New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes had a bit of good news last month when Pharmac announced it was taking the first step towards funding a life-changing device. Continuous glucose monitors are free in Australia, the UK and many other countries. But here, people with the genetic condition have to pay for a monitor, and the cost of about $50 a week is beyond the reach of many.
Type 1 diabetes often occurs in childhood. The pancreas stops producing insulin - the hormone that lowers the amount of glucose in the bloodstream-causing the sugar to build up, which can cause life-threatening complications.
Although there is no way of curing it, type 1 diabetes can be managed. For sufferers, that has meant regular finger-prick tests to check levels of blood glucose and find out whether they need food or medication.
In 1999, the first device for reading blood sugar levels continuously was approved in the US. Today, this wearable technology can be monitored easily via a smartphone or watch, and there is overwhelming evidence that it results in better glucose control and healthier people.
When blood sugar levels fall too low, it triggers hypoglycaemia. The signs of this may come on quickly and be dangerous - they include confusion, blurred vision, weakness, sleepiness and seizures. But if blood sugar levels stay too high, it can, over time, result in permanent damage to parts of the body such as the eyes, nerves, kidneys and blood vessels.
The vast majority of New Zealand's estimated quarter of a million diabetics have type 2 diabetes. They still need to test blood glucose levels frequently but have more scope to manage their condition.
This story is from the March 18 - 24 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 18 - 24 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Morning songs
On a recent early and glorious Saturday morning - it was 4°C outside I let the complaining chickens out. Chickens never stop complaining.
Upwardly mobile
Climate-friendly e-scooters are proliferating but there are stumbling blocks for users and non-users.
A potent brew
There's a correlation between moderate coffee drinking and reduced risk of colorectal cancer - but evidence of a causal link is still percolating.
Food saviours
A little bit of silliness lightens the mood on the serious topic of food waste.
Ode to old masters
The Polynesian sound and Auckland's ska-punk scene are remembered in new releases.
Weaving Welsh with waiata
Te reo meets Cymraeg in a musical project partly spearheaded by Kawiti Waetford, an opera singer with connections to Wales.
Culture warrior
Activist and scholar Ngahuia te Awek6otuku achieved several firsts in society but had to fight many battles to get there.
An age-old problem
Is our lifespan fixed, or might we be able to slow down or even abolish ageing? And what would we do if we could?
When Jim becomes James
'What would white people do to a slave who had learned to read?' This impressive reimagining of Huckleberry Finn seeks to find out.
Manhattan transfer
A Kiwi movie star led the charge for an Anzac garden atop New York's Rockefeller Centre that's still in use today.
