by Marilyn Helton
Greetings Readers, and welcome to the July issue of Book Reviews! I hope most
of you have geared down to a more leisurely pace, and can indulge in some interesting
summer reading.
Response to my survey about what you want to see reviewed in this column was
ranged from veteran diabetics wanting more information on complications of the
disease, to the newly diagnosed, seeking information on what foods to eat and
how to cook them.
Almost all wanted more books on coping with the stress of living with diabetes,
and more reading material having a motivational/spiritual focus. I've concluded
that I should continue to review a variety of books on diabetes, with an emphasis
on the newest ADA guidelines for nutrition, prevention and complications of
the disease.
I'm extending my invitation for your continued reading requests, and I'm open
to all suggestions. In the meantime, here's your summer buffet of "food
for the mind."
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NUMB TOES AND OTHER WOES: MORE ON PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, by John A. Senneff.
A sequel to John Senneff's Numb Toes and Aching Soles: Coping with Peripheral
Neuropathy, ©1999, NUMB TOES AND OTHER WOES is jam-packed with new information
for thousands of diabetics who suffer from peripheral neuropathy (PN), a debilitating
nerve disorder.
The book begins with a wonderful tribute to John Senneff's work and achievement.
In his preface, Richard D. Marks, Jr., MD (who also suffers from PN), states,
"This new book will become my textbook and should be for every patient,
caregiver or teacher of peripheral neuropathy." When you read Dr. Marks'
poignant personal journey with PN, it will make you think long and hard about
your own diabetes control and the possible consequences of a complication such
as peripheral neuropathy.
In Numb Toes and Other Woes, Senneff narrows his focus to the many forms
of treatments for providing pain relief. This detailed compendium of new information
includes:
* Pain medications including antidepressants, anticonvulsants, antiarrhythmics,
antispasmodics, and topicals.
* Current thinking on other medical therapies such as nerve blocks, H-Wave,
PENS, TENS and ALTENS.
* Updated information on nutrient supplementation (vitamins and other natural
substances can make a BIG difference!)
* Fresh insight on how exercise, magnets, acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen, biofeedback,
hypnosis and a host of other alternative and complementary strategies can work
together to help relieve pain.
* And finally, how experimental therapies such a neurotrophic factors, gene
therapy, stem cell technology, biologic mini-pumps and nerve disablement may
offer significant treatment possibilities.
Numb Toes and Other Woes is a sobering yet inspiring new look at some
of the unusual neuropathies and novel causes, drug causes, neuropathic pain,
selection of a doctor and patient assistance, complementary and alternative
strategies, as well as traditional medications and forms of pain relief. Highly
recommended reading for all those suffering from peripheral neuropathy.
* * * * * * * *
DIABETES NUTRITION A to Z, WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DIABETES NUTRITION-SIMPLY
PUT, by Lea Ann Holzmeister, RD, CDE, and Patti B. Geil, MS, RD, FADA, CDE.
This book is the first reference available based on the American Diabetes Association's
new 2001-2002 nutrition guidelines. Author Lee Ann Holzmeister was part of the
team that established the new guidelines, bringing a variety of updated concepts
about diabetes into the twenty-first century.
Topics focus on alcohol, carbohydrate counting (oh, how I wish everyone on the
old "exchange" system could learn how to count carbs -- it really
simplifies your nutritional life), diabetes medications, fast foods, food labels,
gestational diabetes, the glycemic index (so very important in making your carbohydrate
choices), herbals and supplements, "New Wave" nutrition, obesity,
restaurant dining, travel, vegetarian diets, weight control, and more (there's
more?).
Alphabetized listings provide the reader with quick and easy access to any subject,
and the thorough, up-to-date information is a bonus for the newly diagnosed
diabetic. If you're the type of reader who wants "more" on the subject,
the resource lists, book titles and website references included at the end of
most of the topics are extremely helpful.
I've reviewed hundreds of cookbooks and many, many books on diabetes for several
years now, and Diabetes Nutrition A to Z is one of the most comprehensive sources
of nutritional information presented in the simplest format. Whether you're
looking for information on alcohol or vitamins, eye disease, nutrients, nerve
damage or prevention tips, they're all packed into this 188-page book! Great
for the newly diagnosed as well as those of us who thought we'd "read it
all." Highly recommended.
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THE OTHER DIABETES -- LIVING AND EATING WELL WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES, by Elizabeth
Hiser, MS, RD.
Did you know that more often than not, type 2 diabetes is characterized by too
much rather than too little insulin? We are insulin-resistant, where type 1s
are insulin-deficient. When my own MD gave me a C-peptide test, I was astonished
to find that I had a system fully capable of producing large amounts of insulin.
In fact, nine out of ten cases in the US are type 2 (once called "adult-onset")
diabetes, which typically starts out with high insulin levels.
By now, most of us know the drill: Excess calories and a sedentary lifestyle
are major contributors to type 2 diabetes; insulin resistance is the hallmark
of the disease; and losing excess weight combined with regular exercise is necessary
to avoid the most lethal complication of type 2 diabetes -- early death from
heart disease.
Elizabeth Hiser, a health writer and one of the founding editors of EATING WELL
MAGAZINE (a favorite of mine which is now out of publication), offers the reader
a consumer guide to type 2 diabetes by debunking "quick-fix" diets
that don't work, and "just thinking about exercise" more than actually
doing it (did someone call my name?)
In The Other Diabetes, Hiser reviews the latest findings on fats, fiber,
carbohydrates, alcohol and supplements, as well as recommending the optimal
plan for controlling diabetes through a Mediterranean-style eating pattern,
which she calls the Good Fat Diet. This eating pattern is based on extensive
research supporting the fact that a diet rich in the monounsaturated and omega-3
fats is ideal for controlling both diabetes and heart disease. I've recently
switched to the newer, more simplified carbohydrate counting for controlling
my own diabetes, and was pleased to see that Ms. Hiser has included a section
on this method.
Given the author's background in nutrition, there are many excellent recipes
which fill the second half of the book. The "Breakfast Cakes" recipe,
which incorporate nuts, cereal, buttermilk, and fresh (an orange) and dried
fruits (apricots) is just one of the recipes which we'll be sharing in the Cinnamon
Hearts Spring Recipe Sampler.
"The Small Meals And Snacks" chapter is designed for busy people on-the-go.
Quick-and-easy breakfast recipes, ideas for brown-bag lunches and a variety
of snacks emphasize take-along food that is good for you and helps to keep you
from becoming so hungry that you "lunge at the next glazed doughnut you
happen by." "Salads And Vegetable Dishes, Meat-Free Entrees, Almost
Vegetarian Entrees, Poultry and Seafood Entrees," and delicious "Treat
Yourself" desserts round out the recipe sections of The Other Diabetes.
Treat yourself to this terrific book, readers. How can you go wrong with recipes
from a very popular food magazine editor? Recommended summer reading.
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101 TIPS FOR AGING WELL WITH DIABETES, by David B. Kelley, MD, (c) 2001 by
The American Diabetes Association.
Aging well and staying healthy is a challenge for everyone, and aging well and
staying healthy when you have diabetes is even more challenging! 101 Tips For
Aging Well With Diabetes is one of the newest books in the best-selling series
of self-care books published by The American Diabetes Association. It's designed
to answer the most common (and sometimes uncommon, yet essential) questions
about how the maturing process can be affected by diabetes.
Written in a straightforward question and answer format, this uncomplicated
book explores in detail such questions as:
* Am I alone with my diabetes?
* Why aren't my new diabetes pills lowering my blood glucose?
* What is causing my leg pain?
* Why has my wife's/husband's personality changed since she/he developed diabetes?
* Why would I learn to count carbs?
* Am I too old to exercise, and what kinds of exercise are best for me?
* How do I manage my diabetes when I am sick?
* What precautions do I need to take if I live in a nursing home?
An easy-to-reference book, 101 Tips For Aging Well With Diabetes gives
maturing people who have diabetes the guidance to improve their lifestyles.
Very good reading.
Marilyn Helton, a type 2 diabetic since 1993, is the publisher of Cinnamon
Hearts: The Art of Living A Winning Diabetic Lifestyle, a positive-power
online E-zine for diabetics and their families. Visit the Cinnamon Hearts Web
site: www.cinnamonhearts.com