THE WHOLE HEART BOOK

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 1980

How to develop a personal preventive cardiovascular health program--comprehensive and soundly based, but too complex for any but the exceptionally-motivated reader to institute without professional guidance. Dr. Nora, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, developed Ms plan partly out of personal interest (and fear) on learning of his own strong family history of cardiovascular disease; and he frankly acknowledges that it requires a change in life style. First, he explains how readers can calculate their own risk of developing heart disease, and then he discusses each risk factor in detail: family history (one of the most important), diet (including cholesterol, triglycerides, sodium), stress (not so much what we do as how we react to it), and exercise. The emphasis is, soundly, on individual responsibility, and prevention. Procedures the public may see as great advances are often a case of too much too late--heart transplanation, for instance, is a most ""irrelevant and profligate approach to disease."" Unfortunately, however, Nora's program is often presented at an advanced level; his emphasis on meditation may turn some readers off; and as he acknowledges, many will find the support of a peer group indispensable, Dietary recommendations include strict calorie-counting and reduction of cholesterol intake; exercise is set out in an elaborate system of charts and levels for those of varying degrees of fitness. All the necessary pieces are, as Nora points out, in place. But the resulting complexity restricts the program primarily to those with a knowledgeable health advisor willing to help.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION