3 Review(s)

Today, diabetes has become a global epidemic and India has the second largest number of people with diabetes in the world, 62.4 million, according to the recent ICMR - INDIAB study results published in 2011. Moreover, it has also an even larger number of people with pre-diabetes 77.4 million. Diabetes is no longer a disease of the rich, the old or urban people. The epidemic is rapidly shifting to younger ages, to rural areas and to the poor. This places a huge burden on not only on the individual, family and the society but also the nation, as a whole. Moreover it is known as 'a good disease with bad companions' because several co-morbidities like hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, cardiovascular disease and stroke, non alcoholic fatty liver diseases and even some forms of cancers are associated with diabetes. Therefore the title of Dr. Lakshminarayan's book 'Diabetes - India's Invisible Enemy' is appropriate. A thorough understanding of diabetes, its early detection, prevention and control can help not only individuals with diabetes, but also those with associated diseases and complications. This book covers all aspects of diabetes starting with history of diabetes, the acute and chronic complications of diabetes and various aspects of treatment of the disorder. About the Author Dr. V. Lakshminarayan acquired his MD degree from the prestigious Mysore University and a graduate diplomate in diabetes care from the university of New Castle, Australia. Born in a remote village into an agricultural family, he sacrificed a prestigious faculty position at the Bangalore medical college to go back to his rural roots and serve the underprivileged. His vision helped him identify the rising tide of diabetes in India and he proceeded to acquire higher education in diabetes care. Since then he has been striving selflessly to educate the public about the diabetes epidemic in India through the mass media by volunteering his time on television, radio and print media. He is also caring for the sickest diabetics at his center, often times free of cost and has earned the sobriquet 'common man's sweet doctor'. To raise awareness on diabetes he authored a Kannada book titled 'Madhumeha - Dashavyadigala Moola', which earned the 'supreme medical literature script' award in 2011 from the P. S. Shankara Prathishtana. In 2013, in recognition of his unparalleled efforts in serving the poor, especially in the field of diabetes and his tireless efforts to raise awareness about diabetes among the lay public, the government of Karnataka awarded him the prestigious Rajyotsava Award in the field of medicine, which is the highest recognition accorded by State of Karnataka. Dr. Sooraj Tejaswi, the youngest son of Dr. V. Lakshminarayan and Mrs. Lakshmi Devi Narayan, is an Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of California, Davis, one of the worlds leading research and teaching institutions. The pursuit of excellence from a young age landed him the 8th the SSLC (Class 10) examination in Karnataka, the title of a 'National Scholar' on successful completion of the rigorous National Talent Search exam (NTSE), an MBBS degree from the prestigious Mysore Medical College, a Master's degree in Public Health at the Ohio State University in USA, a postgraduate degree in Internal Medicine and finally a Fellowship in Gastroenterology from Chicago, USA. He was also a recipient of the prestigious Indian Academy of Sciences Research Scholarship to pursue clinical research in the field of rank in diabetes at the renowned All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. He is currently focussing on health issues affecting the Indian Diaspora in the United States. This book he has co-authored with Dr. V. Lakshminarayan, is thus a perfect culmination of his professional qualifications, research background and his penchant for advancing the health of the Indian people.