The Natural Way to a Healthy Heart: A Layman's Guide to Preventing and Treating Cardiovascular Disease [Hardcover]

Stephen Holt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 29, 1999

Dr. Stephen Holt offers a layperson's handbook on cardiovascular disease, with an emphasis on prevention and self-care.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Holt (The Soy Revolution) provides an overview of heart disease, focusing on the problems related to high cholesterol and the various available treatments. Citing medical studies, Holt stresses the need to lower cholesterol as part of a comprehensive program to alleviate other causes of heart problems, including obesity and diabetes. While he clearly advocates therapies that utilize natural remedies, he doesn't proselytize; in fact, he is quick to cite other "experts" including Dean Ornish and Larry Dossey. The book is organized by subject (vitamins and supplements; weight control; emotional and spiritual health), which makes it easier for readers to digest the information, and those unfamiliar with medical terminology will find the chapter explaining cholesterol especially helpful. The chapters on lifestyle and nutrition are also useful. (More controversial is the weight-control chapter in which Holt criticizes many popular diets.) The second half of the book discusses the many natural remedies, including soy, fish oils and supplements. While readers should consult with their own physicians before abandoning current treatments in favor of Holt's approach, the book provides an instructive overview of the many different therapies available to treat heart disease. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"Natural" methods of controlling or preventing heart disease are exploding in the consumer health field, and these two books add their own unspectacular interpretations to the mix. Holt's (The Soy Revolution) objective is to assist the reader in lowering cholesterol, controlling body weight, improving general well-being, and adding to longevityAall through diet. Using the philosophy of Dr. Andrew Weil (e.g., Eight Weeks to Optimum Health), Holt explores the mind-body connection in terms of health and disease. His recommendations for exerting self-control and changing unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and substance abuse are good. But he dismisses most popular dietsAeven the American Dietetic Association's food pyramid, which he criticizes for its emphasis on breads and other carbohydrates made with refined flours and chemical additives. Also problematic is the book's high reading level. A better choice for libraries is still Seth J. Baum's The Total Guide to a Healthy Heart (LJ 7/99). DeFelice, an endocrinologist, introduces carnitine as a centerpiece of his "cardiac elixir" (which also includes vitamins B and E, folic acid, magnesium, and alcohol as supplements to healthy eating). His controversial statementsAsuch as the assertion that there is little clinical evidence that low-fat diets help prevent coronary artery disease and that all alcohol (not just red wine) protects against heart attacksAwill raise eyebrows. He also "discovers" a dubious "Fat Machine"Aa conspiracy on the part of the federal government, academic medicine, and the pharmaceutical and food industries to reveal only one side of the diet/heart disease connection. Not recommended.AJanet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans' Hosp., Tampa, FL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company (November 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087131889X
• ISBN-13: 978-0871318893
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,904,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars heart views, August 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Natural Way to a Healthy Heart: A Layman's Guide to Preventing and Treating Cardiovascular Disease (Hardcover)

This book is a nice compilation of integrative medicine as it pertains to the prevention of heart disease. As a practicing physician, one is bombarded by questions that were once considered foul territory; now, questions related to alternative medicine are now on the real playing field.

Although lacking cited references, asides from "recommended readings", the author writes in an interesting manner. An easy to follow, non-stringent guide to diet, relaxation, vitamins and natural nutrients are discussed. The book looks at the way to help oneself in the battle against heart disease with assistance from a physician.

The book may be a bit more detailed with "science" beyond the needs of the lay public. Nevertheless, this is a quick flowing book that opens eyes to alternative practices, without bashing conventional medicine.