Diabetes

Glenn Mueller
eDiets Contributor

Diabetes is growing in epidemic proportions in this country. More than 8 percent of our population currently suffers from this disease, and nearly a third of these 24 million people don't even know they have it. According to the latest projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes shows no signs of slowing down.

Behind all of these alarming statistics are real people and their loved ones. Perhaps nobody understands this better than diabetes author Janis Roszler. Roszler not only is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, but she also suffered from gestational diabetes.

"My diagnosis came as a big surprise," Roszler says. "I had taught diabetes care for more than 10 years when I was diagnosed, but until that time had only 'talked the talk' and never 'walked the walk.'"

Roszler knows first-hand that being diagnosed with diabetes can be overwhelming. That's why she wrote The Secrets of Living and Loving with Diabetes along with co-authors William Polonsky and Steven Edelman. This collaborative work that one reviewer described as "a support group in a book" is designed to help people maintain fulfilling lives in spite of the uninvited intrusion of diabetes. The authors also pay considerable attention to the friends and loved ones of people with the disease.

"One doesn't have to have diabetes to understand how to deal with it, but having it made a huge impact on me," Roszler says. "Diabetes took over my life and the lives of everyone in my family."

Regular eDiets readers already know that Roszler has a unique ability to discuss the topic of diabetes using warmth and humor. Whether she is talking about sex, giving dating tips, traveling to Israel and making audiences blush, or watching Rolie Polie Olie in her doctor's waiting room, Roszler is always able to provide important information while at the same time "channeling her inner Erma Bombeck."

The good news is that she uses the same sensitive and good-natured approach that can be found in the articles she has written for eDiets throughout the pages of this book.

Another thing that makes The Secrets of Living and Loving with Diabetes so enjoyable to read is that it is really a book about relationships. Most chapters of the book end with two sets of lists: "What a person with diabetes may want his or her friends to know" and "What a loved one may want the person with diabetes to know." Each chapter is also packed with personal narratives, quizzes, checklists, motivational advice and important coping strategies.

Realizing that diabetes has a ripple effect on all aspects of a person's life, the authors attempt to answer many personal questions that aren't commonly discussed. Among the topics addressed in the book are the following:

-- how to keep diabetes from dominating your relationship
-- how to handle relatives who nag you about your diabetes
-- motivating a loved one who ignores his or her diabetes
-- coping with emergencies
-- interpreting blood sugar test results
-- deciding whom to tell about your diabetes
-- practicing proper diabetes etiquette
-- and, yes, how to manage diabetes concerns in the bedroom.

The authors candidly explore ways to keep diabetes from undermining personal relationships -- the topic of sex is openly discussed. In fact, ever since the book was published, Roszler has made frequent media appearances as a sort of expert on sex and intimacy (think of Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City as a certified diabetes educator).

"I'm thrilled and honored to be able to bring these personal topics out from behind closed doors," Roszler says.

All of the most common sexual problems for men and women with diabetes are candidly discussed in the last chapter of the book, along with tips for achieving increased levels of intimacy. According to Roszler, individuals with diabetes-related sexual problems are often too shy or ashamed to discuss these problems with their own doctors. Though people with or without diabetes can experience sexual problems, diabetes makes them more likely to occur.

"The most important lesson regarding diabetes-related sexual issues is that help is available for both men and women," Roszler says.

Like this post? Find out more:
-- Diabetes and Dating
-- 10 Power Foods to Beat Diabetes
-- Diabetes and Exercise: How It Can Help

Labels: blood sugar, dating, diabetes, diabetic, diet, insulin, relationships, sex, type-2-diabetes