We're pleased to announce another excellent book review in a new monthly glossy magazine called Diabetes Explorer. 

"Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes may well change your thinking about how you manage your diabetes," writes communications consultant and diabetes freelance writer Riva Greenberg.

"From chasing an impossible number on the scale to getting fit.  From thinking your blood glucose is all that counts to realizing the importance of blood pressure.  From feeling, woe-is-me overwhelmed by all there is to do, to zooming in on what counts.  Here, the Herculean task of managing diabetes is broken down into doable steps and given a 'why' and a 'therefore.'"
"I am a true believer in the old adage, 'You can't get where you're going if you don't know where you are.'  By taking these tests (described in the book) first, you will discover where you are. Second, you will better understand how these factors are important to your health.  Third, you will be better able to manage your diabetes."

You nailed it, Riva!   Dear Readers, please have a look at the full book review HERE.

Do you follow MedScape -- the clinician and healthcare-professional-focused sister site of WebMD?  Well, check out the author interview with myself and Dr. Jackson in the "Diabetes & Endocrinology" section, published yesterday. (Registration required, but it's free)

It's presented as the "Expert Interview" on our new book, "Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes" -- which was a lot of fun, since we did the interview in tandem, with Dr. J as the medical expert and myself as the expert on all the crap we go through living with this volatile disease.

A favorite snippet from Dr. Jackson:
"If you were running an insurance company and wanted to insure people with diabetes, and were trying to figure out their risk, these are the 5 numbers you'd want to know. And the numbers aren't so complicated that people can't understand them."

See why these numbers are so important? 

He also says:
"I'm involved in outreach programs at the Joslin Center, and we go into communities and do diabetes programs with free testing, so we get people who are interested in their diabetes. We ask, 'Have you heard of an A1C? Have you had an A1C test?' And only about 10% of people are what we call 'A1C aware.' "

"Blood pressure is a little better. Microalbumin -- hardly anyone has heard of it. People have had eye examinations, but they're not sure about the results... One of the fundamental points in our book is that first you have to find out where you are before you can get to where you're going."

Right. So get the book. Get the tests. Figure out where you're going. I hope the message that came across at MedScape was the urgency of educating patients about these tests, and motivating them to take control. 

News flash!  Two more exciting endorsements that came in just this week:

"Knowledge is power. This book provides important information that people with diabetes need for making decisions and taking charge of their health."

 — Martha M. Funnell, MS, RN, CDE,

University of Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center

“There is no need to hide in fear of diabetic complications.  ‘Know Your Numbers’ takes some rather serious and complex issues and simplifies them so that everyone can benefit.  The ‘Health Account’ concept alone makes the book a must-read!”

— Gary Scheiner MS, CDE,

Owner/Director, Integrated Diabetes Services

Author, Think Like a Pancreas and The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting   

Well now, I suppose you know your book about diabetes is ON THE MAP when it's available via the Joslin Diabetes Center online store.  Of course, it helps that Dr. Jackson has been a fixture at that world-leading diabetes treatment

center for over 20 years. 

He is Medical Director Joslin's highly successful DO IT (Diabetes Outpatient Intensive Treatment) program -- an intensive outpatient seminar that combines teaching and training with actual on-site exercise and meal sessions. In other words, patients spend 3-1/2 days of intensive time with Joslin doctors, nutritionists and exercise physiologists getting to the bottom of their own most pressing health issues with diabetes.  There's nothing quite like it.

And Dr. Jackson always felt that the majority of patients attending the DO IT program would have been in much better shape upon arrival if they'd had early access to the info in our book, i.e. the details of the 5 key tests to monitor your health with diabetes.  This was his major incentive to write the book, he tells me.

The reason that we both care is that we both know lots of people who have feelings, ideas, and opinions about their diabetes, but don’t really know the actual status of their own health. Too often they focus one factor, like glucose readings, or food… with constant frustration... because their idea of "doing good" is very vague indeed.  But we felt there must be a better way  Because now, for the first time in history, the specific tools and knowledge you need to live long and well with diabetes are readily available.

Consider this (from our Preface):

In the past, people were essentially groping in the dark with their diabetes. The tests and methods available were so primitive that it really was like fumbling in a dark room towards the door marked "Exit Here for a Long and Health Life" that you knew was there, but couldn’t see.

Since doctors could only guess at their daily glucose levels, for example, patients were subjected to all sorts of drills—like eating the same bland food for dinner every night for years on end—in the hopes that this would keep their diabetes in control.

But now the light in that dark room has been switched on!  Improved laboratory tests and advanced tools like home glucose meters let you see where you’re going—and sometimes you’ll find there are even different paths to reach the same door marked "Exit Here for a Long and Health Life" on the other side of room. So you even have some flexibility in your health improvement choices.

That's the approach, folks.  Publisher's Group UK calls it "a brilliant idea whose time has come."

Wow, more high praise from the ultimate source: a very knowledgeable and articulate patient.  Allie Beatty, who reports on all things diabetes over at TheDiabetesBlog.com and lives with Type 1 herself, has published a glowing review of "Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes."  Here's what she has to say:

"The book is a priceless addition to any diabetic library. It begins by explaining the five tests that are the cornerstones for monitoring your overall health with diabetes. These tests are: A1c, blood pressure, lipids, microalbumin, and an annual eye exam. You may think you know it all because you've been there, done that. But do you really know - what it tests, why it's done, and what your numbers should look like....?"

"I was impressed beyond my expectations... I was looking for a good guidebook on diabetes care. No ma'am. This book is AWESOME!"

See the full review HERE.  Thank you kindly, Allie and the Weblogs, Inc., team. 

        *        *        *

In addition, see our latest Virtual Book Tour appearances at these fine blogs:

Diabetes Notes - Rob Rummel-Hudson says "I’m not saying that your very SURVIVAL depends on you going and purchasing Amy’s book just as soon as you finish reading this. But really, why take the chance?" (~grin~)

GruntDoc - Dr. Robert Allen kindly notes, "If it at all interests you, please get a copy!"

“What a great book!  It helps you not only understand your five most essential health factors, but also guides you in setting doable action plans.  You’ll find very serious topics – including the complications of diabetes – addressed in a fresh, upbeat (and even humorous) style.  Dr. Jackson, a seasoned Joslin endocrinologist and researcher, and Amy Tenderich, a journalist who has type 1 diabetes, make a perfect team blending academics and real-world diabetes experience.  They give readers confidence and hope that a long and healthy life with diabetes is possible.  This book can be a huge help for anyone with diabetes!”

— Melinda D. Maryniuk, Certified Diabetes Educator, Joslin Diabetes Center Boston, named American Diabetes Association Outstanding Educator of the year for 2005

"Diabetes often makes people feel frightened and overwhelmed, but a good understanding of modern management and

the goals of treatment are now having major positive impact on quality of life and health outcomes.  In the end, the informed patient makes this happen.  Richard Jackson and Amy Tenderich have really hit the bull’s eye by focusing on the key things that help people gain control over their diabetes.  I expect that many people will find this sensible, easy-to-read new book enormously helpful."

-- Dr. Gordon Weir, former editor of Diabetes, former Medical Director of the Joslin Clinic, and chaired professor at Harvard University. 

Last week, Forbes reported that a good half of the estimated 21 million adult Americans with diabetes now rate themselves as having only "fair" or "poor" health, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

"People with diabetes are three times more likely than others to say their health is flagging," the CDC report found.  Which means, of course, that a great number of people in this country are headed toward a future of diabetes-related complications, including blindness, kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and lower extremity amputation.  Ouch!!

Why should this be the case in a World Power nation like the USA?  Poor quality and in many cases poor availability of health care are certainly issues.  And perhaps more importantly, the fact that our health care system is focused on the treatment end, rather than prevention.  HMOs stand more to gain from patients once they've developed kidney disease or retnal damage than they do from educational programs to prevent these problems.  Crazy!

This brings me to why we wrote this book.  Dr. Jackson, in his decades of patient interaction at the legendary Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, has seen thousands of patients struggling to get a handle on their health with diabetes. He has a lot of practical advice for them, starting with determining and understanding their own biggest health risks -- a simple matter of taking 5 standard lab tests.

Trouble is, many of the patients Dr. Jackson sees have had diabetes for years and have already developed complications by the time they've either discovered Joslin's program, or gathered the motivation to go there.  The damage to their bodies is already done.

How much better off these people would've been if they'd just had some very basic health instruction early on!  Why not package this golden preventative advice into a book that will serve as a hands-on guide?

Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes helps you chart and understand the 5 most important values (your personal “Essential Health Factors”) for living a long and healthy life with diabetes. That makes them pretty darn important!  They are:

·        Hemoglobin A1c—a measure of the average amount of glucose in your blood over the last several months

·        Blood Pressure—a quick, painless armband test to determine the force of blood flow through your body

·        Lipid Profile—a group of blood tests measuring your cholesterol and triglycerides (another type of fat), which is used to determine your risk of heart attack or stroke

·        Microalbumin—a urine test that is an early indicator of kidney damage

·        Eye Exam—a yearly exam that consists of dilating your pupil, allowing the doctor to see the back of your eye

Now, be honest.  If you have diabetes, or are newly diagnosed, when was the last time you had these tests? Do you know the result numbers?  Do you know what they mean?  One thing you can be sure of: If everyone tracked and acted on these values regularly, those depressing CDC results -- as reported by Forbes -- would look a lot rosier today.

Stay tuned for more tidbits from the book. 

 

So you all know we've been working on a "mystery book" for a while.  Well, it's time for the wrapper to come off! Even though the publication date is still a few months off.

I've been privileged to co-author this book with Dr. Richard Jackson of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.  We're calling it the "first-ever, hands-on guide to achieving a long and healthy life with diabetes." It actually tells people in plain language what they need to do to get a handle on their own personal key health risks. 

In essence, this book is meant to address the great number of people with Type 2 diabetes who might not have access to the best information or care.  But this do-it-yourself guide can be useful for all of us, who often neglect to get our test results regularly or do anything about the numbers even when we know them.  The book also includes very useful chapters (in my no-BS style) on exercise, food, traveling with diabetes, how to scour the Internet, foot and mouth care, complementary and alternative medicine, the newest diabetes devices and more.

Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes will appear in book stores in January 2007.

Click here to reserve your copy now.

Five Essential Health Factors You Can

Master to Enjoy a Long and Healthy Life

From our initial book brochure:

The first-ever guide to 5 crucial tests that everyone living with diabetes needs to have and monitor on a regular basis—by an MD at Joslin and Harvard Medical School and a diabetes patient-expert.

Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard University professor Dr. Richard Jackson and diabetes patient-expert and blogger/journalist Amy Tenderich walk readers through how to:

    * understand each of these factors
    * determine which are the most important for you to focus on (based on your family history and other risk factors)
    * create a personalized treatment plan for optimum blood-glucose control, heart health, and general diabetes management and well-being.

This is a path-breaking book that will be required reading for every single person with diabetes aspiring to manage his or her condition as successfully and fully as possible.

Five tests are the cornerstones for monitoring one’s diabetes and developing a daily management plan—yet few of the more than 21 million people in the US living with diabetes know their results on all five of these. In April 2006 USA Today reported that just under 42% of adults with diabetes had had these tests.

The five factors are:

    * A1c
    * Blood pressure
    * Lipids (HDL, LDL, triglycerides)
    * Microalbumin
    * Yearly eye exam

“Often people focus on the stuff they feel guilty about (usually weight or food), when that may not even be their most critical health issue.

“What people don’t usually do is get the hard facts on where they stand in terms of their own diabetes health risks. They either haven’t had the five essential diabetes health tests, or they have no idea what the results are or what they might mean. But these five tests — your A1c, blood pressure, lipids, microalbumin and eye exam — provide the essential information you need to understand and manage your own health with diabetes.”                     — from the Preface