News and Links
In the News...
MEDIA RELEASE--Heart Coaches Help Reverse Disease-Related Trends.
"I think the concept of Heart Coaches is just what we need now," says Christopher Cannon, M.D. cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and author of 'The New Heart Disease Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Effectively Reverse and Manage Heart Disease.' "People know what they should do, and really want to do the right thing in exercising and eating right, but they need the right kind of encouragement." Read the full media release announcing recent launch of HeartCoaches! Access media release.
How Many Days Does It Take to Form a New Habit?
Everyone knows that it takes 28 days to develop a new habit, or perhaps 21, or 18, depending on who you ask. The point is that it's a specific number, which makes it sound scientific and thus indisputably true. We probably owe this particular example of pop-psychology wisdom to Maxwell Maltz, the plastic surgeon who wrote the 60s bestseller 'Psycho-Cybernetics'. He claimed to have observed that amputees took an average of only 21 days to adjust to the loss of a limb. Therefore, he reasoned, the same must be true of all big changes. And therefore it must take 21 days to change a habit. Maybe; perhaps! A new study by the University College London psychologist Phillippa Lally and her colleagues helps shed some light on this debate. On average, her subjects, who were trying to learn new habits such as eating fruit daily or going jogging, took 66 days before reporting that the behavior had become unchangingly automatic. Individuals ranged widely – some took 18 days, others 245 – and some habits, unsurprisingly, were harder than others to make stick. Read abstract at European Journal of Social Psychology.Fish Oil Underrated for Heart Failure.
At the Heart Failure Society of America 2009 Scientific Meeting, four invited faculty members meticulously made the case for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), usually derived from fish oil. Given the wealth of laboratory and clinical evidence supporting it's treatment effect they felt that omega 3 should garner considerably more attention. That applies to prevention of heart failure, with observational studies suggesting a benefit especially in some high-risk groups, as well as to treatment of existing heart failure based on a large randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
A fish tale with merit: Omega-3 PUFAs underrated for heart failure. theheart.org. Oct 14, 2009. Access full article.
Effects of Positive Behaviors on the Heart.
A recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published reports that contribute to the growing evidence in support of adopting healthy behaviors to protect the heart.
In one article, researchers from Harvard report that men who had greater adherence to 6 factors, including maintaining a normal weight, not smoking, engaging in regular exercise, consuming alcohol in moderation, consuming breakfast cereals, and consuming fruit and vegetables, has a lower risk of developing heart failure.1
In the second article, another group from Harvard describes the benefits of positive lifestyle factors in preventing high blood pressure in women. Women who maintained a normal body weight, engaged in 30 minutes of exercise per day, consumed low-sodium diet, consumed alcohol in moderation, used non-narcotic analgesics infrequently, and consumed supplemental folic acid had an 80% lower risk of developing hypertension, compared to the rest of the subjects.2
Books, CDs, DVDs, Etc.
"From the Heart: A Woman's Guide to Living Well with Heart Disease." Kathy Kastan. Da Capo Press, 2007. "An invaluable contribution to the literature on healing women's hearts--and should be spectacularly helpful to women heart patients." -- Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., Professor of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine.
"Meditation for Beginners." Jack Kornfield. Sounds True (2 CDs), 2001. Have you ever thought about trying meditation, but didn't now how to get started? Meditation teacher and practitioner Jack Kornfield uses clear language and step-by-step demonstrations to show you how simple it is to start--and stick with--a daily meditation practice.
"The New Heart Disease Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Effectively Reverse and Manage Heart Disease." Christopher P. Cannon M.D. Fair Winds Press, 2009. Drawing on the latest clinical studies, Dr. Cannon sets out the risk factors, while suggesting easy ways to reduce those risks, from choosing heart-friendly foods and adopting relaxation techniques to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. He explains the uses and potential side effects of standard and new medications, and talks you through the most widely used tests, treatments, and surgical procedures so that you know exactly what to expect and how to prepare. Read more....
"Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure." Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. M.D. Penguin, 2007. Drawing from his 25-year nutritional study, Dr. Esselstyn convincingly argues that plant-based, oil-free nutrition can not only prevent and stop the progression of heart disease, but also reverse its effects.
"Reverse Heart Disease Now: Stop Deadly Cardiovascular Plaque Before It's Too Late." Stephen Sinatra, M.D. and James Roberts. M.D. Wiley, 2007. Leading cardiologists draw on their collective 50 years of clinical cardiology research to show you how to combine the benefits of modern medicine, over-the-counter vitamins and supplements, and simple lifestyle changes to have a healthy heart--whether you have acute or chronic disease or just want to prevent cardiovascular disease from developing.
Websites
The following websites are an excellent source for news and information related to the broad topic of heart disease--prevention, treatment and cure:
AARP--Heart Health
www.aarp.org/hearthealth
American Diabetes Association--Heart Disease
www.americandiabetesassoc.org
American Heart Association
www.americanheart.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--Heart Disease Prevention: What You Can Do.
www.cdc.gov/HeartDisease
GoVeg--Heart Disease
www.goveg.com
Mayo Clinic
www.mayoclinic.com
Mayo Clinic--Heart Disease Risk Calculator
www.mayoclinic.com/riskcalculator
MedicineNet.com--Heart Disease and Stress
www.medicinenet.com
U.S.News and World Report--Heart Health Page
www.usnews.com
WebMD--Heart Disease Health Center
www.webmd.com
WomenHeart--Supports, educates and advocates on behalf of the 41 million American women living with or at risk of heart disease.
www.womenheart.org
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