specifically to Native Americans. Michelle, a member who has this illness, says, "It was a huge hurdle for me, I remember hiding insulin in refrigerators. I just felt ashamed”. According to the movie, the stigma associated with diabetes makes many people who are type 1 diabetics or pre diabetics fearful and ashamed, but it also spreads a lot of false information. Some people are intelligent, read, and pay attention, and then there are people who lack "common sense”. Diabetes is a costly condition that can have implications if left untreated. In addition to numerous other health issues, diabetes is the seventh most common killer in the world. And it's crucial to fight stigmas right now.
Harvard University. “The Diabetes Epidemic: The latest on Treatment and Prevention”, Nov 14 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOoiGsiVes0
Personal Photo, 2022
Research Log 4
Health Policy Research in Tribal Communities: Type 2 Diabetes in the Chickasaw Nation
In this article, it is focused on a community called the Chickasaw nation. Within this community, there was a researcher focusing towards this tribe and had asked them what the most pressing health issues they are facing and they mentioned “diabetes”. Two of the citizens within this tribe are living with diabetes and the guy is lucky enough to receive nutrition assistants and also received a gym membership to be active. Many of the other citizens have said they also want to receive a gym membership but at a site where there are also Chickasaw members so they are more comfortable around their own. As well as to also create friendships with ones who are facing similar challenges. Diabetes is a prevalent issue throughout Indian country and the Chickasaw nation is no exception. The nation has chosen diabetes as one of their top health priorities. They are tackling diabetes through their Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). For members to be eligible they are to be over 18. With this program they receive guidance and receive lessons on creating more healthy ways to live. Overall, the nation is well working towards protecting their people from this disease, diabetes.
Fountaine, Tim. “Tackling Indonesia’s diabetes challenge: Eight approaches from around the world”. Mckinsey and Company. May 16,2016.
Personal Photo, 2020
Tackling Indonesia’s diabetes challenge
In this article, the Indonesian community are facing the difficulties of diabetes. According to the article, they are calling it the “The nature of Indonesia’s diabetes challenge”. Since 2014, there has been more than 9 million adult members from this community from the ages of 20- 79 years old who are and have suffered from diabetes. Making the diabetes population the fifth largest in the world. As it says in the article, about 24 percent of members older than 18 are physically inactive, the amount of overweight people is rising and there are also many members who are smoking which increases as well. Physicians and health care workers are saying patients are often unaware or diagnosed late with diabetes. Which is much harder to treat if not found right away. With the many strategies they are considering to prevent diabetes, and the different approaches that are included are Approach 1, Developing a national diabetes strategy. Approach 2, establishing data systems and performance- management processes. Approach 3, Upgrading primary-care networks. Approach 4, Using innovative healthcare models to increase screening and diagnosis, particularly in remote areas. Approach 5, Upgrading the skills of and providing incentives to healthcare-delivery professionals. Approach 6, Empowering patients to improve adherence to therapy and approach 7, Increasing awareness of healthy living and encouraging lifestyle changes. With these changing approaches, they are moving towards a better life of living with diabetes.
Fountaine, Tim. “Tackling Indonesia’s diabetes challenge: Eight approaches from around the world”. Mckinsey and Company. May 16,2016.
Personal Photo, 2022
Native American Tribe Has Highest Rate of Diabetes
According to the film, the Tohono O’odham are severely stressed with diabetes. More so in adults. This tribe is located in Arizona and in this location, they have a small restaurant called the “Desert Rain Cafe”. At this cafe, each meal is served with traditional food that is grown from the reservation. Many of the members that have attended this cafe are saying they don’t like the way some foods taste since they are now focusing on nutrition but they are all willing to try to eat healthier. Building the cafe was to encourage people to eat traditional foods that are much more healthier than what we can get from stores and restaurants. There are up to seventy percent of the Tohono O’odham people that are living with diabetes and as stated in the film, the traditional foods can help prevent diabetes of all ages. Since they are dealing with diabetes, that is life changing, they are trying to get the members of this reservation to be more aware of what they are consuming and to continue eating traditional foods. As in their community, their foods hold a sacred meaning, and their farming will help preserve their culture.
Voice of America. “Native American Tribe Has Highest Rate of Adult Onset Diabetes Worldwide”, Nov 29 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NFT31grPf0
Personal Photo, 2019
Action Plan 1
Healthy Eating
Healthy Eating
I prepared a nutritious snack (spinach with peas) for us to eat with dinner on November 12, 2022. As many of our members are living with diabetes, I also gathered my mother and sisters to view the documentary The Discovery of Insulin. I did this to raise awareness and educate them about the disease.
“We may be genetically connected to this disease but it is our job to eat healthier and become more active physically” - Carmella Ortiz
Personal Photo, 2022
Action Plan 2
As a Native American who goes to an all pueblo school and with my focus of indigenous people. I came to the idea of creating one minute videos to encourage others to be aware of their health and educate on how diabetes is a costly disease. I called it the "March Medical Minute".
As a Native American who goes to an all pueblo school and with my focus of indigenous people. I came to the idea of creating one minute videos to encourage others to be aware of their health and educate on how diabetes is a costly disease. I called it the "March Medical Minute".
Personal Photo, 2023
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