Synopses & Reviews
Relaxation exercises are great for reducing stress and getting you through those difficult days feeling more energized and less frazzled. What you may not know is that stress reduction is as important in maintaining and repairing the health of your heart as proper diet, smoking cessation, and lowering your cholesterol. In fact, the right kind of stress reduction can help you prevent and even cure heart disease.
In The 15-Minute Heart Cure, cardiologist John M. Kennedy shows you how stress triggers a fight-or-flight response that can harm your cardiovascular system in a variety of ways. Then he helps you safeguard your heart health with powerful, easy-to-learn techniques for dispelling stress naturally, without spending a lot of time or money.
Dr. Kennedy explains the stress/heart-disease connection for the four major types of heart disease and shows you how to stop stress in its tracks with his proven B-R-E-A-T-H-E (Begin, Relax, Envision, Apply, Treat, Heal, End) technique. Whether you have had a heart attack, have been diagnosed with a heart condition, or simply want to keep your heart in great shape, this unique, practical guide gives you the tools you need to make every day less stressful and mitigate the impact of each stressful situation on your heart.
You'll learn how to:
Use guided imagery and breathing tech-niques to induce a relaxation response
Train yourself to find calm even in the most stressful situations
Apply variations of the B-R-E-A-T-H-E technique to specific cardiovascular conditions
Prevent heart attack, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, and valve disease
Reduce and reverse the effects of an existing heart condition
Avoid dangerous and costly heart surgery by maintaining your heart health every day
Complete with numerous real-life examples of stress-induced cardiovascular events and how these patients repaired their hearts through stress reduction, The 15-Minute Heart Cure is the book that could save your life.
Synopsis
Stress activates a reflex in our body known as the fight or flight response which leads to a number of bodily changes. These bodily changes in response to stress are the invitation to participate in the heart-mind conversation, and when you learn to hear the conversation you can quickly call on the BREATHE (beginning, relaxation, envision, apply, treatment, heal, end) tool to stop stress in its tracks. The BREATHE technique combines two proven forms of relaxation guided imagery and breath work and puts a modern spin on ancient wisdom. Both of these techniques elicit the relaxation response which is opposite the stress response. When practiced regularly, like toning your muscles in the gym, you'll develop a special neural network that will help you focus and find a sense of calm when faced with one of life's unexpected stressful challenges. The BREATHE technique can be used to help heal and protect your heart as well as help you focus and concentrate. It has been used successfully in health, business, academics, and athletics.
Chapter 1: The Heart Cold Facts
Chapter 2: B-R-E-A-T-H-E
Chapter 3: Preventing Congestive Heart Failure
Chapter 4: Preventing Heart Attacks
Chapter 5: Preventing Arrhythmia
Chapter 6: Preventing Valve Disease
Chapter 7: B-R-E-A-T-H-E For Everyone
Chapter 8: Fast Help - Stressed Out
Chapter 9: Is Heart Disease Contagious
Chapter 10: Stress and Cardiac Zebras
Chapter 11: Heart Warming Stories
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
Relax your way to a healthier heart
"As an invasive cardiologist, Dr. Kennedy is skilled at restoring flow to our hearts. In The 15-Minute Heart Cure, he shows how flow in our heart is like flow in our lives, and his simple relaxation tool helps us to achieve this goal. If you, a friend, or a loved one has heart disease, flow with it. This is an outstanding book with helpful, practical exercises. I highly recommend it."
—Dean Ornish, M.D.
"This is an incredible book with tools that are far reaching. Dr. Kennedy successfully distills proven data from sports psychology in order to create his B-R-E-A-T-H-E technique. In addition to healing hearts, the vital information in this book will inspire companies to innovate, students to excel in academics, and athletes to perform at their highest level." —Robert Kriegel, Ph.D., bestselling author of If It Ain't Broke . . . Break It!
"The 15-Minute Heart Cure is an outstanding review of a timely and important subject, stress and heart disease. Dr. Kennedy provides a much-needed stress-relieving tool that will help heal many hearts."—Ralph Brindis, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I., President-elect, American College of Cardiology
In The 15-Minute Heart Cure, Dr. Kennedy explains how stress triggers a fight-orflight response that can harm your cardiovascular system. He arms you with powerful guided vision and breathing techniques that help you stop stress in its tracks and keep your heart pumping as it should through every challenging situation. Dr. Kennedy also provides tools to protect your heart from common stressful triggers including difficult commutes and traffic, caring for a sick loved one, or preparing for elective surgery. This very practical guide helps you feel great, perform better under stress, and save your life, all at the same time.
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
John M. Kennedy, M.D., is the medical director of preventive cardiology and wellness at Marina Del Rey Hospital. He is on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association and speaks regularly on their behalf. He lectures regularly on the subject and has helped companies educate employees on how to manage stress in the workplace. Dr. Kennedy has appeared on the Discovery Channel, KNBC, and other national television and radio outlets. Visit his Web site at
the15minuteheartcure.com.Jason Jennings is a bestselling business and leadership author and one of the nation's most in-demand keynote speakers.
Table of Contents
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.