And she did. A month later, Betty’s LDL had dropped 70 points, her blood pressure was down to 130/85, her blood sugar was down to 100, and she had all the tools she needed to deal with the ups and downs of her life. She took steps to reverse heart disease and had slashed her risk of a heart attack in half. How? She did it with the simple approach outlined right here. Developed at the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine, the program combines the sharply honed tools of American cardiology with natural remedies that include everything from green tea and exercise to dietary supplements and prayer. The best part: It’s so simple that you and your doctor can easily tailor it to your needs and cut your risk of a heart attack by up to 60%—something no drug or surgery can match! What’s more, if you’ve already had a heart attack, this approach, when carried out under your doctor’s supervision, can cut chest pain (angina) in half, reduce the chances that you’ll have to go back in the hospital by 50%, and give you all the energy you need to resume an active life. *name has been changed [pagebreak] Day 1: Drink Green Tea Green tea contains several powerful antioxidants that reduce cholesterol and may even lower blood pressure. To make a day’s supply, bring 20 oz water to a boil, drop in three decaffeinated green tea bags, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, and refrigerate the tea. When cool, pour the tea into a container, add ice if you like, and sip throughout the day. Day 2: (Re-)Calculate Your Fat Budget Don’t let fat exceed 25% of your calories. If you already have heart disease, eat even less—15 to 20% should be your max. Get lots of monounsaturated and omega-3 fats. Avoid saturated and trans fats. Go easy on omega-6 fats such as corn oil. Day 3: Take the Italian Cure In the world of fat, olives rule. Canola oil is good, but olive oil may be better. Substitute olive oil for butter or margarine at the table, drizzle it on salads, and use it to replace vegetable oils in baking wherever possible. Buy only cold-pressed, extra virgin oil; it retains more of the olive’s heart-healthy antioxidants than other forms. Day 4: Rough Up Your Diet Studies show that the more fiber you eat, the less likely you are to have a heart attack. Load up on whole grain breads and cereals that contain whole wheat, wheat bran, and oats. Toss beans into casseroles, soups, and salads. Aim for at least 25-35 g of fiber a day.[pagebreak] Day 5: Eat Fish Tonight Meat’s saturated fat will clog your arteries. On the other hand, fatty fish such as salmon and anchovies are loaded with the omega-3 fatty acids that will help your heart maintain a steady rhythm. Having even one fish serving a week could reduce your risk of death from a heart attack by 52%. (Check out the12 foods that lower cholesterol naturally .) Day 6: Don’t Forget the Juice Orange juice contains folic acid that helps lower your levels of homocysteine, a heart attack risk factor. Grape juice is loaded with flavonoids and resveratrol, both potent antioxidants that may discourage red blood cells from clumping together and forming an artery-blocking clot. Have two glasses daily—one at breakfast and one at lunch. Day 7: Linger in the Produce Aisle Eat at least nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Emphasize cruciferous vegetables such as kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage, which are a gold mine of antioxidants and other heart-saving phytochemicals. (And grab apples!New research shows one a day keeps the heart doc away.) Day 8: Go Nuts! Studies have found that those who eat more than 5 oz of nuts a week are one-third less likely to have either heart disease or a heart attack. Just don’t overdo it—nuts can pile on the pounds. Day 9: Change Your Bread Spread The trans fatty acids in margarine and the saturated fat in butter both clog your arteries, so try one of the new spreads that contain cholesterol-lowering sterols instead—including Take Control or Benecol. They’re expensive, yes, but they can lower your cholesterol anywhere from 7 to 14%. Day 10: Add Flaxseed Flaxseed is one of the most potent sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Studies indicate that adding flaxseed to your diet can reduce the development of heart disease by 46 percent while helping keep red blood cells from clumping together and forming clots that can block arteries. Sprinkle 2 Tbs flaxseed a day on your cereal or salad. Buy it preground, and keep it refrigerated. [pagebreak] Day 11: Have a Drink Research overwhelmingly shows that 1 to 3 oz of alcohol a day significantly reduce your risk of a heart attack. Unless you have a problem with alcohol orhigh blood pressure6 Sneaky Signs You Drink Too Much , you can safely have one alcoholic drink a day. (Don’t miss: .) Day 12: Buy Soy Studies show that consuming soy protein helps reduce cholesterol. Experiment with soy burgers, soy cheese, soy ice cream, soy milk, and even soy lunchmeat. Careful with soy supplements, though. Research shows that taken alone, they don’t work nearly as well as when you consume whole soybeans or soy products. Day 13: Move! Studies show that exercise reduces the risk of a heart attack by up to 50%—more than the best cholesterol-lowering drug. And it doesn’t take much: just a few hours a week, according to experts. Pick an easy exercise such as walking, and begin to integrate two or three 15-minute workout intervals into your day. Once your body is used to this routine, work toward the optimal amount: 45 minutes, four or five times a week. Day 14: Experiment The best exercise is one that you’ll continue to do. So every day, in addition to your regular workout, try something new just for fun—hitting a tennis ball against the house, shooting hoops with your kids, or dancing to a golden oldie on the radio. If you find something that you like, incorporate it into your daily workout. Day 15: Be Yourself One of the biggest causes of stress is trying to live in a way that is not consistent with who you are. Ask yourself: Am I doing what I want to do? Am I getting my needs met? Every day, run a reality check on what you’ve done. When it says that your actions aren’t true to the kind of person you are, make sure you listen—and get real. [pagebreak] Day 16: Practice Mindfulness Practicing a form of meditation in which you focus awareness on the present moment and relax can reduce the effects of daily stressors. When stressful moments occur, they can be countered by simply closing your eyes and quietly focusing on your breathing for 5 to 10 minutes. (Find thebest kind of meditation for your personality .) Day 17: Build a Strong Spiritual Life Studies indicate that those with regular spiritual practices who meet with a faith community—attending church or temple, for example—live longer, better, and are far less likely to have a heart attack. Get more involved in your religion, or develop your own traditions. Either way, sit down every day for 20 minutes, close your eyes, and focus on a particular word or phrase that you associate with something greater than yourself. Day 18: Get More People in Your Life Strong connections to family, friends, community, and God reduce anxiety and fight depression—two factors that increase your risk of a heart attack. So first thing in the morning, make a lunch date with a good friend, tell your family that everyone needs to sit down for dinner tonight, or plan to visit your place of worship. Resolve to do these things every day. Day 19: Manage Your Anger Losing your temper can double your risk of a heart attack within the next 2 hours! If you lose yours, Duke psychiatrist Redford Williams, MD, suggests dousing it by asking:
Is what’s upsetting me really important?Is what I’m thinking and feeling appropriate?Is the situation modifiable?Is taking action worth it?
Day 20: Add Supplements Take a high-potency vitamin supplement with antioxidants. Research has found that those who regularly use multivitamins may reduce their risk of heart disease by 24%. Pick out a high-potency supplement that contains a minimum of 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid, 500 mg of vitamin C, and no more than 50 mg of vitamin B6. [pagebreak] Day 21: Give Free Radicals a Partner Free radicals are maverick electrons that have been torn away from their normal molecular partners. Unfortunately, as they go zinging through your body looking for new mates, they tend to tear up your cells. But vitamin E seems to offer temporary companionship, significantly reducing the damage to your heart. Take 200 to 400 IU a day. Day 22: Grab Garlic Just one clove a day—or 300 mg, three times daily—reduces the risk of a heart attack at least three ways: It discourages red blood cells from sticking together and blocking your arteries, it reduces arterial damage, and it discourages cholesterol from lining those arteries and making them so narrow that blockages are likely. Day 23: Increase Your Selenium Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that reduces the tendency of the red blood cells to form life-threatening clots. It also balances the ratio between “good” and “bad” cholesterol in a way that reduces your chances of a heart attack. Take 100 mcg a day—but no more than 200 to avoid toxic effects. Day 24: Top It Off With an Aspirin Studies show that a single 81-mg “baby” aspirin a day reduces the risk of a heart attack by 30 to 50%. So unless you have stomach problems or you’re allergic to aspirin, take one tablet a day with food. If your stomach feels a bit queasy, talk to your doctor about whether enteric-coated aspirin is an option.
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