Frustrated With Highs and Lows

“Using Insulin” may soon become the new bible for “everyone who wants to end blood glucose highs and lows.”

In spite of its title, the book, authored by John Walsh, PA, CDE; Ruth Roberts, MA; Chandrasekhar Varma, MD, FACE, FACP; Timothy Bailey, MD, FACE, FACP; and Shannon Brow, RN, CDE, will be of interest to people with any type of diabetes.

For Everyone With Diabetes

What about the person with type 2 who wants to stop using insulin, or the person who wants to avoid it but has been advised that it may soon be necessary?

Or the confused person with type 1 who can’t calculate carbohydrate-to-insulin ratios or understand what “total daily dose” means?

You can find out with one of the many chapter titles that make finding answers easy.

The authors, who include a number of well-known diabetes specialists, are serious about the whys and hows of controlling blood glucose and believe the reader can drastically improve diabetes control by applying available knowledge.

But be warned: Some of the material may be too technical and analytical for the average reader.

Begins With the Basics

If you are ready and willing to find out what can cause any type of diabetes to be in or out of control, and if you are ready for results, you will be able to begin with more basic information before advancing.

It is advisable to concentrate on your needs, whether that’s learning what is a carbohydrate, or even whether you have been diagnosed correctly.

You can choose from information on teens, or learn about the current combinations of oral medications or the equations to use for insulin dosages.

The authors state that no changes should be made in your regimen, whether that includes taking pills or insulin, without your healthcare team’s knowledge, and they stress that the best care comes from working with your diabetes healthcare team.

This instructive manual goes beyond the table of contents to provide tables, graphs, figures, examples and text aids. These features may be slightly overwhelming for those newly diagnosed, but they are a long-awaited bonus for those who already know the basics and are hungry for the details that can make the difference in their blood glucose control.

“Using Insulin” is published by Torrey Pines Press of San Diego, California. The list price is $23.95, but it can be purchased for $18.95 from the Diabetes Mall. Log on to www.diabetesnet.com/ishop or call (800) 988-4772.