Natural Way to a Healthy Heart or American Medical Association Guide to Talking to Your Doctor

Natural Way to a Healthy Heart: Lessons from Alternative and Conventional Medicine

Author: Stephen Holt

An exploration of mind/body medicine in relation to the heart, Holt's pluralistic medicine encompasses both the conventional and the alternative, embracing any and all treatments that are safe and effective.

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 Cahners Business Information.

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 longevity--all 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 diets--even 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 statements--such 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 attacks--will raise eyebrows. He also "discovers" a dubious "Fat Machine"--a 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.--Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans' Hosp., Tampa, FL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

New interesting book: The Unknown American Revolution or The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth

American Medical Association Guide to Talking to Your Doctor

Author: The American Medical Association

The last time you visited your doctor, did you . . .

• hesitate to ask a question–and leave without the answer you needed?
• not understand your doctor’s explanation of your illness or its treatment?
• wish you could be more in control of your healthcare?

You can take control. The more you know about your healthcare needs and the more actively you work with your doctor, the better healthcare you will receive. In this concise, easy-to-understand book, the American Medical Association–the world’s most prominent organization of physicians–demystifies the relationship between patient and doctor and guides you in building an ongoing dialogue with your healthcare provider.

Using nontechnical language and a reassuring tone, the American Medical Association Guide to Talking to Your Doctor explains:

• What your doctor needs to know about you and what he or she looks for in an examination
• How to understand a diagnosis and discuss treatment options and goals
• When and how to ask for a second opinion
• How to speak for a child or older person in your care
• How to discuss sensitive subjects such as sexuality, drug dependence, depression, and family violence
• Your rights and responsibilities as a healthcare consumer
• Where to go for more help and information

Encouraging, authoritative, and thorough, the American Medical Association Guide to Talking to Your Doctor empowers you to communicate better with your doctor so that you can work together to achieve a common goal–your good health.

For more than 150 years, the American Medical Associationhas been the leading group of medical experts in the nation and one of the most respected health-related organizations in the world. The AMA continues to work to advance the art and science of medicine and to be an advocate for patients and the voice of physicians in the United States.

Table of Contents:

	Introduction	1
1.	Choosing a Doctor	5
	What are you looking for?	5
	Other issues to consider	6
	How to go about choosing a doctor	8
	Your rights and responsibilities as a healthcare consumer	9
2.	What Your Doctor Wants to Know about You	13
	Personal health history	14
	Your child's health history	23
	Family health history	27
	Medications	29
	Self-treatment	31
	Lifestyle	33
3.	Talking about Your Health and Medical Care	37
	Planning in advance what to say to the doctor	37
	Making the most of an office visit	40
	Learning about medical tests and treatments	42
	Surgery	45
	Understanding a diagnosis	49
	Using medications correctly	50
	Making lifestyle changes	55
	Clearing up misunderstandings	64
4.	Talking for others	67
	Accompanying your child to the doctor	67
	Accompanying your older parent to the doctor	75
5.	Talking about Sensitive Subjects	81
	Sexually transmitted diseases	83
	Homosexuality and bisexuality	86
	Sexual problems	87
	Alcohol dependence	89
	Drug addiction	91
	Family violence	91
	Depression	92
	Incontinence	95
	Self-treatments	98
	Dissatisfaction with treatment	100
	End-of-life healthcare issues	103
6.	Special Situations	111
	Specialists and subspecialists	112
	Getting a second opinion	115
	At the hospital	117
	In an emergency	124
	Rare diseases	128
	Participating in clinical trials	131
	Doing your own research	137
	Resources	141
	Advocacy	141
	Clinical trials	148
	Diseases and conditions	150
	General health information	171
	Government agencies	175
	Health information Web sites	181
	Home-care services and hospice	186
	Long-term care and housing	189
	Mental health	191
	Rehabilitation	195
	Self-help and support	197
	Miscellaneous	201
	Glossary	205
	Index	235