New Book on Heart Disease Proposes an Innovative Plan for Treatment and Prevention

The main cause of heart disease—the world's number one killer—is a cancer-like "tumor" inside the coronary arteries that keep our hearts beating. Although this similarity to cancer is well-established in medical journals, most people—and their health care providers—don't approach heart disease as seriously as cancer, even though it's just as deadly. In Fight Heart Disease Like Cancer, cardiologist Michael V. McConnell shares the stories of his family, patients, and research to lay out a modern and effective approach to preventing, screening for, and treating heart disease like cancer to avoid its dire consequences.

Dr. McConnell highlights the latest research on the substantial overlap between heart disease and cancer, from shared risk factors to screening for early detection to new and powerful therapies. In accessible language, and with personal perspectives from his daughters Mia and Kelly, he explains:

• how heart disease grows in similar ways to cancer

• how to screen for early heart disease

• prevention techniques that incorporate both a heart-healthy lifestyle and medical help when needed

• simple and powerful therapies to reverse heart disease and prevent heart attacks and strokes

• digital health technologies, including wearable devices and artificial intelligence, that broaden access for detecting and monitoring heart disease

Dr. McConnell, through his work with the American Heart Association and the National Fitness Foundation, also highlights the many ways our society can reduce heart disease for all. Fight Heart Disease Like Cancer will guide you step-by-step on how to prevent, screen for, and treat heart disease to live a healthier and longer life.

Clyde Yancy, the Chief of Cardiology at Northwestern Medicine and the past president of the American Heart Association, says this about the book: "Mike McConnell uses both personal stories and profound science to develop an approach to heart disease that leverages new discoveries and well-developed strategies. Along the way, Mike writes with humility and infuses his spirit of entrepreneurship. He acquaints us with potentially stunning new technologies, including AI. This book won't disappoint; more importantly, it just might help."

See below for a detailed table of contents:

1. Straight Talk: Heart Disease Is Like Cancer, Only Worse
2. How Did We Get Here? 
3. Learning from Cancer in My Family and Myself
4. Understanding Your Heart and Its Vulnerability
5. How Can "Tumors" Cause Heart Attacks?
6. Beyond "Tumors" in the Heart
7. Cancer and Heart Disease Intertwined
8. Prevention over Imaging
9. Prevent Like It's Cancer
10. Screen Like It's Cancer
11. Treat Like It's Cancer
12. Treating Cancer and Heart Disease Can Overlap
13. Digital Health and AI to the Rescue?
14. The Bigger Picture
15. My Next (Work) Chapter
16. My Next (Life) Chapter