Heart disease is the nation's leading health crisis, affecting more than 25.6 million Americans and causing 650,000 deaths each year. A longtime health editor, Lawrence Chilnick was stunned when he suffered a heart attack at age 48-but assumed his medications would take care of the condition. They didn't. Five years later, Chilnick needed a quadruple bypass. At that point, he set out to turn his life around by educating himself on all aspects of this life-threatening disease. Now, in this major addition to the bestselling The First Year® series (over 250,000 copies sold), Chilnick shares his story and expert, step-by-step advice for coping with heart conditions. With information on lowering cholesterol, losing weight, reducing stress, and related concerns from high blood pressure to diabetes, this guide is a must-have resource.