This book gives the reader the basics on this condition. The information is understandable. It does concisely debunk medical myths about diabetes treatment. I wish the book would do the exercising for me. ( )

Excellent book. It really helped me to understand diabetes and how to make my husband healthier. Very easy to understand, answers all your questions and makes you feel like a pro. ( )

Never read all of it, and book was taken prior to being able to review it.

This is the second worst book on diabetes I've read. (I see that the worst book has got good reviews on amazon.com, and is not available on amazon.co.uk. I myself have reviewed it on Facebook.)

After much consideration I've given the book presently under review two stars (at first I wanted to give it only one). It gets the two stars for the vast amount of medical information given, though as it is written by two traditional doctors, this is traditional information, much of it in my view erroneous. But it also provides a lot of presumably correct information I've seen nowhere else, such as practical information about driving in relation to diabetics and dealing with discrimination at work. This is a British book (I don't know whether there is also an American version), so much of it refers to British legislation and help available in the U.K.. It also contains information I haven't seen before about coping with diabetes and pregnancy, sexual function and diabetes foot care.

I learn something from nearly all the books on diabetes I read, and in this case I learnt that the B-vitamin nicotine amide constitutes a protective factor against diabetes, Nice to know.

The main criticism I have of the book is as follows:

Though the authors in various places mention the importance of a low-carbohydrate diet, in practice it turns out that they have apparently little understanding of what this in fact involves. It is of course correctly stated that all refined carbohydrates should be avoided - at least theoretically they got that right. Except that they actually didn't since sugar, lots of fruit and sweet desserts are absolutely permissible in the view of these two doctors.

But it is not even enough to eat only complex carbohydrates with a low GI-Index. You have to eat a reduced AMOUNT of these carbohydrates. Dr. Bernstein, the author of "Dr. Bernstein's diabetes solution", whom I regard as the absolute authority on managing diabetes, if not curing it, recommends a carbohydrate content of 6 g. for breakfast and 12 g. for each of the two subsequent meals. He has himself suffered from type 1 diabetes since the age of 12, and is totally dependent on insulin.

The book under review contains a small section on counting carbohydrates. but there is no indication at all about how many grams of carbohydrate should be allowed at each meal for optimal blood sugar control. And in a, for me, shocking section of the book under the heading "Carbohydrate counting to maximum health" an example is given of a typical "well-controlled" type 1 patient's carbohydrate intake. His breakfast intake is stated as containing, for example, 80 (!) grams of carbohydrate, his lunch contains 120 grams carbohydrate and his supper "only" 60 grams of carbohydrate! Compare please these amounts to Dr. Bernstein's recommended 6g, 12 g and 12 g.

There were innumerable irritating not to mention fallacious or outrageous statements in this book:
1)Statins and aspartame are described as "excellent" (See "Fat and cholesterol are good for you" by Uffe Ravnskov and "The great cholesterol myth" by Malcolm Kendrick on the so-called "excellence" of statins) and google "aspartame" to find information on the toxicity of this potent sweetener. The use of the word "excellent" in connection with both these toxins seriously tarnishes the credibility of the authors of this book.

2) The authors dismiss the possibility that chromium, Gymnema silvestre and other substances can be at all useful in the regulation of diabetes. Being doctors, they seem to regard minerals, vitamins and other natural substances as they would regard potent drugs, and don't realize that what is important is the COMBINED factors of a good (low-carbohydrate) diet and the provision of all essential vitamins and minerals, including, for example, Vanadium, which they have neglected to mention as an important mineral relevant in the treatment of diabetes, the importance of which they would call in question. Moreover, they claim that British people are not deficient in chromium. How do they know this?

3) They state: "Genetic inheritance causes type 2 diabetes". This is a sweeping statement, the truth of which I would absolutely contest. There may of course be genetic factors involved, but the vital factor must be lifestyle.

4) The authors propagate the myth that "you generally get enough vitamins for your daily needs." Especially as regards chronically ill persons such as diabetics this statement is absolutely fallacious.

5) They keep reiterating that "diabetes lasts for life", which is a negative affirmation to keep hearing, especially since in fact it is possible for some to be cured of diabetes, but only as long as they adhere to a correct diet (see Cass Ingram's book "Natural cures for diabetes").

6) Being doctors, their main focus as regards a "cure" for diabetes is new drugs, and we know that drugs generally prove harmful in the one way or the other.

As regards point 6), I would state that much of the book is focussed on the various drugs available for diabetics, and though many of these are recommended by the authors, to their credit their dangers are stated. I'm no expert on diabetes drugs, but I would like to point out that Dr. Bernstein, who is, advises against the use of sulphonyureas.

I could write pages more on the criticizable elements of this book, but this must be more than enough.

Suffice to say that I do not recommend this book, though it does contain theoretical and practical information about the disease and its complications. ( )

very informative; covered all the bases ( )