This fear is not unfounded, for Chicano lifestyle and diet are rich in elements that contribute to the escalation of diabetes, which includes a steady diet of fatty and starchy foods, not to mention the propensity among Chicanos to eat, both as a physical need and a social activity in their communities.
This measure is also biologically crucial to Chicano communities, since diabetes as a primarily genetic ailment can influence the way in which Chicanos' mental health is developed. In the same manner that mental health is mainly a function of genes (or one's genetic make-up), diabetes, then, becomes susceptible and possibly dangerous if left untreated among individuals who also experiences mental health problems. In addition to this concern, diabetes as an ailment also causes stress, attributing this not only to the physical degradation due to the illness, but also the emotional and financial distress that develop out of the affliction. Chicano communities being minority groups in nature, they are more likely to face stress due to financial difficulties, as diabetes require a steady and constant safeguarding through insulin injections, and regular monitoring of blood sugar and observance of a healthy diet that helps stabilize the sugar level of the patient.
Stress as a mental health problem among...
Thus, altering a Chicano's diet would mean s/he has to modify the way s/he interacts with his/her fellow Chicanos -- that is, in a manner wherein s/he is able to socially interact without subsisting to the Chicano diet that causes his/her diabetes affliction to further escalate or worsen.
HR 5225 illustrates that a health bill is more than just a reflection of proposed measures aiming to improve the health of American society. More than anything, this new legislative measure brings into central discussion the role that society and culture play in the health of the individual, which, in this case, involves the effects of diabetes on the mental health of Chicanos. Stress and other mental health concerns that arise from diabetes affliction proves that health in general, is a function of culture, wherein changes in physical health, and corresponding response to it, causes a radical change in one's cultural orientation and lifestyle, resulting to mental health problems and internal conflict on the individual.
