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If medications and other treatments will not work to manage your heart failure, you and your doctor may have decided that it’s time to consider a heart transplant. While this is a major operation, be comforted by the fact that medical technology has improved greatly since the first heart transplant in 1967 and your chances of survival are better than ever.

If you have heart failure, your heart is still working but not as efficiently as it should. A weakened or damaged heart isn’t able to pump enough blood to keep up with your body’s needs. A heart transplant could be a lifesaving option when other treatments fail.

When faced with a decision about heart transplantation, know what to expect of the heart transplant process, the surgery itself, potential risks and follow-up care.

If your doctor recommends a heart transplant, he or she will likely refer you to a heart transplant center for an evaluation.

If the transplant center medical team determines that you’re a good candidate for a heart transplant, the center will register you on a nationwide waiting list for a donor organ.

The transplant center will provide you with a pager or cell phone to notify you when a potential donor organ is available.

Surgery usually takes about four hours — longer if you’ve had prior heart surgery or there are complications during the procedure.

Without specific medications, your immune system will attack a new heart just as it would a viral infection, so you will be placed on medication. Over time as the risk of rejection is reduced, the doses and number of anti-rejection drugs can be reduced.

The majority of patients who receive a heart transplant enjoy a high quality of life. Most people can return to work within three to six months of a heart transplant and have few if any restrictions.

Tagged with: • cardiovascular disease • Heart Disease • heart failure • heart transplant

According to American Heart Association, at least 13 million Americans are diagnosed with heart disease. Each year, nearly half a million loose their lives to heart disease. Coronary heart disease is a global killer that can restrict blood flow and lead to chest pain and heart attacks. That is why people are advised to keep these cholesterol levels as low as possible.

A diet high in soluble fiber has the greatest effect on reducing cholesterol.

Fiber is not absorbed by the small intestine. But, when it passes through to the large intestine, soluble fiber, such as beta-glucan from oats and barley, is fermented. This will help slow blood glucose absorption and stimulate probiotic bacteria in the gut.

Cereals, breads, and other products containing whole or milled barley grain can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, whole grain barley and barley products must provide at least 0.75g of soluble fiber per serving to have this effect.

Like other grains, barley contains fiber that can help reduce risk factors associated with excess weight and Type 2 diabetes that can lead to coronary heart disease. Scientific evidence indicates that including barley in a healthy diet can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. New research shows that 3g of barley can lower cholesterol by about 5 percent, similar to what oatmeal does.

Talk to your doctor about adding barley to your diet to help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Tagged with: barley • cardiovascular disease • healthy heart • heart failure • heart health • heart healthy

What is the apple diet? One version is a de-toxing diet that involves eating only apples for several days, the other is “three a day apple diet” is used to aid in improving health and is said to aid in weight loss.

What benefit does the apple diet have? Eating fresh apples is good for you. The old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” did have some truth in it. A diet that contains a steady supply of fresh fruit that includes fiber and vitamin C is obviously good for you.

The apple diet is simple. Eat three apples a day, one before each meal. A medium size apple contains approximately 5 grams of fiber, or 20% of the recommended daily intake of fiber. In fact, an apple contains both kinds of fiber said to be most beneficial: soluble and insoluble. The pectin, or soluble part of an apple, also helps prevent cholesterol buildup in the arteries. The insoluble fiber is what creates bulk in the colon, and helps to move food through the digestive tract quickly and easily.

You’ll find that the apple diet meal plans are very similar to; The Abs Diet, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle (BFFM), Body for Life, and more.

This is an excellent diet - especially combined with exercise. However the apple diet is the same information that has been packaged over and over with slightly different names.

Before beginning any diet consult your doctor.

Tagged with: • apple diet • diet • diet and exercise • diet food • diet foods

The 3 day tuna diet has been around for several years. Still, the story persists, and the diet can be found on numerous web pages, most of them calling the diet what it is: a fad diet.

The 3 day tuna diet is, as you’d expect, a three-day plan, but it does not require you to exclusively eat tuna for the three days.

Here’s a sample, giving you the full day’s menu for day one:

* Breakfast
o Black coffee or tea (can be sweetened with artificial sweetener) or water
o Half a grapefruit or equivalent in juice
o One slice of toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter
* Lunch
o Half a cup of tuna
o One slice of toast
o Black coffee, tea or water
* Dinner
o Three ounces of any lean meat
o One cup green beans
o One cup carrots
o One cup vanilla ice cream
o One medium apple
o Black coffee, tea or water

The 3 day tuna diet continues in a similar fashion for two more days. In addition to the foods listed, dieters are advised to drink four more glasses of water daily. Herbs, salt and pepper, lemon, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and mustard are also allowed.

After the three days, dieters are advised to go back to eating normally but not to overeat.

Experts agree that severely restricting your calories is not the way to long-term, sustained weight loss and health benefits so the 3 day tuna diet maybe considered a fad diet and should be approached with caution.

Before beginning the 3 day tuna diet consult your doctor.

Tagged with: 3 day diet • 3 day tuna diet • diet • diet food • diet menu

When it comes preventing heart disease through diet, there’s quite a bit you can do with heart healthy recipes.

The following are some delicious heart healthy recipes to help you on your way to a healthier lifestyle!

Pineapple-Raspberry Parfaits
2 8-ounce containers (2 cups) nonfat peach yogurt
1/2 pint fresh raspberries (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cups fresh, frozen or canned pineapple chunks
Divide and layer yogurt, raspberries and pineapple into 4 glasses.

Riesling Baked Pears
4 ripe pears, preferably Bosc, with stems, washed and dried
2 cups Riesling or other fruity white wine
1/4 cup honey
4 cinnamon sticks
4 bay leaves
4 strips orange zest (see Tip)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear, so they will stand upright. Arrange the pears in a 9- to 10-inch pie pan or similar baking dish. Whisk wine and honey in a medium bowl until well blended; pour over the pears. Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest to the wine mixture around the pears.
3. Roast the pears, basting every 15 minutes, until they are wrinkled and tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the type of pear used.
4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to shallow dessert bowls. Pour the wine mixture into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Drizzle over the pears and garnish with the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

Tagged with: • cardiovascular disease • healthy heart • Heart Disease • heart failure • recipes to help avoid heart disease

Atkins diet recipes are about taking charge of your life.
Using Atkins diet recipes and the plan you can:

* Savor the flavor of nutritious food and skip the junk food
* Ease into carb control
* Renew your life with balanced living

The following is a delicious treat from Atkins diet recipes.
Most Asian soups are light, filling and take very little time to prepare. If you enjoy a little heat, add bit of Asian chili oil or paste before serving.
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons lite (reduced-sodium) soy sauce
• 2 cups bok choy, sliced (Chinese cabbage; use half leaves and half stems)
• 4 ounces exotic mixed sliced mushrooms (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, sliced or grated
• 1 garlic clove, very thinly sliced
• 1 Thai or Serrano chili, seeded and minced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 3 green onions, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 6 ounces soft or firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1. In a large saucepan, bring broth and soy sauce to a boil. Reduce heat; add bok choy, mushrooms, ginger, garlic and chili. Simmer for 5 minutes, until bok choy is tender yet still crisp and mushrooms are softened.
2. Add tomatoes, green onions, tofu and carrot. Heat through for 1 minute. Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Tagged with: atkins diet • atkins diet menu • atkins diet menu plan • atkins diet plan • atkins diet recipes