The power of language used in diabetes care to help or hinder someone’s confidence in managing their self-care with musical inspiration from Prince on Divabetic’s podcast scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 6 PM, EST. 

Words have the power to elevate or tear down someone’s perception of themselves and their diabetes health.

For decades, much of the language around diabetes has been focused on adverse outcomes and laden with judgment and blame without considering individual needs, beliefs, and choices. For example, why is discussing weight loss so prevalent at the time of an initial type 2 diabetes diagnosis?

On the other hand, encouraging and collaborative messages can enhance health outcomes. 

In 1992, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable, infamous “Love Symbol.” He wrote: “It’s all about thinking in new ways, tuning in 2 a new free-quency.” It derives from a combination of the symbols for both males and females. 

He adopted the symbol as a tool for contract negotiations with his record label. According to Rolling Stone, Warner Bros. wanted Prince to slow down the pace of releasing new music for fear of flooding the market. Unwilling to consent to their request, Prince actually increased his rate. 

The Love Symbol meant so much to him that he continued to use it long after changing his stage name back to Prince when his contract with Warner Bros. finally expired. 

Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES. Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Prince & The New Power Generation’s Love Symbol album courtesy of SONY Music.