Best Practices for a Healthy Heart: How to Stop Heart Disease Before or After It Starts

by Sarah Samaan MD

Overview

A cardiologist offers seven simple steps to reduce the risk of heart attack, dementia, stroke, and other ailments.
 
It’s all too easy to neglect our cardiovascular health until it’s too late. But even if you already have a cardiac diagnosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or a family history of heart disease, there are things you can do to improve your odds for a long, happy life. Board-certified cardiologist Dr. Sarah Samaan has treated thousands of patients and tirelessly kept pace with the latest research—and now, she condenses her best advice into this guide for cardio care, explaining how to:
 

• Take charge of your “numbers”—your weight, cholesterol, heart rate, and blood pressure
• Make heart-smart choices about food, exercise, and stress
• Work with your doctor to design the right treatment for you
• Tell which supplements and alternative therapies really make a difference
• Avoid vices that will harm your heart

 
Put these best practices into action today, and you can decrease your risk of disease and dependence on medication, experience a wealth of positive “side effects” (from a smaller waistline to a happier outlook), and get closer to optimal heart health.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615191475
Publisher:	The Experiment
Publication date:	05/15/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	825,271
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Sarah Samaan, MD, FACC, a Vanderbilt University Medical School graduate, is a board-certified cardiologist with additional board certifications in echocardiography and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Samaan practices cardiology full-time, caring for patients with a wide range of cardiovascular conditions. For the past six years, Texas Monthly magazine has named Dr. Samaan a “Texas Super Doctor.” She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and was listed as one of “America’s Top Physicians” by Consumers’ Research Council of America. In 2005, she was profiled in Medicine Men, a book celebrating notable Texas physicians.

Dr. Samaan practices cardiology at Legacy Heart Center in Plano, Texas, and at the Baylor Heart Hospital, where she is codirector of the Women’s Cardiovascular Institute.

Table of Contents

Preface: Why I Wrote This Book ix

Introduction xiii

Step 1 Take Charge of Your Numbers 1

1 What You Need to Know and Why You Should Care 2

2 Overweight: What's the Big Deal? 12

3 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Understanding Cholesterol and Your Lipid Profile 26

Step 2 Eat Well to Live Better 43

4 Diet: Why You Really Are What You Eat 44

5 The Truth About the Wonder Foods 80

6 The Evildoers: Fact or Fiction? 97

7 The Battle of the Diets 107

8 The Big Fake-Out: The Skinny on Sweeteners and Other Food Fakes 129

Step 3 Learn How to Take a Break (Without Checking Out) 137

9 Rituals, Vices, and Addictions, Oh My! The Truth About Caffeine, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Recreational Drugs 138

Step 4 Get a Move on 161

10 Exercise and the Active Lifestyle 163

Step 5 Use Your Common Sense 173

11 Mother Knows Best-Are You Listening? 174

12 Attitude and Stress: Don t Let It Break Your Heart 187

Step 6 Know Your Options 301

13 The Power of Preventive Medicine: Managing Risk, Preventing Consequences 303

14 Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Heart 247

15 Supplements and Herbs 272

16 Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Hope, Hype, or Healing? 312

Step 7 Be Hip To Your Hormones 317

17 Smart Talk About Hormones 319

18 Kids Have a Heart, Too 336

Afterword: Power Up Your Life 344

Appendix 346

Glossary 351

References 354

Acknowledgments 356

Index 357

About the Author 368

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“She efficiently tackles complex subjects (e.g., stress, alternative therapies, and childhood risks) as well as myths contributing to the epidemic of deaths each year from heart attacks. . . . [H]er passion is evident in the real-life stories she relates, and readers will be drawn by her personal commitment, fueled by the loss of many family members, to conquer a largely preventable disease.”
—Publishers Weekly

“An inspiring, well-informed call to make ‘heart-loving’ lifestyle changes. As Samaan notes, a whopping 85 percent of cardiovascular disease is preventable.”
—Booklist Online

“Written in the same personable, conversational style that undoubtedly contributed to [Dr. Samaan’s] being named a ‘Texas Super Doctor’ by peers six years in a row . . . Best Practices for a Healthy Heart is a valuable, comprehensive guide for anyone looking to better understand or prevent heart disease and live a longer, healthier life.”
—ForeWord Reviews

“Wonderfully comprehensive . . . Dr. Samaan’s achievement in terms of the detail and scope of her book is very impressive. While this book touches on all aspects of cardiovascular disease it does so in an easily readable and understandable style for the lay person and yet it has value for the professional.”
—Gerald C. Timmis, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

“Dr. Samaan attacks the myths and hype around cardiovascular health and lays out the fundamentals in an easy-to-digest format. Her seven steps are clear, straightforward, and supported by scientific data, as well as her own personal experiences as a cardiologist. This book provides the best up-to-date information on cardiovascular disease prevention.”
—Michael Crawford, MD, FACC, Chief of Clinical Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco

“As a fellow physician, I see too often that many people neither heed subtle warning signs of pending heart disease nor realize they can take a proactive role toward improving heart health. In a reader-friendly, clear, concise and comprehensive narrative, Dr. Samaan lays out a simple, lifelong approach to effectively preventing heart disease that will also improve overall health.”
—Jeff Balser, MD, PHD, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs for Vanderbilt University and Dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

“Dr. Samaan teaches a whole-life approach that is bound to help you. Start today, and begin taking care of the one heart you have.”
—Leisa Hart, star of Buns of Steel exercise videos

“[Dr. Sarah] provides easy solutions that if properly followed will and can make a difference.”
—Jennie Garth, actress, activist

“Her message is positive: Prevention can not only make you healthier physically, it will also help you be happier, more optimistic, more hopeful.”
—Dallas Morning News

Editorial Reviews

Back in 2001 when cardiologist Samaan started work on her book, she says, patients needed answers to their questions about the effects of stress, hormones, medications, diet, exercise, vitamins, and alternative therapies on cardiac health. Concentrating on prevention, Samaan divides a narrower range of material than those questions cover into seven sections—getting cholesterol, triglyceride, and other critical blood levels in line; identifying a heart-healthy diet; eliminating bad habits like smoking; developing an exercise routine; creating a nurturing lifestyle; choosing from among myriad medications and supplements; and dealing with hormonal changes in men and women—pinning the whole on the concept of “best practices” (i.e., advice based on up-to-the-minute research and clinical evidence). She efficiently tackles complex subjects (e.g., stress, alternative therapies, and childhood risks) as well as myths contributing to the epidemic of deaths each year from heart attacks. While Samaan’s analyses offer depth and substance, many of her lists seem like generic guidelines posted in a physician’s office. But her passion is evident in the real-life stories she relates, and readers will be drawn by her personal commitment, fueled by the loss of many family members, to conquer a largely preventable disease. Agent, Linda Konner. (June)

Publishers Weekly

“She efficiently tackles complex subjects (e.g., stress, alternative therapies, and childhood risks) as well as myths contributing to the epidemic of deaths each year from heart attacks. . . . [H]er passion is evident in the real-life stories she relates, and readers will be drawn by her personal commitment, fueled by the loss of many family members, to conquer a largely preventable disease.”
—Publishers Weekly

“An inspiring, well-informed call to make ‘heart-loving’ lifestyle changes. As Samaan notes, a whopping 85 percent of cardiovascular disease is preventable.”
—Booklist Online

“Written in the same personable, conversational style that undoubtedly contributed to [Dr. Samaan’s] being named a ‘Texas Super Doctor’ by peers six years in a row . . . Best Practices for a Healthy Heart is a valuable, comprehensive guide for anyone looking to better understand or prevent heart disease and live a longer, healthier life.”
—ForeWord Reviews

“Wonderfully comprehensive . . . Dr. Samaan’s achievement in terms of the detail and scope of her book is very impressive. While this book touches on all aspects of cardiovascular disease it does so in an easily readable and understandable style for the lay person and yet it has value for the professional.”
—Gerald C. Timmis, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

“Dr. Samaan attacks the myths and hype around cardiovascular health and lays out the fundamentals in an easy-to-digest format. Her seven steps are clear, straightforward, and supported by scientific data, as well as her own personal experiences as a cardiologist. This book provides the best up-to-date information on cardiovascular disease prevention.”
—Michael Crawford, MD, FACC, Chief of Clinical Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco

“As a fellow physician, I see too often that many people neither heed subtle warning signs of pending heart disease nor realize they can take a proactive role toward improving heart health. In a reader-friendly, clear, concise and comprehensive narrative, Dr. Samaan lays out a simple, lifelong approach to effectively preventing heart disease that will also improve overall health.”
—Jeff Balser, MD, PHD, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs for Vanderbilt University and Dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

“Dr. Samaan teaches a whole-life approach that is bound to help you. Start today, and begin taking care of the one heart you have.”
—Leisa Hart, star of Buns of Steel exercise videos

“[Dr. Sarah] provides easy solutions that if properly followed will and can make a difference.”
—Jennie Garth, actress, activist

“Her message is positive: Prevention can not only make you healthier physically, it will also help you be happier, more optimistic, more hopeful.”
—Dallas Morning News

From the Publisher