Product Description

One out of every two women will die of heart disease. It is the single greatest health risk for women today—more than stroke and all cancers combined. In the course of her work as founder and chief of the Women’s Heart Program at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, Dr. Goldberg has come to a startling realization: Women experience heart disease in a fundamentally different way than men do. The physiology of a woman’s heart attack is not the same as a man’s, the symptoms of heart disease and signs of impending heart attack differ for women, and once heart disease has been recognized, women often do not get the treatment and medications they require. Now here are detailed, age-specific programs that give women the facts and the guidance they need to recognize, treat, and prevent heart disease, including

• How you can rate your risk of heart disease
• The effects of menopause on your heart
• Risk factors you can change—starting today
• A heart healthy exercise plan that works for you
• A complete guide to heart healthy supplements
• The truth about hormone replacement therapy and the heart
• Recovering from a heart attack or surgery

Authoritative, caring, and up-to-the-minute, this is destined to become the women’s health book of the new millennium.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1459957 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-04
• Released on: 2003-02-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

From Amazon.com
"Heart disease is a woman's greatest health threat," writes cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, M.D. Until recently, heart research was done on men, and women were considered "small men." But women are quite different from men in physiology and patterns, and require a targeted approach. Goldberg's mission is to help women prevent or manage heart disease by understanding their unique symptoms, risk factors, prevention options, medical treatments, lifestyle choices, hormones, supplements, and recovery methods.

Women Are Not Small Men is organized clearly. Each risk factor is organized by "the facts" and "your next step." A chapter on symptoms and diagnosis includes action plans and questions your doctor will ask you. Goldberg discusses the latest research on hormone replacement therapy, so you can make your own decision in partnership with your physician.

She recommends exercise, dietary modification, smoking cessation, and stress reduction, showing you how to take easy steps that will result in big changes. Questionnaires, tips, and anecdotes personalize the material. Goldberg is chief of cardiac rehabilitation and chief of the Women's Heart Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and she offers in this book a wealth of information that will empower women to understand heart disease. --Joan Price

From Publishers Weekly
Goldberg, chief of cardiac rehabilitation at the Women's Heart Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, believes that misinformation about heart health is keeping women from getting appropriate cardiac care. Women, on their own or because doctors belittle their symptoms, often ignore the warning signs of heart disease, imagining that that they're too young or simply the wrong gender to be having a heart attack. In this comprehensive guide to cardiac health, Goldberg uses numerous case studies to show how women think they're suffering from fatigue or stress or are simply overweight when in fact they're showing signs of cardiac obstruction. Goldberg encourages women of all ages to be proactive in managing heart disease with simple strategies including stress reduction, physical activity, healthier eating and quitting smoking. Included is a simple quiz to determine readers' risk level for heart problems. All relevant related conditions, including diabetes and menopause, are discussed so that readers can assess their options regarding medication and lifestyle changes. Women of all backgrounds will find the material things helpful to read both before and after visiting their own physician, and Goldberg's realistic approach will also appeal to readers. Though she urges women to recognize the potential for serious heart problems, Goldberg knows that few people will transform their behavior instantly. This is an excellent addition to the women's health shelf.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
American Heart Association spokeswoman Goldberg warns that heart disease is a woman's greatest threat, since one out of every two will die of it. She stresses that women must be proactive in their own health since many physicians don't recognize that women's heart disease is different from men's; she also details what they should know about personal risk factors and physical warning signs. Goldberg highlights the necessary information that can help women recognize heart disease symptoms and successfully negotiate the often-patronizing medical environment. Her prevention program includes use of the Mediterranean diet, moderate exercise, and stress and weight management. Specific cardiac problems are described briefly with signs and symptoms, risk factors, questions for the doctor, diagnostic tests, other possible diagnoses, and an action plan for treatment. Medications, heart attack survival, and surgery are concisely discussed. Focused primarily on prevention, this lucid, sympathetic, and eminently readable volume is on par with the excellent, updated edition of Fredric Pashkow's The Woman's Heart Book (LJ 1/01). Highly recommended for consumer health collections. Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans' Hosp., Tampa, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.