Health Care Tips by Dr.Devi Prasad Shetty (A leading heart surgeon in India)

[Guest guest]

TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> Q What are

the five thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart? A. 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

long time.

justify"> 3. Quit smoking 4. Control weight 5. Control blood

pressure and

sugar. Q Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?

MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt">A. No. It is not necessary. Red meat

or other fatty meats are in fact bad. Q. It's still a grave shock to hear

that some apparently healthy person get a cardiac arrest. How do we understand

it in perspective?

Arial"> A. This is called silent attack. That is why, we recommend everyone

past the age of 30 to undergo routine health check-ups.

TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Q Are heart diseases hereditary? A. Yes Q What are the

ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to

de-stress? A. Change your attitude

towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life. Q Is

walking better than jogging or is more

Tahoma">intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart? A. Walking is

better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints.

 

Arial">

MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt"> Q You have done so much for

the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so? A. Mother Theresa, who

was my patient.

Arial"> Q Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?

red; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">A. Extremely rare. Q Does cholesterol accumulate

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? A. Cholesterol accumulates from

childhood. Q How do irregular eating habits affect the heart? A. You tend to

eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme releases for

digestion gets confused.

MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt">Q Can a healthy person without a

medical history have a heart attack due to stress? A. Extremely rare Q How

can I control cholesterol content without using medicines? A. Control diet,

walk and eat walnut.

FONT-FAMILY: Arial">

MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> Q Can yoga prevent heart ailments?

0pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN:

justify"> A. Yoga helps

justify"> Q, which is the best and worst food for the heart? A.

Best food is fruits, worst are oils. Q If a person has undergone

angioplasty, what are the chances of the stent getting displaced? A. Stent

doesn't get displaced. It can get blocked. You could prevent it by controlling

sugar, cholesterol and taking medication to prevent clots.

TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> Q Do

negative emotions like depression or anger always cause heart disease? A. Not

always. On the other hand, positive emotions help recovery of the heart.

Tahoma">Q I have read about music therapy for the heart and the mind. What is

your opinion on this? A. Guess, it helps. Q Which oil is better –

gingili, groundnut, sunflower, saffola, olive? A. All oils are bad. The

so-called best oil company has the largest marketing budget.

Arial"> Q What is the routine check-up one should go through? Is there any

specific test? A. Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check

BP, Treadmill test after an echo .

FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Q How different was it in treating Noor Fatima, the

little kid from Pakistan? A. It was extremely difficult because of the media

attention. As far as the medical treatment is concerned, she was like any other

child with a complex heart problem.

Arial"> Q What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack ?

Arial"> A. Help the person into a sleeping position, put an Aspirin tablet

under the tongue with a Sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to

coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first

hour.

FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Q How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart

attack and that cause due to gastric trouble ?

Tahoma">A. Extremely difficult without ECG. Q Can drinking less water lead to

heart problems ?

Arial"> A. No. However, drinking plenty of water in normal people helps

preserve good health. Q Is it true that diabetic women seem to have 3 to 7

times greater risk of developing heart diseases than non-diabetic women? Is it

the same with high BP patients as

well ? A. Women are protected by the hormones till the age of 45. After that,

their risk increases like men and in general, the result of treatment on heart

patients who are women is slightly poorer than men.

TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> Q What are some of the precautions during pregnancy to

avoid heart problems in the new born ?

56.25pt">A. German measles, which causes congenital abnormalities in the babies.

No smoking. Q What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart

problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 years of age having

heart attacks and serious heart problems.

63pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">A.

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.

Q

What is the right time to check the BP in any person? A. Past the age of 30

and earlier, if you have symptoms.

0pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt">Q Is it possible for a person for

a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet to be perfectly

healthy ? A. Yes

TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> Q Are there any symptoms for heart problems, which we

need to be aware of ? A. Shortness of breath on exertion,

and chest pain. Q If a person has had a heart attack, how frequently is

regular heart check-up recommend?

MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN:

justify">A. Once in 6 months. Q Marriages within close relatives can lead to

heart problems for the child. Is it true?

MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN:

justify"> A. Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may

not have a software engineer as a child. Q Many of us have an irregular

daily routine and many a time we have to stay in office till late nights. Does

this affect our heart? What precautions would you recommend? A. When you are

young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you

grow older, respect the biological clock.

Arial"> Q How can we find out about blockage of arteries, beforehand? A.

Routine cardiac evaluation by blood test, ECGs, TMTs, Stress Thallium Scan,

Cardiac CT Scan for Calcium score. Q Does a recurring pain in the left arm

signify any heart related ailment?

A. Usually, you get chest discomfort or shortness of breath, months or years

before the heart attack. So, when in doubt, go for a heart check-up, which

should not take more than a couple of hours. Q Will taking anti-hypertensive

drugs cause some other complications (short/long term) ? A. Yes, most drugs

have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive

drugs are extremely safe. Q Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?

justify"> A. No Q What are the chances of lean people developing heart

complications? Are they at less risk?

10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> A. Obese people are at a higher risk. Lean people

also develop heart attacks, but primarily because of genetic predisposition.

 

56.25pt">Q Is it true that after open-heart surgery, patients lose memory-recall

to some extent? A. No. Especially after bypass grafting on a beating heart,

incidence of neurological problems have come down significantly.

Arial"> Q Are Asthma patients more prone to heart disease? A. No Q How

would you define junk food? A. Fried food like Kentucky, McDonalds, Samosas,

and even Masala Dosas. Q 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 ? A. Every race is vulnerable to some disease and

unfortunately Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

-0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Q Does consuming bananas

help reduce hypertension? A. No

FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Q Is there any cure for chronic palpitations? A. The

patient should be investigated and if there is a cause for palpitation like an

electrical abnormality of the heart, this can be rectified by a procedure called

radio-frequency-ablation. Q How would you rate the health facilities

currently available in India? A. There are institutions, which are as good

or even better than the one in the US and Europe. However, they are exceptions.

In general, the qualities of health-care available to the masses are poor.

justify">

Tahoma">Q If there is a small hole in the heart, what are the possible ways of

curing it? Is operation the only solution? A. Small holes in children less

than 6 months of age usually closes. But the decision not to operate should be

taken by the specialists who are experts in treating children with heart

problems.

MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN:

justify"> Q Are emotions really controlled by heart?

FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">A. No. The heart is just a

slave of the brain and it is the brain, which controls the emotions. Q If a

person does not do any physical exercise, he is bound to have shortness of

breath on exertion; say climbing stairs. Is this an indication of heart

disease?

63pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> A. No.

But if one has difficulty in breathing on mild exertion, it is better to go for

a heart check-up.

TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Q Can a person

help himself during a heart attack? A. 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. Q Do, in any way, low white-blood-cells and low

hemoglobin-count lead to heart problems?

A. No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your

exercise capacity .

0pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt">Q 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? A. 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. Q Is there a relation between heart problems and blood

sugar?

Arial"> A. Yes. A strong relationship is there since diabetics are more

vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics .

justify">Q Do bypass surgeries reduce the risk of future heart attacks ? A.

It significantly reduces the risk of heart attack . Q What are the things one

needs to take care of after a heart operation?

FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> A. Diet, exercise, drugs on time. Control Cholesterol, BP

and weight. Q Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart

disease when compared to day shift workers? A. No.

MARGIN-LEFT: 63pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt; TEXT-ALIGN:

justify">Q Can you brief us about angina attack? How major it is? A. Angina

is the pain, which comes on exertion and goes away with rest and medication.

One has to be investigated in detail to plan treatment.

10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Q What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?

justify">A. 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 lifestyle. Q Does dispirin or similar

headache pills increase the risk of heart

attacks? A. No Q If there is about 85 percent blockage in the arteries, can

the person be treated without surgery? If not, what other remedies and the

power of your heart muscles A. It depends on collateral or natural bypass,

the quality of other arteries and the power of your heart muscles. It's

impossible to give an opinion without seeing the angiography film. Q There

is a feeling that bypass is unnecessarily being performed in some cases. When

is bypass really needed?

MARGIN-RIGHT: 56.25pt">A. When you have blockages affecting major arteries,

bypass is the best option. I am sure, conscientious doctors will not perform an

operation when it is not required. Q Is it true that mechanical valves can

fail any moment? A. No. If you take medication to prevent clot formation and

maintain the INR at accepted levels, the valve cannot get blocked. However, like

any mechanical gadget, it can fail and fortunately, such incidences are

extremely low.

FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Q Can you brief me on pulmonary stenosys problems? What

are the complications involved and what care needs to be taken? A. In this

condition, the pulmonary valve is narrower at birth

and putting a balloon across the valve and dilating it can easily correct it.

Q Why is it the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?

Arial"> A Nature protects women till the age of 45. Q How can one keep the

heart in a good condition?

Arial"> A Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise every day, do not

smoke and, go for a health checkup if you are past the age of 30 for at least

once in two years. And WORK VERY HARD.

Arial"> ***Courtesy : PERSONNEL TODAY, a journal of National Institute of

Personnel Management Attachments Attachment

scanning provided by: Photos: Save to

ComputerSave to Photos clip_image002.jpg(3k) [View] Save

to ComputerSave to Photos

clip_image004.jpg(5k) [View] Save to ComputerSave to

Photos clip_image006.jpg(5k) [View] Save to ComputerSave to

Photos clip_image007.jpg(6k) [View] Save to ComputerSave

to Photos

clip_image009.jpg(2k) [View] Save to ComputerSave to Photos

clip_image011.jpg(8k) [View] Save to ComputerSave to

Photos clip_image012.jpg(6k) [View] Save to ComputerSave to

Photos

clip_image013.jpg(21k) [View] Save to ComputerSave to

Photos clip_image014.jpg(13k) [View] Save All to

PhotosRam ChuganiKobe, Japanrgcjp

Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Shopping