HEART DISEASE . . . SPARE THE SCALPEL

An extremely low-fat diet, moderate exercise and daily stress reduction therapy might be a much better way to treat heart disease than traditional surgical methods, according to a study to be published in The Journal of the American Medical Association on Wednesday. "This is very important in the continuing documentation that radical lifestyle changes make a significant difference in reducing the risk of heart disease," says medical writer Christine Gorman. The study says that two tools are responsible for the breakthrough: cholesterol-lowering drugs and PET scanning, a method of taking pictures of the heart without having to insert a dye tube into the organ. Gorman says people considering the new technique should remember that it isn't the easiest regimen to follow. "You have to really watch your diet. That means virtually no fat. But being in danger of a heart attack can be a tremendous motivator."