Best Diabetes Books

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Permalink Reply by Mr. Peachy (Craig) on June 29, 2007 at 7:34pm

Hi Manny,

My favorite has to be Patrick Quillin's, "The Diabetes Improvement Program". It has taught me more about diabetes than all my health care "professionals" combined. Yes, I'm a little disappointed in medical care professionals' lack of knowledge in this arena. Surprised? Three doctors, several counselors and I struggled with my depression for almost five long, miserable years before I found a book that helped me dig my way out of that awful rut. Since then, I've adopted this mantra: "You can't know too much when it comes to your health". I like to think that if I can learn more about caring for myself than most doctors, then anyone can. Doctors aren't any more special than any one of us. All it takes is a some diligence and effort. The information is readily available.... you just have to seek it out.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy on July 14, 2007 at 9:14pm

I agree 100%. It is sooooo easy to turn all the decision making over to the doctor with the excuse that "he knows best". We have to be proactive and our own best advocate.
One time I had not gotten a letter with all of my lab results. The next time I went to the clinic I asked the dr to read the numbers to me. He said in a sarcastic tone, "now what are you going to do, write them down in a book"? Well, yes, that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy on July 14, 2007 at 9:11pm

Psyching Out Diabetes b Richard Rubin, June Bierman and Barbara Toohey. You probably don't know June and Barbara, but they wrote a host of books about 15-25 years ago that kept me going. They were down to earth, honest communicators who believed that good control made a difference.
P.O.D. is a wonderful book with separate chapters on anger, fear, frustration, etc. Dr. Rubin's son developed db as a child.
Also, I found Think Like A Pancreasto be helpful.
When I was dx'd in '74, I lived in a very small town in central Minnesota. The library had one book on db, a very musty copy on the bottom shelf which contained instructions on boiling your syringe (I came onboard just as disposables were becoming widely used). It also had black and white pictures of nurses with big hats on.
I am so greatful for all of the information we can get today in books, magazines and the fabulous world-wide web!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jenny on July 15, 2007 at 8:05am

Bernstein is number one on my list for someone who is looking for something beyond the "introduction for dummies" level. I also recommend him to any type 2 who is considering insulin, because Type 2s don't get any education in how to figure out correct dosing, or even the differences between basal and bolus insulin. Without what I've learned from him about insulin, I would not have been able to make it work for me.

If I hadn't read Bernstein back in the Bad Old Days when I was diagnosed, I would have believed the doctor who told me that blood sugars in the mid-250 mg/dl level were "nothing to worry about" and kept eating the extremely high carb "health food" diet full of sugary fruit juices, rice, noodles, and whole grains that was giving me those 250+ blood sugars.

Bernstein told me to use a meter, and see how many grams of carbs my body could handle, which turned out to be "almost none.". He also told me what "normal" blood sugar was. My current thinking, 9 years and a lot of research later, is that he's a bit more extreme than necessary about blood sugar targets and how much carb we can eat, but not by much. If I had to choose between him and the crap put out by the ADA-- all that "eat a healthy banana with your oatmeal" advice, I'd go with him.

Gretchen Becker's book is the one I'd first give to someone first diagnosed with Type 2 who needed the most introductory kind of information, as as she explains things very well and also emphasizes using the meter to figure out what you can eat.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer J. on July 15, 2007 at 9:29am

Have you read Using Insulin (or Pumping Insulin for those who use pumps) or Think Like a Pancreas? Both are definitely aimed at type 1 and are written to the person with diabetes themselves, not to a parent or caregiver. Type 1 Diabetes: A Guide for Children, Adolescents, Young Adults--And Their Caregivers is also excellent. None of these books would be good for newly-diagnosed people, though, there's too much information and it would be overwhelming. They're better for people who already know what they're doing and want more advanced information.

I also really like Psyching Out Diabetes out of the "psychology" books I've read, which haven't been many.

For autobiographies, my favourite is Needles: A Memoir of Growing Up with Diabetes. It made me cry after the second chapter. :) I also like Cheating Destiny.

Lots of good books out there!

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Permalink Reply by KellyDH on July 15, 2007 at 11:50am

Dr. Francine Kaufman's Diabesity is a great book talking about diabetes (mostly type 2) as a national epidemic. She does share some stories about helping kids with type 1, too.
Dr. Kaufman is a former president of the ADA, and is really inspiration in the fight against diabetes. I was fortunate enough to meet her a few years ago, and I really recommend her book.
One thing, the book is about two years old, so most of the statistics have already gone up.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer J. on July 15, 2007 at 1:21pm

I think Bittersweet: Diabetes, Insulin, and the Transformation of Illness by Chris Feudtner is just such a book that deals with the evolution of diabetes treatment. I've gotten it out of the library once but never got around to reading it.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer J. on July 15, 2007 at 10:47pm

LOL. It does look like a pretty hefty read which is why I never got around to it. Let us know if it's any good if you do end up reading it.

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Permalink Reply by Chloe on July 16, 2007 at 5:51am

I agree with Jennifer that Type 1 Diabetes: A Guide for Children, Adolescents, Young Adults--And Their Caregivers is a phenomenal book. I also loved the book Cheating Destiny by James S. Hirsch. It is a great personal account with wonderful information on the history, healthcare, and people who have had a great impact on the world of diabetes.

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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on October 1, 2007 at 7:59pm

I just added a new tab at the top of the site, called "Books".

It's a direct link to a mini-Amazon store with the Best Diabetes Books recommended here.

I will be adding to the list in there... Any other suggestions you may have, send them this way!

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Permalink Reply by Stuart on August 25, 2008 at 3:39pm

Hello Sire:

Titles or Content... sometimes very, very different creatures?

TItles
"Diabetic Athlete"
"Diabetes Burnout"
"Dragon Sleep" (my working title; )

Their content... easily debatable.

Stuart

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Permalink Reply by Lee Ann on August 25, 2008 at 4:00pm

I like Diabetes Burnout too. Dr. William Polonsky is one of my heroes.

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