The Woman's Heart Book: The Complete Guide to Keeping Your Heart Healthy and What to Do if Things G - Softcover

Pashkow, Fredric J.; Libov, Charlotte

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452272122 ISBN 13: 9780452272125

Publisher: Plume, 1994

Synopsis

Describes women's risk factors for heart disease, and offers advice on maintaining a healthy heart

About this title

Review

In his preface to The Women's Heart Book, Dr. Fredrick J. Pashkow describes a patient in the emergency room, a middle-aged woman who just suffered a major heart attack. He writes, "I noticed that she was lying stiffly with her fists clenched and her lips tightly pursed. I though at first it was the discomfort. Wrong! She was grievously irate!" The woman had done everything right: she watched her diet, she exercised. Her husband, on the other hand, was a paragon of bad habits. Why, then, was she the one who had had a heart attack?

The mission of The Women's Heart Book is to educate women about the very real risk of heart disease. Pashkow's coauthor, Charlotte Libov, is a writer who discovered at 40 that she needed open-heart surgery. The Heart Book combines Libov's lively investigative curiosity (not to mention her very personal stake in the subject) with Pashkow's exhaustive knowledge. The risks are laid out clearly: women over 65 are just as likely as their male counterparts to develop heart disease. Younger women are by no means off the hook, either. "An estimated 74,000 women under the age of 65 will suffer a heart attack this year." The book moves smoothly from risk to remedy. Pashkow and Libov give some basic heart anatomy information and focus on a combination of prevention and treatment, including a symptom guide to help women discern their need for a doctor; a précis on pregnancy and heart disease; a nutrition guide; and a manageable but thorough description of treatments. There's even an invaluable "Encyclopedia of Heart Problems." The result is a book essential for women who have already had heart problems that's equally recommended for those prudent souls interested in prevention. --Claire Dederer

About the Author

Fredric J. Pashkow, M.D. is the Medical Director of the Queens Medical Center Heart Institute in Honolulu. He is the former Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Preventive Cardiology Programs at the Cleveland Clinic. Charlotte Libov is an award-winning medical author and a contributor to the New York Times and other national publications. Since undergoing open heart surgery in 1990, she has become a popular speaker on women's health issues and is the founder of National Women's Heart Health Day (Feb 1).

Edition details

• Publisher: Plume
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0452272122
• ISBN 13: 9780452272125
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384