I wrote a review of Dr. Bernstein's book in June of 2000. At that time, I had lost 15 pounds and had normalized my blood sugars using his regimen. Eighteen months later, I am still following his diet and routines. Most of the time my blood sugar is between 75 and 90 and my hemoglobin a1c is 4.6. I visited his office in ... and have had phone contact and occasional visits to his New York office since that time. (I live in Pittsburgh, PA) I have now lost over 55 pounds and kept it off. My cholesterol has improved so that it is normal to low normal. Dr. Bernstein also diagnosed a thyroid condition—which other doctors told me I did not have—and with treatment, I am now in the completely normal range of both T3 and T4 and my energy levels are normal for the first time in years. I do not find the lack of carbohydrates to be that much of a sacrifice, especially considering the damage that high blood sugars can cause. I have found food items that help make up for the lack of regular bread and potatoes (made by Ketogenics) that help when I am hungry for bread, but do not adversely affect my blood sugar. Dr. Bernstein is indeed available 24 hours a day. Last December, I awoke at 2 A.M. with severe vomiting and diarrhea—very serious for diabetics and I called his emergency number. He answered the phone, gave me excellent instructions, and had me contact him every few hours—through Christmas Day—until I had recovered somewhat. I wish doctors in my area would take his treatment and ideas more seriously because they do work. When I have attempted to add extra carbs to my diet, it ALWAYS raises my blood sugar to unacceptable levels (over 110). If I were to eat the diet recommended by the A.D.A., I would have severe problems with my blood sugar, which would in turn affect my cholesterol and my heart. I know because I used their diet and developed diabetes while on it. Low fat, high carb (and I ate mostly complex carbs—whole grains, beans, fruit, carrots, beets) and avoided foods considered to be unhealthy. I liked that food, but it certainly did not help my condition, and I quickly gained weight on it after initially losing weight. I have lost the weight on the Bernstein diet and have NOT regained it. The Bernstein program works for those who follow it. I am very, very grateful I found the book and I still highly recommend it to anyone who is diabetic, is likely to be one or who has a loved one who has the disease.

Gretchen Becker's "The First Year Type 2 Diabetes" is very well-organized, easy to read, and wonderfully educational. It is organized based on the information you need and the amount of detail you can assimilate -- in other words, first things first, with finer points and expanded details later in the book.

The information she presents includes the most recent research. She discusses the merits and myths of the most popular diets and treatments you will hear about.

I got her book when I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, before talking with a diabetes educator or attending any classes on diabetes. By the time I was formally educated, I had already heard everything from Gretchen's book, and was also able to identify some dated traditional information. She really helped me understand why there isn't a consensus of opinion on the "best" diet for diabetics, and the source of many unfounded and/or unsubstantiated arguments for and against the popular approaches. For example, she discusses the pros and cons of the Food Pyramid (USDA, ADA), low-fat diets (Ornish, etc), exchange diets (ADA, Zone, Weight Watchers, etc), low-carb diets (Atkins, etc).

If you are in the "Your body, your science experiment" camp, she tells you several easy experiments to learn more about your own body processes various foods so you can take control and fine tune your own treatment.

"The Greeks and Romans knew about diabetes. Fortunately, the way they tested for the condition--by tasting the urine--has gone by the wayside." Diabetes for Dummies has the friendly, quirky style you expect from all the For Dummies books, but this is no skim-the-surface Diabetes 101. Rubin has packed this book with useful information, peppered with warm advice for enjoying your life while living with diabetes. One of his points is that although you'd rather not have this disease, you're lucky to have it now instead of a few decades ago, because today you can manage diabetes and live a productive, quality-filled life.

The book is divided into sections on "Dealing with the Onset of Diabetes," "How Diabetes Affects Your Body," "Managing Diabetes: The 'Thriving with Diabetes' Lifestyle Plan," and "Special Considerations for Living with Diabetes." Each chapter is packed with facts and strategies on topics such as monitoring, battling complications, medications, diet, and exercise. If you skim, it's an introduction to diabetes; if you read it carefully, it's a textbook. Web surfers will appreciate the "Dr. W.W. Web" appendix, where Rubin lists many useful diabetes Web sites. (If you'd rather click than type, you can visit Rubin's Web site, where he offers links to all the diabetes sites.) Also included is a mini-cookbook of multiethnic recipes from noted restaurants, mostly in San Francisco (with the restaurant address, in case you want to order instead of cook). --Joan Price -

This book explains the 4 major root causes of Type 2 diabetes and how to properly control and reverse the disease. This is based on an easy-to-follow, systematic 6-stage process, 200 clinical studies/medical references, and the experience of an ex-diabetic engineer. This book will help you learn how to: Retrain your body to increase its glucose uptake and utilization of insulin, using 5 key nutrients; Avoid the 7 most common mistakes that diabetics make; Save time and money in preparing nutritious meals that lower glucose levels; Enjoy exercise in less time while increasing glucose uptake and energy level; Use your blood glucose test results to reduce your insulin resistance; Enjoy your favorite foods without increasing your glucose level; Select quality nutritional supplements based on 7 key criteria; Determine the 8 core nutritional supplements for most diabetics and the 4 critical nutrients to optimize exercise results; Use the wellness protocols to prevent, control or reverse problems with the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart; and, lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and homocysteine; Control appetite and eliminate food cravings; Program your body to burn fat and lose weight (fat) permanently; Use your inner spirit to reduce your stress and improve your physical and mental health; and, Work with your doctor to safely wean yourself off the drugs. In addition, this book defines the 5 super foods, the 5 "dead" foods, a Super Meal Model and the 8 "living" elements (activities) -- all designed to work synergistically to reduce insulin resistance, increase glucose uptake, burn fat, and repair the sick cells.

Just as Fast Food Nation appalled thousands of readers into boycotting McDonalds and its ilk, one can hope that Diabesity might galvanize the public to help prevent a mind-bogglingly huge epidemic from snowballing. Type II diabetes used to be a disease of the elderly; in 1997, the American Diabetes Association decided to do away with the term "adult-onset diabetes," as it increasingly appeared in middle-aged patients, young adults, and teens. It's now appearing in obese children, and affects nearly 10 percent of the American population;[p. 13] what's most unbelievable is that its prevalence nearly doubled between 1990 and 2002, and shows no signs of abating, as every overweight American--that's 64 percent of the population--is at elevated risk.

Diabesity will likely petrify anyone recently diagnosed with diabetes into scrupulously monitoring their blood-sugar level, with frightening stories of blindness, heart attacks, kidney failure, gangrene, impotence in males, and infertility in females, and other side effects from diabetics' elevated blood sugar. Dr. Kaufman gets a little full of herself when she describes audiences—from school boards to World Health Organization assemblies—going wild after her speeches on diabetes. But as a pediatric endocrinologist since the 1970s, she's seen first-hand the rise of the diabetes epidemic, with comatose children appearing in her Los Angeles emergency room with blood-sugar levels 10 times what's considered healthy, so high that they can't be read with present-day equipment.

Curiously absent in Diabesity is any mention of the potential link between infant formula and the later development of diabetes. But Kaufman wins points for chronicling the fight to have L.A. ban soda sales in the schools. ("Sodas are the leading source of added sugar in children's diets.") Her descriptions of the cultural and economic differences among the diabetes epidemics in China, India, and Ecuador are also intriguing. The book should be considered essential for parents, teachers, and day-care providers; it's grim reading, but that's a small sacrifice compared to a life being cut short 20 years by a largely preventable disease. --Erica Jorgensen

I love, love, love this book! I am only half way through, and all of my questions have already been answered. The rest of the information is just an added bonus to questions that I didn't even know I had yet. I always share my new learnings, and it has helped one of my co-workers to offer her friend advice, who has a newly diagnosed, Type 1 diabetic, son. To be educated on the topic leaves both the diabetic and their support system feeling uplifted.

The author of this book is certainly the most knowleable person you could find to write such a work. Dr. Anne Peters is one of the top twenty physicians treating diabetes in America. Her work stretches from shore to shore in our country, and her experience is unmatched in this area.

I could tell immediately that this doctor had a true concern for those who are battling diabetes; it is evident in her every word and shines through the pages.

In her work she shares some of the causes, stories of those who are winning over this enemy and some of those who have lost. She shares with us treatments being used, unwise things people do, and hope for the future with research. We learn what foods to eat, what to avoid. Which medications will help and which will hurt and also the questions and concerns we should be sharing with out doctor to better our treatment program. Many do not fully understand the danger that their disease puts them in until it is too late. This book covers just about any topic you need to know, and it is done in an easy to understand, sensible way.

I recommend this book for all those who are faced with diabetes, or are helping someone they love deal with the disease.

It is a work that is brimming with useful information and hope from a doctor who cares and knows her business. That is quite comforting and reassuring.

I was diagnosed with Diabetes just a few months ago. I told the Dr. I will not take his pills, thank you! I Purchased this book How to Reverse Diabetes and I am on my way. I test my suger, per my Dr., twice a day and it has dramatically dropped within the first month. Now all my testings are in the normal range established by the lab.
You must try this method before you start on drugs that you may never go off of. This author has a book about Reversing Hypertension that has allowed me to go off my dreaded water pill and cut all my meds in half. My goal is to be completely off all meds and with this authors help I will succeed.

Dr. David Nathan was one of the lead researchers of the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. It scientifically proved that the right program of nutrition and exercise can prevent diabetes in people on the brink of the disease. The same lessons can have a major effect in those who already have diabetes. Approximately 800,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year in the United States, and that number continues to rise sharply. The results of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial received enormous media attention because this approach to lifestyle change offers real hope to the vast and growing number of people with prediabetes (40 million in the United States alone) and those with type 2 diabetes (16 million). Now, in Beating Diabetes , Dr. Nathan teams up with fellow Harvard Medical School expert Linda Delahanty to arm people at high risk for developing diabetes and those with type 2 diabetes with the first complete, clinically proven program of its kind. Readers get: Step-by-step, proven techniques to help them make real and lasting lifestyle changes by eating better and exercising regularly without becoming a health nut or spending hours in the gym Tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes and daily meal plans from the chief dietitian at the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center Guidelines for developing diabetes-busting exercise routines appropriate to all ages and fitness levels Help in identifying unhealthy, diabetes-promoting behaviors along with expert guidance on making crucial lifestyle changes and sticking with them

This is the best money you'll ever spend towards better health and lifestyle if you or a loved one has diabetes. Every practical detail of being in control of your diabetes, eating exactly what you want, when you want to (like "normal" people). He tells you how to match your insulin to your food instead of matching your food to your insulin without being an angel. When your doctor calls you with your A1C results you'll no longer hear the catch-all, meaningless "Watch Your Diet Better". Instead you will hear "Fantastic!", Keep Up the Good Work!, " AND you will feel like a million bucks - You'll be surprised at just how good normal feels again.

I met Sherri Shafer at UCSF, and this book is an extension of the great work that UCSF does for the diabetic community. It is light reading, but detailed enough to get you started if you've been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. The focus is on explaining how Diabetes affects your body, and gives you information about how nutrition and exercise are a huge factor in managing your blood sugar. There are helpful management tips, food information, and a "detailed enough" description of foods and the properties you're looking for to manage various aspects of your diet.

It is an excellent reference to keep on the shelf as well, in order to refresh your memory when you start to slide in your management regimen. Having a resource like this helps a lot, since having Diabetes sucks, and it takes a lot of knowledge and support to keep on track.

It is also a great book for friends and family of people with Type 2, to help them understand what you're going through and help you by supporting good health and good habits. Because it is a light read, you aren't asking too much to have them read it...

When you open this book you will immediately feel the dedication Dr. Hanas has for persons living with diabetes. This book guides patients to live full, healthy, and productive lives, and fit the necessary diabetes care into their lifestyle. This book will empower you and make you feel good about your options.

I love that "Type 1 Diabetes: How to Become an Expert on Your Own Diabetes" is both comprehensive and extremely readable. There are some drawings from children included in the book that will make you stop and take a deep breath -- only a doctor who TRULY understands what life is like with diabetes, would include such drawings. The graphics keep the book lively and the charts and diagrams make complex concepts, understandable.

My son has had type 1 diabetes for 16 years and I've read many diabetes books in that time. This one is tops.

When I picked up Diabetes Burnout, I was truly amazed. Dr. Polonsky understands that there are "barriers to self-care," real life problems and situations that get in the way of doing what's best for our bodies.

He knows that people make a cost/benefit analysis when it comes to self-care. If the behavior is too hard or too unpleasant, and the rewards don't seem worth it, we're not going to consistently exercise, check sugars, or eat what we're supposed to.

This problem is not just true for people with diabetes. It applies to anyone with chronic illness, or really, to anybody at all. I knew about this from living with multiple sclerosis, and I wrote about it in my book. But I didn't think anybody else had developed these ideas. I was sure Dr. Polonsky must have some kind of chronic condition himself, because he knows what it's like. But he doesn't have an illness. He's just very insightful.

I really like the humor in this book. I know some reviewers accuse him of being "cutesy" or Disneyfying diabetes, but I think being able to laugh at your situation helps, even when it's really painful. His description of "werewolf eating" and "Diabetes police" are highly evocative -- they get the point across. I don't think he's talking down to anyone -- he has compassion for people's struggles and wants us to feel better.

It's true that Diabetes Burnout does not cite its sources very well and doesn't contain a lot of specific info on diets or other self-care practices. But that's not its purpose. He is giving tools for identifying and overcoming our barriers -- social, practical, psychological or economic. This is important -- some of those barriers may have been with us for decades, and overcoming them can change not just diabetes management, but also entire lives.

He also inspires by telling stories of real people he has worked with, who have made great strides in difficult circumstances. It's entertaining, inspiring and educational (just like my book :-). What more do you want?

This book was a quick and easy but valuable read. It addresses diabetes in understandable terms, explains the glycemic index, discusses nutrition (diet), excersise, and the useful addition of nutritional supplements in the diabetic diet.

It notes a group of what the author defines as 'Super Foods' which can have profound positive bearing on the diabetic status, and includes a small selection of recipes. The book also contains a very useful section that address 25 different sweeteners; basic and comparative information I have sought after for some time - all nicely compiled in one place.

I feel the information provided in this book on nutritional supplements, sweeteners and 'Super Foods' make it a valuable resource for anyone with diabetes or anyone responsible for providing meals for diabetics.

Diabetes impacts the heart, stroke, blood pressure, classic diabetic nerve damage and autoimmune disease. Risk factors are aggravated by the high consumption of white sugar by Americans. Risks can be mitigated with cod liver oil and Omega 3 fish oils. Type I diabetes may be prevented with proper nutrition, decreased nitrates and avoidance of food allergies. Early breast-feeding is known to protect the child by promoting a healthy gut. Diabetes may be controlled naturally with multivitamins, flavonoids and probiotics (introduction of good bacteria into the system).

Food allergies are aggravated by diarrhea, constipation, gas, muscle and joint pain. Foods with a low glycemic index are
apples, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cucumber, grapefruit, tomato, lettuce, spinach , strawberries nuts and seeds. Oatmeal, peas, pita bread, beans and yams have intermediate levels on the glycemic index.

This book is excellent for anyone desiring more detailed information on the various types of diabetes and sugar control. It is a worthy purchase for any personal library.