Synopses & Reviews
"Not only can you survive with heart disease, you can actually thrive with it for many, many years. If you cope well and follow the advice I give you in this book, you can live as long as you would if you didn't have the illness."
-- from Chapter One, "Begin the Journey"
In this landmark volume, Wayne M. Sotile, Ph.D., breaks the story that every heart patient needs to know: In many cases, it's how you deal with the illness and not the condition of your heart that will determine how completely you recover, or if you recover at all. If you're one of the 61 million Americans diagnosed with heart illness -- whether you've had a heart attack, high blood pressure, angina, or surgery -- the program in this book can extend your life and might even save it.
Many books have dealt with the physical aspects of cardiovascular illness, but Thriving with Heart Disease is the first to offer patients and their loved ones a program for coping with the emotional and psychological side effects that can ravage relationships and throw families into disarray. Dr. Sotile's extraordinary success with cardiac patients attests to his belief that living with heart disease is not a temporary adjustment but a journey you take one moment at a time toward the healthy life you were meant to live, surrounded by the people you love.
Based on the experiences of thousands of patients at Wake Forest University's Cardiac Rehabilitation Program -- the nation's first mind-body center for living well with heart illness -- Dr. Sotile's program provides step-by-step instructions on how to establish a robust, new normal life for you and the people you care about, whether you're a parent with young children, a mature adult with grandchildren, or a single man or woman whose family is a devoted network of friends.
Written with warmth and humor and filled with news of the latest research into the links between heart and brain, body and soul, Thriving with Heart Disease is the book that every heart patient needs to read. It's not a diet book, an exercise book, or a cookbook. It is the first self-help manual to guide heart patients and their loved ones through the psychological side effects they're likely to experience and onto the path to vibrant, new normal lives.
Review
Christiane Northrup, M.D.
Author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause
It's no secret that heart disease is the number-one cause of premature death in women as well as men in this country. Thankfully, Dr. Wayne Sotile has written the definitive guide for transforming heart disease and making sure you don't become a statistic. Here is a book that you, your heart, and your family will love.
Review
Dean Ornish, M.D.
Author of Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease
In Thriving with Heart Disease, Dr. Wayne Sotile has identified an important fact: for many heart patients, their coping attitudes, not the severity of the disease, may determine how long they will live and how happy they will be. Highly recommended.
Review
Lee Lipsenthal, M.D., Medical Director of Lifestyle Advantage and the Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease
Your doctor gives you prescriptions to manage your blood pressure and cholesterol. In Thriving with Heart Disease Dr. Wayne Sotile gives you the prescription for managing your life. A must-read for the individual with heart disease and the people who love them.
Review
Harry Croft, M.D.
Medical Director and Founder, The San Antonio Psychiatric Research Center
Dr. Sotile is, without question, this country's leading authority on the psychological, emotional, and relationship effects of making it through heart disease. His understanding and compassion will be invaluable for heart patients who are coping with and living through the initial diagnosis and treatment of the illness, and then living the rest of their lives with it. For patients with heart disease and those who care about and for them, this book is a must-read.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 263-283) and index.
About the Author
Wayne M. Sotile, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, has served as Director of Psychological Services at the Wake Forest University Cardiac Rehabilitation Program since 1979. Dr. Sotile is a Fellow of the American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), an Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and an Honorary Fellow in the American Academy of Medical Administrators. With his wife, Mary O. Sotile, he is codirector of Sotile Psychological Associates and Real Talk, Inc., in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he lives.