> 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 five days a week; avoid
> lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime 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 apparently 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? What 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 leads 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 diseases?
>
> 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 are above 30 years of age?
>
> Ans: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.
>
> 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?
>
> 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 aspirin
> tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet 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 heart 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. Also, 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?
>
> Ans : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities 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?
>
> Ans : 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)?
>
> Ans : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern
> anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.
>
> Qn: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?
>
> Ans : No.
>
> Qn: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?
>
> Ans : No.
>
> Qn: How would you define junk food?
>
> Ans : 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?
>
> Ans : No.
>
> Qn: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a
> lot of forwarded emails on this)?
>
> Ans : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any
> description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the
> nearest coronary care unit without any delay 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?
>
> Ans : 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 able to exercise.
> So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the
> 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 helps 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?
>
>
> Ans : 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?
>
> Ans : No.
>
> Qn: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?
>
> Ans : 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 similar headache pills increase the risk of heart
> attacks?
>
> Ans : No.
>
> Qn: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?
>
> Ans : Nature protects women till the age of 45.
>
> 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 you are past the age of 30 (
> once in six months recommended) ...
>
source : mail FWd.