Diabetes Canada hopes combination of contemporary treatment and traditional healing will help Indigenous population
- NC Raine | May 24, 2018
Diabetes rates amongst Indigenous populations in Canada continue to be disproportionately high, affecting many populations who don’t have access to contemporary treatment. Diabetes Canada, through their annual Indigenous Gathering on Diabetes, aimed to explore ways for those living with diabetes to access to those contemporary medical treatments together with traditional healing methods.
Statistics show that there are 100,000 people living with diabetes in Saskatchewan alone, with an estimated 176,000 living with pre-diabetes, and 43,000 living with undiagnosed diabetes.
“It is exciting and so important to bring our diabetes researchers, healthcare care professionals, traditional Indigenous knowledge keepers, and people living with diabetes together in order to understand the health needs of Indigenous people in Saskatchewan,” said Chair of Indigenous Health Dr. Alexandra King, moderator at the gathering.
Dr. Charlotte Jones, clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia, was one of the many expert researchers sharing their knowledge at the conference. Jones is engaged in a four-year project looking at six urban Indigenous communities in British Columbia who have compromised access to traditional healthcare, and how to reduce those inequalities.
“It’s a question of how we can work together to implement some of these interventions,” said Jones. “The idea is to make sure the community members are telling us what would work for them. And what is truly exciting, incorporating traditional methods and healing experiences into Western diabetes management.”
Jones and her team, through talking circles, community gatherings, and healing surveys, are working to develop a template for action in other communities across Canada. She said empowering traditional practices and culture could make a huge difference in combatting the high rates of diabetes.
“Back in the 1940s, there were no diabetes in Indigenous communities, (...) but if you’re exposed to trauma and food insecurity, then it overcomes the genetics and diabetes come out,” she said. “It’s going to take generations to reverse that, but I’m really optimistic that it’s starting to change.”
For young people born on reserves, diabetes also poses a significant threat. According to Diabetes Canada, children on reserves have an 85-95% chance of getting diabetes in their lifetime, with women being more at risk than men. Additionally, up to 50% of youth living with diabetes live in poverty.
Dr. Jon McGavock, associate professor in Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba, focused his keynote on empowering at-risk youth through their cultural strengths. McGavovk said that inequalities in type 2 diabetes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth are the direct result of cultural genocide and other current social factors effecting Indigenous youth.
“The trans-generational impact and stress that accompanied the residential school atrocities, Sixties Scoop, and the structural racism that Indigenous people face are major sources of stress for children and impacts what we should be doing (...) to prevent type-2 diabetes,” he said.
Working with youth in Saskatchewan and Manitoba since 2009, McGorvak and his team use a resilience-based approach rather than focusing solely on eating or exercise. He said building elements of belonging, independence, and generosity through the framework called a ‘circle of courage’ results in less weight gain and improved mental health among the youth.
“Diabetes is one of the most chronic conditions facing Indigenous people, and the inequalities are high,” said McGavock. “There’s a big need for this kind of information and research to be shared with the community.”