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

by McGowan, Mary P.; Chopra, Jo McGowan

• ISBN13: 9780195129090
• ISBN10: 0195129091
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

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. Heart Fitness for Life offers 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 real people to stick with it * A selection of delicious and easy low-fat recipes developed by a professional chef--including pizzas, pasta, and desserts * A detailed investigation into the genetic basis of high blood cholesterol--and what to do about it * A non-judgmental and supportive approach to cholesterol and blood pressure medications that explains when taking medication is appropriate and even necessary * 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 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.

Author Biography

Mary McGowan, M.D., trained in internal medicine at the niversity of Massachusetts Medical Center and in cholesterol metabolism at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She is the Director of the Cholesterol Management Center at the New England Heart Institute in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Foreword	xiii
Introduction	3	(7)
Am I at Risk for Developing Heart Disease?	10	(30)
High Cholesterol and Early Heart Disease---It May Be Your Genes The Casses of Susan and Lorraine	26	(14)
A Heart-Healthy Diet: Planning the Diet You Can Live With	40	(47)
Using Diet to Increase Your Odds The Case of Jack	77	(10)
Making Exercise a Lifetime Commitment	87	(33)
Basic Stretches	106	(2)
High Triglycerides and Low HDL Cholesterol---The Impact of Exercise and Other Lifestyle Changes on Cardiac Risk The Case of Wayne	108	(12)
Quitting: A Tough Task with Great Rewards	120	(24)
When Smoking and Genes Don't Mix The Case of George	132	(12)
Estrogen Replacement Therapy and Your Heart: Sorting Out the Risks and Benefits	144	(16)
Too Little Estrogen The Case of Patricia	151	(9)
Reducing Stress in Your Life	160	(25)
Diabetes, Stress, and the Heart The Case of Bill	178	(7)
Elevated Blood Pressure: What Can You Do to Lower Your Level?	185	(15)
Sometimes Diet and Exercise Can Doi It All The Case of Jim	191	(9)
The Crucial Role of Medications in Lowering Cholesterol and Blood Pressure	200	(35)
The Importance of Knowing All Your Risk Factors The Case of Hans	227	(8)
Recipes	235	(52)
Appendix	287	(2)
Glossary	289	(6)
Suggested Reading	295	(12)
Index	307