Name Change: Diabetic to Dietetics

A change! A change! Another change!

Some of you may have noticed a recent, slight change to this website. If you didn’t, check out the banner, check out the name 😀

In this post I’m going to take some time to explain that change.

Gone is Diabetic 2 Dietetics and in her place is Diabetic to Dietetics.

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Goodbye 2
Diabetic to Dietetics Banner2
Hello to

It’s a simple change, but there’s a BIG reason for this change.

Prior to launching the website I hemmed and hawed about the name:

  • Is the 2 going to confuse my target market of athletes and active people with type-1 diabetes?
  • Are they going to look at the name and automatically think it’s a website specifically for the type-2 DM population, and that they’ve again been left out of the resource mix?

I loved the initial design, I thought it was creative, and when I asked a few people their thoughts, they didn’t see the confusion.

They also didn’t have diabetes.

I kept the design and didn’t think of it again.

But then, when I recently plugged Diabetic 2 Dietetics on a T1 social media platform, a handful of people came back to me suggesting a name change – telling me that it did in fact look like I was specializing in type-2.

Please note, I have nothing against type-2 diabetes and I would be more than willing to work with this community if they sought my services.

However, my goal has always been to become a resource specifically for athletes and active people with type-1 diabetes.

That has not changed and will not change.

This population has long been underserved by the healthcare system.

There is a gap in their needs and I intend to fill that gap.

So if there is any kind of confusion about my brand, there was no hesitation for me to change it.

And I kinda really like what it evolved into.

It’s a simple change, going from the number 2 to the word to, but adding the diabetes circle in there, I think, takes it to a whole new, beautiful level!

What’s the big deal though? Diabetes is diabetes, right?

No.

For those of you new to the diabetes world, type-1 and type-2 are vastly different diseases.

Yes, they both have insulin production issues, but in type-1 pancreases are completely shut off to making insulin – they do not produce insulin, period. The body has essentially revolted and attacked the insulin-producing beta cells.

We don’t get those cells back.

There is no cure.

Whereas in type-2, the pancreas still produces insulin, and early on, it produces it in excess because of insulin resistance making it harder for cells to uptake glucose. Over time, the pancreas starts tiring out and slows down insulin production.

Some people with type-2 require insulin to manage the disease, whereas others can manage it with nutrition and behaviour changes.

Type-1 always requires insulin.

While we still don’t know the cause for type-1, there are a multitude of causes for type-2, the majority of which comes down to genetics.

Blog:Insta - 081819 - comparing diabetes
A brief comparison; not a full comparison

Individuals with type-1 couldn’t prevent their diseases, and for many with type-2, they couldn’t either.

But type-2 isn’t lacking in resources. Type-1 is.

There is a derth of information supporting this population. Type-2 has long held the spotlight, given that there’s significantly more type-2 diagnoses than type-1. Type-1 only makes up approximately 10% of the North American diabetes population – but 10% of more than *100 million people is still a lot!

This isn’t a war pitting one type of diabetes against another. This is about providing a service for individuals wanting to be better with both their sport and their disease.

That has always been the intent. That will always be the intent.

Resources:
*https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-report.html
*https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-625-x/2018001/article/54982-eng.htm

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