The Expert Guide To Beating Heart Disease: What You Absolutely Must Know

by Krumholz, Harlan M.

• ISBN13: 9780060578343
• ISBN10: 0060578343
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780061863394
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-30
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications
• More Book Details

Summary

What Do the Best-Trained Doctors Do to Beat Heart Disease? In today's avalanche of medical information, how can you distinguish between proven evidence and unfounded claims? This is the first book to translate key medical data into clear guidelines capturing the highest treatment standards for heart disease. Renowned cardiovascular expert Dr. Harlan Krumholz presents seven strategies for reducing cardiac risk -- what professionals agree really works. In this indispensable handbook, he also profiles care alternatives from supplements to stress reduction as well as treatments on the horizon. A "Tools for Success" section helps you track blood pressure, cholesterol, exercise, and weight.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Preface: A Letter from the Doctor	xi
Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction: How to Use This Book	xvii
Understanding Heart Disease	1	(11)
Seven Key Strategies for Taking Charge of Heart Disease	12	(96)
Strategy #1: Take Charge of Your Blood Pressure	12	(18)
Strategy #2: Take Charge of Your Cholesterol	30	(10)
Strategy #3: Take Charge of Your Fitness	40	(12)
Strategy #4: Take Charge of Your Weight	52	(13)
Strategy #5: Take Charge of Your Blood Sugar	65	(12)
Strategy #6: Take Charge of Your Smoking	77	(11)
Strategy #7: Take Charge of Your Medications	88	(20)
Beyond the Key Strategies	108	(27)
Managing Your Diet	109	(15)
Consuming Alcohol	124	(3)
Taking Vitamins and Other Supplements	127	(1)
Reducing Stress	128	(2)
Using Hormone Therapy	130	(5)
Research and Emerging Therapies	135	(8)
Making Sense of New Research	135	(2)
Promising New Heart Disease Therapies	137	(6)
Staying Well and Prepared	143	(10)
Monitoring Your Heart's Health	143	(2)
Guarding Against Other Health Risks	145	(4)
Making the Most of Your Doctor's Appointment	149	(1)
Advance Planning	150	(3)
Conclusion	153	(2)
APPENDICES	155	(44)
A. Quick Guide to Heart Disease Treatments	157	(2)
B. Tools for Success	159	(18)
C. Seattle Angina Questionnaire	177	(4)
D. Drug Interactions	181	(6)
E. Tests and Medical Procedures	187	(12)
Resources	199	(2)
Glossary	201	(6)
References	207	(42)
Index	249

Excerpts

The Expert Guide to Beating Heart Disease
What You Absolutely Must Know

Chapter One

Understanding Heart Disease

The human heart is an astonishing organ. A muscle only about thesize of your fist, it sits just to the left of the center of your chestcontracting and relaxing to pump blood—roughly five liters of it aminute—throughout your body. It is an involuntary muscle. Unlike,for example, the muscles in your arm that you flex voluntarilywhen you lift something, your heart needs no instruction. It operatesindependently and continuously, day and night, week in, weekout, year after year. When it stops, life stops.

What Is Heart Disease?

The heart is tough, but it's not invulnerable and it can be afflictedby a variety of diseases. But what's commonly called heart disease(though, more accurately known as "coronary artery disease") is, interestinglyenough, not a disease of the heart at all. At least not directly.It's a disease of the large arteries outside the heart thatsupply the smaller vessels that feed the heart muscle with bloodrich in nutrients and oxygen that the heart needs to keep working.Other vessels carry away the waste products produced by the heartin the course of its work. Coronary arteries, the large arteries carryingblood to the heart muscle, are like the huge pipes that carry waterfrom a reservoir to a big city, to be distributed to streets,individual houses, and then specific faucets before being carriedaway again through drains. If something happens to those big pipesthat blocks the flow of vital water to the city, the city shuts down in no time at all. Your heart needs an open system of pipes to maintainan unabated flow of blood all the time.

When the heart works harder, such as during exertion or stress,it needs even more blood flow. It gets this greater flow because, unlikewater pipes, the blood vessels can dilate, or open larger, whenthe need arises. When something impedes that flow, it causes immediateproblems for the heart muscle, which becomes starved ofoxygen and nutrients.

With heart disease, the "something" that restricts the flow is anaccumulation of fatty deposits—including cholesterol—that formthick "plaques" on the interior walls of the coronary arteries, a processthat can slow the flow of blood to the heart. This condition,called atherosclerosis, occurs gradually and may go unnoticed foryears.

What Are the Symptoms of Heart Disease?

When atherosclerosis is advanced, the flow of blood can be reducedenough that when the heart is asked to work harder than usual—forexample, when you're exercising or climbing stairs, or simply digestinga heavy meal—it can't get the blood flow that it needs.

Typically, the heart signals that it's struggling by producing afeeling of chest discomfort, a condition that doctors call angina.Angina can take many forms; the sensations can include weakness,heaviness, pressure, tightness, and even pain in the middle of thechest. People with angina may also feel this discomfort at some distancefrom the heart—in the arms, abdomen, back, neck, andlower jaw, for example. Angina is simply the heart's way of sayingthere is a mismatch between the oxygen-rich blood flow it needsand what is actually arriving for its use. Usually, if you have thissymptom, the discomfort goes away when you stop whatever activityis causing your heart to work harder than usual (or, if you've alreadybeen diagnosed with angina, when you take medication, suchas nitroglycerin tablets or spray). You should also know that noteveryone has this feeling when there is a problem with blood flowto the heart, but it usually is an important signal when it occurs.

If you experience any symptoms in the checklist below, youshould let your doctor know because they could be indications ofheart disease. These symptoms are not always caused by heart disease;they may be harmless or due to other medical conditions. Butif you already have heart disease, these symptoms are enough to indicatea potential heart problem and reason enough for you tocheck with your doctor, especially if these symptoms are new.

• Discomfort in your chest that comes on during physical exertionor emotional stress; it may spread to your arms, neck, lowerjaw, face, back, or stomach. If this discomfort is from yourheart, it is called angina.


• Unusual breathlessness when doing light activity or whenyou are at rest can be a symptom of heart disease. Breathlessnessthat comes on suddenly may be an important warning sign.


• Palpitation is the term used to describe the condition in whichyou feel your heart beat faster or more forcefully than usual, orin an irregular pattern. Palpitations may be a symptom of heartdisease, especially if they last for a few hours, if they come andgo over several days, or if they cause chest pain, breathlessness,or dizziness.


• Fainting (or the sensation that you are about to faint) can becaused by inadequate oxygen reaching the brain, which may bedue to heart disease.


• Swelling or fluid retention (also known as edema) is fluidbuildup in your tissues. This usually happens around the ankles,legs, lungs, and abdomen. Swelling of the legs can be perfectlynormal for some people after working many hours on theirfeet. However, it can also be a sign that the heart is not pumpingefficiently.


• Fatigue has many causes, but it's worth seeing the doctor if youfeel unusually tired, especially if it is combined with other suspicious symptoms noted above.

Sometimes, however, the danger signal from the heart is moredramatic. Atherosclerosis causes plaques to accumulate in thecoronary arteries. These plaques are lumps and bumps within thecoronary arteries that can contain cholesterol, white blood cells,and other substances. Sometimes they grow to block the arteriesand sometimes they are small and do not affect the blood flow ...

The Expert Guide to Beating Heart Disease
What You Absolutely Must Know. Copyright © by Harlan Krumholz. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from The Expert Guide to Beating Heart Disease: What You Absolutely Must Know by Harlan M. Krumholz
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