School Bus Analogy

Think of your body like a school bus.

• The bus: Your body's cells. They need energy to work.

• The taamariki: Glucose from the food you eat. They are the energy source.

• The bus driver: Insulin. It's like the key that lets the taamariki (glucose)

• Doors to the bus cells, which need glucose for energy

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What Happens in someone without Mate  Huka:

• The bus driver (insulin) comes along.

• The bus doors (cells) open (insulin unlocks the door).

• The taamariki (glucose) get on through the bus door (enter the cells) to give it energy.

• The bus runs smoothly.

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What Happens with Mate Huka Momo Rua (Type 2 Diabetes)

• At the beginning, the bus driver (insulin) has trouble opening the doors (cells). The doors are sticky or the key doesn't quite fit (insulin resistance).

• So, the taamariki (glucose) have trouble getting in the bus doors (cells).

• The bus gets crowded with kids OR the outside of the bus/the streets get crowded with taamariki (high blood glucose - hyperglycemia).

• The bus doesn't run so well because it has too many taamariki on board putting stress on the inside of the bus (body struggles to function), or too many taamariki outside on the streets, causing damage.

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What can we do?

• Help the Bus Driver (Insulin):

  • Medicine:

    • Some medicines are like oiling the "doors" to make them open easier (improve insulin resistance).  

    • Some medicines are like giving the "bus driver" a boost so they can push harder to open the doors (making the pancreas work better to make more insulin).  

  • Healthy Eating:

    • Control the number of taamariki (glucose) waiting to get on the bus. This means eating balanced meals and not overloading on sugary foods, which would be like trying to fit too many kids on the bus at once.  

  • Physical Activity:

    • Movement is like making the taamariki (glucose) more eager to get on the bus. When you move your body, your cells (bus doors) become more sensitive to the "bus driver" (insulin), therefore they open more easily 

• Manage the Crowding:

  • Healthy Eating:

    • By eating a balanced diet, you prevent a huge crowd of taamariki (glucose) from building up in the "street" (bloodstream).  

  • Medicine:

    • Some medicines help the taamariki get off the bus through the back door (kidneys) and off the bus/out of the body (urine).  

• Send More Buses

  • Medicine:

    • Some people with Type 2 Diabetes may need to take insulin injections. This is like the kura/school sending more buses because the body isn't making enough anymore.