Before It Happens To You: A Breakthrough Program For Reversing Or Preventing Heart Disease - Hardcover

Sackner Bernstein, Jonathan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 073820918X ISBN 13: 9780738209180

Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2004

Synopsis

You hear about it all too often: an otherwise completely healthy person struck down by heart attack in the prime of life. The result of hidden heart disease--the first symptoms of which are slightly high cholesterol or blood pressure-this is the kind of tragedy that sends us running to the doctor for a physical. But today's medical guidelines don't indicate treatment for most; based on the cost-effectiveness of treatment for society, lifesaving medications are withheld for high-risk patients. It doesn't have to be this way.Under the Don't Die Young! plan, concerned readers are screened for heart disease with a few doctor-ordered blood tests and, depending on the findings, treated with up to four medications: an aspirin, an ACE-inhibitor, a statin, and a beta-blocker. The scientific evidence for this strategy is overwhelming: The medications work, they stave off heart disease, and bring heart health back. Their use cuts an individual's risk of heart attack in half-even without starting an exercise program, or cutting back on saturated fats.Explaining the science as well as how to talk to doctors about their necessary involvement, Don't Die Young! will help more people identify and treat their heart problems. Providing both a pound of prevention and treatment advice for those who already know they have heart disease, it will save lives.

About this title

About the Author

Jonathan Sackner Bernstein, M.D., is the Director of Clinical Research and Director of the Heart Failure Prevention Program at Northshore Hospital (Long Island, New York).

Reviews

If, in the last 10 years, drugs have come to the fore as the first line of attack against depression, a similar revolution may be happening with cardiovascular care. Bernstein, director of clinical research and of the heart failure prevention program at Long Island's Northshore Hospital, recommends a battery of drugs even before problems start to emerge, since studies show that "if you start treatment before you develop any symptoms of heart disease, you'll live longer." Writing with commercial health writer Kelly, Bernstein outlines a "Before It Happens Plan" based on the regular use of "statins" like Lipitor and Zocor to lower cholesterol, aspirin to prevent stroke, as well as "ACE inhibitors" and "Beta-Blockers" to discourage high blood pressure. Bernstein thinks that people are more likely to stick to the daily use of drugs than to an exercise regimen, and that in many cases the drugs should be used even if one works out regularly and eats carefully. While Bernstein's voice doesn't really come through on this project, his message does, as do his practical and very specific suggestions for who should seek treatment and when. He tutors readers on how to discuss the issue with doctors, how to understand test results, and how to use the drugs safely. The needs of diabetics, people with HIV, smokers, people with high cholesterol and people who are overweight are considered in separate chapters, as are the differing needs of men and women. Periodically, Bernstein marshals shock statistics to keep one convinced: "Each year, more than half of all deaths in America are caused by heart disease. That's more than all forms of cancer combined." For many readers, a more vivid depiction of the situation will be unnecessary.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 073820918X
• ISBN 13: 9780738209180
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288