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This article was collected by one of our villagers Subbu on 18-Nov-2008.

 

 

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A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya
(Heart Specialist) Bangalore= was arranged by WIPRO for its employees .
The transcript of the chat is given below. = Useful for everyone.


Qn: What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care = of his heart?

Ans:
1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil
2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least fi= ve days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a lon= gtime
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar

Qn: Is eating non-veg food = (fish) good for the heart?

Ans: No

Qn: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparent= ly healthy person  
gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it = in perspective?  

Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.=

Qn: Are heart diseases hereditary?  

Ans: Yes  

Qn: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? W= hat practices do you suggest to de-stress?

Ans: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look = for perfection in everything in life.

Qn: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?

Ans: Walking is better than jogging since jogging le= ads to early fatigue and injury to joints  

Qn: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What = has inspired you to do so?

Ans: Mother Theresa , who= was my patient

Qn: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart dis= eases?

Ans: Extremely rare

Qn: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age
(I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you a= re above 30 years of age?

Ans: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.<= br>
Qn: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ?

Ans: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.

Qn: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?

Ans: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Qn: Can yoga prevent heart ailments?

Ans: Yoga helps.

Qn: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?  

Ans: Fruits and= vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.

Qn: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?<= /span>

Ans: All oils are bad .

Qn: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test?  

Ans: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol= is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.

Qn: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?

Ans: Help the person into a sleeping position ,= place an as= pirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tab= let if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first= hour.

Qn: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a h= eart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?

Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG.

Qn: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.

Ans: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Al= so, s edentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise= in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.

Qn: Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the = normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?

Ans: Yes.

Qn: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?

An= s : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormali= ties and you may not have a software engineer as a child

Qn: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many= a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart ? What precautions would you recommend?=

An= s : When you are young, nature protects you against = all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.

Qn: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short / long term)?

An= s : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.

Qn: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attack= s?

An= s : No.

Qn: Are asthma patient= s more prone to heart disease?

An= s : No.

Qn: How would you define junk food?

An= s : Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds , samosas, and even masala dosas.

Qn: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this,= as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?

Ans: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

Qn: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?

An= s : No.

Qn: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Be= cause we see a lot of forwarded emails on this)?

An= s : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tab= let of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any del= ay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does = not turn up.

Qn: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems?

An= s : No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.

Qn: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not ab= le to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing t= he stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?  

Ans : Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even= the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting he= lps a lot.

Qn: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?

Ans: Yes. A strong relationship = since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.=

Qn: What are the things one needs to take care of after= a heart operation?

An= s : Diet, exercise, drugs on time , Control cholesterol, BP, weight.

Qn: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable = to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?  

An= s : No.

Qn: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?=  

An= s : There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will= chose the right combination for your problem, but my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet= to
reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles.

Qn: Does dispirin or simila= r headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?

An= s : No.

Qn: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?

An= s : Nature protects women till the age of 45.<= /u>

Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?

Ans : Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for health checkup s if y= ou are past the age of 30 ( once in six = months recommended) ....

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