Product Description
The Essential Atlas of Heart Diseases, 3rd ED has been designed to provide a detailed and comprehensive visual exposition of all aspects of cardiovascular medicine, and should be especially useful to primary care physicians as well as to specialists.The most important images from each volume in the Atlas of Heart Diseases series are included in this book, accompanied by detailed captions written and reviewed by the expert authors and editors. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Coronary Heart Disease," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Coronary Heart Disease in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Coronary Heart Disease when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Coronary Heart Disease, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Biomarkers in Heart Disease is the first title in the AHA Clinical Series and is aimed at meeting the needs of clinicians, providing cardiologists, internists, emergency physicians, laboratorians, and other healthcare providers with a clear understanding of the role of biomarkers in contemporary cardiovascular medicine.

The book covers both the strengths and pitfalls of currently available markers, and provides information on the most promising biomarkers that are likely to impact practice in the next few years. It is divided into four parts, organized around clinical scenarios rather than individual biomarkers.

This book will help the practicing physician decide which biomarkers to measure, when to measure them, how to interpret the results and how to make decisions based on the test result. ... Read more

Product Description
The Cure for Heart Disease, although written in everyday language, is different than every other book exploring the number one killer of Americans. A riveting yet straight forward discussion that challenges public consensus, explains the reasons for the epidemic of heart disease, and provides an easy to follow guide to eliminate heart disease. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

A Very Important Book!
I gave this book only 4 stars, because, although I liked the content, I found the writing style annoying. Apparently it was written for either small children or stupid people. The first 1 1/2 chapters read like one of those internet ads designed to entice you by telling you that, if you do what we say, it will make you thin, or remove your wrinkles, or whatever; Just click here and give them your credit card number. Well, I already bought the book, so don't spend the first 49 pages of the book teasing me. Tell me up front what you're about. That being said, once the book got rolling (around page 52 or so), it got a lot better. Dr. Lundell's science is dead on. And, he is absolutely right about butter, and animal fat being healthy. Virtually all of the information we have suggesting a role for saturated fat in cancer and heart disease is from studies that included trans fat, such as vegetable shortening, lumped in with the rest of the saturated fat. When only naturally occuring saturated fatslike tropical oils and animal fat are used, the results are not the same. If you want to know more about this, look into Dr. Mary Enig's books. Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol or Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats (Yes, I am a Doctor too, but I do not personally know Dr. Enig).
In summary I recommend this book highly. It might be better with a rewrite, but oh well.

Long live Dr. Lundell!
I only hope mainstream medical dogma will listen to him and realize the error in their ways.

I wanted to like this......
But the info is so basic, I've read it many other places before.Nothing new, and not particularly well written.Sorry.

An eye opener
Having had a heartattack in 1989, I have been following the low cholesterol plan for 20 years; i.e. low fat diet, statins, etc. I have always been convinced that my heart attack was due to stress -- I lived a very high stress life, thoughmy friends and I said I managed it beautifully.A book provided by my cardiologist showed me I was managing it terribly.

The book by Dr. Lundell presents convincing evidence that all of the cholesterol talk is virtually irrelevant.I had high cholesterol but it was the stress that got me.My diet was crummy but the problem wasn't the fat -- it was the carbs.

Jim B.

Serious work and recommendations by Dr. Lundell (writing style and lack of organization makes it somewhat difficult to read)
Dr. Lundell is a cardiac surgeon and a scientist with 5,000 cardiac surgeries under his belt. He is trying to get a message, (with a lot of science behind it) out there. While this message has been "out there" for some time, he makes a more specific case in regards to cardiac health and disease and brings his personal experience and perspective to it. In short, he says that inflammation is the main cause of cardiac disease and that our focus should be on that. In order to reduce inflammation he says everyone should:

1.) Consume more essential free fatty acids,particularly omega 3 fatty acids. He states that there are 4,500 articles that come to this conclusion about the benefits of omega 3 and that some countries like Japan have taken this seriously. The main type of omega 3 we need is EPA and DHA and both come from fish and marine algae, and he suggests only using high concentration purified fish oil with atl ealst 500 mg EPA and DHA. You can test it by putting it in the freezer. If it gets cloudy it has too many impurities. Dr. Barry Sears says the same thing (and sells it on his website).

2. Add CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) to your diet. The body cannot synthesize it so you need to get it from dairy products and meat. CLA has shown to be: a significant antioxidant, increases energy, improve insulin sensitivity, anti-inflammatory (a natural Cox 2 inhibitor that may increase the synthesis of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins), reduces the production of cytokines, reduces abdominal fat and preserves muscle mass. It has also been shown to be anti-atherogenic. CLA works better when there is adequate omega 3 in our system and vice versa. The benefit of having both is synergistic.

3. Take a baby aspirin (81 mg) once a day. Studies show benefit against chronic low-grade inflammation (it is a non-steroidal anti-inflammation drug).

4. Consume a lot of anti-oxidants.

5. Lower your sugar and carbohydrate consumption

6. Reduce stress to reduce hormone production by adrenal glands. (Exercise, meditation, reading, taking a drive... whatever works)

7. Eliminate transfats completely, which includes hydrongenated vegetable oil (totally or partially) margarine, commercial baked goods, restaurant fried foods. They interfere with normal metabolism of omega 3. Transfats replace normal fats in the cell wall and interfere with function. Other fats, including animal fats, olive oil and coconut oil are healthful in small quantities.

8. Go on a high protein, low carb, med fat diet, but make sure it is the right fat, like olive oil or coconut oil. He sees sugar and refined carbs as a large cause of inflammation.

9. Lose weight if you need to, quit if you are smoking.

10. Exercise daily. Start slow and don't stop.

11. He recommends lots of vegetables, fruit and protein (meat and dairy is fine) but his emphasis is on avoiding the carbohydrates and the wrong fats.

This advice is for everyone, not just people with coronary disease. Everyone has damage already.

He recommends health screening options so that you know your status, get motivated and stay motivated:

1. Test your CRP (C-reactive protein) The lowest risk is 1.0 or below. Above 3.0 and you are in sig. risk category for coronary disease. You can ask your doctor to measure it. Soon it will become standard because it is a better predictor than LDL.

2. Test your homocysteine levels. High leveles indicate low levels of critical B vitamins esp. B12 adn B9 (folic acid). A lot of vegetarians are low in B12; this could be a bigger risk factor than previously realized.

3. Test your omega 3 index, which measures the amount of omega 3 in the cell walls of your red blood cells. Dr. Lundell offers for you to contact him at his website and he will arrange for it for you as it is not common yet.

4. Have a stress echo and stress nuclear scan performed. You can request these tests.

5. Get a CT or MRI scan of your coronary arteries (MRI is better).

6. Have a carotid ultrasound performed. It is also a surrogate marker for coronary disease. It measures the thickness of your artery wall and the ratio of the intima to the media. It is referred to as CIMT (carotid intimal to medial thickness).

It was a mistake to present this book with the paid writer playing the curmudgeon arguing with Dr. Lundell throughout... I think it got in the way of the material. In my opinion, this book should have been put together with a professional writing style, like most books on disease are nowadays and it should have been organized... it doesn't have an index and takes forever to find something or find if something is missing. Actually, what seemed to be missing was a clear framework or list of what dietary recommendations Dr. Lundell has in mind. He talks about diet, but it is scattered here and there and I had to go over and over it to pick up his points on diet to make sure I understood him.

I don't know if I missed it but I don't think there was anything about CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) supplements. He talked aboutthe importance of CLA and that with a diet of dairy and meat we do get CLA, but he didn't say anything about supplementation. That would be important for vegetarians and vegans. There has been some research on high inflammation in vegetarians, which would have helped to make his case. Actually, it would depend on what they actually ate... probably most vegetarians are on a high-carb low-protein diet (even if they don't think about that way); very few are on a low-carb diet because that would be another restriction of a restricted choice diet... and it would be difficult to be on a vegetarian high-protein diet (that would probably entail consuming 1 1/2 12-ounce blocks of tofu or more per day... which would total 75 gm of protein). I would have been interested in Dr. Lundell's opinions and I believe it would be extremely relevant as a lot of people are leaning towards vegetarianism nowadays for a lot of reasons. As I mentioned before, vegetarians are often B12 deficient which he mentions as another risk in regards to cardiovascular health.

It would have been interesting to know Dr. Lundell's opinion suggested supplements for people with heart disease recommended by Dr. Sinatra, a cardiologist (not a cardiac surgeon).

I think his observations and synthesis of medicine and science in regards to cardiac health and disease are pretty profound and should be taken seriously.
... Read more

Product Description

Not only can you survive with heart disease, you can actually thrive with it -- for many, many years to come.

If you are one of the 61 million Americans diagnosed with heart disease -- whether you've had a heart attack or surgery, or you have high blood pressure or angina -- you can learn how to handle its psychological side effects with the lifesaving strategies in this book.

Acclaimed cardiac psychologist Wayne M. Sotile, Ph.D., reveals what every heart patient needs to know: how you feel about the illness and how you cope with it can determine how fully you recover. Dr. Sotile teaches you how to achieve emotional well-being over the four basic stages of recovery, during which you and your family learn to accept the disease, grasp what's involved in treatment and recovery, and learn to work together as a team. You will also learn to create and adapt to a "new normal" way of life and make a commitment to living with the illness, not in spite of it.

Written with reassuring warmth, sensitivity, and humor, Thriving with Heart Disease is your guide to creating the robust, healthy life you were meant to lead, surrounded by the people you love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great book
I found this book very interesting and helpful. I recommend it to anyone who has or lives with someone who has heart disease.
SJR

Thriving with Heart Disease
Awesome buy. Answers any question you might have regarding your heart health. I work in an outpatient cardiac rehab dept and we give these books to our patients.

great resource
I work in a busy cardiac rehab and highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with their recovery from a heart event. It offers simple explanations of what is normal and when to seek help. Suitable for both professionals and lay people. ... Read more

Product Description
Save your heart from disease, attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and the dangers of angioplasty, bypass, and other invasive surgeries--12 top physicians explain their proven, safe nontoxic, and successful heart-saving treatments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

informative
I FOUND THIS BOOK VERY IMFORMATIVE. ITS WRIITEN IN LAYMANS TERMS SO ITS NOT HARD TO UNDERSTAND. THE BOOK CAME INEXCELLENT CODITION FOR BEING USED.

This is THE book to buy on heart disease
If you have high blood pressure or just want to stay alive, buy this book.This is by far the most informative book on the market about heart health.

I bought this book after my dad had a stroke and it helped me to understand why strokes happen and how to prevent them.Everything about heart health is covered.The book includes scientific studies about which supplements to take and which to avoid.

Included is info on oral chelation.Chelation will help to strip the plaque from your arteries.This can be done with a special diet and supplements.

Heart disease is the number one killer in America.You can drop your blood pressure with Co Q 10 and grape seed extract (Tru OPC's).This is all in the book.

Do you take drugs for your high blood pressure?You are increasing your risk for cancer if they are calcium channel blockers!Read the book for the research study info.

A Book Ahead of it's Time
If you or a loved one suffers from heart disease, you absolutely must read this book! It gives you the facts your doctor won't tell you (because it may keep them from making $ from performing danergous & unnecessarysurgery on you). It also tells you how to use natural & far safermethods for taking control of your health.

If you or a loved one hasheart disease, NOT reading this book may be a fatal mistake!

Must reading if you have heart disease...
If you have heart disease, or are at high risk for getting it, then this book is must reading for you. I found it quite by accident in a book store in New England, but it has changed my whole outlook on heart disease and myhope of returning to a normal life following a quadruple bypass operationin January of this year. In chapter after chapter you learn of ways tocontrol, or even reverse, the progression of the disease. The chapter ofVitamins tells of the vital role of antioxidants, a role that is only nowbeing confirmed and used by the established medical community. The chapteronIV EDTA Chelation therapy will astound you with it's implications. Ihave read it from cover to cover and find it totally fascinating. I highlyrecommend it to anyone who has an interest in this subject. ... Read more

Product Description

This book provides a unique contemporary and succinct distillation of the current status of recently delineated electrical diseases of the heart, emphasizing their common and diverse clinical features. The latest developments in the field of experimental and clinical cardiac electrophysiology, genetics, pharmacology and interventional therapies of various clinical arrhythmogenic entities are featured and discussed in terms of recent advances in basic and clinical science. The book is divided into seven major parts. Each part consists of chapters (total of 64) dealing with related topics.

Product Description
My Heart vs. the Real World is a photo documentary volume that explores the lives of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) through striking black-and-white photographs and interviews with subjects and their families. Ten chapters each spotlight a single child and in an additional chapter, the author writes about his own experience of growing up and living with CHD. The images and personal accounts reveal how, compared with someone healthy, a chronically ill child develops adult attitudes in a much different way. These are stories of how CHD patients and their families cope with and overcome extraordinary obstacles and learn about themselves during the process. My Heart vs. the Real World is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always thought-provoking, and altogether human. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Max gets it!...and portrays it beautifully.
There's fair amount out there now written by and for medical doctors &/or parents about kids with congenital heart defects, but what has been really lacking are children, teen and adult survivors of congenital heart defects telling *their own stories* in dynamic, professional & relevant ways.

As a professional photographer out of L.A., Max does an amazing job of letting his subjects be, getting to know them and telling their stories - not to mention taking fantastic pictures of them.This book takes on a new meaning though when he turns the lens on himself and gives himself, also a congenital heart defect survivor, the same treatment.

This is a view into the lives of congenital heart defect survivors that no doctor or even parent could put together - it is truly done *about* congenital heart defect survivors *by* congenital heart defect survivors.

A must read for anyone who would like to know more about what America's #1 type of birth defect does to the lives of some of it's estimated 2 million survivors - how we live our lives because of and despite our defects.

...From one survivor to another, thank you to everyone involved in this project & everyone who takes the time to read this amazing book with it's -as yet- very unique perspective.

Brilliant. A must have for CHD moms and dads.
This book has touched my life more than any other book I've ever read.

As a heart-mom to a 4 month old with CHD (TOF with Pulmonary Atresia), I have been keeping myself as informed and educated as possible on heart defects (what they are, what to expect, etc). With that said, CHD websites and medical textbooks can never capture what Max Gerber captured in this excellent written and utterly moving book (and I have researched a lot of websites!)

I could not put this book down. I was moved to tears at several intervals, and I felt as though my eyes were opened to what my child will face in the future. The author brilliantly illustrates the mind frames of children who live with CHD; their hopes and angst, and acceptance of their fate.The children portrayed in the book are so honest and selfless it is sincerely humbling. As soon as I finished reading it, I immediately began to read it again. I will also keep it on my coffee table, I want everyone I know to read this book to understand what it is like to be a heart-mom or to be a child living with CHD. I appreciated seeing the world of CHD from the patient's point of view. Truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

Kudos to the author for taking on this project and accomplishing this wonderful mission. Your book has touched my life more than I can express.Also, thank you to Amazon.com for recommending this book based on a search for another book on CHD.

I recommend this book: TWO THUMBS UP!

Incredible book
I loved this book. I smiled and cried at the touching photos and stories featured in this book. The photography is incredible and you can feel the emotion in the photographs. The stories are inspirational, told both from a child's view and a parents view of the struggles these children have faced in their childhood. As the mother of a young child who also was born with heart defects, I found great hope, faith, and inspiration within the pages of this book.

The stories and photographs are so captivating I could hardly put it down until I had read the story of each child,and when I finished, I started it all over again, to look more closely at the photographs and the stories they tell all on their own...this book is a must buy, especially for anyone who's child faces a chronic illness, such as congential heart disease. I am so thankful to the author, Max s. Gerber for giving this fight a voice.

Fantastic Book
As a mom of a baby with a chd (double outlet right ventricle, slightly hypopastic right ventricle, pulmonary atresia, and vsd) it is encouraging to read others life journeys with heart disease.

As a photographer myself, viewing Max's work is a real treat. Beautiful images, very strong portraits.

Thank you Max for taking on this project, this will always be on our coffee table for guests to see. And will be a gift for the waiting room at our hospital.

"Heartfelt" thanks for a wonderful book
Max Gerber's book has filled a space for many in highlighting and even celebrating people growing up with heart defects.It helped remind my son that he's not alone in his experience, well worth having ... Read more

Product Description

• Evaluates the natural history of congenital heart lesions as a background to finding out if and how much treatment has improved outcomes
  
• Introduces and defines lesions, providing general information about its frequency, familial or syndromic associations, and associated congenital heart lesions
  
• Provides sections on pathological anatomy and physiology – important in determining outcomes
  
• Includes results of surgery, both in terms of survival and also in terms of event-free survival, that is, survival free of reoperation, cardiac failure, arrhythmias, and other late complications that are often seen
  
• Helps cardiologists and cardiac surgeons understand what is likely to happen to patients with or without treatment, and which forms of treatment currently in use provide the best outcomes to date

Customer Reviews (1)

Have A Heart!
This book is an incredibly accurate medical description of the heart and its works regarding both its successes and failures. It is not only humorous but also very learned and deep.Carter is a wizard with words, their origins and significant meanings.This book could have been written by a poet/doctor such as William Carlos Williams.
The only time I thought he was over the top was his comparision of rodeo clowns to doctors.Not quite fair to rodeo clowns.
Dr.Tom White
Milton, MA ... Read more

Product Description
Since the American Heart Association published its first cookbook in 1973, dozens of health and diet trends have come and gone. Throughout this time, the Association, the foremost authority on heart health, has set the standard for nutritious eating. With millions of copies already in print, the Association’s flagship cookbook, The New American Heart Association Cookbook, is back—and better than ever. In today’s climate of confusing and often contradictory dietary trends, the American Heart Association once again rises above the fray and presents credible, easy-to-understand information about maintaining a healthy heart—and delicious recipes that make it simple to follow that advice at every meal.

The more than 600 recipes, including 150 new ones, follow the American Heart Association’s guidelines for healthy eating and make The New American Heart Association Cookbook, Seventh Edition a welcome addition to the cookbook world. Whether you crave classic family favorites, ethnic dishes, vegetarian entrées, or the most varied, cutting-edge recipes, you’ll find plenty of options. Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Greek-Style Beef Skillet Supper, and Grilled Vegetable Pizza with Herbs and Cheese are just a few examples of the up-to-date, exciting, and flavorful choices inside.

The New American Heart Association Cookbook, Seventh Edition can even help with menu planning, holiday cooking, and shopping for healthful ingredients. With the latest information about the connection between good food and good health, emphasizing variety, balance, and common sense, The New American Heart Association Cookbook, Seventh Edition is the ultimate healthy-heart cookbook.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review
This 25th-anniversary edition of the classic, bestsellingcookbook contains 600 heart-healthy recipes, 150 of thembrand-new. The book has been updated to reflect the use of nonfat andlow-fat ingredients that didn't exist just a few years ago. Recipesinclude appetizers, snacks, beverages, soups, salads, entrées(seafood, poultry, meat, vegetarian), vegetables, side dishes, sauces,breads, breakfasts, and, of course, desserts. Many are healthierversions of old favorites--such as Eggplant Parmesan, Chicken à laKing, Sweet and Sour Pork, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Devil's FoodCake, and Chocolate Chip Cookies--with some new entries that reflectmodern eating trends, like Portobello Mushroom Wrap with Yogurt CurrySauce, Pad Thai, Curried Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Almonds,and Artichoke and Chick-Pea Pilaf. Whether you want a quick meal, anutritious dinner the whole family will enjoy, or a festive entrée toimpress guests, this book has an array of choices.

Most recipesreflect AHA guidelines: no more than 30 percent total fat, 8 to 10percent saturated fat, less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol perday; plenty of vegetables and grains; and moderate sugar and sodium. Somerecipes are higher in fat, but you balance those with lower-fatrecipes on other days of the week. Nutritional information includescalories, protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol, fat (total, saturated,polyunsaturated, monounsaturated), fiber, and sodium. --JoanPrice ... Read more

Customer Reviews (57)

too long delivery
I ordered my book May 26 and it's now June 26 and I'm still waiting for it to arrive. This is ridiculous!

I love this book already!
And I haven't even made anything out of it yet.
It has a wealth of recipes and valuable information in it.
One thing we enjoy is Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and there is a recipe for it in there. And it shows that 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt ads only 48 mg of sodium. (Page 14)
I'm on a 2000 mg sodium restriction. I shoot for half of that. So seeing up front what my numbers will be is important to me.
As I browse this book, I find a wealth of taste tempting dishes I am sure the Family will enjoy and not even know it's actually healthy for them!
I'm certainly looking forward to fixing up some tasty dishes from American Heart Association Cookbook.
As a new heart patient, I am thankful to find this cookbook to help me enjoy the road to a healthier heart!
It's amazing the variety of tasty things I can make and enjoy knowing they will be good for me, and my loved ones.

My only wish is that it came in a ring or spiral bound hard cover edition so it would set well in my counter top cookbook easel my wife got for me.
Then... it would be perfect!

Sonny Edmonds

just okay
We purchased this cookbook based on other reviews and the recipes we've tried have all been tasty, but if the book is available in another format (larger, with pictures, different binding, etc.) it would be significantly easier to use.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be bland
This cook book is amazingly good.I'm not much of a cook so I had to buy a lot of new spices.All of the recipes I have tried so far are wonderful!I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone that loves food, but wants to eat healthy.It proves that eating healthy doesn't have to be boring and bland.

Wonderfully delicious recipes and healthy to boot!
When this book arrived, I spent hours looking through it and noting recipes I wanted to try.I collect cookbooks and love to cook, but unfortunately most of my recipes are not heart (or body) healthy. That's why I am so enthralled with this one.The recipes I've tried so far are fantastic. Now I can cook to my heart's delight and for my heart's health at the same time. ... Read more

Product Description
Less than one hundred years ago, heart disease was an extremely rare disease. Today it kills more people in the developed world than all other causes of death combined. Despite the vast financial resources spent on finding a cure for heart disease, the current medical approaches remain mainly symptom-oriented and do not address the underlying causes.

Even worse, there is overwhelming evidence to show that the treatment of presumed heart disease precursors, such as high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and high cholesterol, actually prevents a real cure and can easily lead to chronic heart failure. The patient's heart may still beat, but not strong enough to feel vital and alive.

Heart Disease No More, excerpted from the author's best-selling Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation, provides you with the practical insights about how heart disease develops, what causes it and what you can do to prevent it, regardless of possible genetic predisposition. ... Read more

Product Description
Though still the leading cause of death, coronary heart disease is now killing half as many people in the U.S. as in the 1960s, partly because of innovative treatments like bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and thrombolytic drugs. This book tells the stories of the bold researchers who developed such treatments and explores the tough ethical questions raised by the big money being made in modern cardiology.

Klaidman shows how clinicians, engineers, and entrepreneurs have devised radically new ways to treat a diseased heart. He examines the startling extent to which financial ambition has shaped the dynamics of cardiology--now a multi-billion dollar medical/academic/industrial/governmental hybrid--and the inevitable conflicts of interest such ambition creates. Can a patient's needs come first when market share and profits skew the focus away from medical prudence? Can clinical trials be both free of bias and fast enough to keep up with the flood of new drugs and high-tech devices? Klaidman tackles these questions using real cases, often in the context of wrenching bedside decisions.

Immensely readable and packed with vivid detail, Saving the Heart explores the past, present and swiftly developing future of a high-stakes medical specialty. And it weaves into the fast moving narrative advice on how to make the right treatment choices and identify the best cardiologists and surgeons. If you are one of the 14 million Americans who suffers from coronary disease, Saving the Heart could save your life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good read, but...
I am a medical student/researcher with plans to become a cardiac surgeon or cardiologist.I enjoyed learning some of the history of the Cleveland Clinic and am personally involved in some of the new developments that the author mentioned in the last chapter.My only problem is that the book was not representative of american cardiology or cardiac surgery as a whole.It seems that the author did all of his research in Ohio and the Northeast, whereas significant advances have taken place in other parts of the country (U. of Alabama, Mayo, Texas Medical Center).Two of the most famous cardiac surgeons the world has known - Michael Debakey and Denton Cooley were only mentioned in a few short sentences.The reader gets the impression that some less important surgeons (that happen to work at the Cleveland Clinic) invented cardiac bypass surgery when it was actually the work of hundreds.In the last chapter, the author mentions a technique called OCT.Yes, this technique shows promise (I work with it) but it was only mentioned because someone at Harvard is working on it.I can think of 10 examples of techniques that show as much promise.I wish writers that wanted to tell the world about American medicine would search all of America before they sat down to write. In sum, it was readable but had some holes that made me feel incomplete after I read it.

HEARTily recommended
Stephen Klaidman has provided us with a very interesting, easy reading book that I recommend to anyone who has a heart condition or is interested in the subject.The major portion of the book discloses chronologically how heart conditions were treated from its earliest practitioners to thepresent day.Biographical sketches of medical developers, practitioners,entrepreneurs, etc. provide human interest to the emerging history.

Allmajor surgical developments, most of which occurred in the twentiethcentury, are explained in detail. The struggles of medical pioneers to gainacceptance of what at the time were radical innovations are amply explored.Among these innovations are angiography (imaging technology), heart-lungmachine, coronary bypass surgery (with and without the heart-lung machine),angioplasty, and minimally invasive bypass surgery.

Hi-tech heartsurgery-an extremely complex and difficult subject-is explained for thelayman to understand. The benefits and problems of each of the currentprocedures are explained.

Klaidman explores hi-tech surgical instruments,a highly profitable multi-billion dollar business. His biographicalprofiles of some developers (doctor-engineer-inventors) and entrepreneursdisclose how the competitive race of developers to market first and therivalry of entrepreneurs for market share may be detrimental to the bestinterests of patients.

None of the many present sophisticated treatmentsprovide a cure!They just alleviate symptoms. The pioneers of today aresearching for cures. Their approaches are described and are not onlyfascinating but also innovative.

The final chapter discusses the ethicalquestions raised by our current medical system:conflicts of interestbetween practitioners with financial stakes in various treatments;competition between advocates of various treatment options; competitionbetween various surgical equipment manufacturers for market share; thepressure to reduce costs by HMOs; etc.

If there is one fault to the book,it is that the title "Saving the Heart: The Battle to Conquer CoronaryDisease" led me to believe that it would be more comprehensive. Thedrugs-nitroglycerin, Coumadin, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers,statins--were mentioned only as they pertained to a topic then beingexplored, not in the detail the surgical treatments were given. Not evenmentioned are life style changes--diet, exercise and meditation--that DeanOrnish has proposed.A book on these topics written as well as this onewould definitely be welcomed.

But for what this book does it does it sowell a five star rating is most appropriate. ... Read more

Product Description
This exploration of Islamic spirituality delves into the psychological diseases and cures of the heart. Diseases examined include miserliness, envy, hatred, treachery, rancor, malice, ostentation, arrogance, covetousness, lust, and other afflictions that assail people and often control them. The causes and practical cures of these diseases are discussed, offering a penetrating glimpse into how Islam deals with spiritual and psychological problems and demonstrating how all people can benefit from these teachings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

AMAZING! AMAZING BOOK
out of all the books I have read. This is my most favorite one. A library is not even close to complete without this master piece.

Amazing
This book is a must read for any muslim or nonmuslim wishing to purify themselves from all the things that can afflict the human heart.It's such a deep, rich book full of practical advice for each heart ailment.Once you finish reading the book, you will want to read it again and again.And you will want to keep it for a handy reference.

Mohammad Sadegh
The Purification of the Heart is a must read for all.

The book begins by introducingthe concept that our hearts are the light by which we can 'see' and therefore it is our hearts which we use to discern between truth from falsehood and right from wrong. It follows that the healthier or more purified our hearts become the brighter the light and the more we are able to see the reality of this life, whilst the more diseased or impure our hearts become the more indiscernible truth and falsehood become until we are completely are blind and have no senses towards good and evil. We are taught that the purification of the heart is achieved by trust in God, and doing good deeds for His Pleasure, whilst the heart becomes more diseased as we disbelieve and/or disobey God (i.e. sin). Some noteworthy Ayahs of the Quran are:

As a day [i.e. Day of Judgment] in which neither wealth nor children shall be of any benefit [to anyone], except one who comes to God with a sound [or pure] heart. (Surah 26 Ayat 88-89)

Have they not travelled in the land, and have they hearts with which to feel and ears with which to hear? for indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that grow blind.
(Surah 22 Ayat 46)

That He (God) may make that which the Devil promises a temptation for those in those whose hearts is a disease, and those whose hearts are hardened - LO! the evildoers are in open shism. (Surah 22 Ayat 53).

Following the Introduction the book proceeds to the main text which details the spiritual diseases of the heart that humans can suffer from and how to treat and cure them. This section is a based on a poem written by the scholar Imam al-Mawlud on this topic of purification of the heart, and Hamza Yusuf thoughtfully translates and explains in detail this poem for all to understand. I found this section to also be very educational about many areas of Islam and life other than the immediate topic of self-purification.

The only thing in the text that I objected to was something written on page 108, where Hamza Yusuf tries to explain the events that followed the murder of Uthman the third ruler after the Prophet Mohammad (SAW). In his explanation of this Hamza Yusuf writes:

"Muslims, however, maintain a good opinion of Muawiya, contrary to the Shiites."

Although I don't believe Hamza Yusuf intended for this, the passage could perhaps be taken as been sectarian. As it could be seen that Hamza Yusuf calls Shiites to be separate from Muslims. Sectarianism itself is a disease of the heart and goes against the Quran and the Prophetic teachings. This passage should be clarified, and preferably the passage should read that "some Muslims have a good opinion of Muawiya, whilst other Muslims are sceptical of his intentions". the Use of labels of Sunni or Shiite is sectarian and are both innovations (as no one at the time of the Prophet used these labels).There are only Muslims and non-Muslims.

The book ends with three Appendices, which are added gifts to finish the book. The first is about techniques we can use in our quest of constant Remembrance of God, The second about The Holy month of Ramadan and its significance in self-purification and the third a small extract of advise by a 15th century scholar about how we can achieve self-purification.

5 Stars!

simply beautiful
sheikh hamza yusuf is one of the few islamic scholars that has chosen to go into a deeper meaning of everything in the quran and islam in general...he can be thought of as having a little bit of sufi perspective on things.....he has chosen to point out the things in the messages that other scholars dont seem to grasp.....lovely book will help u learn a lot that perhaps u never understood before about islam.....beautiful book translated into english.....makes me think what else am i missing that still hasnt been translated into english for us....extremely recoomended book

Great Book
It's a great book with a good tone (the author doesn't talk down).Provides some good insight to the way people behave, and how to avoid that behavior or improve oneself. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the first single authored textbook covering the complete spectrum of surgical management of congenital heart disease. The author, Dr. Richard Jonas, is the Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at Children's Hospital Boston and the fourth William E Ladd Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Management of congenital heart disease today requires a collaborative effort by a large healthcare team including congenital cardiac surgeons but also pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiac intensivists, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists, perfusion and respiratory technicians and pediatric nurses. All of these individuals need to have a clear understanding of the surgical manipulations that take place in the operating room. This textbook provides beautifully illustrations that clearly depict even the most complex procedures. But this book is much more than an operative atlas. It presents evidence-based medicine that provides numerous scientific citations which explain not only how an operation should be done but in addition when and why it should be done and the outcomes of these interventions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

comprehensive surgical management of congenital heart disease
The book has great pictures to demonstrates the surgical anatomy of complex congintal heart disease! Great book and very helpful

Great Reference!!!!!
I have truly enjoyed the Jonas book.I work in cardiac Pedi surgery and have needed a detailed reference geared toward Perfusionists and the Jonas book truly hit the mark.

Boston Souvenir
I found this book very intuitive, illustrations are wonderful, the author insights are exceptional. Although, I'm not a surgeon, this is still very good book for the anesthesiologist to understand the surgical perspective.
When I miss people and everything at Children Hospital-Boston. I get it all back again reading a chapter ,any chapter. It's so sentimental.

Congenital heart surgery
This is a well done book. Useful to get basic knowledge from young surgeons. I liked it and it satisfate my expectaions. ... Read more

Product Description
This easy-to-use guide shows how to effectively manage cardiovascular health, with information on diet and lifestyle, as well as suggestions for better communication with one's physician. 41 tables. 61 color illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great information and suggestions for living healthy.
A lot of information about the heart and how it works. How to strengthen it and live a healthy life. Exercises and dietary info was very helpful.

Geat Book
This is a Great Book. I wish all doctors read it. They are focus on stress test and agiograms

Great Book for those interested in Diet to prevent heart disease.
Great Book for those interested in Diet to prevent heart disease.
It inspired me to loose weight. It may help to reverse coronary disease.It is worthy the money!

how to heal your heart
I found the information very helpful and my doctor agreed with the new approach to caring for my heart that I had taken from the book.

You cannot start to young to protect your heart and the arteries.I have had one heart attack andMr. Holmes at,
Scott and White hospital in temple texas, recommended this book.He is the supervisor in the cardiology department.
He was right very good information.

eva rogers

Amazing technological advance in heart "scanning" enables non-invasive diagnosis and treatment of heart disease!
After reading this book and (for the first time) understanding heart disease, I traveled to Houston to meet Professor Gould to undergo his non-invasive tests and to receive his diagnosis. It took less than an hour to have several CAT Scans and two PET Scans. After re-dressing,I entered Dr. Gould's office where he showed me (on his computer) three dimensional images of my heart, color-coded to indicate blood-flow, the most important indicator of a heart's/arterial system's health. In addition, there were images of arteries and 'calcification' therein. For the first time (in 75 years), I understood fully a complicated diagnosis, and the reasons for the (non-invasive) treatment recommended .
This book should be read by anyone who is worried about heart disease (for themselves or family/friends). And it should be read BEFORE contemplating invasive procedures, such as 'by-passes', 'angio-plasty", "stents" and other surgery. These "cures" may be unnecessary and more dangerous than the heart disease itself. --( Though profitable to surgeons.) ... Read more

Product Description
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is an enormous health problem in the developed world. It is the commonest cause of death worldwide, and GPs and nurse practitioners have a vital role to play in diagnosis, management and risk reduction. In the popular Q and A format of the Your Questions Answered series, this book provides succinct, expert information on CHD. Although aimed mainly at the primary care practitioner, it also addresses many questions asked about CHD by other physicians, practice and community nurses, medical students and trainees, and indeed patients. With an emphasis on evidence-based, up-to-date knowledge, the authors discus all aspects of this serious condition, including relative risk factors; the role of lifestyle in both prevention strategies and management; and the use of drug therapies, including ACE inhibitors and statins. Some frequently asked patient questions, in non-medical language, are included, and there is a list of sources of further information and patient s * Popular question-and-answer format * Covers both commonplace and rarer issues * Includes information on other types of headache * Lists useful websites, associations, patient resources * Sections on patient's frequently asked questions ... Read more

Product Description
What are subclass A and subclass B—and what do they mean for your heart health? In The Heart Disease Breakthrough you'll find out it's not just your cholesterol count that matters. . . .

You can prevent heart disease, but what you have to know and do to achieve such safety is dependent on your individual mix of risk factors. You have to know what your risk factors are and what you can do to reduce their power over your life. That's what The Heart Disease Breakthrough will tell you, and it can make the difference between healthy longevity or early death from heart disease. This book presents for the very first time the newest, cutting-edge information now being taught to doctors; it is information essential to anyone interested in preventing a heart attack or recovering from one.—from The Heart Disease Breakthrough by Thomas Yannios, M.D.

You may think you already know everything there is to know about preventing heart disease. You count your total cholesterol, monitor your fat and sodium intake, and even do some moderate exercise each week. But consider these alarming facts: Many people who have heart attacks have cholesterol counts under 200. Low-fat diets can actually raise the heart attack risk in some people. And heart disease begins its onslaught on the body in childhood. But you can do something about it—and this book shows how.

Your true heart disease risk factors include far more than a simple total cholesterol test. New research has made substantial progress in unlocking the secret code of heart disease. The real risks are a combination of factors that you—and even your doctor—may never have heard of. Your risks are determined not only by how much cholesterol has accumulated in your bloodstream but by how big and sticky each particle of cholesterol is, your LDL subclass (A or B), and the levels of homocysteine and fibrinogen in your body. Your family heart health history provides the background for all these factors.

The Heart Disease Breakthrough is the first book to bring this array of startling new findings to lay readers. Packed with surprising, often alarming information and case studies of patients, it combines state-of-the-art medical research and the science behind the latest breakthroughs with a straightforward 10-step program to attain optimum heart health. Dr. Thomas Yannios walks you through the process of determining each of your risk factors and formulating a customized action plan.

The Heart Disease Breakthrough will inform you of the wide range of new medical tests that are available and what you need to do to counteract your individual risk factors. Filled with research-based information revealing everything from the nutritional pros and cons of everyday foods to the benefits (or ineffectiveness) of certain kinds of exercise, The Heart Disease Breakthrough gives you and your loved ones immediate access to the latest groundbreaking research. This is a book that can save your life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Low Fat Diet Not for Everyone
15% of the population could be harmed by low-fat diets and unless you like playing Russian roulette with your life, you should find out if you're one of them (it requires a specific type of cholesterol test). This book is backed up by scientific studies and goes into relevant details of different types of cholesterol particles. It does take some effort to extract the infomation that is spread throughout the book but it is well within reach of most readers and well worth the effort.

I've read a number of books on preventing heart disease and this one is reccomended because it gives extremely important information you will not find in magazine articles, brochures, or other books. It goes into excellent detail on diet and exercise. The only reason why I think these facts aren't better known is that the extra complexity would confuse some people and cause a few to not to adopt low fat diets which is beneficial to most people.

The first book to tell the lipoprotein story
Despite the broad awareness of cholesterol issues in the U.S., heart disease is rampant. A good part of the reason is that many people have causes for heart disease beyond cholesterol. Dr. Yannios has written the first book for the public that makes the complex issue of lipoprotein testing understandable for the average person. Lipoprotein testing fills in the huge gaps left by cholesterol, identifying risk for heart disease even in people with low or normal cholesterols. Dr Yannios talks about how shockingly often people who've suffered heart attacks (an often fatal event!) are told by their doctors that no cause can be identified, or that the causes are genetic and therefore untreatable. Absolute nonsense! Dr. Yannios tells us why.

No fluff in this book.
Just intensely interesting and highly informative material that is presented perfectly. This information will motivate you to make the changes in your life necessary for good health - and not through "scare tactics".

It's difficult for me to comprehend how anyone who reads this book can come away with a negative opinion that results in a bad review.

I only wish that I had come into possession of this knowledge at an earlier date.

Some good stuff, some risky advice
It is encouraging that Dr. Yannios rejects many of the conventional (and incorrect) approaches to heart disease prevention.There have been no studies that conclusively link high blood cholesterol, high dietary cholesterol, high dietary fat, or high blood triglycerides to heart disease.(For more on this, see Dr. Uffe Ravnskov's excellent book "The Cholesterol Myths.")I was pleased particularly pleased to see him mention that many people who have heart disease have normal cholesterol.In fact, nearly half of the patients in the Framingham heart study who died of coronary disease had blood cholesterol under 220!

I am, however, concerned that Dr. Yannios seems to be so concerned with atherosclerosis as a cause of heart disease.As Dr. Ravnsknov's book shows, there is no evidence that atherosclerosis causes heart disease, nor is there any evidence that high blood cholesterol causes atherosclerosis.And without that evidence, it is plainly risky to treat otherwise healthy patients with expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs that may have serious short- and long-term side effects, simply because they have preatherosclerotic streaks in their arteries.Even fetuses have such streaks.Should we give newborns cholesterol lowering drugs?If so, I am going to go sink all my money into pharmaceutical stocks.

I say, read this book, but read it skeptically.Do not go out and ask your doctor to prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs for you, especially if your cholesterol is normal.Go to a good library and read the journal articles on cholesterol and heart disease yourself, including the numbers.(Summaries can and do lie!)Read the clinical trials of cholesterol lowering drugs to discover the side effects of these drugs, and ask yourself whether, if you are currently healthy, you want to live a life riddled with those side effects in the name of your "health."Read a book on statistics so you'll understand what is and is not statitistically significant.And read "The Cholesterol Myths."

Have an MI, then BUY THIS BOOK
I had an MI at the age of 36 (ouch).Since then I've tried to keep up to date on all the real, important research about heart disease causes and prevention.Trust me, you don't want to have a *second* MI.

This book takes all the important stuff you need to know and gives it to you in a form you can understand.Better than that, you can take *action*.Action that is tailored to *YOU*.

Both my GP and my Cardiologist knew less about all the risk factors than I did.We did the super-low-fat diet thing and they wanted to treat my lipids with *only* statins.This book has helped me educate them and given me what I need to advocate for myself.I'm know doing everything I can for my *specific* risk factors.

My diet is now low in carbohydrate.My doctors, of course had put me on an ultra-low-fat diet, which, for me (and for 25% of the U.S. population), was *exactly the wrong thing*.When I went on a high-protein, low carb, moderate fat diet my lipids ***greatly*** improved (oh yah and I lost 30 pounds).

Given my lipids, I know now that Niacin *and* statins are the right choice for my profile (I had an LDL-GGE test recommended in the book).

Hey I just had a thought...maybe *you* should buy this book *before* you have an MI... ... Read more

Product Description
Univ. of Glasgow, UK. Describes the practice of surgical management of coronary artery disease, featuring presentation, natural history, and medical therapies. Provides detail in the methods of patient investigation and selection and discusses the role of nuclear imaging and MRI. Also offers operative surgical techniques in detail. Previous edition: c1986. ... Read more