Synopsis "diabulimia: diabetes + eating disorders; what it is and how to treat it"
"I am forty and have been battling with diabetes and eating disorders for twenty-five years... I am wheelchair bound and have no hope now... When I tried to find help there was not a single book that addressed this terrible thing... Please do something to help the young ones..." Outcries like this were the driving force behind the birth of this groundbreaking book. Grace Huifeng Shih, RD, MS brings this once-secret disease/disorder out into the open and offers hope to those suffering, their families, and their health providers. Diabulimia (ED-DMT1, clinicians' term), a deadly combination in which people with type 1 diabetes manipulate insulin so they will lose weight, causes permanent injury if left untreated. Grace's compassion and expertise in both eating disorders and diabetes; stories from her clients and their loved ones she works with everyday; along with the editing and review by 15 clinicians (endocrinologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, diabetes nurse practitioners, nurse managers, pediatricians, adolescent medicine physicians, ophthalmologists, nephrologists and neurologists) make this book invaluable for medical and non-medical readers alike. For individuals: The 18 stories here share the struggle individuals face, and the relief they find knowing they are not alone. The voice of diabulimia is finally heard! The chapter "Nutrition and Diabulimia" is designed to help those searching for a healthy, safe means of weight loss. For families and friends: Be encouraged and relieved to find recovery is possible through the multilayered treatment this book outlines. Learn how to recognize and circumvent the desperate ploys individuals with diabulimia use as subterfuge to avoid weight gain, and be better equipped to help them. For health personnel, educators and group leaders: Here, the pathology of this group of patients is explained, as are ways to identify high risk individuals through skillful interviewing. With chapters such as "Hospitalization, Step by Step Guidelines" and "What Works and What Doesn't", the book is a unique resource as well as an invaluable tool. For more information about the book and the author, visit: www.GraceNutrition.org
