Description:
Heart disease affects almost 25 percent of Americans and causes almost a million deaths per year. Although women fear breast cancer more, only 1 woman in 27 dies from breast cancer, while 1 woman in 2 dies from heart disease. Kudos to James Rippe, M.D., associate professor of cardiology at Boston's Tufts University Medical School and director of the Rippe Health Assessment at Celebration Health and the Center for Lifestyle Research, for making such a serious subject accessible and even entertaining. In the style of the For Dummies books, the information is presented in a lively, simple, conversational manner, with easy-to-follow, skimmable text and helpful checklists. Rippe's main point is that there's plenty you can do to "maximize your cardiac function," reduce your risk of heart disease, and keep your heart working like a well-tuned orchestra. Learn how your heart works, how to keep it strong, and what puts it at risk for disease. Get a "healthy heart lifestyle plan" of nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction--straightforward and easy to implement. Control the four major contributing causes of heart disease: elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, and being overweight. Understand the most common heart conditions and their tests, procedures, and rehabilitation. If you want a healthier heart--and who doesn't?--this is your guide. --Joan Price
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