PULSE BODY CASTING TWO BOOKS EXAMINE THE SHAPES OF OUR BODIES AND HOW THEY RELATE TO OUR HEALTH.

What kind of shape are you in?

We're talking about body types - not your weight or heart rate - and how to deal with them.

In Carolyn Mein's ``Different Bodies, Different Diets'' (Reagan Books; $25), she introduces a revolutionary diet system based on 25 body types that she has determined are based on a person's dominant gland.

A chiropractor in Rancho Santa Fe, Mein has spent 20 years developing and researching her diet approach. According to Mein, ``If you follow the eating regimen tailored to your particular body type, you will be using food the way nature meant you to.''

Part of the enjoyment of the book is looking at all the photos of real people with varying body shapes and sizes and finding yourself. It's sort of like an astrology guide that uses physical, mental and emotional characteristics, and then asks you to apply them for maximum health benefits.

For instance, a person with a heart-dominated body shape (think Sally Field, Mae West and Elvis Presley) has basically an hourglass shape, carries weight in the hips and thighs and has a round face, sparkling eyes and sweet, huggable personality. Unfortunately, this person is easily stressed out, and therefore should eat more protein and less dairy and white sugar ... or the weight will all go to the hips. But Mein is not ruthless, as she allows champagne and butter on veggies.

If that's just too many body types to deal with, try Edward J. Jackowski's ``Escape Your Shape'' (Simon & Schuster; $13). It's a smaller book that divides the world into a mere four body types: hourglass, spoon, ruler and cone, and then explains which types of exercise and diet programs will deliver the best results.

According to Jackowski, a motivational speaker and founder of one-on-one fitness company Exude Inc., most people don't achieve the body they want because they're using the wrong tools or routines. In his book he explains what works best for each body type, even if the person has medical or orthopedic constraints.

- Barbara De Witt

HEALING HEARTS: Heart disease, America's No. 1 killer, may be taken down a notch or two.

Cardiologist K. Lance Gould has created a simple, low-cost alternative treatment for the killer disease that doesn't require surgery, and it's getting rave reviews from others in the field.

To find out about Gould's new treatment and how he thinks it will change millions of lives as well as medical history, tune into the PBS special ``To Heal a Heart'' 10 p.m. Thursday on KCET.

Veteran journalist Walter Cronkite will be narrating the report, beginning with an overview that includes how the Korean War provided the first real insight into coronary heart disease, previously thought to be a consequence of old age.

By the '60s, there were several breakthrough developments that included repairing blocked arteries with a heart bypass or angioplasty, which uses an inflated balloon to force open a blocked artery.

``To Heal a Heart'' provides a complete look at heart health breakthroughs, including the creation of a wire mesh tube called a stent that keeps arteries open, new diets and drugs that lower cholesterol, and Gould's new Positron Emission Tomography Scanner (PET), which has become the gold standard for assessing coronary artery function by producing detailed three-dimensional images of the blood flow to the heart.

The PET scan is part of Gould's new plan for preventing heart disease before it attacks, and is based on 30 years of study and research. In addition to routine PET scans, he suggests treating patients with low-fat diets, exercise and cholesterol-lowering drugs and thus giving people more control over their destinies.

- B.D.

HIT THE PAVEMENT: Yes, the Los Angeles Marathon is not until March 2002, but the time to start training is now. And L.A. Leggers can help. This 30-week training program begins Saturday. It consists of a group run (or walk) on Saturday mornings that increases from one mile to marathon length and weekly meetings with guest speakers ranging from nutritionists to shoe specialists. The program is open to all skill levels for those 18 or older and costs $50. L.A. Legger is a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting better health through running and walking. The group meets at the Santa Monica Senior Center, 1450 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica. For more information, call [phone] or go to www.laleggers.org.

- Daily News

TAKE CONTROL: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in five Americans will be affected by arthritis by 2020. In short, as baby boomers get older, their aches will increase. To address the growing problem, the Arthritis Foundation has added interactive features to its Web site, www.arthritis.org. The site now includes a program called Connect and Control, which allows users to tailor an 18-week health management and behavior program to their needs. The program includes pain reduction tips, exercise and nutrition advice, and emotional guidance (including encouraging e-mails). The site also features a guide to arthritis drugs, a risk assessment quiz and general information.

- Elizabeth Smilor

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1) Cardiologist K. Lance Gould

(2 -- 3) no caption (Book: ``Different Bodies, Different Diets'' and ``Escape Your Shape'')

(4) no caption (Internet site www.arthritis.org)