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.

In the tradition of Christiane Northrup, a renowned cardiologist integrates emotional and physical well-being in a revolutionary new approach to women’s heart health. As a cardiologist with a specialization in women’s heart disease, Dr. Steinbaum has helped thousands of patients resolve their heart issues, and aims to do the same for readers in her inspirational book that will change the way we think about heart health. She guides readers through the risk factors of heart disease, from the traditional physical benchmarks like weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure, to lifestyle habits, emotional awareness, and even the way she sees herself in the mirror—and in the world. In Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum’s Heart Book, readers are shown clear, easy steps on how to maximize heart health. This is a life book that will teach women how to regain control over all aspects of their busy lives, including how to finally achieve: A heart-healthy diet Heart-supportive exercise Heart-enhancing stress management Heart-filling relationships A sound night’s sleep A more satisfying sex life A calm, focused mind A deep level of self care And much, much more. Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum's Heart Book strives to bring forth a new approach to heart-centered healing so that readers everywhere may experience a fulfilling life of health and happiness.

An upbeat, instructional guide to the importance of taking care of the heart, this book tells readers everything they need to know about lowering cholesterol, preventing heart attacks, losing weight, and quitting smoking. Charts.