I need to get a new book about diabetes. Anyone have a good title that is recently released? The more detailed and “advanced” the better. I can read a book in a few days so let me know which one is good or even a good author to look for. Thanks
Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, The Complete Guide to Acheiving Normal Blood Sugars, 4th Edition, 2011.
The Diabetes Diet, Richard K. Bernstein, M.D., 2005
Times two.
Hi Mike. A quicker read, but worthwhile, is Gary Scheiner's "Think Like a Pancreas, managing diabetes with insulin, completely revised and updated".
The Bersteins book is like a Reference book for me. I refer back to it all the time. He believes that all diabetics can get normal bgs with good management.
"The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Jeff Volek and Stephen D. Phinney. Has a chapter on diabetes but also much information about how your metabolism changes when low carbing. All based on peer reviewed studies some of which were done by the authors. Very useful if you choose to adopt this WOE as part of your diabetes treatment. Also as others have mentioned the new addition of "The Diabetes Solution"
I really like Gary Scheiner's book, too! He is so clear and straightforward. I want to BE Gary Scheiner when I grow up. Heh. ;0)
Also, "Using Insulin: Everything You Need for Success with Insulin" by John Walsh. Great book.
When you're ready to get pumping, John Walsh also has a highly recommended book titled "Pumping Insulin: Everything You Need for Success on a Smart Insulin Pump". I'm on MDI, not a pump, so I've never read it.
Well, a classic in the field is Joslin's Diabetes Mellitus.
If you really don't want that much detail, then I would also recommend "Using Insulin" by Walsh and "Think like a pancreas" by Scheiner.
I'm currrently reading Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. I'm about 1/4th the way through it and already my heads about to explode. Very good book so far with lots of informatiom.
Gary S
I totally respect Dr. Bernstein but his book is so shrill I am not sure I'd recommend it. What other books have you read if you are looking for "advanced"? Think Like a Pancreas is my favorite. I like the style a lot. I'd like to write a book about the "art" perspective rather than suggesting that you write everything down and do a bunch of math. I've done ok w/ it so far and loathe writing things down and don't do a whole lot of math either. I dunno if there's a book out there.
I'd recommend "Game of Thrones" for a good read. I was a little put off by the skipping but read all 5 of them last summer and, once I got into it, found it to be like 24+ LOTR...
I agree, Dr. Bernstein is intense, but Mikeonline2821 did ask for detailed and advanced, and despite Dr. Bernstein's hard line, it’s a must read in my opinion, as are Think Like a Pancreas, and the other titles/authors suggested above.
Mikeonline2821 needs information from various sources (including us folks here at TuD living with it but without the M.D. after our names), and then weigh it for himself and find what works for him, using all the best available resources.
Thanks to LaGuitariste's suggestion above, I can't wait to get Pumping Insulin: Everything You Need for Success on a Smart Insulin Pump, by Walsh.
Maybe down the road sometime, Mikeonline will find himself at a point where he might find it helpful to read Diabetes Burnout: What to do when you can't take it Anymore by Polonsky.
Acid, if you write a book about the "art" perspective, I will read it! I too loathe writing things down and all the math. I have gotten so much great advice that really helped me from you Acid, although I don't totally agree with everything you put out there, I appreciate you and all you share.
Diabetes is complicated, there is no magic pill, there is no one "Bible" for PWD.
Trial and Error and the God Complex
So what does this have to do with diabetes? Something to think about....
http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_harford.html
Thanks to all of you. I have read Think Like a Pancreas and a few others but I got the demo (android Kindle app) of Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, The Complete Guide to Acheiving Normal Blood Sugars and so far I like his way of writing. I love the demo feature on my android kindle app. gives you a chance to see the topics they will cover and get some of the book to read and see if you like the writing style. But sometimes I like to see what books others have read. I have read a million medical journals online and a couple of books so now with the suggestions above I am going to get Dr. Bernstein's book and once I have read that I will come back here for more ideas and go again.
By the way I am not a book reader for "fun" books, but when I get a hold of an informational book that tells me about a topic I really like I can burn through it very fast. I go into "sponge mode". And for these diabetes books they are setup so you can go back to chapters and read them in a self contained format and I love that. once I am done with the books I like to go back and reread the chapters that are explained in the book later (did that make sense?) anyway I really like that the authors mostly have set these up to be topic chapters and not a full book read so you can use them as a guide.
Then there is the unlimited internet. I may have actually read the ENTIRE internet so far. I spend hours at night reading my books and go through internet info. you just have to take some internet info with a grain of salt (some of the site need a HUGE grain of salt... haha)
Thanks everyone you rock as always.
[oops, while I was ranting, Mike updated his interesting story! LOL...] Mike was also asking for something "recent" and Bernstein's plan is what, 30 or 40 years old? I like that it's tough and that it's success oriented but it is possible to achieve success without monastic rigor of 6-6-12 or whatever his carb suggestion is. I think the age shows in the "hard line" that "you can't eat any of this stuff..." and is not entirely credible in this day and age? His plan has elements of timing that sort of date back to NPH. I agree that NPH sucks but I think that it's possible, at least in my by no means unique experience, to enjoy carbs and cover them accurately, even at higher volumes? I don't like the way that linguistically, he's "my way or the highway" and I think that spills over into dialogues everywhere and a sense that "I can't do _____" that bothers me. I don't like to say "I can't" about anything relating to diabetes and figure it's an input/ output math situation. I agree it's very complicated but Bernstein's solution (and I only have a mid80s or 90s edition, so maybe he's changed a lot in the new one? I will take the under on that though...) is not the only plan that can work. It's a very good solution and, if you don't mind 12-6-6 or whatever his allowed "carb load" is, it's great! I've enjoyed results playing around with trimming carbs out of my own diet but I don't ever say "I can't" because of diabetes. It's as much my "pantsometer" driving my diet choices as my glucometer and it's a pleasant coincidence that my BG does ok w/ it.
I think a lot of the "problems" with diabetes tend to be situational and require adjustment on an ad hoc basis and that message boards may, in fact, be the best solution, better than books and better than blogs and, perhaps, better than doctors, except they can't write prescriptions?
I would recommend taking most internet info with a dullop of salt unless its backed up by scientific studies.
I have heard that 'Say No to Diabetes' by Patrick Holford is good even if you have diabetes
Thanks for the link, GinaY. Very interesting.
I think having diabetes, especially insulin-dependent diabetes, is an endless process of trial and error, lessons learned, trial and error, lessons learned, on and on it goes.
There is no way for any doctor, nurse, CDE, etc. with a normal patient load and their own lives to live, to conduct the day-to-day experiment that is us.
We have to do it. With lots of guidance and educated recommendations from others? Sure. But we are our own research team and our own patient, all rolled into one.
Acidrock23… I see what your point is but remember just because you read his book doesn’t mean you have to follow it. But i like all kinds of opinions and then take what I can from it and customize to my lifestyle and now my BG happenings.
It's very interesting and informative, that's for sure.