www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Heart Disease: Prevention and Reversal

I am finding that the Orthodox regimen of fasting is giving me the confidence and encouragement to improve my health through a better diet. That has made me feel better: physically, psychologically and spiritually. And that, in turn, has made me more interested in improving my health overall.

Can anyone recommend books on the prevention and reversal of heart disease (especially by diet and exercise)? I'm not looking for medical advice. I'm looking for basic books to educate myself in order to consult with my physician.

Thank you.

-- John

Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions: Self-Management of Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Asthma, Bronchitis, Emphysema & Others

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Health.../103-0847132-4598227?ie=UTF8&s=books

Here's a book called Reverse Heart Disease Now: Stop Deadly Cardiovascular Plaque Before It's Too Late written by two cardiologists:
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=363362

Nicholas Perricone MD has some good stuff, if you google him you can find his works.

Dr. Oz also would be a good one to google. A bonus is that he got his MD from the University of Pennsylvania!

John, what kind of exercise are interested in? I can get more stuff for you as soon as you let me know.

Isn't Dr. Nicholas Perricone a dermatologist who writes about wrinkles and acne?

The Annals of Internal Medicine [annals.org] recommends Cardiology: Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease by Ira S. Ockene and Judith K. Ockene. At that price, they should! See if your local medical library has a copy of it if you don't want to shell out the cash.

Thank you, all for the good references ! I will be considering them !


At this stage, moving more than my computer mouse. I was actually thinking of isometric exercises. Has anyone read / used Matt Furey's "Combat Conditioning" ?

-- John

Funny you should mention that...

I was just getting ready to do some "Hindu Squats!"

I have Combat Conditioning, Gama Fitness, and Combat Abs by Matt Furey.

Some of the exercises need to be checked with your doctor first for sure.

I suspect that prolonged bridging could lead to spondylolisthesis.

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=155&topcategory=Spin

http://www.spine-health.com/dir/spondy.html

And, I'm not too keen on anyone performing the Farmer Burns Stomach Flattener. There is a slight risk of aneurysm when performing the Valsalva Maneuver. It is rare, but do you want to risk it?

Although, the rest of the stuff is good. You just have to keep motivated, having to pay for the gym sometimes is motivation enough. Already having the stuff at home to do it can lead to "outta sight, outta mind."

I would also recommend Qi Gong, Tai Chi, or other gentile exercise. Five Animal Qi Gong and Eight Pieces of Brocade Qi Gong are very invigorating with out being too strenuous. You'd be surprised at the muscle workout you'll get by doing these exercises. Yoga is good too, as you already know, as long as you stick with the exercises and not with the mantras.

Here is a link for Eight Section Brocade Chi Gong:

http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/esb.htm

Just scroll down until the movements are outlined. Once again, forget the gobbledygook and do them as exercises.

Perricone's stuff is also about reducing inflammation which reduces overall disease in a holistic manner. There are others who promote this as well. Here is an article which discusses the topic:

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/102/1/42.pdf

Thank you, Dr. Eric !

I found this discussion of Matt Furey's exercises at http://www.cbass.com/Furey.htm .

-- John