Acknowledgements.
Foreword by Michael Evans, MD, CCFP, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto.
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.
Insulin Resistance.
High Blood Sugar.
When You Have Type 2 Diabetes but Require Insulin.
Conditions That Can Lead to Type 2 Diabetes.
Pre-diabetes: Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT).
Metabolic Syndrome.
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM).
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.
Menopause.
Genes.
Other Medical Conditions.
Signs and Symptoms.
Your Child’s Risk of Type 2.
Breast-feed Your Baby.
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 Specialist.
When You Want a Second Opinion.
What the Doctor Orders.
The A1C 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 Metre.
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 Antihyperglycemic Agents.
Biguinide.
Insulin Sensitizers.
Insulin Secretagogues (formerly known as oral Hypoglycemic agents or OHAs).
Questions to Ask About Oral Diabetes Medications.
Natural Therapies.
When Your Doctor Prescribes Insulin.
The Right Insulin.
Insulin Brands.
Learning to Use Insulin.
Side Effects.
Questions to Ask About Insulin.
Your Insulin Gear.
Traveling with Insulin Post 9-11.
Chapter 6. How Sweet: Counting Sugar, Planning Meals.
A Few Good Foods.
What to Eat.
Low Fat versus Low Carb.
Carbohydrate Counting.
The Glycemic Index.
How Much to Eat.
Anatomy of a Carbohydrate.
All About Sugar.
Going Shopping.
The Canadian Diabetes Association Food Choice Values and Symbols.
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.
Understanding 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 Supplements.
Phytochemicals.
Functional Foods.
Putting It All Together.
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. You’re Obese.
The Good Times Disease.
Economies and Scales.
The Diet of Leisure.
Why We Like Our Fat.
Chronic Dieting.
Eating Disorders and Compulsive Eating.
Binge-Eating Disorder.
The Issue of Hunger.
Twelve Steps on Change.
Biological Causes of Obesity.
Thrifty Genes.
Leptin and Other Hormones.
On the Horizon.
Insulin Resistance for Obesity.
Drug Treatment for Obesity.
Smoking and Obesity.
Childhood Obesity.
Creating Obesity through Advertising.
Preventing Childhood 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 Low Blood Sugar in Pregnancy.
Special Delivery.
A Dozen Good Reasons to Have a C-Section.
Unnecessary versus Necessary Caesareans.
After the Baby Is Born.
Should You Breast-feed?
Why Was I Told Not to Breast-feed?
Postpartum Blues and Diabetes.
Chapter 12. Aging and Type 2 Diabetes.
Menopause.
Natural Menopause.
If You’re in Surgical Menopause or Premature Menopause.
HRT and Type 2 Diabetes.
Blood Sugar Levels During Menopause.
Osteoporosis.
Calcium.
What Causes Bone Loss Anyway?
Fractures.
Preventing Bone Loss.
Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMS).
Parathyroid Hormone (PTH).
Alzheimer’s Disease.
Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Types of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Eldercare and Type 2 Diabetes.
Management Goals.
Medications.
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 Low 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 Bracelet.
Tell People You Have Diabetes.
Chapter 15. Diabetes, Heart and Stroke.
Understanding Heart Disease.
What to Expect When You Have a Heart Attack.
How Van 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 Nerve.
Understanding Diabetic Neuropathy.
Types of Neuropathy.
Nerve Damage Head to Toe.
Eyes.
Gastrointestinal Tract (G.I. 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 Active.
Coping with Blind Ignorance.
Chapter 18. Brushing Up on Tooth Decay.
Gum Disease and Heart Disease.
Diabetes-Related Gum Disease.
The Smoking Gum.
Combating 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.
Living Donors.
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 (FSE).
When You Have and 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.