„Healthy Heart“ by Dr. Ruth
Chambers is a non-fiction book (you never guessed, did you!) out of the
“52 Brilliant Ideas” series. I found it – surprise, surprise! – as a
free ebook a long time ago and only now got round
to reading it.
It was a good read throughout: there is humour, there is good advice and well-founded information regarding the way our hearts work, what blood pressure and cholesterol have got to do with it, how we can do ourselves much good (and much bad) by doing or not doing certain things. I did enjoy the writing style. It is not condescending, but you don’t need a degree in medicine to understand it, either. All advice is presented in a manner that’s not preachy, but encouraging without being over the top, and sometimes witty. The ideas given can and will really work; they can be applied by nearly everyone, provided they really see the point in changing their lifestyle for the benefit of their health (which usually has a huge impact on our general well-being, doesn’t it).
None of the ideas are so out
of this world that they can not be tried by anyone; they are not
expensive, and wherever a suggestion comes with a price tag, there is
always a low-cost or free alternative outlined to make you
understand that you do not necessarily have to be rich to be healthy
(although it does help, admittedly).
My own heart and blood
pressure are, to my knowledge, in a very good state, so I did not read
this because I was looking for (medical) advice on how to treat a
condition or get fitter. The book strongly recommends seeing
your doctor about such issues, anyway, and does not claim to replace
regular check-ups and treatment. But most of what the 52 ideas are about
boils down to the few basic rules we all know so well anyway (and need
reminding of every now and then, I guess):
don’t overdo it with food and drink, don’t smoke, get up and move,
sleep well and enough, establish and maintain good relationships with
others.
So, no rocket science – and yet many of us often do the opposite of what we know is good for us.
The advice and ideas in this
book are good for anyone, really, not just for those who actually suffer
high blood pressure or are at risk of a heart attack or stroke. It is
equally good to know about such things when it
is a family member, friend, colleague or your partner who is at risk. I
highly recommend it.
On the "Infinite Ideas" homepage, I found the following about the author: Dr Ruth Chambers has been a GP for more than 20 years and has written
over 60 books. Ruth is currently a partner in a GP practice, and also
Clinical Director of Practice Development and Performance for NHS Stoke
on Trent Clinical Commissioning Group.
Useful that it is written in an approachable style, and that it is an ebook - gets the message out. I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's really good. I imagine that it can be truly helpful for someone who needs just that kick in the right direction.
DeleteMaybe I should have read it years ago. Now I have a heart condition (Herzflattern) and don’t know how to get rid of it. Mind you, not everything comes from an unhealthy lifestyle. Some of it is due to circumstances or family.
ReplyDeleteAll the same, as it’s free, I shall have a look at it. Thanks for the pointer.
You are welcome, Friko. Yes, your Herzflimmern sounds rather scary. And you're right, not everything comes from an unhealthy lifestyle; our genetic makeup plays a big role, too (the book goes into that as well).
DeleteIt may be stuff we all know, but everyone needs reminders. After all, the rewards of doing what we should, good health over the years, seems far away, and the reward of picking the less healthy alternative is right here at hand, in this moment. It makes it that much more important to keep reminding ourselves.
ReplyDeleteTrue! Plus we can gently remind those we care about, without becoming preachy or naggy about it.
Delete