Rating: 
Summary: extreme caution
Review: after reading this book, i have found it to be an exact copy of the unsuccessful high fat, "starvation DIET" OF THE EARLY 20TH century. controling blood sugar with glucose tablets is not a solution. i would not recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Every Diabetic should read this!
Review: I am writing this as I purchase my second copy of this book. I gave the first one to my doctor. It has helped me to lose 40 of my 70 pounds of excess fat and to go off Glipizide(a sulfanyurea, a bad treatment, as I learned from this book). My blood sugars are now usually between 78 and 110 or less. My peripheral neuropathy has reversed itself. You get a detailed and realistic understanding of this disease and how to avoid its terrible complications. I especially recommend it to those who are not insulin dependent, the techniques needed are less controversial, and your life will be normal! For those who are insulin dependent, you will have to learn how to change your diet and insulin regime to feel normal, Dr. Bernstein does, he is himself a type 1 diabetic.
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Summary: It's Worked For Me
Review: I'm a recently diagnosed Type II. I read Dr. Atkins first and went on his diet because I knew it would lead to weight loss, which I needed, and because it seemed logical that the fewer carbos one consumed, the easier blood glucose control would be. Then I read Dr. Bernstein, who is actually stricter on carbos than Atkins. The diet is not easy. One misses many things. But (with medication) I reduced my average readings from 200+ (400 when I was diagnosed) to just over 100 in just a few weeks. I would very much like to get off or at least reduce my meds: 4 mg Amaryl and 2000 mg Glucophage a day. Both Atkins and Bernstein say they have gotten Type II diabetics off medications. Can anyone give me Bernstein's e-mail address? (My address is below) I would like to explore this, even go to his treatment center, if there's a chance I can keep sugars in the neighborhood of 100 on diet and exercise alone. Hae no illusions about the low carbo diet being a piece of cake, so to speak. How I miss pizza! But it works! <josconlin@hotmail.com>
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Summary: Finally some success to control my blood sugars with Dr. B.
Review: I had checked out every book on Diabetes Type 2 to try to stay off medications. The doctors, educators and dieticians were no help-none of them believed an obese woman could stay off meds with diet and exercise. I've done it for 2 years but now the numbers were creeping up there and they wanted to start me on glucophage. Dr. Bernstein's was the last book I read-I attacked the plan with zeal and in just 12 days had dropped my average blood sugars from 140 to 124! It was so easy-stay away from carbs-don't eat 60 grams per meal, make it 6 or 12 or 15. My doctor is astounded that I didn't need the rx she gave me. Dr. B. explained all about why I am high in the mornings and how to approach that. He explained about the fast sugars and the slow sugars, and gave me lots of options to try. All the rest of the world keeps telling me to eat more which just keeps driving my sugars higher. With Dr. B. I have found a way to stay off the meds AND I made it through the holiday season with beautiful sugar numbers when everyone else was soaring high. The book contained a lot of specific things I could try to keep those numbers down, not just the conventional drivel you see in every diabetic education course and dietician's plan. He has been on the plan himself for years, so the subject is close rather than just a bunch of #s. If you want to be encouraged to manage this disease yourself, this book is for you. The rest of the medical community won't even take 2 minutes to listen to me because I am overweight, they just plug me into a medication which I don't need. Dr. B. approaches it from the standpoint that you can lick this disease if you just put some effort into it. After a month on the plan, I've had great success controlling my blood sugars and my doc is happy my glycocelated hemoglobin dropped back to 6.5 this last time, thanks to Dr. Bernstein.
Rating: 
Summary: BE CAREFUL!
Review: At first read, the book seemed like a Godsend; based on the author's flat out statement that serum cholesterol is NOT from dietary cholesterol, and confirmed true for and by an associate of mine, I tried the Bernstein low carbohydrate high protein diet for five weeks and had my blood tested at a hospital blood lab immediately before and after the five week period. I adhered closely to the low carbo diet and freely at fatty foods -- Bernstein claims, against conventional wisdom, it's actually the carbos that cause the cholesterol problems. Despite Bernstein's assertions, my cholesterol level jumped from 246 to 318 and blood glucose jumped from an average of 130 to 160 in that five weeks. I do not understand how my blood glucose could have increased, as I really did strictly limit my carbo intake to practically nil, although my exercise level was less than half of what I normally do. The glucose test makes me wonder if the blood lab made a mistake and I'm going tto have it rechecked -- but unitl then folks -- make sure you test your blood at a reliable blood lab a few weeks after you start this diet (it's essentially the same as the Atkins diet, which is also supposed to lower serum cholesterol!). Proceed with caution.
Rating:
Summary: The best of them all
Review: As a recently diagnosed Type 2 diabetic, reading Dr. Bernstein's book changed my life. I have an excellent health team, but the laymen's terms he uses to explain how diabetes works and his guide to monitoring blood sugars helped me understand more and be in control. His explanation of the lab tests make me a more informed patient. I have also read several of the other books available and found his to be the most understandable and most informative. His description of how he treats his patients gave me an excellent baseline of what to expect from my health care community (and was almost exactly what my doctor has done). If you are struggling with getting your sugar under control, get this book! and Thank You Dr. Bernstein!
Rating:
Summary: Diabetes Solution - guess again
Review: One may as well stop living. Really did not think this book was wonderful for the average diabetic. Not many people will eat the way that is indicated in the book, it's almost impossible unless you live alone. Not worth the money at all.
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Summary: Dr. Bernstein's book saved our sanity and my son's pancreas
Review: Our son was recently diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 10. No doctor, nurse, author, or educator had any suggestions as to how to prolong the "honeymoon" period. We are still struggling with learning blood sugar control, but now we have information that is precise and usable. And we have hope. G-d bless Richard Bernstein!
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Summary: If you can stick with this program, it will save your life
Review: I would highly recommend this book to any diabetic, even those not interested in a low-carb eating plan, just for the extensive discussion of the interaction of insulin, food, and exersize.I learned more from Bernstein in two weeks than I did in two years with doctors and dieticians. And if you have the fortitude to stick with Bernstein's eating plan--and it is not an easy lifestyle change--you will not only see your blood sugars stabilize at a much lower level, you will lose a lot of weight, and see see your cholesteral and triglycerides drop significantly. His information on calculating the number of grams of carbohydrate needed to correct a hypo is the best explanation I have read anywhere, and he makes product recommendations without actually being in the business of selling any of them, which is refreshing. Any diabetic, any age, whether on insulin, pills, or no medications, can gain many years of complication-free healthy living.
Rating:
Summary: best information/research on glucose control on the market
Review: This terrific book is a complete research/how to book about blood sugar control. I have read numerous books on Type II diabetes but Dr. Bernstein has been the ONLY person who clearly shows what to eat and why, how to monitor blood sugar at home and why, the importance of exercise, what medications do and why and ultimately the pleasure of lowering one's blood sugar to within a normal range. He shows you how to take control of your own care: what carbohydrates do to your blood sugar and how to be your own detective to discover what works for you. Clearly obesity+genetics=diabetes. A high protein, low carb diet makes me feel great, losing weight is a pleasure because I am not hungry and moderate exercise is fun. This is the only book on the market which is clear, concise and to the point. It should be on everyone's bookshelf!
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