From Publishers Weekly
Cardiologist Baum, who combines modern technology and alternative healing approaches in his treatment of patients at the Baum Center for Integrative Heart Care in Boca Raton, Fla., demonstrates how these approaches complement each other. While he presents technology as an enabling, life-saving intervention in a crisis, he recommends alternative measures not only to help prevent problems from developing, but also as effective therapies. With simple diagrams, drawings and photographs, Baum explains how the heart works, what can go wrong and procedures for assessing and correcting specific problems. He includes many patient anecdotes, but much of the information is tabular: for heart attacks, one table lists current drugs and procedures, another, lifestyle modifications (stress reduction, exercise, dietary modifications) and natural remedies (vitamins, minerals, herbs). Science, Baum contends, is overrated, and instinct is medicine's most powerful tool. While he acknowledges the demonstrated success of Dr. Dean Ornish's program in reversing heart disease, his own dietary recommendations are based on his and his wife's personal experience with Barry Sears's "Zone" diet for men and Phillip Lipetz's serotonin-enhancing regimen for women. Although Baum argues persuasively for an integrative approach, the particulars of this one are debatable.
Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Library Journal
Cardiologist Baum integrates alternative and traditional medicine in the treatment of heart disease. Here he explains in detail the causes, symptoms, and treatments of coronary disease, and his descriptions of the heart's function, cardiac tests, and conditions such as valve disease and heart failure are solid. The sections on the electrical activity of the heart, reading EKGs, and electrophysiology studies are excellent, as are the descriptions of interventional cardiology procedures. While emphasizing the importance of traditional treatments, Baum makes recommendations for dietary supplements, explaining the benefits and hazards of each, and makes clear the necessary role of physicians. Popular diets are also explored for their effects on the heart. A glossary of cardiac terms and an appendix of abnormal heart rhythms effectively round out the text. This is an excellent addition to any heart health collection.AJanet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans Hosp. Lib., Tampa, FL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
