Good for the Heart - Good Health

A Chat with Dr. Devi Shetty (Heart Specialist)
Posted by: Dilip Prakash on: January 31, 2008

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 walnuts.

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 (blood pressure), 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.
(Editor: USA-Call 911)

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, sedentary 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 (blood pressure) outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?

Ans: Yes.

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, [fast foods], samosas, and even masala dosas.

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.
(Editor: USA-Call 911)

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 (blood pressure), 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 aspirin 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 checkups if you are past the age of 30 (once in six months recommended).

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Detox Herbs for Effective Internal and External Cleansing

Article courtesy of Native Remedies

In the pursuit of progress, we have inadvertently impacted our health in a negative way. Experts are now wondering whether progress has been worth the health hazards that it has brought along with it.

The consequences of progress have been less quality time, a dependence on comforts, a desire for material possessions and the like. These in turn have ensured that almost all of us get caught in the daily grind to earn more and ensure better physical comforts for ourselves. What we have forgotten is that while in this struggle for success, we are ignoring the one gift that we have all been provided – our bodies. The first thing that we compromise is the quality of food that we eat and the amount of effort we are willing to put behind arranging a healthy meal.

Consider the dangers; fast foods, preservatives and pesticides provide no additional nutritional value. Quick-fix drugs suppress symptoms and increase the amount of toxins in our body. Further, environmental pollution compounds the toxic effect on humans.

All of these factors result in an overburdening of the body with toxins. The body’s natural detox system cannot handle this level of toxins on its own. A body laden with toxins is an invitation for ailments like allergies, insomnia and asthma. Headaches, fatigue, tension, a coated tongue and acne are also common symptoms that indicate an increased level of toxins in the body.

Regular cleansing of the internal body has become more crucial than ever before. Herbal detox is one method of detoxifying your body naturally. Our ancestors probably knew the threat posed by toxins, and even though they were not as exposed to toxins as we are today, they ensured that their diets included detox-friendly herbs. This ensured that the level of toxins in their bodies never really increased beyond manageable levels.

Herbs can help in the detoxification process by aiding the organs that help in natural detoxification. These include the liver, urinary system, digestive systems, skin and lungs. The herbs used in various detox treatments can be classified based on the organ they work upon. Herbal remedies can be prepared from these herbs based on specific individual conditions:

Laxatives and diuretics herbs
* Licorice root
* Psyllium seed
* Alfalfa
* Yucca root
* Violet leaf
* Guar gum
* Marshmallow root

Herbs that provide support to the liver
* Cascara sagrada bark
* Milk thistle seed
* Dandelion

Parasite expeller herbs
* Black walnut hull
* Pumpkin seed

Herbs that soothe irritated digestive and urinary tracts
* Irish Moss
* Passionflower leaf

Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant herbs
* Witch hazel bark, twigs, and leaves
* Capsicum
* Gentian root
* Cranberry

Multipurpose herbs ( Demulcents, blood purifiers, energizers, laxatives and diuretics)
* Horsetail
* Slippery elm bark
* Mullein leaf
* Black cohosh
* Burdock root
* Echinacea
* Fennel seed
* Fenugreek
* Ginger root
* Papaya

There are many herbal detox products that are prepared using a combination of these herbs. These products are developed for various specific needs like balancing sugar levels, breaking down organic wastes in the body, calming tense nerves, neutralizing acidity and loosening hardened phlegm in the lungs.

Why Your Blood Pressure Varies

One of the most frustrating things about checking your blood pressure is that it can vary greatly not only from day to day, but from moment to moment. Blood pressure can, in a way, be compared to breathing—it varies depending on what you are doing at that particular moment. Lower or high blood pressure readings also occur due to the position of your body, your hormone level, and your overall health. However, you can still efficiently and effectively monitor your blood pressure at home, if you remember that variance is possible.

‘White coat’ syndrome is a term often used when speaking about high blood pressure and its variances. To understand this form of high blood pressure, you must also understand your own body. White coat syndrome specifically occurs to blood pressure levels that spike only when you visit a doctor’s office or have your blood pressure measured by a professional member of the medical community. Although this is a somewhat real phenomenon, white coat high blood pressure may not be simply a case of the nerves. Instead, you could be inaccurately measuring your blood pressure at home. Even if white coat syndrome actually is occurring, it is also important to look at overall trends in your blood pressure.

Spikes in blood pressure due to this condition may be nothing to worry about, but if they are exceedingly high, you should be concerned. This condition can also be fatal for someone who already has high blood pressure. Before you dismiss doctor’s office spikes, understand your own body and how it works. You may need treatment even if your blood pressure has previously seemed normal.

Blood pressure changes for a variety of other reasons as well. First, home test are not as accurate as some of the test you can use to regulate your blood pressure in a hospital setting. Inaccuracies occur frequently, and the packaging should be able to tell you how accurate the tests are. Even if they are not perfect, home blood pressure regulation is still very important—just remember that changes from one day to the next are ok if they are small. Monitor your blood pressure at the same time every day if possible, while you are doing the same activity. A good time is in the morning before you begin your day, but medications can also throw off your blood pressure, so if you take pills first thing in the morning, measure your blood pressure before that.

Drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or eating certain foods can also cause your blood pressure to spike momentarily. To more accurately get a reading of your blood pressure (as well as prevent high blood pressure), it is important to live a healthy lifestyle. If you smoke or otherwise introduce chemical substances into your body, doing so in moderation can increase your risk for high blood pressure, and also help you more accurately check it. Exercise also plays a huge role in blood pressure, so if you’ve recently been working out or doing other activity that has you breathing heavily, your blood pressure reading will be different than if you’re resting. Even standing up versus sitting down makes a difference in your blood pressure.

Remember that 30 or even 40 mm Hg differences during a day are not uncommon. More should result in you calling your physician to schedule an appointment for a more accurate reading. Blood pressure is sometimes difficult to regulate, but it is very important in understanding the overall health of your body.

Overcoming Blood Pressure Naturally

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Prostate health - nuts have a role to play

Article courtesy of Native Remedies

While it is an established fact that a vast majority of men in their middle age face problems with their prostate, what causes conditions like prostate enlargement and cancer is still being determined. There is also not much awareness about how to maintain a healthy prostate.

An enlarged prostate can lead to frustrating symptoms like urinary problems. These include dribbling and an urge to urinate without success, waking up in the night to relieve yourself and sexual dysfunction. All enlarged prostates do not lead to prostate cancer, but once diagnosed the patient and the physician have to monitor the condition regularly to detect any signs of cancer that may appear.

There are strong indications that the link between genetics and diet plays a major role in determining prostate health. For example, a diet that is lacking in antioxidants may increase the vulnerability of men with inherited genetic variations. This can potentially lead to prostate cancer. Although science has not reached a stage where it can determine whether an individual has that particular genotype, antioxidants, in general, are good for prostate and overall health.

In today’s highly competitive lifestyle, the first thing that men tend to ignore is their diet. Men seem to be in a rush all the time and prefer to grab fast-food on the way to office rather than eat a home cooked meal. Little do men realize that unhealthy dietary habits can contribute to prostate enlargement.

Apparently, taking dietary supplements for improving prostate health appears to be the most convenient remedy. There are also many herbs for limiting prostate enlargement that are available as supplements. A conscious change in dietary habits and lifestyles, however, can prove to be a permanent solution for ensuring that your prostate remains in good health throughout your life.

Brazil nuts, almonds and hazelnuts are rich sources of selenium and Vitamin E. The selenium in these nuts can strengthen the immune system, thus increasing the body’s defenses. It also provides the body with an ability to fight cancer cells on its own. Vitamin E is a fat soluble antioxidant, found in good quantities in hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, chestnuts and coconuts. Oils obtained from wheat germ, sunflower, soybean and olives are other natural food items that are rich in Vitamin E.

“Some evidence associates higher intake of vitamin E with a decreased incidence of prostate cancer (see ATBC study) and breast cancer. Some studies correlate additional cofactors, such as specific vitamin E isomers, e.g. gamma-tocopherol, and other nutrients, e.g. selenium, with dramatic risk reductions in prostate cancer.” (Source: Wikipedia)

There is sufficient support to prove that nuts are effective and that they can help in eliminating the use of prostate medicine for enlargement and cancer. On the contrary, nuts consumed in large quantities can add to your weight and increase blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol may not cause prostate cancer, but it does provide a healthy environment for an existing tumor. For effective benefits, nuts should be consumed in moderate quantities, say, a handful two or three times a week.