Five tests are the cornerstones for monitoring your overall health with diabetes and developing a daily management plan — yet few of the more than 21 million people in the United States living with diabetes know their results of these five tests: A1c Blood pressure Lipids (HDL, LDL, triglycerides) Microalbumin Yearly eye exam Knowing your five key test results will enable you to manage your condition as successfully and fully as possible, and achieve the long and healthy life you want. Dr. Richard Jackson and Amy Tenderich walk you through how to understand each of these factors and then to create a personalized treatment plan for optimum blood-glucose control, heart health, and general diabetes management and well being.
Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 73 people found the following review helpful
By DAR
Format:Paperback
I found this book depressing and infuriating. It promotes the irresponsible advice of the ADA, which not only keeps diabetics from developing complications, it leads them down that path. Then it tells them diabetes is progressive after all, and they should just keep upping their meds to deal with all the carbs they are advised to eat.
This book has some good points. It does tell diabetics what numbers they need to keep in line. But its idea of what the glucose numbers should be are very damaging.
The book calls an A1c of 7.2 "respectable" and 7.6 "not too shabby." It claims there is no benefit to an A1c of 6.0 over a 7.0, which is outright false. Even the ADA says a NON-diabetic level (4.0-6.0) is ideal, though it's pretty hard to get that low by following their low fat/high carb advice.
Don't waste your money on this book! It just patronizes diabetics and tells them they aren't to blame when their meds are maxed out and they're still getting complications while doing what the ADA (and its followers) told them to do.
Follow an eating plan that truly controls the carbs (which are sugar to your body) you are eating and you can prevent or at least slow down the complications without all the meds. The ADA knows it works, but won't recommend it because "it's too hard" to stick with. Don't let the ADA (and its followers) make your decisions for you. Inform yourself! This book won't do that.
This book has some good points. It does tell diabetics what numbers they need to keep in line. But its idea of what the glucose numbers should be are very damaging.
The book calls an A1c of 7.2 "respectable" and 7.6 "not too shabby." It claims there is no benefit to an A1c of 6.0 over a 7.0, which is outright false. Even the ADA says a NON-diabetic level (4.0-6.0) is ideal, though it's pretty hard to get that low by following their low fat/high carb advice.
Don't waste your money on this book! It just patronizes diabetics and tells them they aren't to blame when their meds are maxed out and they're still getting complications while doing what the ADA (and its followers) told them to do.
Follow an eating plan that truly controls the carbs (which are sugar to your body) you are eating and you can prevent or at least slow down the complications without all the meds. The ADA knows it works, but won't recommend it because "it's too hard" to stick with. Don't let the ADA (and its followers) make your decisions for you. Inform yourself! This book won't do that.
50 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Lose 30 pounds. Get your blood pressure down. Lower your LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and get that HDL cholesterol up. Keep an eye on your blood sugar and have it checked often.
Does any of this sound familiar? Sure it does and you may have even heard it from your own doctor regarding your flailing health because of you are overweight or obese. It's the dreaded lecture that comes from physicians when they see certain health indicators come back as irregular.
But what if what you are dealing with is something even more life-threatening than just a bout with obesity, hypertension, or a poor lipid profile? What if it's one of the most dreaded of all diseases that makes you feel like your world has come to an official end? That's exactly what happens to some people when they are told they have been diagnosed with diabetes.
What did I do to cause this? How can something like this happen to me? Will I ever live a "normal" life again or am I destined for a life of painful insulin injections, expensive prescription medications, and endless doctor visits for the rest of my life?
These thoughts are not only very real to people who are told they have diabetes, but it can paralyze them even when they otherwise have their life under complete control. Diabetes has quite literally turned the life of millions of people upside down and leaves them with very little hope or help. Where can people turn when they are faced with such despair about this complex disease they have?
Whether you are Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic, then you have undoubtedly been given some all-too-familiar generic advice about handling your diabetes (like I illustrated at the beginning of this review) which is all meant to help you I am sure. Unfortunately, though, this kind of one-size-fits-all approach to diabetes is not only shortsighted, but incredibly ineffective.
That's where the mostly informative new book from Harvard medical professor and Joslin Diabetes Center investigator Dr. Richard Jackson as well as saucy and always on point professional journalist, blogger, and diabetes sufferer Amy Tenderich comes into play. It's called Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes: 5 Essential Health Factors You Can Master To Enjoy A Long And Healthy Life (Marlowe Diabetes Library) and will quickly become your handy reference resource guide for almost everything you ever wanted to know about diabetes.
I say "almost" for a reason which I will explain in a moment.
First, the good parts of this book. It is very well put together in an enjoyable format mixing a healthy dose of diabetes facts alongside some hands-on practical advice about how to best implement the proper lifestyle changes that need to take place for optimal diabetes management. While this can be a rather drab and boring topic to discuss, Dr. Jackson and Tenderich do a yeoman's job of keeping it fun and engaging.
And I really like the fact that the authors strongly urge people living with diabetes to implement permanent lifestyle changes. At the same time, they push the positive message that diabetics don't necessarily need to attempt to make multiple changes all at once, but instead slowly begin to work them into their individual routine incrementally. I agree with this bit-by-bit strategy because it is the best way to make the changes take hold and become a permanent habit whether it is with weight loss, diabetes, or anything else. Breaking out of those old habits takes time.
Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes hits the ground running right away in the first six chapters explaining why you need to be concerned about your health when you have diabetes and points to the five tests that every single diabetic absolutely must have checked regularly if they are going to lick this disease by learning to manage it well.
What are these five tests? Very simply put, it's the following:
1. Your A1C
2. Your blood pressure
3. Your lipid profile (cholesterol)
4. Your microalbumin (What?! Don't worry, they explain!)
5. Your eye exam
While Dr. Jackson and Tenderich do not explicitly recommend people who are not diabetic to have these tests conducted, I think it is an extremely good idea considering there are tens of millions more pre-diabetics walking around and have no idea they are either already or becoming insulin resistant. Taking preventative action now would likely slow down the expected diabetes boom coming over the next few decades.
You can certainly appreciate the "been there, done that" feel of this book which does a fabulous job of removing the mystery and awe out of diabetes for good. Whether you have just been diagnosed with diabetes or even if you are a decades-long veteran living with the disease, there is plenty of useful statistics and data to keep you occupied for hours as you learn all the ins and outs of diabetes.
But I have one pretty major concern about the book that makes me say it is "almost" a comprehensive look at the subject of diabetes. While there is plenty of discussion about carbohydrates and how controlling your intake of them whether they are in the form of sugar, pasta, rice, potatoes, or otherwise in Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes, the lack of a real sense of urgency about trying to keep them limited as a means for managing diabetes is not emphasized heavily enough and given the significance it deserves. All the latest research indicates that reducing carb intake can bring about permanent control of diabetes and you just don't hear this message stated explicitly in this book.
For a book like this about diabetes releasing in the year 2007, how can you totally ignore the many years of clinical studies (like this one) that have been conducted by valient researchers like Dr. Eric Westman from Duke University and Dr. Mary C. Vernon from the University of Kansas and the co-author of Atkins Diabetes Revolution? What about Dr. Steve Phinney or Dr. Jay Wortman? And let's not forget Dr. Mary Gannon and Dr. Frank Nuttall, too! I could easily continue on with many more names, but these are enough to get you started.
Not only have these amazing researchers shown the vital statistics for their diabetic patients become normalized, but many of them were able to come completely off of all their prescription medicines for good. GASP! How can this be? You'd never know this was possible if you only read this book because there was no mention of ending diabetes drug use in Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes--NONE! Just the strong "now take your medicines regularly along with a low-fat diet" message that diabetics have had to suffer through long enough.
Where was the promotion of this major "cure" for diabetes which was highlighted nationally by Adam Campbell in Men's Health magazine in November 2006 found within the pages of this diabetes book, hmmm? The glaring absence of this cutting edge information about diabetes is like talking to someone about how to drive a car that doesn't have a steering wheel. Sure, you may get somewhere, but not necessarily where you want to go.
Furthermore, there was nary a single mention of the most famous diabetes expert who has implored a low-carb solution to his Type 1 diabetes for decades--the amazing Dr. Richard Bernstein! This man has done more to add quality of life and even saved the lives of millions of diabetics through his bestselling books and personal practice. However, if you read Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes it's as if Dr. Bernstein and his common sense strategies for tackling diabetes don't even exist. Shame on them for this grave omission!
To be honest, it was quite scary reading over and over again in this supposedly all-encompassing book on the topic of diabetes that people with this disease need to consume as much as 60 percent carbohydrates daily, including regular servings of sugar if they want it "in moderation!" Say what?! ARGH!
Are they trying to make these people get sicker and sicker?! What kind of irresponsible advice like this is being given to diabetics?! Yikeseroo! How about just giving them a little arsenic "in moderation" while you're at it, too? Sheeez!
Yet, at the same time, the authors emphasize the critical nature of carbohydrate reduction in the management of diabetes. So which is it? I understand we are all different with a variety of factors that will work for the individual person, but come on! I'm a big believer in people finding what works for them in weight loss and health management at my blog, but I see no downside for diabetics who want to control their disease naturally through diet by livin` la vida low-carb.
What will happen if diabetics decide to take the low-carb pathway to reversing the effects of their disease is they will get better than they've ever been before, seeing their A1C drop into "normal" range and staying there, lower their blood pressure, significantly drop their triglycerides, raise their HDL cholesterol levels, and ward off many of the inevitable future health issues due to their diabetes. Not a bad deal if you ask me!
Of course, the lack of any information about the low-carb nutritional approach to combat diabetes in Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes may have more to do with the American Diabetes Association and their ill-advised recommendations than anything else. It is quite clear that Dr. Jackson and Tenderich relied heavily on their skewed advice for diabetics.
You see the unmistakable fingerprints of their needless warnings about lowering LDL cholesterol (with even MORE medications such as statins--EEEK!), avoiding saturated fat, lowering salt intake, and controlling fat, calories, and portion sizes in page after page of this book. Read more ›
Does any of this sound familiar? Sure it does and you may have even heard it from your own doctor regarding your flailing health because of you are overweight or obese. It's the dreaded lecture that comes from physicians when they see certain health indicators come back as irregular.
But what if what you are dealing with is something even more life-threatening than just a bout with obesity, hypertension, or a poor lipid profile? What if it's one of the most dreaded of all diseases that makes you feel like your world has come to an official end? That's exactly what happens to some people when they are told they have been diagnosed with diabetes.
What did I do to cause this? How can something like this happen to me? Will I ever live a "normal" life again or am I destined for a life of painful insulin injections, expensive prescription medications, and endless doctor visits for the rest of my life?
These thoughts are not only very real to people who are told they have diabetes, but it can paralyze them even when they otherwise have their life under complete control. Diabetes has quite literally turned the life of millions of people upside down and leaves them with very little hope or help. Where can people turn when they are faced with such despair about this complex disease they have?
Whether you are Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic, then you have undoubtedly been given some all-too-familiar generic advice about handling your diabetes (like I illustrated at the beginning of this review) which is all meant to help you I am sure. Unfortunately, though, this kind of one-size-fits-all approach to diabetes is not only shortsighted, but incredibly ineffective.
That's where the mostly informative new book from Harvard medical professor and Joslin Diabetes Center investigator Dr. Richard Jackson as well as saucy and always on point professional journalist, blogger, and diabetes sufferer Amy Tenderich comes into play. It's called Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes: 5 Essential Health Factors You Can Master To Enjoy A Long And Healthy Life (Marlowe Diabetes Library) and will quickly become your handy reference resource guide for almost everything you ever wanted to know about diabetes.
I say "almost" for a reason which I will explain in a moment.
First, the good parts of this book. It is very well put together in an enjoyable format mixing a healthy dose of diabetes facts alongside some hands-on practical advice about how to best implement the proper lifestyle changes that need to take place for optimal diabetes management. While this can be a rather drab and boring topic to discuss, Dr. Jackson and Tenderich do a yeoman's job of keeping it fun and engaging.
And I really like the fact that the authors strongly urge people living with diabetes to implement permanent lifestyle changes. At the same time, they push the positive message that diabetics don't necessarily need to attempt to make multiple changes all at once, but instead slowly begin to work them into their individual routine incrementally. I agree with this bit-by-bit strategy because it is the best way to make the changes take hold and become a permanent habit whether it is with weight loss, diabetes, or anything else. Breaking out of those old habits takes time.
Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes hits the ground running right away in the first six chapters explaining why you need to be concerned about your health when you have diabetes and points to the five tests that every single diabetic absolutely must have checked regularly if they are going to lick this disease by learning to manage it well.
What are these five tests? Very simply put, it's the following:
1. Your A1C
2. Your blood pressure
3. Your lipid profile (cholesterol)
4. Your microalbumin (What?! Don't worry, they explain!)
5. Your eye exam
While Dr. Jackson and Tenderich do not explicitly recommend people who are not diabetic to have these tests conducted, I think it is an extremely good idea considering there are tens of millions more pre-diabetics walking around and have no idea they are either already or becoming insulin resistant. Taking preventative action now would likely slow down the expected diabetes boom coming over the next few decades.
You can certainly appreciate the "been there, done that" feel of this book which does a fabulous job of removing the mystery and awe out of diabetes for good. Whether you have just been diagnosed with diabetes or even if you are a decades-long veteran living with the disease, there is plenty of useful statistics and data to keep you occupied for hours as you learn all the ins and outs of diabetes.
But I have one pretty major concern about the book that makes me say it is "almost" a comprehensive look at the subject of diabetes. While there is plenty of discussion about carbohydrates and how controlling your intake of them whether they are in the form of sugar, pasta, rice, potatoes, or otherwise in Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes, the lack of a real sense of urgency about trying to keep them limited as a means for managing diabetes is not emphasized heavily enough and given the significance it deserves. All the latest research indicates that reducing carb intake can bring about permanent control of diabetes and you just don't hear this message stated explicitly in this book.
For a book like this about diabetes releasing in the year 2007, how can you totally ignore the many years of clinical studies (like this one) that have been conducted by valient researchers like Dr. Eric Westman from Duke University and Dr. Mary C. Vernon from the University of Kansas and the co-author of Atkins Diabetes Revolution? What about Dr. Steve Phinney or Dr. Jay Wortman? And let's not forget Dr. Mary Gannon and Dr. Frank Nuttall, too! I could easily continue on with many more names, but these are enough to get you started.
Not only have these amazing researchers shown the vital statistics for their diabetic patients become normalized, but many of them were able to come completely off of all their prescription medicines for good. GASP! How can this be? You'd never know this was possible if you only read this book because there was no mention of ending diabetes drug use in Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes--NONE! Just the strong "now take your medicines regularly along with a low-fat diet" message that diabetics have had to suffer through long enough.
Where was the promotion of this major "cure" for diabetes which was highlighted nationally by Adam Campbell in Men's Health magazine in November 2006 found within the pages of this diabetes book, hmmm? The glaring absence of this cutting edge information about diabetes is like talking to someone about how to drive a car that doesn't have a steering wheel. Sure, you may get somewhere, but not necessarily where you want to go.
Furthermore, there was nary a single mention of the most famous diabetes expert who has implored a low-carb solution to his Type 1 diabetes for decades--the amazing Dr. Richard Bernstein! This man has done more to add quality of life and even saved the lives of millions of diabetics through his bestselling books and personal practice. However, if you read Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes it's as if Dr. Bernstein and his common sense strategies for tackling diabetes don't even exist. Shame on them for this grave omission!
To be honest, it was quite scary reading over and over again in this supposedly all-encompassing book on the topic of diabetes that people with this disease need to consume as much as 60 percent carbohydrates daily, including regular servings of sugar if they want it "in moderation!" Say what?! ARGH!
Are they trying to make these people get sicker and sicker?! What kind of irresponsible advice like this is being given to diabetics?! Yikeseroo! How about just giving them a little arsenic "in moderation" while you're at it, too? Sheeez!
Yet, at the same time, the authors emphasize the critical nature of carbohydrate reduction in the management of diabetes. So which is it? I understand we are all different with a variety of factors that will work for the individual person, but come on! I'm a big believer in people finding what works for them in weight loss and health management at my blog, but I see no downside for diabetics who want to control their disease naturally through diet by livin` la vida low-carb.
What will happen if diabetics decide to take the low-carb pathway to reversing the effects of their disease is they will get better than they've ever been before, seeing their A1C drop into "normal" range and staying there, lower their blood pressure, significantly drop their triglycerides, raise their HDL cholesterol levels, and ward off many of the inevitable future health issues due to their diabetes. Not a bad deal if you ask me!
Of course, the lack of any information about the low-carb nutritional approach to combat diabetes in Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes may have more to do with the American Diabetes Association and their ill-advised recommendations than anything else. It is quite clear that Dr. Jackson and Tenderich relied heavily on their skewed advice for diabetics.
You see the unmistakable fingerprints of their needless warnings about lowering LDL cholesterol (with even MORE medications such as statins--EEEK!), avoiding saturated fat, lowering salt intake, and controlling fat, calories, and portion sizes in page after page of this book. Read more ›
19 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having read Amy Tenderich's Diabetes Mine blog for some time, I pre-ordered this book.
First of all it's an easy read. Yes there's some repetition, I kept hearing the drumbeat of more exercise, more exercise as I went through the book. But this isn't a book of bad news for people with diabetes. It's a book all about how you can focus your efforts on things that really need the work.
Amy and Richard Jackson do a great job of explaining the five factors (my ordering of these): A1C; lipids; blood pressure; microalbumin; and eyes. They show what the various numbers mean for the first four and how to work on improving the values you're getting.
One value I got from reading, before I was half-way through the book, was that I finally really understood the exercise thing. So I've purchased a pedometer and am always looking for an excuse to work more.
I also like their idea of determining which ones are problems for you. This is like paying off your highest interest debt, rather than your largest on. Find out which health factor is the most problematic for you and improve that one. Then you can move on to the next.
I think this book is essential reading for anyone with diabetes whether Type 1 or Type 2. I highly recommend it.
First of all it's an easy read. Yes there's some repetition, I kept hearing the drumbeat of more exercise, more exercise as I went through the book. But this isn't a book of bad news for people with diabetes. It's a book all about how you can focus your efforts on things that really need the work.
Amy and Richard Jackson do a great job of explaining the five factors (my ordering of these): A1C; lipids; blood pressure; microalbumin; and eyes. They show what the various numbers mean for the first four and how to work on improving the values you're getting.
One value I got from reading, before I was half-way through the book, was that I finally really understood the exercise thing. So I've purchased a pedometer and am always looking for an excuse to work more.
I also like their idea of determining which ones are problems for you. This is like paying off your highest interest debt, rather than your largest on. Find out which health factor is the most problematic for you and improve that one. Then you can move on to the next.
I think this book is essential reading for anyone with diabetes whether Type 1 or Type 2. I highly recommend it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great reference book!
Even though I have been a T2 for about 20 years, I find that there is a wealth of information in this book. I will be referring to it often.
Published 7 months ago by A. Jacky
3.0 out of 5 stars
book on type 2
I thought I had read in the description that this book was about type 1 Diabetes but it really only pertains to type 2. Read more
Published on April 22, 2011 by BettsyB
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST READ FOR ALL DIABETICS
A great book!! It's core message: IF YOU TAKE CARE OF THESE FIVE CRITICAL ISSUES, THERE IS NO REASON YOU CANNOT LIVE A LONG, HEALTY AND HAPPY LIFE. Read more
Published on April 26, 2010 by Alfred Cocchini
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Reading!!
This Book is wonderful especially for the newly diagnosed Diabetic, it is very informative and helpful.I learned a great deal. Read more
Published on June 23, 2008 by D. Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read this book
I wish I could put a copy of Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes: 5 Essential Health Factors You Can Master to Enjoy a Long and Healthy Life in every diabetes clinic. Read more
Published on June 6, 2007 by Rachel M. Baumgartel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book on diabetes treatment and care.
In the 9 months since I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I've read numerous books, countless articles in magazines, tens of websites and blogs and gotten a great deal of... Read more
Published on March 12, 2007 by Aquazebra
4.0 out of 5 stars
Learn just how much you don't know
If every Type 2 PWD read this book it might save millions of lives. After 35 years of having diabetes I learned something I never knew - the 5 tests that are predictors for getting... Read more
Published on February 5, 2007 by Riva Greenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Key to Outliving Diabetes
Many of us fear what we do not know, which could be why the diagnosis of diabetes is so harrowing. Fear no more. Amy Tenderich and Dr. Read more
Published on January 28, 2007 by Allie Beatty
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best since Dr. Berstein's Diabetes Solution
I am a type I diabetic. Then again, I am also an Amazon.com reviewer. So whenever I can get my hands on a good book on diabetes or its treatment, I do. Read more
Published on December 16, 2006 by Manny Hernandez
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 3
books:
- Diabetic Cooking by Publications International on page 181
- Caring for the Diabetic Soul by American Diabetes Association on page 158
- Psyching Out Diabetes : A Positive Approach to Your Negative Emotions by Richard Rubin on page 158
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