Sunday 22 November 2015

Sunday November 22nd, 2015 Managing Diabetes, Managing Awareness





















Diabetes is a complex and multifactorial ailment that affects millions of people in Canada and in North America. Diabetes can affect people all across their lifespan – from infancy to old age. But what exactly does it mean to be diabetic? Perhaps you may have heard of the terms type 1 and type 2 in regards to diabetes. Fortunately, the month of November is the designated month of diabetes awareness. If you know someone who has diabetes, or want to learn more about managing your own condition, the Thunder Bay Public Library can be a great place to start.

Diabetes is a condition of the pancreas when it can either produce no insulin or inadequate insulin to manage the body’s high blood sugar. To answer this question further, look no further than Kim Chaloner’s, Diabetes and Me: An essential guide for kids and parents. Written for parents and children alike, the writer clearly explains what it means to be a diabetic, along with discussion on the differences between type 1 and type 2, how to manage blood sugar, and insulin administration. Along with helpful illustrations of where diabetes stems from and how it affects other organs, Chaloner has created an easy and insightful book on managing one’s diagnosis.

For children and adolescents, diabetes can be tricky to manage and difficult to understand. For young people, this often includes making sacrifices that may be difficult to make. For young children, titles such as Children Have Diabetes Too: Learning together as a family and Sugar was my Best Food: Diabetes and Me are wonderful titles for parents to share with their child. Children will find similarities in these books to their own that can help ease the transition into living and managing diabetes.

Similar to the aforementioned books is the Mayo Clinic: The Essential Diabetes Book, a comprehensive tool for people who would like to gain a more thorough understanding of diabetes. Known for its practicality, the Mayo Clinic gives the reader plentiful insight into diabetes, as well as strategies supported by up to date research for managing diabetes, as well as leading a healthy lifestyle that is not thwarted by diabetes. This includes maintaining a healthy diet, an important part of a person’s lifestyle living with diabetes.

One quick search on the TBPL online catalogue will yield plenty of resources on the topic of diabetes and nutrition. An excellent title to check out is Eat what you Love, Love what you Eat, with Diabetes: A mindful eating program for thriving with prediabetes or diabetes. With a gentle and supportive tone, the writers stress the importance of keeping a balanced, nutritional diet while recognizing the difficulties associated with intake that comes with being diabetic. With the help of the Diabetes Cookbook: 70 delicious and healthy recipes for every meal, one can explore the plentiful recipes offered for each meal of the day. Guided by lush illustrations of tasty treats, this is a recipe book worth revisiting.

If you would like to learn more about diabetes, check out the TBPL online catalogue at mycatalgue.tbpl.ca for great materials and resources about diabetes. If you visit your local branch, the knowledgeable staff will help you find the answers you are looking for. Through TBPL, you can also learn about great programs offered in the community for people living with diabetes. Or perhaps you would like to start a support group for your fellow citizen. Whatever your interests may be, TBPL can help you to learn and spread the information about diabetes.

Petar Vidjen

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