CONSIDER YOUR HEART

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.

Q: What are the 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 longtime
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar

Q: Is eating non-veggie food (fish) good for the heart?
A: No

Q: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person
gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?
A: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.

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 intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?
A: Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints

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.

Q: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?
A: Extremely rare.

Q: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age 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 release for digestion gets confused.

Q: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?
A: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Q: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?
A: Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.

Q: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?
A: All oils are bad.

Q: What is the routine checkup 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.

Q: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?
A: 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.



Q: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?
A: Extremely difficult without ECG.

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

Q: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?
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 times we have to stay late nights in office. 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.

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?
A: No.

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.

Q: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?
A: No.

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.

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

Q: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?
A : Diet, exercise, drugs on time , Control cholesterol, BP, weight.

Q: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?
A : No.

Q: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?
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 lifestyles.

Q: Does aspirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?
A: No.

Q: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?
A: Nature protects women till the age of 45. (Present Global census show that the Percentage of heart disease in women has increased than in men ) 

Q: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?
A: 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) .... 

Relief from back pain

Unlike earlier years, at present, every worker irrespective of the cadres is found to be working in front of the computers for a long time and in view of the facts that he needs to spend more mental energy towards keying in the details accurately, he fails to notice the symptoms slowly developing in his muscles, nerves and bones.

The most common ailment is found to be the backache and when it is not properly attended at the appropriate time, it may lead to several diseases including nervous disorders.

The following are found to be effective home remedies for backache:

Lime juice serves as an excellent home remedy for backache. The juice should be squeezed out of one lemon and by adding common salt and some quantity of water, it should be consumed two to three times a day and it will be a great back pain reliever. Normally people used to drink lime juice either mixed with sugar or salt during summer seasons; however, apart from providing relief from the hot weather, it is found to offer relief for back pain also.

The raw potato should be taken in the form of poultice and should be applied on the pain affected area slowly and gently.

Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits and it is considered more valuable for getting rid of backaches and consumption of 2000mg vitamin C available through fruits is found to be a good medicine for back ache.

Applying garlic oil on the back gives immense relief from back pain and about ten garlic pieces should be taken and fried along with oil on a low flame. For this purpose sesame oil, coconut oil or mustard oil can be used till such time the garlic cloves turn to light brown color and the oil mixture should be allowed to cool completely.

It should be gently applied on the back, if possible, with the help of another person and the skin should be kept without drying for three hours. This application is found to offer effective remedies for back ache to a great extent.

VIBRATION

Life is a series of decisions and considerations that lead one through a certain unique path. As human we think about the situations we are in and react accordingly. In other words, we live through a cycle of thought and action. Human actions emanate either from the mind or the intellect or from a combination of both. Thoughts can give birth to an endless world filled with wonder and beauty. Actions give expressions to that beauty right here and how. Strong and pulsating thoughts are the starting points of all achievements.

The recently released book “ A better India, a better world” authored by Sri Narayana Murthy, speaks about the management styles prevalent in different parts of the world. He says that there is not much difference in the modus operandi of organizations world over. But the deciding/differentiating factor lies in the success percentage of the conversion of a legitimate and innovative thought into action. Why no ideas and thoughts matter. If Einstein kept the theory of relativity just in his mind, imagine the plight of science today. If Alexander Graham Bell never bothered to put words to his thoughts, what could have been the plight of humanity ?  To conceive an idea is not enough, we need to breathe life into it.

Is it just enough to convert our thoughts into action ? No. It is imperative to combine the power of thought with our reliance and belief in action. When we leverage thought to create a vibration aligned with the results we desire and we take action that enhances that vibration, our creative power shines. That is when it looks to outsiders as if we were favoured by the gods, living a charmed life where everything goes our way. By holding proper thoughts and having aligned emotions helps in propitiating good deeds and thus makes our lives more meaningful.

When we are on the road, driving a car/riding a bike, how many times have we averted an accident ? When we see an oncoming vehicle coming straight at us, do we not steer the vehicle to avoid a head on collision ? What would have happened if all these things just remained as thought in our mind and we forgot/fail to act on it ? Anybody in sane mind would act in conjunction with the circumstances. Likewise, not responding to the challenges/changing milieu can prove to be fatal at times. We need to act and at time pro-act. The entire process right from the conception of an idea to its fruition/implementation is equally essential. An idea is just a thought and it remains impecunious unless acted upon. To succeed we need to give wings to our dreams and make it into a reality.

Many of us approach our dreams backwards.  We think we have to “figure out” what to do in order to get what we want.We think action is required and that is what we focus on. But if we never check in on how that action feels, we spin our wheels frustrating ourselves to the point where we often give up – or at least go at it the hard way. Things go much smoother and manifest more quickly when we first get our vibration lined up (by thinking right thoughts and feeling good) and then taking inspired action.

Combining the power of right thought and inspired action allows us to have wonderful manifestations in our lives.

++++++++++

What is health?

When it comes to health different people have different opinions. One person wants to have a good health by eating more food; another is of the opinion that sleeping for more number of hours will enable him to have a healthy life.

In fact for maintenance of good health food as well as sleep is required; however, there are some limitations. The human body is like a machine and the machine functions automatically without the intervention of the individual. Nobody can direct or instruct any internal organs to do the job at his will and in fact they function according to the mechanism in force within the body. Health means having a better tuning or rhythm within the body. Each human body requires sufficient quantity of food rich in the requisite ingredients; sufficient hours of sleep and enough physical and mental work. Ill health is due to any imbalance among the three factors mentioned as above.

Health means enjoying in good terms with the family members, relatives, colleagues, friends, neighbors and society; being able to run for a bus or train without getting out of breath; having the ideal weight necessary to perform the day to day activities; evincing interest in participation in some kinds of sporting events; having a clear skin, better vision and shiny hair; never suffering from any diseases other than common cold or mild upset in the stomach; being able to adapt easily to the changes in life; feeling glad to be alive when the person wakes up early in the morning; eating the right kind of food; enjoying some form of relaxation like music, games, movies etc; never falling prey to ill habits like smoking or drinking; drinking pure water sufficient to keep the body cool and refreshing and living the life without much strain or stress.

Who wins the game - the lions or the buck?

JAPAN'S LATEST TRAIN

Lending a shoulder - Shri Narasimha Shenoy

Lending a shoulder

Most of us would pass by a challenged child on the street without stopping. Perhaps click our tongues in sympathy before moving on. The good Samaritan in us lies somewhere buried within and the faint stirrings of the conscience quieten down as soon as they appear. But there are a few, and they are a microscopic minority who view matters such as these in a totally different perspective.

Charged with a passion to render some help to these children they set about their task of taking them from darkness to light, bringing sunshine into their lives in short, lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness. Lending a shoulder to the disabled is not just an act of compassion, it is more of a duty enjoined on all of us.  Who are able bodied and who have all our facilities intact.

It was this spirit that fired a young man namely Narasimha Shenoy who works for Canara Bank to start a school and care centre for mentally challenged and disabled children called “Nachiketa Manovikasa Kendra”. “The harrowing sight of mothers taking their mentally challenged children in transport buses from Vijayanagar to a special school far away in the city everyday touched a taw nerve” says  Shenoy, explaining the rational behind his starting the school.

The plight of the kids who were rarely offered seats in the jampacked buses was more than he could hear. The Kendra started in Vijayanagar with just six children, today is home to quite a large number with more and more parents, obviously impressed with the working of the Kendra, imploring Shenoy to take their wards in.

Shenoy chose the name; Nachiketa because the character of the same name in the Upanishads is noted for his moral strength and enquiring mind. The school admits children after conducting a small test to assess the needs of the student after which a special course is designed to suit him or her. “The training includes speech therapy, behavioural therapy, yoga, physiotherapy and also focuses on developing self help skills”, says Shenoy, whose efforts to rope in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences proved fruitful when the institute agreed to train two of the school’s teachers in speech therapy.

The children in the school are trained in skills such as making candles, greeting cards, painting earthenware, making envelopes and files, tailoring and are also taught the use of simple tools. The basic idea is to provide these children a sense of adequacy and inculcating in them the confidence that they can take their place in society. “The results were wonderful”, gushes Shenoy. “Some parents, whose children could not even walk, were stunned to see them walking independently and communicating with the other children, something that they had never done before”.

The children are also taken out on the picnics and opportunities are created for normal children to interact with them. Shenoy has also been successful in fixing up jobs for the grown up children, who have shown remarkable progress in nearby garment factories and shops. Although finances have always remained a problem with the Kendra, dependent almost wholly on donations which have come in sometimes in a trickie and sometimes in a torrent from organisations like Canara Bank, The Inner Wheel Club, Rotary Club and Lions Club. Shenoy is determined to carry on the good work, come what may.

“All that these children need is love and support and they will be able to stand on their own feet one day”, says Shenoy. The task is herculean, but not impossible. What is required is a hearfull of love and that is something that Shenoy and his teachers possess in abundant measure. The infinite patience that they display and the care with which they handle these children is ample proof of their total commitment to a noble cause.

(Information courtesy: Deccan Herald – 22.02.2002 by C V Aravind)

I should say that Mr. Narasimha Shenoy is certainly a different person who is committed and dedicated himself to the cause of upbringing the mentally retarded children. He deserves all the help and support.

I appeal to all my friends to give Mr. Shenoy, the required financial and moral support in abundance. Those who live in Bangalore, please visit the school. I am sure tears will roll in your eyes when you see these children struggling to accept the challenges of the world. Mr. Shenoy and his team deserve all Kudos.

Donations to Nachikta Manovikasa Kendra Trust is exempt from IT under 80G of the IT Act1961

The following are the contact details of the Kendra:

Nachiketa Manovikasa Kendra Trust (Regd)

(Special School for mentally challenged and disabled)

14^th Main Road end,

M C Layout,

Vijaynagar,

Bangalore 560040

Phone: 080 – 23110286;

Mobile: N N Shenoy: 96453 70934

Email: nmvktrust@gmail.com

Those who are willing to send their contributions in kind can reach the trust and handover the same in person or through their representatives. Donations and contributions can also be sent by way of cheque/demand draft payable at Bangalore favouring Nachiketa Manovikasa Kendra Trust (Regd)

Working Hours: 9-30 am to 3-00 pm. from Monday to Friday.