It’s February – American Heart Month– a time when all of us are encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing one in four deaths each year. Nearly half of all American adults have at least one major risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease, examples of which are coronary artery disease, stroke, arrhythmias, and heart failure. The American Heart Association says cardiovascular disease is also the top killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths annually.
Here are some books available with your Livingston Library card that provide insightful guidance to help you take charge of your cardiovascular health and live a heart-healthy life. Whether you’re looking to make small lifestyle changes or dive deeper into heart disease prevention, these reads will inspire and inform.
Be Heart Smart : Understand, Treat, and Prevent Coronary Heart Disease by Waqar Khan
Coronary heart disease (CHD) takes the lives of 17 million people every year. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with CHD or suffered a heart attack, there are still ways to live a long, heart-healthy life. In this definitive guide to CHD, cardiologist Khan, MD, MPH, answers common questions and provides easy-to-follow advice for preventing heart attacks and keeping your heart in tip-top shape.
The Centered Heart : Evidence-Based, Mind-Body Practices to Stress Less and Improve Cardiac Health by Susi Amendola
This book fills a critical niche that has long been overlooked. It specifically focuses on somatic practices to decrease stress and improve heart health. It will combine science, time-tested somatic mindfulness techniques, and patient stories to provide hope and help.
The Curious History of the Heart : A Cultural and Scientific Journey by Vincent M. Figueredo
This book traces the evolution of our understanding of the heart from the dawn of civilization 15,000 years ago to today. It chronologically examines how the once ‘king’ of the organs became dismissed as a mere mechanistic blood pump subservient to the brain, yet remains so central to our daily lives as a symbol of love and health. As a physician fascinated with this extraordinary organ, Figueredo has included a section on how the heart works, heart diseases, and gender and racial/ethnic differences in heart disease. He explores advancements in heart therapies in modern times, and what the future may hold.
The Everything Low-Cholesterol Cookbook : 200 Heart-Healthy Recipes for Reducing Cholesterol and Losing Weight by Laura Livesey
Keep your cholesterol levels in check and reduce your risk for developing heart disease and other chronic conditions with these 200 healthy and satisfying low-cholesterol recipes.
The Great Cholesterol Myth : Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart Disease – and the Statin-Free Plan That Will by Jonny Bowden
Emerging science is showing that cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart disease and that standard prescriptions for lowering it, such as ineffective low-fat/high-carb diets and serious, side-effect-causing statin drugs, obscure the real causes of heart disease. Even doctors at leading institutions have been misled for years based on creative reporting of research results from pharmaceutical companies intent on supporting the $31-billion-a-year cholesterol-lowering drug industry. This book reveals the real culprits of heart disease, including: inflammation, fibrinogen, triglycerides, homocysteine, belly fat, triglyceride to HDL ratios, and high glycemic levels.
The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook : Over 100 Recipes for Lowering Blood Pressure, Reversing Heart Disease & Cardiac Recovery by Jenneffer Pulapaka
Combining food expertise with medical knowledge, a professional chef and a lifestyle medicine expert present this essential collection of delicious vegan recipes optimized to prevent and reverse heart disease.
Nobility in Small Things : A Surgeon’s Path by Craig R. Smith
Craig Smith, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, went from performing heart surgeries on patients both everyday and celebrated (he performed the quadruple bypass that saved Bill Clinton’s life in 2004) to sitting in his tomb-quiet office looking out at George Washington Bridge. And he started to write. This book not only takes us into the mind and soul of a surgeon with the ability to “play God” but into the heart of a man who chose a lifesaving career.
The New Science of Fighting Silent Heart Disease : Causes, Diagnoses, Prevention, and Treatments by Harold K. Karpman
Every minute of every day, millions of people are walking around with the equivalent of a hidden time bomb ticking away in their chests. In his latest book, celebrated cardiologist Karpman, reveals the true causes and best treatments for this little known but dangerous condition known as silent heart disease.
The Simple Heart Cure Diet and Meal Plan : 28 Days of Healthy Meals and Over 100 Delicious and Easy Recipes by Chauncey W. Crandall
Based on the concepts pioneered in The Simple Heart Cure, this companion guide, The Simple Heart Cure Diet and Meal Plan, works by reducing major heart disease risk factors: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and pre-diabetes, and obesity. Eating right with this simple (and tasty) meal plan will help you live a life worth living! Dr. Crandall outlines the steps you can take to change your diet and get on a path to better health.
A Statin-Free Life : a Revolutionary Life Plan for Tackling Heart Disease – Without the Use of Statins by Aseem Malhotra
Dr. Malhotra examines the evidence for the use of statins and reveals the truth behind the misleading claims about the effects that lowering cholesterol, whether through statins or diet, has on heart disease. Instead, Dr Malhotra will show the vital role played by insulin levels, and introduce us to his targeted heart-health low-carb Mediterranean diet plan, which includes 80 recipes and advice on reducing stress and increasing movement, and is proven to reverse heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and lower blood pressure within 21 days.
The Story of a Heart : Two Families United by Loss, Love, and Lifesaving Medicine by Rachel Clarke
This is the unforgettable story of how one family’s grief transformed into a lifesaving gift. Clarke relates the urgent journey of Keira’s heart and explores the history of the remarkable surgery that made it possible, stretching back over a century and involving the knowledge and dedication not just of surgeons but of countless nurses and technicians, immunologists and paramedics.
Take Control of Your Heart Disease Risk by John J. Whyte
Reduce your risk of heart disease–the leading cause of death among Americans–with diet, exercise, and other health strategies from WebMD’s Dr. Whyte.
A Woman’s Heart : Why Female Heart Health Really Matters by Dr. Angela Maas
Professor Maas explores how the female heart works and provides practical advice for women, including: The biology of the female heart – how it works and ages differently to a male’s; the effects of female-specific issues, such as menopause; heart attacks in women; lifestyle tips to prevent heart disease. This vital book is the result of decades of international research. It exposes the gender bias in cardiology and paves the way for better heart health for women everywhere.
Informative Websites
Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
—Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian