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Understanding the Heart: Surprising Insights into the Evolutionary Origins of Heart Diseaseand Why It Matters
*2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist for Health
“The most mind-blowing information on heart disease. . . . I consider this to be one of the best books I’ve ever read on cardiovascular health.”—Ben Greenfield, New York Times bestselling author
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the world. Despite ever-advancing medical procedures and more and more powerful pharmaceutical drugs, the rate of heart disease continues to rise.
According to Dr. Stephen Hussey, this is due in part to misunderstandings about how the heart really functions and how to keep it healthy. These misunderstandings result in improper medical approaches and off-target intervention therapies.
As a type 1 diabetic, Dr. Hussey has always known that he was at two to four times greater risk of developing heart disease. As a result, he has dedicated his entire adult life to understanding the heart, to prevent himself from becoming a statistic.
And then his worst nightmare came true. Dr. Hussey suffered a “STEMI,” a blockage in the left anterior descending artery of his heart. STEMIs are typically so fatal that they are known as “widowmakers.” Only 12 percent of those who experience them outside of a hospital setting survive.
Dr. Hussey was among the lucky 12 percent, but faced a difficult decision during his follow the standard of care laid out for him by the attending cardiologist, or politely decline and apply everything he’d learned about the heart to a recovery protocol that would look massively different than what the doctors were recommending.
In Understanding the Heart, Dr. Hussey shares the information that guided him through the highest-stakes decision of his life,
A large body of research suggesting that the heart is not the main mover of blood in the body, and what that means for your overall healthThe evolutionary origins of the nervous system, and how these manifest today in rampant rates of heart diseaseDeep analysis of the widely accepted idea that saturated fat and cholesterol will clog your arteriesThe importance of reducing oxidative stress for a heart healthy lifestyleIn Understanding the Heart, Dr. Stephen Hussey lays bare everything he has learned in his deep investigation into the heart, and guides you on a path to prevent disease in the context of a highly diseased modern world in order to enjoy lifelong good health.
“The most mind-blowing information on heart disease. . . . I consider this to be one of the best books I’ve ever read on cardiovascular health.”—Ben Greenfield, New York Times bestselling author
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the world. Despite ever-advancing medical procedures and more and more powerful pharmaceutical drugs, the rate of heart disease continues to rise.
According to Dr. Stephen Hussey, this is due in part to misunderstandings about how the heart really functions and how to keep it healthy. These misunderstandings result in improper medical approaches and off-target intervention therapies.
As a type 1 diabetic, Dr. Hussey has always known that he was at two to four times greater risk of developing heart disease. As a result, he has dedicated his entire adult life to understanding the heart, to prevent himself from becoming a statistic.
And then his worst nightmare came true. Dr. Hussey suffered a “STEMI,” a blockage in the left anterior descending artery of his heart. STEMIs are typically so fatal that they are known as “widowmakers.” Only 12 percent of those who experience them outside of a hospital setting survive.
Dr. Hussey was among the lucky 12 percent, but faced a difficult decision during his follow the standard of care laid out for him by the attending cardiologist, or politely decline and apply everything he’d learned about the heart to a recovery protocol that would look massively different than what the doctors were recommending.
In Understanding the Heart, Dr. Hussey shares the information that guided him through the highest-stakes decision of his life,
A large body of research suggesting that the heart is not the main mover of blood in the body, and what that means for your overall healthThe evolutionary origins of the nervous system, and how these manifest today in rampant rates of heart diseaseDeep analysis of the widely accepted idea that saturated fat and cholesterol will clog your arteriesThe importance of reducing oxidative stress for a heart healthy lifestyleIn Understanding the Heart, Dr. Stephen Hussey lays bare everything he has learned in his deep investigation into the heart, and guides you on a path to prevent disease in the context of a highly diseased modern world in order to enjoy lifelong good health.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2022
50 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 9, 2024
Highly recommended if you value your heart health.
December 13, 2023
The first 60% of the book was interesting and scientifically sound. However, I had to stop reading when the author talked about the importance of reducing your toxin intake through filtering your tap water and adding mineral powder afterwards, and sweating out the toxins through sports and saunas. The last 80 pages of the book could also have been summarised in 20 pages at most.
May 22, 2023
Absolutely fantastic resource on heart health. Lord, I wish this was made available in the medical education of doctors.
August 17, 2024
Fascinating. I recommend reading the Conclusion first.
June 2, 2025
Great book! The fourth state of water! 😉
May 5, 2025
The book begins well enough but halfway through deteriorates into pseudoscience and recommendations for herbal supplements. Do not recommend. It was painful to finish due to the poor health and nutrition advice. Clearly the author is not a medical doctor. Studies cited demonstrate weak scientific evidence or none at all.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews