The 15 Minute Heart Cure

Jason Jennings, John M. Kennedy

Description

From a top cardiologist-simple stress-reduction techniques to prevent and reverse the four major kinds of heart disease

The 15 Minute Heart Cure shows how stress can harm our cardiovascular system and offers practical, easy ways to dispel stress naturally, without spending a lot of time or money. It explains the stress-heart disease connection for the four major types of heart disease-heart attack, arrythmia, congestive heart failure, and cardiac valve disease-and equips you with the author's proven BREATHE technique to help you stop stress in its tracks.

• Teaches the BREATHE (beginning, relaxation, envision, apply, treatment, heal, end) technique to help you heal and protect your heart
• Gives you specific stress-reducing breathing and guided imagery exercises you can do anywhere, anytime
• First book by a leading cardiologist on the stress-heart disease connection-Dr. Kennedy is the former director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and director of Inpatient Cardiology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Rafael, CA and the current medical director of Preventive Cardiology and Wellness, Marina Del Rey Hospital, Marina Del Rey, California, and member of the Board of the American Heart Association
• Includes real-life case examples from the author's extensive clinical experience.

Don't let stress hurt your heart. Unleash the healing benefits of The 15 Minute Heart Cure and discover the wonderful sense of focus and calm it will bring to your life.
Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

1 The Heart Cold Facts.

2 B-R-E-A-T-H-E.

3 Treating and Preventing Congestive Heart Failure.

4 Treating and Preventing Heart Attacks.

5 Treating and Preventing Arrhythmias.

6 Treating and Preventing Valve Disease.

7 B-R-E-A-T-H-E for Everyone.

8 Fast Help: Stressed Out and Overloaded.

9 Is Heart Disease Contagious?

10 Stress and Cardiac Zebras.

11 Heart-Warming Stories.

Sources.

Suggested Reading.

Index.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Santé du quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Fitness
• Heart
• John M. Kennedy
• Jason Jennings
• Health
• Diseases

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 15 décembre 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780470549544
• Langue: English

Extrait

Table of Contents
 
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction
 
Chapter 1 - The Heart Cold Facts
 
The Risk Is Widespread
The Costs in Lives and Dollars
The Triggers
Stress Management Improves Both Cardiac Care and Cost
The Data-Treatment Paradox
A Change of Heart
Is Relaxation Good?
The Heart: Your Body’s Engine
Like Ice in Their Veins
How This Book Works
Your Heart of Gold
 
Chapter 2 - B-R-E-A-T-H-E
 
CARDIOLOGIST’S ANALYSIS Breathing
Hearing the Conversation: The Heart and Brain Connection
T he B-R-E-A-T-H-E Technique
T he Benefits of B-R-E-A-T-H-E
Positive Thinking as Preparation for B-R-E-A-T-H-E
The Elements of B-R-E-A-T-H-E
Follow-up
 
Chapter 3 - Treating and Preventing Congestive Heart Failure
 
CARDIOLOGIST’S ANALYSIS Congested on the Highway
B - R - E - A - T - H - E The Fallen Tree Exercise
 
Chapter 4 - Treating and Preventing Heart Attacks
 
CARDIOLOGIST’S ANALYSIS Torn
Flow with It
B - R - E - A - T - H - E The River Exercise
B - R - E - A - T - H - E The Path of Relaxation
 
Chapter 5 - Treating and Preventing Arrhythmias
 
CARDIOLOGIST’S ANALYSIS Out of Rhythm and the Blues
B - R - E - A - T - H - E The Cherry Blossom Exercise
 
Chapter 6 - Treating and Preventing Valve Disease
 
The Cardiac Cycle: Normally Functioning Heart Valves
A Faulty Doorway: When a Valve Fails to Open or Close Correctly
CARDIOLOGIST’S ANALYSIS The Door Half Open
B - R - E - A - T - H - E The Boulders Exercise
 
Chapter 7 - B-R-E-A-T-H-E for Everyone
 
White-Coat Hypertension
CARDIOLOGIST’S ANALYSIS The Perils of Repressed Anxiety
B - R - E - A - T - H - E A General Exercise
 
Chapter 8 - Fast Help: Stressed Out and Overloaded
 
The History and Evolution of Stress
Acute, Sudden Stress
Using B-R-E-A-T-H-E for Fast Help
B-R-E-A-T-H-E Fast Help When You’re Overwhelmed
 
Chapter 9 - Is Heart Disease Contagious?
 
Two People, One Heart
B-R-E-A-T-H-E The Family Tree Exercise
 
Chapter 10 - Stress and Cardiac Zebras
 
Cardiac Zebras
Stress: Horses and Zebras Drink from the Same Trough
 
Chapter 11 - Heart-Warming Stories
 
Under the Gun
B-R-E-A-T-H-E Bypassing the Blockage
Burned Out on Bereavement
B-R-E-A-T-H-E A Fresh Start
Healthy Workplace, Healthy Business
B-R-E-A-T-H-E Healthy Software
Greening with Envy
B-R-E-A-T-H-E From Selling Relaxation to Experiencing It
Flooded
B-R-E-A-T-H-E Hurricane and Heart Healing
Stress, Traffic, and the Heart
B-R-E-A-T-H-E The Fork in the River Exercise
Going Under, Not Over
B-R-E-A-T-H-E The Healing Path of Flow Exercise
Final Word
 
Sources
Suggested Reading
Index

Copyright © 2010 by John M. Kennedy and Jason Jennings. All rights reserved
 
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
 

 
All illustrations appearing in the text are courtesy of Francesca Angelesco.
 
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
 
The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader’s discretion. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specific situation.
 
For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].
 
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com .
 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
 
Kennedy, John M., date.
The 15-minute heart cure : the natural way to release stress and heal your heart in just minutes a day / John M. Kennedy and Jason Jennings.
 
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
eISBN : 978-0-470-54954-4
1. Heart—Diseases—Prevention—Popular works. 2. Stress (Psychology)—Health aspects—Popular works. I. Jennings, Jason, 1956- II. Title. III. Title: Fifteen-minute heart cure.
RC672.K46 2009
616.1’205—dc22
2009031393
 
To my wife, Elisa, and two daughters, Emily and Alexa. To my mother, my father, my sisters, and my brother, who taught me to dream big and shoot for the stars.
—Dr. John Kennedy
 
 
 
To Dr. Joel Klompus, our family physician and friend for thirty years.
—Jason Jennings
Acknowledgments
First, I would like to thank my wife and my two daughters for giving me the time to write this book. Much of the content was inspired by my love for you.
Next, thank you to my parents, my three sisters, and my brother, who have consistently shown me that anything we can conceive is possible to achieve.
I have enormous appreciation and gratitude for the many researchers in the field of behavioral cardiology who throughout the years have clearly proven the powerful link between emotional stress and cardiovascular disease. We have come a long way from Dr. Walter Cannon’s initial hypothesis that related the hormonal storm of stress to individuals who are “scared to death.”
His astute observation that linked the heart and the brain emphasized the powerful negative impact of anxiety and fear on our cardiovascular system. His hypothesis, now established as fact, has contributed greatly to our modern understanding of diseases such as the “broken-heart syndrome” and sudden cardiac death.
I would also like to thank the researchers who recognized early the negative health effects of stress and then took the next bold and necessary next step: showing the powerful healing effects of relaxation therapy.
Thanks to Dr. Herbert Benson, the prolific and renowned Harvard Medical School physician who defined and coined the term relaxation response . His career has been committed to the subject, and his unparalleled work ethic and quest to understand stress and how to combat it has led to our modern understanding of this mysterious and complex physiology.
I am especially grateful to those who have consistently supported and endorsed the ancient ritual of relaxation therapy and whose diligent efforts have shaped our modern understanding of health and wellness. Pioneers in the field of integrative medicine, such as Dean Ornish, M.D.; Larry Dossey, M.D.; Andrew Weil, M.D.; Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.; and Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., have created a large body of compelling research that proves the merits of managing stress.
Thanks to my patients, who have taught me the importance of recognizing emotional stress as a cardiac risk factor and of teaching patients the B-R-E-A-T-H-E technique as an essential supplement to standard medical care in maintaining superior heart health.
Heartfelt thanks are extended to Sebastian Hitzig, whose courage and strength are a testament to the amazing capacity and awesome power of the mind in healing.
A special thanks goes to Dr. Dean Ornish for his exceptional work in the field of preventive cardiology. His diligent quest has shown that the synergistic combination of Eastern and Western medicine is essential for achieving optimal health.
I am grateful to my special friend and colleague, Dr. Martin Rossman, whose exemplary work in the field of guided imagery has been educational and inspirational. His work has helped countless patients with chronic health conditions like cancer, heart disease, and chronic pain to take a proactive and personal role in the healing process.
Thanks to Francesca Angelesco, an extraordinarily talented and creative artist who has brought life to the concept of flow through her healing and soothing artwork.
Thank you to the members of the collaborative and creative team at SmartNow, who are committed to recognizing the relationship of stress and heart disease and who understand the subtleties associated with women and cardiovascular health.
Thanks to our editors, Tom Miller and Christel Winkler, our copyeditor, Judith Antonelli, and our agents, Dan Ambrosio, Kirsten Neuhaus, and Adam Korn of the Vigliano Agency, for their overwhelming support and for understanding the healing power of this book.
Finally, thanks to the teachers, the coaches, and the school administrators who have incorporated the B-R-E-A-T-H-E technique into the curriculum of elementary, middle, and high school students. Heart disease starts early; learning to understand and manage stress will help our youth to enjoy a heart-healthy adult-hood. Teaching our children that it is “cool” to recognize what stress is and to learn how to cope with it is a great contribution to their future.
—Dr. John M. Kennedy
 
 
My family truly understands the intense nature of my work, and the patience and support they provide see me through the challenging process of writing books.
George Staubli has been the single source of guidance, inspiration, counsel, and encouragement for more than thirty years. Caryn Sh