Latest Stories from Olivia
Is the Veganuary pledge all it promises to be?
This January, nearly a decade after the annual pledge began, one person every 2.4 seconds signed up for Veganuary. But how effective is it? And is it catching on beyond the UK? People take on Veganuary for a number of reasons – from wanting to be more climate-conscious to eating more vegetables, to realising their unknowing love for animals. The annual pledge, which was founded in 2014, also ends on 1...
Opinion – we still know nothing about diabetes
Over 4.9 million people in the UK have diabetes, with a further 13.6 million individuals at risk of getting type 2 diabetes and another 850,000 left undiagnosed. Isn’t it time we collectively learned about the condition? It’s been a year since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, but there are still days when I forget that I have the condition. The knowledge and the experience of what having it...
When will we take women’s football seriously?
Despite the win that England scored last month, the government has refused to give girls equal access to football in school PE lessons. When will we give women the equal chance to bring football home? Though I call myself a feminist, I was guilty of paying far more attention to the men’s Euros in 2021 than this year’s female tournament, only watching a couple of matches this summer. It’s not because...
Why the cost-of-living crisis is damaging for students
The cost-of-living crisis is sending food prices sky high, breaking down the UK’s national health system and forcing us to abandon our petrol-based transport. What does this mean for graduating students? ‘From September, some sacrifices will have to be made,’ says Sandali Jayasinghe, a 22-year-old Master’s student based in London. Currently finishing her dissertation in clinical drug development, Jayasinghe has already secured a full-time job in her sector due to start...
Opinion – removing abortion rights is fatal for diabetics
The moment you strip a diabetic of their choice to have an abortion is the moment you put their life in grave danger. Last month, the US Supreme Court handed down a controversial judgment, effectively changing the course of history as we know it. It shook the ground under millions of women across the US and has generated waves of anger, fear, and despair across the world. From those who are...
Is it harder for women to manage diabetes?
Diabetics are more likely to have complications during pregnancy, irregular menstrual cycles, and less enjoyable sex. Does the condition create an unintentional gender gap? Two months after I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, my body finally started to function normally again, and my period came back. But with the return of the monthly cycle came more than just the usual chocolate cravings and episodes of crying. My glucose sensor...
Are we ready for metaverse schools to be the new norm?
Global school group, Inspired, is the first of its kind to be launching a school in the metaverse, but what does that mean for education and how do students and teachers feel about it? ‘We are becoming better at realising that, as educators, we aren’t just “exam conveyor belts”. Students entering the job market in 2022 require an entirely different skill set to be able to thrive and succeed,’ says...
How can sleep make us happier?
Our generation has heaps of responsibility on its shoulders – so much so that we might often forget the most important tool to get through the day is high-quality sleep. With the first day of spring, the Hindu festival of colours, Holi, pancake day, and international happiness day, March is always bursting with reasons to celebrate. But one celebration that a lot of people often overlook is World Sleep Day. Every...
You decide – is it possible to get rid of anxiety?
With increasing social media pressure, global conflict, the climate crisis, low employment rates and rising energy costs, young people have a lot to be anxious about today. But must we live with anxiety, or can we train our bodies to expel it? If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve experienced anxiety at least once before. Anxiety is feeling uneasy; it’s having a mild – or severe – fear about something that...
Diabetes doesn’t have to lead to disordered eating
Those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are more than twice as likely to experience an eating disorder than people without, yet specialists continue to encourage carbohydrate-counting and food logging. How can diabetics avoid sliding down the slippery slope of disordered eating? Finding a balance between the right intake of food versus insulin is a dilemma diabetics face from the very outset of their diagnosis. So it’s only natural that, at...