HOW TO LIVE WITH DIABETES; 5th ed.

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 18, 1984

The latest edition of this medically-based primer on diabetes is indeed up-to-date--but it is also too terse and too removed from the reader's point of view to offer substantial guidance or help. Dolger and Seeman march logically through their material: what diabetes is, who gets it; its management by diet, insulin and oral drugs (almost ignoring exercise, a vital component in treatment); medical problems that arise; ""life problems"" of children, adolescents, adults; and, briefly, the research outlook (pancreatic transplants, different drug regimens). The authors take the general view--strongly disputed in such recent works as Lawrence Pray's Journey of a Diabetic (1983)--that those with diabetes can live long, nearly normal lives by following the medically-prescribed regimen. To diabetics, however, this may seem to make light of their situation. A further turn-off is the authors' frequent digression into jargon and into medical--not patient--concerns ("". . . in obese persons the entry of glucose into the cells is impeded because of reduced receptor function""). Among other entries, Biermann and Toohey's The Diabetic's Book (1981), in particular, offers clearer, more thorough and practical consumer-based advice.

Pub Date: Feb. 18, 1984

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1984

Categories: NONFICTION