The Johns Hopkins Guide to Diabetes: For Today and Tomorrow

_Fear is sometimes a positive force. In moderation, it can motivate people. Realistic fear of complications can strengthen your resolve to take the best possible care of yourself...The key to making your fears work for you..is to keep reminding yourself of the positive. The power to control blood sugars...improves everyday_. (p217) Two months ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. Since then, THE JOHNS HOPKINS GUIDE TO DIABETES has been my handbook and I feel fortunate that Christopher D. Saudek, M.D. and his staff have developed such a valuable tool. It is extremely easy to use, yet covers completely the topics associated with successful living with diabetes.The Preface states, _This book grew out of our experiences in caring for people with diabetes, particularly at the self-managment program of the Johns Hopkins Diabetes Center. Much that we discuss in this book is drawn from the material used in our teaching sessions -- and indeed, from the material taught by diabetes educators throughout the country_.I appreciate the self-management program promoted in this text. _A central theme of this book is that [I] can live a long and healthy life with diabetes, but it is a dangerous disease to ignore_. (p4) I learned that the diagnosis of diabetes is objective and ammoral, based solely on the level of glucose in the blood. Knowing that it really does not matter how my blood glucose levels got to be the way they were helped me to accept that something needed to be done to control them. I was able to adjust to daily life with diabetes, learning that I can in fact cope with it.Understanding Diabetes is the first part of this book and the first part of successfully controlling this disease. The bulk of this book is in the next part, Controlling Diabetes. Their approach to goal setting is representative of this book's healthy attitude:_We are talking about redefining the quality of life. We admit to looking through rose-colored glasses, downplaying the things you can't do or eat that you used to love. There's no denying that some things ought to be avoided some of life's patterns ought to be adjusted. But none of this has to impair your quality of life. You have the choice. You define quality. You set the goals._ (p36)If you are interested in controlling your blood glucose levels, this text can show you how.There is a strong spiritual component that comes into play when changing behaviors. The task of accepting the realities of diabetes; turning from destructive behaviours and turning to life-affirming behaviours is at the crux of repentance. Moving from denial to acceptance requires an element of faith. Faith in the diagnosis, faith in the cure, and faith in ourselves that we are able to take up the task day after day with a fresh re-commitment. My experience with diabetes has strenghtened my own spiritual confidence. The hard won changes to my glucose levels has given me confidence that I will be able to control other parts of my l

If diabetes has entered your life because of your own health or the health of a loved one you need to get a lot of information in order to control the disease as best as you can. This book is a GREAT place to start.The book provides a good overview of what diabetes really is and why it is so destructive. But MUCH MORE important is the help it gives us in understanding how the disease impacts the way one lives. If the diabetes is responded to constructively the situation can be improved. Depending on the severity of the condition it can be improved a little bit to, in a mild case, something like normality. Most are somewhere in the middle. The danger is to ignore the condition. This book can help make clear all the good things that can come from responding positively to the condition and gives helpful information on how to do that. And you can find specific information very quickly because the book is so thoughtfully organized.

I can not say enough about how wonderful this book is. As an individual recently diagnosed with this chronic illness I found this book to be an invaluable resource of very factual and practical information for anyone who is looking for a comprehensive guide to understanding their illness. It is presented in a very easy-to-understand format. The authors provide detailed information about practical solutions in which to understand and deal with the many issues surrounding living with a diagnosis of diabetes. I also found the psychological emphasis of the book very refreshing and helpful. Out of all of the self-help guides available for diabetes this is the one book no diabetic should be without. Full of timely and up-to-date reliable information. It is the best guide you can spend your money on.

Plenty of detailed information for the diabetic. The information is broken up into easily readiable and managable chapters. No more thumbing through one long chapter for a tid-bit of information.

This is a must-have book for anyone who has diabetes, their families and their friends. It is up to date, explaining the realities of the disease in simple and understandable terms. What sets this text apart from other's is the fact that it deals with the emotional issues as well as the physical aspects of living with this disease. It doesn't scold, lecture or have fatalistic views, rather it provides inumerable examples of real people coping with the disease in a positive and reassuring tone. This book will allow you to gain control of your life with diabetes, rather than letting the diabetes control you.