Heart Disease for Dummies®

by Rippe, James M.

• ISBN13: 9780764541551
• ISBN10: 0764541552
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-20
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

The startling truth is, one American dies of heart disease every 33 secondsalmost one million deaths each yearand almost one in four Americans has one or more types of heart disease. However, it's also true that it is possible to prevent, treat, and even reverse heart diseaseand this plain English guide shows you how!Heart Disease For Dummies is for anyone who has been diagnosed with a form of cardiovascular disease, knows someone who has, or who wants to learn more about staying heart healthy and preventing the disease. Leading cardiologist Dr. James Rippe delivers the scoop on the many different forms of heart disease (including angina, heart attacks, arrhythmias, strokes, heart failure, and other cardiac conditions) as well as the latest research, diagnostic techniques, treatment procedures, and medications. You'll discover how to: Recognize the risk factors and warning signs of a heart attack Determine if you h ave heart disease Distinguish between angina, heart attack, and stroke Maximize your cardiac function Find a good doctor and handle a managed care plan Reverse heart disease through diet, lifestyle changes, and medications Like the millions of others living with heart disease, you want to take an active part in managing your health and feeling better fast. This easy-to-follow guide explains how heart disease affects the body and shows you the steps you can takealong with your doctorto improve your quality of life. With the expert advice, simple diagrams, and valuable tips in this book, you'll: Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight under control Understand the common drug and medical treatments available for treating heart disease Draw on the mind/body connection to reduce stress Interpret the risk factors you can control (physical inactivity, hypertension, tobacco use) and the ones you can't (heredity, age, gender) Form a true partnership with your doctor Explore cardiac rehabilitation programs Decide if alternative therapies are right for you Featuring heart-healthy recipes and a list of resources to help smokers quit the habit, Heart Disease For Dummies is an indispensable resource for living well with this manageable condition.

Author Biography

James M. Rippe, MD, is an Associate Professor of Cardiology at Tufts University Medical School and the Director of the Rippe Health Assessment at Florida Hospital Celebration Health.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Why This Book?	p. 1
How This Heart Owner's Manual Is Organized	p. 2
Icons Used in This Book	p. 4
Understanding Heart Disease	p. 5
Confronting Heart Disease: The No. 1 Health Threat	p. 7
Exploring How Heart Disease Affects Your Life	p. 7
Checking Out Why You Should Care about Heart Disease	p. 10
Taking Charge of Your Heart Health	p. 13
Assessing Your Risk of a First Heart Attack	p. 13
Touring the Heart and Cardiovascular System	p. 15
Pumping for Life: The Heart	p. 16
Connecting Every Cell in Your Body: The Cardiovascular System	p. 21
Keeping the Beat: How the Nervous System Controls Heart Rate	p. 23
Inviting Heart Disease: The Couch Potato Connection	p. 25
Sliding down the Slippery Slope toward Heart Disease	p. 26
Recognizing Your Risk of Coronary Heart Disease	p. 29
Defining Risk Factors	p. 30
Identifying Six Risk Factors That You Can Control	p. 33
Watching for Risk Factors That You Cannot Modify	p. 37
Paying Attention to Emerging Risk Factors	p. 38
Identifying the Many Forms of Heart Disease	p. 41
Understanding the Onset of Coronary Artery Disease, Angina, and Unstable Angina	p. 43
Defining CAD, or Atherosclerosis	p. 44
Defining Angina	p. 51
Defining Unstable Angina	p. 56
Understanding Heart Attacks	p. 61
Defining a Heart Attack	p. 61
Taking Action--Immediately--for a Possible Heart Attack	p. 65
Diagnosing and Treating a Heart Attack in the Emergency Room	p. 67
Treating a Heart Attack in the Hospital Coronary Care Unit	p. 69
Recuperating from a Heart Attack	p. 71
Beating Out of Sync: Arrhythmias	p. 73
Defining Arrhythmias	p. 73
Taking a Look at Specific Rhythm Problems	p. 77
Diagnosing Cardiac Rhythm Problems	p. 81
Treating Rhythm Problems	p. 82
When the Pump Falters: Heart Failure	p. 85
Defining Heart Failure	p. 85
Understanding the Causes of Heart Failure	p. 87
Recognizing the Symptoms of Heart Failure	p. 89
Diagnosing Heart Failure	p. 91
Treating Heart Failure	p. 92
Working with Your Doctor to Fight Heart Failure	p. 95
Clotting and Bleeding in the Brain: Stroke	p. 97
Defining a Stroke	p. 98
Diagnosing and Treating Stroke in the ER	p. 102
Managing Stroke in the Hospital	p. 103
Recovering from Stroke	p. 105
Finding More Information about Stroke	p. 105
Identifying Other Cardiac Conditions	p. 107
Understanding Peripheral Vascular Disease	p. 107
Understanding Valvular Heart Disease	p. 109
Understanding Diseases of the Aorta	p. 112
Understanding Pericarditis	p. 114
Understanding Diseases of the Heart Muscle	p. 115
Understanding Pulmonary Embolism and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)	p. 116
Understanding Cor Pulmonale	p. 118
Understanding Congenital Heart Disease	p. 118
Understanding Cardiac Tumors	p. 119
Understanding Cardiac Trauma	p. 119
Finding More Information	p. 120
Finding Out Whether You Have Heart Disease	p. 121
Taking the First Step: Going for a Checkup	p. 123
Tuning In to Your Heart and Health	p. 124
Going for a Checkup: The Medical History and Physical Examination	p. 125
The Checkup, Continued: Performing Clinical Laboratory Tests	p. 128
Screening with Other Tests	p. 130
Using Diagnostic Tests	p. 131
Diagnosing Heart Disease with Noninvasive Tests	p. 132
Diagnosing Heart Disease Using Nuclear Imaging	p. 137
Plumbing 101: Diagnosing Heart Disease Using Heart Catheterization	p. 139
Forming a Partnership with Your Doctor	p. 143
Building a Solid Health-Care Partnership	p. 143
Establishing a Partnership with Your Physician	p. 147
Considering Special Issues in the Doctor-Patient Relationship	p. 152
Controlling and Treating Heart Disease	p. 155
Combating High Blood Pressure	p. 157
Understanding Hypertension: The Silent Killer	p. 157
Understanding the Dangers and Causes of Hypertension	p. 160
Taking Charge of Your Blood Pressure	p. 165
Working with Your Doctor to Control Your Blood Pressure	p. 167
Controlling Cholesterol	p. 173
Hearing Good News/Bad News about Cholesterol	p. 173
Getting the Lowdown on Lipids	p. 175
Treating and Managing Cholesterol Problems	p. 179
Regarding Special Issues in Controlling Cholesterol	p. 186
Understanding Drug and Medical Treatments for Heart Disease	p. 189
Saving Lives with Emergency Medical Procedures	p. 189
Making Positive Lifestyle Modifications	p. 191
Taking an Overview of Drug Therapies	p. 192
Treating Heart Disease with Invasive and Surgical Procedures	p. 197
Treating Rhythm Problems with the Electric Company	p. 197
Understanding Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCIs)	p. 199
Looking at Coronary Bypass Surgery	p. 202
Exploring Heart Valve Surgery	p. 204
Considering Other Forms of Cardiac Surgery	p. 206
Evaluating Alternative Therapies: Are They for You?	p. 207
Defining Alternative Medicine	p. 208
Recognizing the Difference between the Placebo Effect and Proof	p. 208
Drawing on Lifestyle Medicine and the Mind/Body Connection	p. 209
Looking at How Natural Supplements May Help Combat Heart Disease	p. 212
Living Well with Heart Disease	p. 217
Rehabilitating Your Heart	p. 219
Understanding Cardiac Rehabilitation	p. 219
Exploring Varied Cardiac Rehabilitation Components	p. 221
Educating Yourself about Your Heart Condition	p. 223
Exercising and Physical Activity as Part of Rehabilitation	p. 224
Developing Strategies for Long-Term Success	p. 227
Finding More Information	p. 230
Reversing Heart Disease: Hope or Hype?	p. 231
Turning Back Time	p. 232
Considering How Coronary Artery Disease Regresses	p. 233
Getting Practical about Reversing Coronary Artery Disease	p. 234
Choosing Heart-Healthy Nutrition and Managing Your Weight	p. 237
Warming Up to Nutrition--It Isn't a Four-Letter Word	p. 237
Choosing Healthy Pleasures: Guidelines for Eating Right While Eating Well	p. 238
Making Heart-Healthy Eating Part of Your Lifestyle	p. 245
Getting It in Gear: Physical Activity and Exercise for Heart Health	p. 253
Understanding Physical Activity and What It Can Do for Heart Health	p. 253
Knowing How Much Physical Activity Is Enough	p. 256
Getting Started the Right Way	p. 259
Walking Your Way to a Healthier Heart	p. 263
Sticking with It through the Long Haul	p. 266
Making Sure You Don't Overdo It	p. 266
Reducing Stress: Tapping the Mind/Body Connection to Improve Heart Health	p. 271
Understanding the Connections between Stress and the Heart	p. 272
Making Connections: Friendship, Intimacy, and Cardiac Health	p. 274
Being "Scared to Death" and Other Mind/Body Links	p. 276
Keeping Stress and Anger at Bay	p. 279
Quitting Smoking	p. 283
Affirming Reasons for Not Smoking	p. 284
Understanding Nicotine Addiction: A Chain That Binds	p. 286
Reviewing the Dangers of Other Forms of Tobacco	p. 288
Taking Steps to Stop Smoking	p. 288
Using Helpful Aids to Stop Smoking	p. 289
Developing a Specific Plan to Quit	p. 290
Finding More Information	p. 292
The Part of Tens	p. 293
Ten Myths about Heart Disease	p. 295
The Myth of Modern Maturity	p. 295
The Myth of the Old-Boy Network	p. 295
The Myth of Thomas Wolfe	p. 296
The Eisenhower Myth	p. 296
The Myth of No Pain, No Gain	p. 297
The Myth of Marathon Monday	p. 297
The Myth of Pleasingly Plump	p. 297
The Cave Man Myth	p. 298
The Myth of the Stiff Upper Lip	p. 298
The Myth of Jupiter	p. 299
Ten Great Heart-Healthy Foods	p. 301
Olive Oil	p. 301
Fish	p. 301
Soy Foods	p. 302
Soluble Fiber	p. 302
Whole Grains	p. 302
Fruits and Vegetables	p. 303
Plant Sterol Esters	p. 303
B Vitamins--Folate and B-6	p. 303
Tea	p. 304
Alcohol	p. 304
Ten Cardiac Signs and Symptoms You Need to Know About	p. 305
Chest Pain	p. 305
Shortness of Breath	p. 306
Loss of Consciousness	p. 306
Cardiovascular Collapse	p. 306
Palpitations	p. 307
Edema	p. 307
Cyanosis	p. 307
Cough	p. 308
Hemoptysis	p. 308
Fatigue	p. 308
Ten Secrets of Long-Term Success	p. 309
Educate Yourself	p. 309
Accumulate, Accumulate	p. 309
Be Prepared	p. 310
Mix and Match	p. 310
Be Specific and Prioritize	p. 310
Include Family and Friends	p. 311
Be Optimistic	p. 311
Seize the Day	p. 311
Form Partnerships	p. 312
Reward Yourself	p. 312
Great Heart-Healthy Recipes by America's Leading Chefs	p. 313
Index	p. 331
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