Heart Fitness for Life: The Essential Guide for Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease

By Mary P. McGowan and J. McGowan Chopra

Book Overview

Cardiac disease is the number one cause of death among adult Americans: each year, 478,000 individuals die of coronary artery disease, 1.5 million suffer a heart attack, 407,000 undergo bypass surgery, and 300,000 receive angioplasty. Most of us have read about the risk factors--simply being a man over the age of 45 or a woman who has gone through menopause makes one more likely to suffer from coronary artery disease, as do a family history of cardiac disease, diabetes, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, elevated levels of cholesterol, and stress. Unfortunately, in addressing this epidemic, many books and experts have made it seem that reducing heart disease risk means out-and-out deprivation, advocating stringent and unrealistic programs without answering some of the key questions patients have: Does heart disease really mean I can't eat anything that tastes good? Does taking medication mean I'm a failure at controlling my diet? How can I stick with an exercise program when it bores me?
In this groundbreaking volume, Dr. Mary McGowan draws on her years of clinical experience in working with real patients to create a proven, livable program for preventing and reversing cardiac disease. Of course, we can't change our age or our family history--but there are significant positive actions that we can take to change our lives without feeling deprived. In Heart Fitness for Life, Dr. McGowan shows you how, with a comprehensive and down-to-earth life plan that includes:
* A 20 percent fat diet--which gets results because it is strict enough to make a difference but lenient enough for people to stick with it
* A detailed investigation into the genetic basis of high cholesterol--and what to do about it
* A thorough explanation of the role of estrogen in preventing heart disease--dispelling the confusion surrounding this issue and offering clear, reassuring advice
* A non-judgemental and supportive approach to cholesterol and blood pressure medications that explains when taking medication is appropriate and even necessary
* Vital, up-to-date information about the risks of elevated lipoprotein (a) and homocysteine levels
* An energizing section on making exercise an exciting and fulfilling part of one's life, developed in tandem with an exercise physiologist
* A concrete plan for giving up smoking--that really works
* An analysis of the connection between stress and heart disease, with tested stress-reduction techniques developed by a psychiatrist
* A selection of delicious and easy low-fat recipes developed by a professional chef--including pizzas, pasta, and desserts
* Straightforward advice and suggestions from a registered dietitian about how you can design your own low-fat, low-cholesterol meals
And, at the core of Heart Fitness for Life are the stories of nine patients, ordinary men and women, who took on the challenge of fighting heart disease with Dr. McGowan's program--and who have won extraordinary victories.
At last, in one volume, you have the expert advice and information you need to truly live well, whether you are a man or a woman, looking to prevent or reverse cardiac disease. By combining good food and good health with authoritative medical information and advice, Dr. McGowan's book truly has the power to change lives.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195116240
• ISBN13: 9780195116243
• Release Date: November 1997
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Living with your heart and mind

This book is one of the best cardiology books i have ever read.It contains good ,sound medical advice in a comprehensive easy-to-read style.It is definitely a must-read for anyone with heart troubles..big or small.

This 1997 resource is invaluable for the inquiring heart..

Heart Fitness for Life's content is much broader than the title indicates. It addresses many basic issues and goes into enough detail to answer questions/concerns from patients and releatives.After having reviewed and read 18 or more books on heart disease, I can say with confidence that McGowan's book is the best without qualification. Heart books date very quickly but Heart Fitness addressed Homocystein issue and genes in concise style that was easy to understand.My only suggestion for the next edition would be to address the "stress" as one of the signficant risk factors. Saplosky's, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" is a useful update on stress related disease and the linkag to our hearts.Dr. Ornish's and Dr. MacDougal's books would make positive companion's to this book and are worth considering. I strongly recommend McGowan's not as the "first" comprehenisive approach to her topic but as the "most current" on the every changing field of caridology.

A guide to controlling or reversing heart disease.

This one of the only books which lives up to the promotion of itself on the cover. It covers the spectrum of treatments for coronary artery disease. It is written in a very interseting and readable form. This is a terrific resource for patients. It offers hope and means to overcome the number killer in the U.S.