Voice of the Diabetic

Voice of the Diabetic

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BOOK REVIEWS

by Marilyn Helton

Here is some more material well worth your consideration.

The American Diabetes Association has updated and revised their COMPLETE GUIDE

TO DIABETES, including new information on drugs, insulin regimens, health care

and insurance issues, and diabetes in the workplace. Including thousands of

proven tips from doctors, nutritionists and other health care providers, it

also has informative segments on how to deal successfully with the emotional

aspects of diabetes, including denial, anger and depression.

I'm particularly impressed with the much-needed, often overlooked topics discussed

in Chapter 14, aptly titled "Diabetes in the Real World." Ask yourself this:

Before you were faced with diabetes, did you know much about it? Most people

don't. One of the tasks that comes with having diabetes is educating others

in the workplace, the schools, and our society about what you (as a diabetic)

need to live well with diabetes.

Chapter 14 discusses situations such as dealing with shift work and erratic

hours (so dear to my heart and so hard to manage), travel, eating on the run,

job hunting, and discrimination. Did you know that there's even (diabetes) discrimination

in the military? An eye-opener for me. Also included in this real world chapter

is an excellent section on diabetes at school, including numerous tips on how

to prepare your diabetic child for school, educating his classmates and teachers

about diabetes, your public school rights and sample forms for guidelines for

caring for your diabetic child in school. You can copy these forms for the school

nurse, teacher and your child's file, personalizing them for your child's individual

needs.

This book is a good reference guide which will answer almost any question

you have about living with diabetes. Make sure you're up to speed on the latest

information on the new chapters on diabetes and the family (how to balance it

all) children, and day care. It's all here in THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION

COMPLETE GUIDE TO DIABETES, 2nd Edition, 1999, $23.95.

Here it comes again . . . My old nemesis, the big "E" word (exercise). I'm

still struggling with commitment to a definite plan, and have really appreciated

reading THE HEALING POWER OF EXERCISE, by Linn Goldberg, MD, and Diane Elliot,

MD.

Did you know that exercise can reduce your risk of developing glaucoma, slow

down (and even reverse) aging; and, rather than being harmful, exercise is actually

good for your joints even if you already have arthritis? Exercise is now part

of the treatment for degenerative joint disease.

What an eye-opener, excuse-reducing epiphany this book has been for me! (Don't

tell anybody but I'm beginning to suspect I've just plain been lazy where exercise

is concerned.) For the diabetic with type 2 diabetes (commonly a result of obesity

and a sedentary lifestyle), there's no question about it: Exercise is not only

necessary -- it could make the difference between life and death. At the very

least it's essential to successful control!

Fascinating and informative medical sidebars, step-by-step photos, and detailed

advice will get you motivated to start exercising and stay exercising for life!

If you want to increase bone health, find relief for arthritis and back pain,

lower your risk of developing certain cancers, treat diabetes, heart disease,

and fight depression, consider THE HEALING POWER OF EXERCISE, by Linn Goldberg,

MD, and Diane L. Eliot, MD, copyright 2000, John Wiley & Sons, $17.95.

Marilyn Helton, 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. You can find more of Marilyn's book reviews,

articles and recipes online at: http://diabeticgourmet.com,

www.fabulousfoods.com, www.practicalkitchen.com,

or Cinnamon Hearts website: http://members.xoom.con/cinnhearts/

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