Rehabilitating Your
Heart
Monica Gutierrez
If you have heart disease,
you’re not alone.
 Over
1.5 million Americans have heart
attacks every year.
 Americans spend more money on heart
disease than any other illness—$80 billion
per year.
 More people die of cardiovascular disease
than from all other causes of death
combined.
What Is Heart Disease?
superior
vena cava
Atherosclerosis:
hardening and
right
clogging of the
atrium
arteries.
right
 Heart attacks and
coronary
angina pectoris are artery
caused by
atherosclerosis of the
coronary arteries

aorta
normal
artery
pulmonary
trunk
left
atrium
interior
interventricular
artery
diseased
artery
What Causes Heart Disease?
Genetics and other things
we can’t control
 Smoking
 Obesity
 Hypertension (high
blood pressure)
 Inactivity (sedentary
lifestyle)
 Excess stress and tension

How Can You Rehabilitate
Your Heart?
Diet
 Exercise
 Stress Management
 Substance
Management
 Medications

Dietary Guidelines
Eat a low-fat diet (10-30% of
calories from fat)
 Avoid foods with cholesterol
 Eat 3–5 servings of vegetable
group daily
 Eat 2–4 servings of fruit
group daily
 Eat 6–11 servings of grain
group daily
 Eat more fish and less red
meat

Exercise Guidelines
Type: Use large muscle groups
(legs): walking, hiking, biking,
skating, jogging, dancing, kickboxing, etc.
 Duration: 20 to 60 minutes
 Frequency: At least 3 times per
week
 Intensity: Get heart rate up to 60
to 80% of maximum. Max = 220 –
Age in years

Stress Management Guidelines
Promote informal social
activities with family
and friends
 Manage your time
wisely
 Take time to rejuvenate
 Be kind but assertive
 Apply relaxation
techniques
 Meditate and/or pray

Substance Management
Guidelines
Avoid smoking
 Reduce or omit
caffeine
 Reduce alcohol
consumption

Prescription Medications
Cholesterol and
triglyceride lowering
drug, e.g., Lipitor
(Atorvastatin)
 Blood thinning drug,
e.g., Plavix
(Clopidogrel)
 Blood pressure
lowering drug, e.g.,
Lotrel

Recommended Over-theCounter Drugs
Baby aspirin (to help
thin the blood)
 Vitamins C and E
(antioxidants to
prevent arterial wall
damage)
 Multivitamins (to
improve overall
health)

Bibliography
 Dr.
Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing
Heart Disease, Random House, New York,
1990.
 Big Book of Healthy Family Dinners, Better
Homes and Garden, De Moines, 1999.