Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for chat with its employees. The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone.
Question:
What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart? Answer:
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 BP - Blood pressure and Sugar
Question:
Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart? Answer:
No
Question:
It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective? Answer:
This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.
Question:
Are heart diseases hereditary? Answer:
Yes
Question:
What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress? Answer:
Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.
Question:
Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart? Answer:
Walking is better than jogging, since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints.
Question:
You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so? Answer:
Mother Theresa, who was my patient.
Question:
Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases? Answer:
Extremely rare.
Question:
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? Answer:
Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.
Question:
How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ? Answer:
You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.
Question:
How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines? Answer:
Control diet, walk and eat walnut.
Question:
Which is the best and worst food for the heart? Answer:
Fruits and vegetables are the best and oilis the worst.
Question:
Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive? Answer:
All oils are bad.
Question:
What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test? Answer:
Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.
Question:
What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack? Answer:
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.
Question:
How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble? Answer:
Extremely difficult without ECG.
Question:
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. Answer:
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.
Question:
Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy? Answer:
Yes.
Question:
Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true? Answer :
Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may NOT have a software engineer as a child
Question:
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? Answer:
When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.
Question:
Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short/long term)? Answer:
Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.
Question:
Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks? Answer:
No.
