In my opinion, the overall healthiest diet, especially for those with chronic disease(s), consists of frequent, small portion, high fiber, low calorie, balanced meals, based on the Glycemic Index.

Because of the profound improvement in my health, I intend to stay on this small, frequent, high fiber diet the rest of my life. I love it!

Heart Failure, and other heart problems, result in over-active Hormonal Systems, which is the body's attempt to increase the pumping ability of the heart by pouring out excess "helpful" hormones.

There are also things that trigger either the Immune System or the Neurohormonal System to cause even additional hormones and other body chemicals to be produced, causing unhealthy stress to our systems, and resulting in a worsening of heart failure, high blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, and many other health problems, such as immune systems disorders like MS, CFS and Fibromyalgia. Who would have thought that a curative impact on all these diseases would be as simple, easy and inexpensive, as understanding and avoiding the things that trigger these diseases to get progressively worse!?

The "helpful" chemicals, hormones and cytokines, are not so helpful when they are over-produced and are constantly circulating in the body. The over-production of these body chemicals need to be blocked or inhibited through either medications, avoiding the "triggers", or both.

The over-production and over-circulation of hormones, cytokines, etc., can cause damage to organs, glands, joints and nerves, and make you feel sick as a dog, with fatigue, anxiety, mental confusion, headaches, etc..

Medicines, like Ace Inhibitors, Calcium Channel Blockers, Beta Blockers, Renin Blockers all attempt to block, or inhibit, the overproduction of hormones, and to block or inhibit inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF) and Interleukin-6 (IL). These inflammatory cytokines are additionally produced by the body to counteract the over-production of Hormones, but these inflammatory cytokines can be very damaging, and are what causes worsening Heart Failure and worsens other health problems.

The more "triggers" of the Immune System, or the NeuroHormonal System, that can be avoided, the less medication that is required. Make sense? For instance, if you can avoid triggers that cause even more over-activation of the adrenal glands, you might thusly require lower dosages of medication that attempt to block the Adrenal Glands, like Beta Blockers.

The triggers that cause an over-active NeuroHormonal System and the triggers that cause an over-active immune system can be the same triggers or completely different triggers.

Exercise is important, but until my health got better through proper diet and avoiding triggers that cause Heart Failure to get progressively worse, I could only do very limited exercise. Very slowly and gradually I was able to increase physical activity and exercise. Many times I would overdo it and suffer from difficult breathing, chest pains, over-sweating, increased heart rhythm problems and fatigue.

My current exercise schedule, spread throughout the day, is about fifty pushups a day, 300 lifts with 10 pound weights per day per arm, 450 steps per day, per leg, on my stepper; and power walking one hour per day in two 30 minute sessions. Not bad for a elderly guy suffering from Heart Failure for over 20 years, huh?

One benefit that I didn't expect to see is a significant improvement in my varicose veins. Who'd of thunk!

Finding out which medicines work best, and when is the best time to take them, is complex and extremely difficult. I've taken, and suffered with, many different heart/blood pressure medications before I figured out what works best for me.

• To be on the most effective medications, for your unique health problems, you must be in the care of an effective, skilled, caring medical professional. If you are not getting, or feeling better, you should question the ability and effectiveness of your health professional(s).

I currently take 12.5mg Coreg twice a day; .25mg Digoxin once a day; Warfarin 2.5mg once a day, Flovent and Flonase. You have to admit, that is a very low level of medication for treating all of my chronic diseases.

• Note 3/30/2009: I Love Coreg!!!