Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

I'm doing some research and have a question. Last year when we visited the Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma, I noticed a medical waste container in the ladies room. I was confused at first and then it occurred to me that the level of diabetes is a huge problem among Native Americans and that was probably there for disposal of insulin needles.

If you either live with diabetes, and therefore are more aware of such thing, or live near a reservation, is this something you have noticed before?

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

Well, we don't currently live near a reservation. However, sharps disposals are in most airports (not LAX, which was frustrating), all Disneyland bathrooms, and in many gas stations bathrooms. Lots of malls too.

I'm obviously noticing them more these days, because, hey, super handy!

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

I've noticed medical waste containers cropping up in restrooms all over. I specifically see them at high way rest areas.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

They are in every bathroom of LDS temples. There are lots of elderly people in LDS temples.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

Interesting... diabetes wouldn’t be my first thought, I would have assumed that they were an attempt to provide a safe place for illegal drug needles


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Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

At the rest areas, I think that is probably right. The place I noticed it was a museum, so I don't think that would have been the motivation there.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

I live near a reservation, and my mother grew up on that reservation. I will have to google, but I do believe that it really is a thing that diabetes occurs more frequently in Native American populations - I think I have read that before.

---------- Post added at 03:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 PM ----------

Yes, it does occur at higher rates in the NA populations, but in this article, it is non-insulin dependent diabetes that is occurring at a higher rate. Also according to this article, the number of cases of type 2 diabetes occurring went up during the mid 20th century. If I recall correctly, that was around the time that commodities for people on the reservations were started. Commodities consisted of white flour, sugar, and oil, among other things. I will go look that up in a few, as well.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK233089/

---------- Post added at 03:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 PM ----------

Here is a scholarly article on the connection between commodities and type 2 diabetes.

https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/...h_fac_articles

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

A lot of people with non-insulin dependent diabetes still need insulin, though, if the meds alone aren't cutting it.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

Most people managing diabetes have type 2, and less use insulin. I would imagine sharps containers are more there for clean disposal of ALL types of sharps. There are lots of people who need to use sharps of many sorts, and need a safe disposal spot.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

Last week I was watching Jaime Oliver (I think it was on Netflix or Hulu.....possibly youtube.) He traveled to a Reservation and did a show on Native American cooking. They discussed the high rate of diabetes amongst the Native American population.

Due to many things, the population has gotten away from the old ways of cooking and have basically adapted to the packaged foods because it is cheap, available and gardening has gone away. They were also discussing about how the diet from the old ways was a much healthier diet. They went into the prep of slaughter on to the spices and herbs and vegetation used was better for the body.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

For anyone reading along who doesn't understand the complexity of reservation economics, it plays a big role in what is going on.

Hunting is greatly curtailed. 'Provisions' for the Sioux (not sure about other tribes) was changed from dollars to commodities - flour, sugar, oil. At the same time, reservations were given what I call 'responsibility without authority'. The result is that business can not operate on reservations without going through red tape at the federal level that makes it almost impossible to succeed. The result is a food dessert of epic proportions. One story I read was about a sub place that managed to open on Pine Ridge and a grandmother who went in a cried because she hadn't seen a cucumber is decades. Grocery stores are few and with an astronomical unemployment rate, probably aren't successful compared to the trouble of starting them.

Organizations are trying to return the family garden to reservation. Major problem - water. Many people do NOT have running water and the water they have is hauled in at a cost. Wells are possible, but sometimes are contaminated - that's what the Standing Rock protests were about. Then we can get into environmental issues such as GMO seed production that is manufacture to produce sterile product. So you can't save seeds from Monsanto ready tomatoes for next year, you MUST rebuy. Yes, there are other options, but it's just where we've gone with our food supply.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

Having lived next to a reservation, and spent time on some, I follow the cost issues. I'm just not seeing the correlation to sharps disposal.

Type 2 diabetes is the common type of diabetes seen among native American population. Many, many people do not use insulin. And if food and water are expensive - more so is diabetes management. insulin is one of the most expensive liquids in the USA. Test strips for blood sugar readings are also very expensive, and many people go without.

I'm just seeing sharps disposals being more common in general, in areas of high traffic of people.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

I see them in many public bathrooms. Libraries, for example. I've also seen them in the bathrooms of some big box stores. All airports, all publicly owned buildings. Many gas stations.

I don't live near a reservation but I've gone on short-term mission trips to Wind River and Pine Ridge. Diabetes is a huge problem both because of their genetic predisposition, abundance of free/low cost high-carb food, and alcoholism. And yes, all thanks to the federal gov't.

:ot But have you seen the movie "Wind River" ? It's not a happy movie, by any stretch, but I thought it was well done.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

Apparently there isn't one. I had just never seen one before or since (OR many just never noticed) and didn't know if it was specific to that area and that area being a Reservation. It looks like perhaps MY area is the odd one out.:think

I do wonder if the Indian Health Services covers all the insulin and test strips.

Re: Question if you live with diabetes OR live near a Reservation
 

Medicaid pays for insulin. Cucumbers are not a covered expense.

The US govt took the natives off their land, stuck them in the middle of the desert, and gave them white flour, fats, and cheese. So they made up fry bread to survive with what they had. And now it is killing them.