Patients' spouses or partners are encouraged to take an active role in the alternative treatment program, Rubenfire says. Equally important is camaraderie among patients. We've had lawyers hook up with policemen, we've had college professors hook up with housewives as their buddy, because they need this camaraderie and over a period of time this sort of interaction helps tremendously. Heart disease deaths are higher in Michigan than the country as a whole. While the state rate is 151.1 per 100,000 people, heart disease death rates in these counties range from 162.4 to 211.8, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Heart disease is greater among African-American men than white men.
The 1996 death rate for black men was 283.1 per 100,000, much higher than the rate of 186.2 per 100,000 for white men. At least half of people facing heart bypass surgery because of coronary disease may instead benefit from a non-surgical alternative approach. Alternative treatment is not for everyone with heart disease. Angioplasty and bypass surgery may be required for patients in unstable medical condition. February is designated American Heart Month by the American Heart Association.