Hi there!

I have a question for you: Do you consider yourself a “diabetic” or a “person with diabetes”?

Maybe you never really gave it much thought before… or maybe you did. But the diabetes world is pretty much divided on this issue.

Some think that it’s offensive and not politically correct to call someone by their disease. Calling someone a diabetic makes it sound like they are defined by their disease, like they are nothing more but their disease.

And others don’t mind being called a diabetic as they don’t think that the D-word trumps everything else that they are. They see diabetes as something that influences their entire lives and that helps explain how they live.

What about YOU? Where do you stand on this debate? There is no right or wrong here… I’m simply inviting you to think about it. Does the label “diabetic” bother you? 💭🤔

And while you’re thinking about it, let me tell you how I feel about it! You knew that was coming didn’t you? 😉

As a pharmacist, my job requires me to talk to people with diabetes on a regular basis. And I strongly believe that we (the medical community), hold a responsibility towards YOU and how you define yourself.

If I were to define you as a “diabetic” person, I feel like I would also be telling you that this is your new identity and you now have to live with it for the rest of your life. However, if I tell you that you “have diabetes”, in a way I would also be telling you that you don’t have to “have diabetes” for the rest of your life.

It’s much easier to get rid of something “we have” than to get rid of something “we are”.

You see… you might not notice it, or be bothered by it initially. But subconsciously, when I tell you “you are diabetic” you might suddenly shift your identity. And I wouldn’t want you to do that because I want you to fight this disease. I want you to take control of it and defeat it.

So if I always say “you have diabetes” instead of “you are diabetic” it’s because I believe that you CAN make lifestyle habit change that makes “having diabetes” a part of your past. I NEVER want you to think “what’s the point of changing my habits if I will always be a diabetic?”

❌ NO. You can change that.

And you can start by learning HOW and signing up to our free course:
👉 Outsmarting Type II diabetes