Your Guide To A Healthy Heart

This book by the National Institutes of Health (Publication 06-5269) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is designed for both women and men and is an action plan for heart health. It provides up-to-date information and practical tips about establishing and maintaining a heart healthy lifestyle, including understanding the risk factors for heart disease, determining your risk, and establishing a plan for heart heath. If you're like many people, you may think of heart disease as a problem that happens to other folks. “I feel fine,” you may think, “so I have nothing to worry about.” If you're a woman, you may also believe that being female protects you from heart disease. If you're a man, you may think you're not old enough to have a serious heart condition. Wrong on all counts. In the United States, heart disease is the #1 killer of both women and men. It affects many people at midlife, as well as in old age. It also can happen to those who “feel fine.” Consider these facts: Each year, 500,000 Americans die of heart disease, and approximately half of them are women; As early as age 45, a man's risk of heart disease begins to rise significantly. For a woman, risk starts to increase at age 55; Fifty percent of men and 64 percent of women who die suddenly of heart disease have no previous symptoms of the disease. These facts may seem frightening, but they need not be. The good news is that you have a lot of power to protect and improve your heart health. This guidebook will help you find out your own risk of heart disease and take steps to prevent it. “But,” you may still be thinking, “I take pretty good care of myself. I'm unlikely to get heart disease.” Yet a recent national survey shows that only 3 percent of U.S. adults practice all of the “Big Four” habits that help to prevent heart disease: eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding smoking. Many young people are also vulnerable. A recent study showed that about two-thirds of teenagers already have at least one risk factor for heart disease. Every risk factor counts. Research shows that each individual risk factor greatly increases the chances of developing heart disease. Moreover, the worse a particular risk factor is, the more likely you are to develop heart disease. For example, if you have high blood pressure, the higher it is, the greater your chances of developing heart disease, including its many serious consequences. A damaged heart can damage your life by interfering with enjoyable activities, preventing you from holding a job, and even keeping you from doing simple things, such as taking a walk or climbing steps. What can you do to reduce your personal risk of heart disease? First, you can learn about your own risk factors. Second, you can begin to make healthful changes in your diet, physical activity, and other daily habits. Whatever your age or current state of health, it's never too late to take steps to protect your heart. It's also never too early. The sooner you act, the better. So use this guidebook to find out more about the state of your heart, and to learn about heart healthy living. Talk with your doctor to get more information. Start taking action to improve your heart health today.

The best-selling author of The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure shows his readers how to incorporate cardiovascular activity in their lives and eat a more healthy diet, increase physical activity, choose the right doctor, and more. Reprint.

Chances are you're reading this book (the National Institutes of Health Publication 06-5270) because you or someone close to you has heart disease. Perhaps your doctor has recently told you that you have a heart condition, and you're looking for information on how to take good care of yourself. Perhaps you've known about your condition for some time and are interested in the latest knowledge on treatment and self-care. Perhaps you've recently had a heart attack or heart surgery and want some guidance on making the best possible recovery. This book will address all of these concerns. It is a step-by-step guide to helping people with heart disease make decisions that will protect and improve their heart health. It will give you information about lifestyle habits, medicines, and other treatments that can lessen your chances of having a heart attack—either a first attack or a repeat one. If you have already had a heart attack or have undergone a heart procedure, you will find guidance on how to recover well, both physically and emotionally. But this book is not just about preventing and treating problems. It is also about how to live well with heart disease. It will help you to make decisions that allow you to live as fully, healthfully, and enjoyably as possible, even as you cope with the demands of your heart condition. As you read this book, you will find that caring for your heart and caring for yourself are deeply intertwined. To find out why and how, read on.