Natural Healing for Headaches or From the Heart

Natural Healing for Headaches: High-Powered Cures for Ending Pain

Author: Eva Urbaniak

Now, millions of people who suffer from chronic headaches can end pain forever with natural, safe, drug-free treatments.

Go to: Food Culture in Southeast Asia or Con El Reloj a Favor

From the Heart: A Woman's Guide to Living Well with Heart Disease

Author: Kathy Kastan

After undergoing emergency bypass surgery at age forty-two, Kathy Kastan found her world shifting in unexpected ways. Everything-her sense of well being, her relationships, her daily routine, even her body image-seemed to change. Doctors could help her recover physically, but she had to find new ways to recover emotionally and re-create a happy, healthy life. The first book written for women dealing with the emotional repercussions of heart disease, From the Heart will guide women forward with optimism and courage, addressing such questions as: How do you regain a strong self-image? Grapple with your fears? Talk to the people you love about your illness? And learn to trust your body again? Combining Kastan’s personal experience and expertise as a therapist with stories from scores of other women with heart disease, this invaluable resource will help women reduce stress, give up hard-to- break habits, adapt to new lifestyles-and thrive again.

Miami Herald

Offers tips on facing denial, helping children cope and reducing stress. The author, a clinical social worker, feeds off her experiences with emergency bypass surgery to guide other women forward with optimism and courage.

Townsend Letter

Kathy Kastan's book will undoubtedly be helpful . . . [The] stories are effective in illustrating the need for patient advocacy . . . Many women can benefit from this informative book.

Consumer Connections

An empowered guide on how women can gradually regain their strength and thrive with heart disease. The advice provided is insightful and laid out in concise and realistic terms for the reader . . . The testimonials by other women with heart disease are an additional bonus to the book . . . Recommended.

Barbara M. Bibel - Library Journal

Kastan was a seemingly healthy 42-year-old woman when she suddenly required emergency bypass surgery that left her with debilitating chronic chest pain. Luckily, WomenHeart: The National Coalition of Women with Heart Disease was there to refer her to a women's heart center, which helped her get proper medication, rehabilitation, and support. Now the president of that organization, Kastan felt that doctors healed her body well but provided no tools for dealing with the emotional aspects of her heart disease. To fill that gap, the author discusses what happens once a woman is home from the hospital. Setting realistic expectations, communicating with family and friends, and dealing with depression, changed body image, and sexuality are important. Navigating the healthcare system, adjusting work conditions, and strengthening relationships with family and friends are vital. Including quotes from 100 female patients, family members, and health professionals describing the recovery process, this first book to deal specifically with the emotional aspects of heart disease in women is highly recommended for public and consumer health libraries.

What People Are Saying

Kathy Smith
For the millions of women who have heart disease-and the millions of people who love them.... an important and empowering book. (Kathy Smith, author of Kathy Smith's Flex Appeal: Look Great and Feel Sexy at Any Age)

Wayne M. Sotile
...Filled with practical advice and touching glimpses into the lives of women living with heart disease.... a book that can make a difference. (Wayne M. Sotile, Ph.D., author of Thriving with Heart Disease)

Nanette K. Wenger
From the Heart is an invaluable contribution to the literature on healing women's hearts-and should be spectacularly helpful to women heart patients. (Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., Professor of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Chief of Cardiology, Grady Memorial Hospital)

Debora Yost
From the Heart is an inspiration.... a must-read for anyone touched by this frightening disease. (Debora Yost, author, Heal Your Heart with Wine and Chocolate)

Phyllis Greenberger
[Includes] invaluable advice, empowering women to move ahead with confidence and enjoy life again. (Phyllis Greenberger, MSW, President and CEO, The Society for Women's Health Research)

Elizabeth Nabel
Insightful, articulate, and touching, From the Heart is a powerful message of hope. (Elizabeth Nabel, M.D., Former Chief of Cardiology, University of Michigan)

Table of Contents:

Foreword   Nanette K. Wenger, MD     ix
Introduction: A New Beginning: From Nightmare to Daybreak-My Story     xi
Beginning the Recovery Process: The First Steps     1
Finding Balance: What Happens When You Go Home     3
Checking Your Emotional Pulse: What about Your Mental Health?     19
Getting the Help You Need     39
Following Your Doctor's Orders: Those Pesky Risk Factors     55
Rebuilding Your Sense of Self     83
Body Image and the Sexual Self: Relaxation and Renewal     85
Coping with Change: Your Family     105
Strengthening Relationships: Friends and Society     131
Negotiating the Outer World     153
Managing Your Work Life: Facing the Challenge     155
Negotiating the Health-care System     185
Becoming an Advocate for Change: The Bigger Picture     205
Recommended Reading     231
Resources     233
Acknowledgments     253
Index     257