Audio
Hear endocrinologist, Dr. Elena Christofides, discuss type 2 diabetes on the radio show Type 2 Diabetes in Women.
Download the MP3 (13 mb)

The Canadian Type 2 Diabetes Sourcebook, Second Edition
(2005, Wiley Canada)

Introduction:

Part 1: When Your Doctor Says "You Have Diabetes"

Chapter 1: What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
Names, Name Changes and Definitions
Confusing Type 2 with Type 1
The Many Names for Type 2 Diabetes
"Type I and Type II" versus "Type 1 and Type 2"
What Happens in Type 2 Diabetes?
Insulin Resistance
High Blood Sugar
When You Have Type 2 Diabetes but Require Insulin
Conditions That Can Lead to Type 2 Diabetes
Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)
Syndrome X
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Pancreatitis
Side-Effect Diabetes

Chapter 2: Who Gets Type 2 Diabetes?
Risk Factors You Can Change
High Cholesterol
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Obesity
Sedentary Lifestyle
Sleep Deprivation or Sleep Disorders
Smoking
Vitamin Deficiency
Risk Factors You Can't Change
Age
Genes
Other Medical Conditions
Signs and Symptoms
Your Child's Risk of Type 2
Breast-Feed Your Baby
Feed Your Children a Varied Diet
Teach Your Children Good Eating Habits
Stop Parenting with Food
Finding Diabetes Earlier

Chapter 3: Your Diabetes Health Care Team
The Right Primary Care Doctor
The Alarm Bells
What Are Health Care Rights?
Respect for Persons
Problems with "Doing the Right Thing" for Patients
Legal Duties of Health Care Providers
Patients' Rights Specific to Diabetes
Your Doctor's Rights
Your Diabetes Specialist
Getting Along with Your Specialist
Other Specialists
When You Want a Second Opinion
What the Doctor Orders
The Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Test
Other Important Tests

Chapter 4: Diabetes Self-Care
Testing Your Own Blood Sugar
How Frequently Should You Test?
A Brief History of Blood Sugar Tests
Choosing and Using Your Glucose Meter
Factors That Can Taint Your Test Results
Glycosylated Hemoglobin
Other Ways to Self-Care
Losing Excess Weight
Watching Highs and Lows
Adjusting Your Routine When You're Sick
Your Diabetes Health Diary
What Your Health Diary Should Record

Chapter 5: Diabetes Medications
When Your Doctor Tells You to Take a Pill
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents (OHAs)
Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors
Thiazoladinediones (Avandia or Actos)
Questions to Ask About Oral Diabetes Medications
Natural Alternatives
When Your Doctor Prescribes Insulin
The Right Insulin
Insulin Brands
Learning to Use Insulin
Side Effects
Questions to Ask About Insulin
Your Insulin Gear
Travelling with Insulin

Chapter 6: How Sweet: Counting Sugar, Planning Meals
A Few Good Foods
What to Eat
The Bad News About Low-Fat Diets
Variety, Variety, Variety
The Glycemic Index
How Much to Eat
Anatomy of a Carbohydrate
All About Sugar
Going Shopping
The Food Choice Values System
The Outside Aisles
The Inside Aisles
Sweeteners
The Sweetener Wars
The Newest Sweeteners
At the Liquor Store
Fine Wine
At the Pub
The Hard Stuff
The Glycogen Factor
Don't Drink and Starve

Chapter 7: Low Fat and Healthy Eating
The Skinny on Fat
Saturated Fat
Unsaturated Fat
What Is a Triglyceride?
Fish Fat (Omega-3 Oils)
Artificial Fats
The Incredible Bulk
Soluble versus Insoluble Fibre
Fibre and Diabetes
Breaking Bread
Fruits and Veggies
Food Pills
Phytochemicals
Functional Foods
Changing Your Diet (And Helping the Environment, Too!)
Animal Farm
Vegging Out
Indigenous Eating
Discovering Canadian Roots
Why Not Just Use Pesticides?
But I Don't Want to Be a Farmer!
In Your Own Backyard
How to Get More Fruits and Vegetables
Milk Tips
The Costs of High-Fat Eating

Chapter 8: The Role of Active Living
What Does Exercise Really Mean?
The Meaning of Aerobic
What About Muscles?
Exercises That Can be Hazardous
Let's Get Physical
Things to Do Before "Moving Day"
Think Like a Cat
When Not to Exercise
Exercise Parental Duties

Part 2: People in Special Circumstances

Chapter 9: If You're an Aboriginal Canadian
Pre-European Canada
The Diseases
The Impact of Poverty
Food Availability and Familiarity
Genetics
Healing Aboriginal Communities
Traditional Healers
Aboriginal/Community Diabetes Programs

Chapter 10: If You're Obese
The Good Times Disease
Economies and Scales
The Diet of Leisure
Dieting Your Way to Obesity
Why We Like Our Fat
Chronic Dieting
Eating Disorders and Compulsive Eating
Binge-Eating Disorder
The Issue of Hunger
Twelve Steps to Change
Biological Causes of Obesity
Some Theories
Drug Treatment for Obesity
Smoking and Obesity

Chapter 11: Type 2 Diabetes, Fertility and Pregnancy
Getting Pregnant
Obesity
Having Sex
Who Should Not Get Pregnant
Infertility and Diabetes
Being Pregnant
Staying in Control
Gestational Diabetes
What Is GDM?
Diagnosing GDM
Treating GDM
Treating Low Blood Sugar in Pregnancy
Special Delivery
A Dozen Good Reasons to Have a C-Section
Unnecessary versus Necessary Caesarians
After the Baby Is Born
Should You Breast-feed?
Why Was I Told Not to Breast-feed?
Postpartum Blues and Diabetes

Chapter 12: Menopause and Type 2 Diabetes
Natural Menopause
The Stages of Natural Menopause
Signs of Natural Menopause
Menopause and Blood Sugar
Surgical Menopause
Bilateral Oopherectomy Symptoms
Ovarian Failure Resulting from Cancer Therapy
Hormone Replacement Therapy and Diabetes
What Is HRT?
The Benefits
The Risks
The Forms of HRT and ERT
Are You an HRT or ERT Candidate?
Common HRT Questions
Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy (NHRT)
Phytoestrogens
Long-Term Effects of Estrogen Loss: Postmenopausal Symptoms
Blood Sugar Levels
Skin Changes
The Osteoporosis Issue
Other Postmenopausal Concerns
Heart Disease
Breast Cancer
Urinary Incontinence

Part 3: Type 2 Diabetes Complications

Chapter 13: Preventing Complications: What the Studies Show
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial
The Results
What the DCCT Means for Type 2 Diabetes
The British Study

Chapter 14: Preventing Hypoglycemia
The Lowdown on Blood Sugar
Who's at Risk?
Recognizing the Symptoms
"Juice Is Better"
After a Low
Glucagon
The Third Person
Recipe for Prevention
A Snack Pack
Wear Your Bracelets
Tell People You Have Diabetes

Chapter 15: Diabetes, Heart and Stroke
Understanding Heart Disease
What to Expect When You Have a Heart Attack
How Can I Prevent Cardiovascular Disease?
Understanding Stroke
Signs of a Stroke
Common Disabilities Caused by Stroke
Recovering from Stroke
Quality of Life Decisions After Stroke
Preventing Another Stroke

Chapter 16: When Diabetes Gets on Your Nerves
Understanding Diabetic Neuropathy
Types of Neuropathy
Nerve Damage Head to Toe
Eyes
Gastrointestinal Tract (GI Tract)
Skin
Kidneys
Gallbladder
Bladder
Genitals

Chapter 17: Diabetes Eye Disease
Preventing Diabetes Eye Disease
Stop Smoking
Avoid Eye Infections
Stay in Control
Signs of Eye Disease
Can You Treat Diabetes Eye Disease?
After-Effects of Laser Treatment
All About Visual Aids
Making Things Larger
Making Things Brighter
Making Things Stand Out
Making Things Touchy-Feely
Making Things Talk
Coping with Low Vision or Blindness
Registered Blind
Rehabilitation Services
A Word About Denial
Distinguishing Your Medications
Staying Physically Fit
Coping with Blind Ignorance

Chapter 18: Brushing Up on Tooth Decay
Gum Disease and Heart Disease
Diabetes-Related Gum Disease
The Smoking Gum
Combatting Gum Disease
Doing the Right Thing the Right Way
A Gum-Smart Diet
Signs of Gum Disease
What to Do If You Have Gum Disease
See a Gum Specialist

Chapter 19: Keeping Your Kidneys
What Do Your Kidneys Do All Day?
What Affects Your Kidneys
The Macro Thing
The Micro Thing
The Infection Thing
The Smoking Thing
Signs of Diabetic Kidney Disease
Treating Kidney Disease
The Kidney-Smart Diet
From Kidney Disease to Kidney Failure
When You Need Dialysis
Palliative Care for Kidney Failure
When You Want a Kidney Transplant
Transplant Waiting Lists
Preparing for a Transplant

Chapter 20: Foot Notes
What Can Happen to Your Feet
Signs of Foot Problems
Foot Steps
The Foot Self-Exam
When You Have an Open Wound
Healing Open Wounds
When You Require an Amputation
Getting an Artificial Limb
Some Surprising Sexual Issues

Appendix 1: A Brief History of Diabetes
Appendix 2: Where to Go for More Information
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Buy online through ...