Review
Greenberg, a diabetes patient-expert, dispels some of the myths about living with diabetes and what it takes to live a happy, fulfilling life with this chronic condition. --AOLHealth.com, December 2009
Library Journal online Xpress review, 7/24/09
“[Riva Greenberg] is singularly well placed to help those with diabetes separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of the validity of the plethora of available information. This is an extremely readable one-stop information spot for diabetes management, written by a patient-expert with the support of a huge team of contributing experts.”
DiabetesDaily.com, 8/18/09
“I read about diabetes day and night, yet I still found this book illuminating. There are many persistent and widely believed myths about diabetes. It's important to dispel them, especially at the beginning, to save those with diabetes from devastating mistakes. 50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life accomplishes this goal in an easy-to-browse fashion.”
ASweetLife.org, 12/17/2009
“In clear, straightforward and reassuring language, the truth about what diabetes is and what power [we] have to control it…Greenberg is excellent at explaining both why it’s important to pay attention to and actively manage your diabetes, and why, if you do so, diabetes will not ruin your life…Greenberg’s book is also a great resource to educate well-meaning family and friends.”
Midwest Book Review, November 2009
“Author Riva Greenberg—also a patient—separates myth from truth…A fine survey identifying the fifty most common popular diabetes myths and the realities.”
WebMD Conquering Diabetes blog, 2/2/10
“A book you should definitely get if you have diabetes…Provides a first-class tour of the diabetes facts that matter most. You may think you know a lot about diabetes, but I guarantee this book will take your understanding to new heights. The format is clever. Each of the 50 chapters opens with a myth…By organizing the book into such highly digestible little bites, each of which is a tasty morsel of highly seasoned information, the reader is treated to a gourmet self-education experience. Riva Greenberg’s information-packed book is nicely written, factually up-to-date, and relevant. Myths about nutrition, weight loss, exercise, medication, complications, and others are debunked and replaced with the information you need to life your best life. Riva is an excellent communicator, and she knows exactly which topics to highlight…An important contribution to patient education.”
John Koenig’s “Stuff I Like” Blog, 2/4/11
“Greenberg does a great job of sorting the truth from the fables.”
From the Author
How This Book Will Help You: An Essay by Riva Greenberg
Six years ago I sat in a TCOYD (Taking Control of Your Diabetes) workshop on coping with diabetes. Psychologist and certified diabetes educator, Bill Polonsky, who was facilitating the workshop, asked the eighty or so of us seated, "How many of you think diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney disease, amputation and heart attack?" Everyone raised his or her hand. "You're wrong," he said. We looked at each other, stunned. "Poorly controlled diabetes is."
I had believed what turned out to be a myth for 30 years and it had impacted my diabetes management, behavior, psyche and happiness for three decades. Hearing the truth, relief and joy immediately flooded my body. I now knew that I could have far greater impact on my health, and future, than I had thought. So I improved my eating and became more physically active knowing it would matter--and it did. I'm healthier now than I've ever been.
I wrote this book because there are so many misconceptions about diabetes and they cause us harm. We need accurate information to manage diabetes well. Here are a few of the myths in the book. See if you know the truth?
* You have to be fat to get diabetes
* I can't have diabetes, I have no symptoms!
* Type 2 isn't as serious as type 1
* Eating sweets causes diabetes
* If I have to take insulin, it's the beginning of the end
* Insulin shots are painful
* There's nothing new to treat diabetes
This book exposes the truth about common, medical, food, fitness, psychological and practical diabetes myths that most of us suffer with. 21 leading diabetes experts contributed their expertise to set the record straight, share the latest information and research and practical "how to's" and useful tips. You'll read "lessons learned" from other patients and about many of my own experiences and discoveries. When you finish this book, you'll be your own diabetes expert, as you should be.
That day, back in Dr. Polonsky's workshop, I realized how much believing a myth affects what we do about our health and what we don't do. Knowing the truth will make you more capable in your care, better able to advocate for yourself, and family and friends will be better able to support to those they love with diabetes.
