Health: Medicine Guidelines

As an internist, I spend my days explaining cardiovascular risk factors and discussing heart healthy practices to persons well-motivated to take charge of their own health. Unfortunately, time is rather limited, so I’m always on the look out for resources to recommend to my patients as supplements to that which we speed through in the course of a visit. Realizing that I would know much of what Dr. Weil’s kit contains, I listened, read, and flashed through the CDs, the workbook, and the cards with the express purpose of answering the question “Would I recommend this Heart Healthy Kit to my patients?”

CD One covers the basics on risk factors, prevention, healthy diet, exercise and supplements. It does an okay job of all this, but does not include anything new or interesting beyond what you might hear on Oprah, say, or read in Health Magazine. Dr. Weil makes for easy listening, the other narrators are somewhat irritating. CD Two covers several relaxation and meditation techniques that range from interesting (a 4-7-8 breathing technique) to downright grating. I finally pushed the stop button on the expert whispering New Age blather at me, asking me, for instance, to invite my toes and feet to relax but urging me to pass no judgment on them if they do not feel like relaxing. I’d rather be my feet than hold discussions with them.

The workbook covers the same material in an adequate sort of way. And the stack of cards? Well, I just couldn’t quite imagine what to make of this ‘tool’, perhaps post one-a-day on the ‘frig as an info refresher?

The best part? It comes in a well-constructed sweet little box reminiscent of cigar boxes of old. I plan to decoupage mine and put little treasures in it. But I don’t plan to recommend this kit to anyone.
Rating: 2 / 5

I like Andrew Weil and I did like this product. It is very lengthy and it has some new information in it. But overall, it’s information that you already know or should know. He has some interesting points of view and I am not really big into the holistic thing but he does make sense. If you are thinking of taking health seriously, you should pick up this product. There are lots of helpful hints and you might be motivated to make your lifestyle healthy. Depending on how much they would sell it for, I would buy it.
Rating: 5 / 5

What a great idea this product is!

For years nonfiction books have been on the market teaching people about how to prevent or change one’s lifestyle after having been diagnosed with a cardiac problem. Other books on wellness, (some published by Dr. Weil himself) tell ways to adopt a `wellness’ lifestyle to prevent disease and enhance one’s quality of life. One barrier to reaching more people is that to be honest, not all people are willing to sit and read a nonfiction book even if their life’s quality and duration depends on it.

This is a great kit, a fantastic idea. There is a 52 page workbook which is a short book summarizing steps to take to promote wellness and prevent cardiac problems or to help those who already have a cardiac diagnosis. One CD is audio that tells all that same information–this is great for people who are unwilling or unable to sit and read a whole nonfiction book. The second CD teaches the listener to do mindfulness meditation, breath work and to use guided imagery. There are visually appealing cards to use as reminders to the basic principals and with practical tips for putting ideas into action in one’s daily life.

Some of this I’d heard before in my past self-education about wellness, preventative care and heart health.

The part that was new to me was that studies now show that heart attacks and stroke can be due to chronic inflammation states. The newest information therefore supports eating an anti-inflammation diet that reduces inflammation and does not produce elevated inflammation states in the body. The nutritional recommendations in this anti-inflammation diet may come as a surprise as it is a basic diet that we’ve all heard before, including hearing about in Dr. Weil’s other books. That is, to eat foods in as close to their natural state as possible, to eat enough fiber and brightly colored fruits and vegetables, to avoid the bad fats and eat more of the good fats, and to avoid bad carbs, avoid high glycemic foods, avoid sugar and to avoid processed foods. The nutritional information is also of use to pre-diabetics or those with a family history of diabetes as it is a diet that keeps the insulin levels more stable. (Although it was not stated that same diet also curbs cravings for sweets and reduces mood swings.) This same diet is closely aligned with some weight loss diets. Another health benefit of following this diet is I’ve read elsewhere that allergies and various bowel inflammation disorders can be fixed by a diet of this nature.

Some of the same old and good information is here too: exercise regularly, learn how to cope better with stress in our lives, so forth and so on. It is good to be reminded of those basic things as it is all too easy to become busy with other endeavors and not exercise or fall into old bad eating habits.

The information about vitamins and supplements is not overwhelming. Some recommendations are made that is not `too much information to handle’.

The audio CD moves along at a good pace and is not boring. The lectures are by Andrew Weil MD and Stephen Devries MD, a cardiologist specializing in preventive cardiology. Topics are covered just enough to explain why they are important but not enough so as to overwhelm or bore the listener. The workbook says all this same information just rearranged a bit and nicely formatted. The second CD has some exercises for listeners to use and is done by Dr. Rossman and Erin Olivio PhD MPH.

If you still want more information after consuming and using this kit there are suggestions for more reading and self-education at the back of the workbook.

I also love the voice of Dr. Weil and thoroughly enjoyed hearing him more. He can also be seen and heard on his long lectures that have aired on PBS.

Again this is a fantastic product that summarizes a lot of information about best practices to try to be healthy and keep one’s heart healthy or to make improvements if someone has a new cardiac diagnosis. Boiling down many recommendations to a 52 page workbook and giving the same information in an audio CD is great, especially for busy people who can listen to this while in the car, or for people who would never read a 300 page book on this topic. The cards can be used for reminders. The second CD that teaches the listener about meditation and other stress relieving practices is helpful for those who have never been taught those techniques and they can be used over and over to practice those techniques.

Every doctor should recommend that their patients use this kit. We’d be a much healthier nation if everyone did the things recommended in this kit.

Rating: 5 / 5