Heart and Dr Devi Shetty

Dr.DEVI SHETTY (Narayana Hrudayalaya)

 

                                     Dr. Devi Shetty,

             Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore

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 BP - 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: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?
Ans: Fruits and vegetables are the best and oil is the worst.

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, 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 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 e-mails 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 hourand 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 andgo 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. (Present Global census show that the Percentage of heart disease in women has increased than in men ) 
Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?
Ans: Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do notsmoke and, go for health checkups if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) ...

Turmeric and its benefits

20 फ़ायदे हल्दी के

हल्दी के गुण अनंत हैं। हल्दी पर रोज नए शोध हो रहे हैं। भारतीय आहार शैली में यह आदिकाल से शामिल रही है। किसी समय इसे रंग के तौर पर भी इस्तेमाल किया जाता था। यह एक सर्वगुण संपन्ना एंटीबायोटिक्स तो है ही, प्राकृतिक चमत्कार के रूप में भी इसकी ख्याति है। यह कैंसर से लेकर अल्झाइमर्स तक कई बीमारियों को ठीक करने के लिए इस्तेमाल की जाती है। २० कारणों की वजह से हल्दी को अपने आहार में जरूर शामिल करना चाहिएः 

 1. यह एक प्राकृतिक एंटिसेप्टिक एवं एंटिबैक्टेरियल एजेन्ट है। हल्दी का पावडर जले और कटे अंग पर लगाने से संक्रमण का जोखिम कम हो जाता है। 

 2. हल्दी को फूलगोभी के साथ मिलाकर खाने से प्रोस्टेट कैंसर की आशंका जाती रहती है। इसके अलावा अगर प्रोस्टेट कैंसर हो तो उसका बढ़ना रुक जाता है। 

 3. चूहों पर हुए प्रयोग से पता चला है कि हल्दी स्तन कैंसर को फेफड़ों में जाने से रोक देती है।

 4. हल्दी से मेलानोमा यानी काले तिल उभरना रुक सकता है। इसके अलावा मौजूद मेलानोमा सेल्स आत्महत्या कर लेते हैं। हल्दी त्वचा का रूप निखारने के लिए सदियों से भारत में इस्तेमाल की जाती रही है। 

 5. बचपन में होने वाले ल्यूकेमिया यानी रक्तकैंसर का जोखिम कम हो जाता है। 6. लिवर शुद्धि के लिए यह एक प्राकृतिक छन्नी है। 

 7. हल्दी मस्तिष्क में बनने वाले एम्लोयड प्लॉक की वृद्धि एवं निर्माण रोककर एल्जाइमर्स की बढ़त पर रोकथाम कर लेती है। 

 8. यह कई प्रकार के कैंसर की वृद्धि पर रोकथाम लगाती है। 

 9. यह दाह और जलन को दूर करने का एक प्राकृतिक पदार्थ है। यह कई एंटी-इन्फ्लेमेटरी ड्रग्रस से बेहतर काम करती है और इसके कोई साइड-इफेक्ट्स भी नहीं होते। 

 10. यह प्राकृतिक दर्द-निवारक है। 

 11. चूहों पर हुए प्रयोग में पाया गया है कि हल्दी मल्टीपल स्क्लेरोसिसस की रोकथाम करने में समर्थ है। 

 12. यह वजन कम करने के साथ फैट मेटाबोलिज्म में मदद करती है। 

 13. अर्से से इसे अवसाद दूर करने के लिए इस्तेमाल किया जाता रहा है। 

 14. हल्दी आर्थ्राइटिस और रिह्यूमेटाइड ऑर्थ्राइटिस का प्राकृतिक निरोधक है। 

 15. हल्दी कीमोथैरेपी में इस्तेमाल की जाने वाली दवा पैक्लिटेक्सेल के प्रभाव को बढ़ा देती है और इसके साइड-इफेक्ट्स को कम कर देती है।। 

 16. पैंक्रियाज ग्रंथि के कैंसर पर हल्दी के प्रयोग पर हुए शोधों के नतीज़े सकारात्मक आ रहे हैं। 

 17. किसी भी ग्रंथि में नई रक्त नलिकाओं के निर्माण को हल्दी सफलतापूर्वक रोक देती है। 

18. घाव को जल्दी भरने के साथ-साथ यह क्षतिग्रस्त त्वचा को भी ठीक करती है। 

 19. सोरायसिस सहित त्वचा की कई बीमारियों के इलाज़ में हल्दी से मदद मिलती है। 

 20. कच्ची हल्दी पर हुए प्रयोगों से पता चलता है कि इससे शराबखोरी के कारण क्षतिग्रस्त हुए लिवर को ठीक करने में मदद मिलती है। 

हल्दी कच्ची और सुखाकर बनाए गए पाउडर बाज़ार में मौजूद हैं। इसके अलावा,250-300 मिलीग्राम शक्ति के हल्दी के कैप्सूल बाज़ार में मिलते हैं। 

Testosterone Linked to Weight Loss in Obese Men

Testosterone Linked to Weight Loss in Obese Men When Levels Were Low, Testosterone Replacement Led to Lost Weight, Smaller Waists By Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD May 9, 2012 -- Testosterone replacement may promote weight loss in obese older men who have low levels of the male sex hormone, a new study shows. But before men try to lose weight by bumping up their testosterone, experts agree that more studies are needed to show that the treatment is both safe and effective. Researchers followed a group of mostly older, overweight men receiving injections of the hormone for up to five years to treat erectile dysfunction and other symptoms associated with low testosterone. Their findings were presented at the 19th European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France. The men who were treated the longest lost more than 30 pounds on average over the course of the study, and also showed improvements in blood pressure, blood glucose, and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Researcher Farid Saad, DVM, says the dramatic weight loss came as a surprise. "This study was not performed for the purpose of promoting weight loss," he tells WebMD. "This was an incidental finding that was entirely unexpected." Low Testosterone Common in Obese Men The study included middle-aged and older overweight or obese men with low testosterone levels being treated with testosterone replacement at a single urology clinic. A total of 214 men remained in the study for at least two years, and just over half of these men were followed for another three years or more. All the study participants received a long-acting injected testosterone, with two injections given during the first six weeks of treatment followed by injections every three months as long as they remained in the study. Men who were treated the longest lost the most weight and saw the biggest reductions in waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). After five years of follow-up, the average weight loss was 35 pounds and the average waist circumference dropped from about 42 to 38 inches. Most men also saw improvements in triglyceride levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, and LDL cholesterol. Saad is a researcher with Bayer Pharma AG, of Berlin, Germany. Bayer manufacturers the long-acting testosterone treatment the men received, which has not been approved for use in the U.S. Saad says the men in the study may have lost weight on the testosterone therapy because they had more energy to exercise. "This is a theory, and, certainly, more research is needed to confirm our findings," he tells WebMD. Testosterone for Weight Loss: 'More Study Needed' There are concerns that prolonged testosterone therapy could increase prostate cancer risk, but there was no evidence of this among the men in the study. University of Buffalo endocrinologist Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, agrees that more study is needed to confirm the safety and usefulness of replacement therapy for weight loss in men with low testosterone. Dhindsa's own research, published two years ago, showed that low testosterone is common in obese men, especially those with diabetes. "The weight loss reported in this study was much greater than that reported in other studies," he tells WebMD. "Given this outcome and the safety questions about this treatment, it is important to replicate these findings." These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.

VISION WITHOUT GLASSES

VISION WITHOUT GLASSES . Posted by: "Dr. William H. Bates" am_mvz14@yahoo.com am_mvz14 Sat Mar 24, 2012 5:11 pm (PDT) How To Restore Your Eyesight Without Surgery? Dr. Bates Discovered a Scientifically Proven Way To Have a Perfect Vision Naturally, And Finally Reveal The Unbelievably Easy, Step-By-Step Actions You Could Already Be Taking To Throw Away Your Glasses or Contact Lenses. Click here http://FRIENDS2012.INFO/improve-eye-sight.html

PARACETAMOL

PARACETAMOL Panadol: When we were in Mumbai (India) a learned History professor there told us that the Parsees (A sect in India) used to take their Dead & lay them to rest @ huge 'Wind Towers' (round structures that Look like Giant Water reservoirs, but open to the air)...The Parsees never buried their dead, nor burned them.They leave them to the Birds of Prey (Vultures) to be eaten thus completing the Life Cycle.. Around 10 years ago, it was noticed that the Birds are dying off. Not many of them were left to consume the dead bodies (which started rotting away)...So, the Parsees had to change this mode of dealing with their dead.. BUT, they wanted to know why a Custom that survived for hundreds of years, had to be suspended?!! They did Autopsies on Dead Birds (they were dying in huge #'s)..What was the Culprit??? PARACETAMOL (aka PANADOL)...!! People started consuming pain-killers a decade ago, Panadol STAYS in the Liver for a Long Time...It ultimately accumulated in the Birds' systems & they couldn't cope with it! Interesting to know... PANADOL My husband was working in a hospital as an IT engineer, as the hospital is planning to set up a database of its patients and he knows some of the doctors quite well. The doctors used to tell him that whenever they have a headache, they are not willing to take PANADOL / PARACETAMOL. In fact, they will turn Herbal Medicine or find other alternatives. This is because Panadol is toxic to the body, and it harms the liver. According to the doctor: Panadol will remain in the body for at least 5 years.....!! And according to the doctor, there was an air-hostess who consumed lots of Panadol as she needed to stand all the time and work under lots of pressure. She's now in her early 30's, and she is undergoing kidney cleaning (DIALYSIS) every month. Whenever we have a headache, that's because it is due to the electron / Ion imbalance in the brain. Some alternative solution to cope with this matter is Drink lots of water. Another method will be to submerge your feet in a basin of warm water so that it brings the blood pressure down from your throbbing head. As Panadol is a pain killer, the more Panadol you take, the lesser would be your threshold for pain (your endurance level for pain). We all will fall ill as we age. Imagine that we had spent our entire life popping quite a substantial amount of Panadol (Pain Killer), when you need to have a surgery or operation, you will need a much more amount of general anesthesia. The thought is scary enough to turn me to Herbal Medicine or other healthier alternative. Value your health, value your life, THINK TWICE before you easily pop that familiar pill into your mouth again. Please don't take PANADOL always and try to send this e-mail to people you care. Here in India it is sold as CROCIN or METACIN

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo&sns=fb

Ragi Nutrition: Ragi and weight reduction

Ragi Nutrition Ragi is the common name of Finger Millet in South India. It is one of the most nutritious food and one of the easy one to to digest. It is rich in calcium and protein and also have good amount of iron and other minerals. It is low in fat most of which are unsaturated fats. As any other grains it has its shade of good and not so good aspects. In this article we will put together all the essential ingredients of Ragi – firstly based on % share of content, 2ndly based on quantity of minerals present and then followed by different amino acids present. Once this is done we can compare Ragi to other grains like Wheat, Maize against key ingredients. Ragi Nutrition Content In this below section depicts the in a typical content in 100 grams of Ragi (edible portion, 12% moisture). Major portion of Ragi is carbohydrate, followed by protein and fibre. It has the least amount of fat in them. Ragi Nutrition Chart Content Amount (Typical) Amount (Range) Carbohydrate 72.6 71.3 – 89.5 Protein 7.7 5.8 – 12.8 Fibre 3.6 3.5 – 3.9 Fat 1.3 1.3 – 2.7 Below is the pie chart which shows the split of above numbers. Major portion of Ragi is carbohydrate, around 80%. The Fat percentage is quite less which is good. Protein and fibre content is not great but it is relatively less in their share. 100 grams of Ragi has roughly on an average of 336 KCal of energy in them. Minerals Below table shows typical mount of various minerals in Ragi. As you can see in the table that ragi has high amount of calcium. Calcium is one of the most important ingredients of our body and our daily need is around 350 mg. There are traces of Iron but rest of other minerals are negligible. Ragi Nutrition Chart (Minerals) Mineral Content Amount (Typical – mg) Calcium 350 Iron 3.9 Niacin 1.1 Thiamin 0.42 Riboflavin 0.19 Amino Acids Ragi also has some good number of Essential Amino Acids (EAA) which are essential for human body. Few of the key EAAs which Ragi has are Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Threonine and Tryptophan. Below section beiefly explains why these are essential for us Valine is essential for repair of tissues, muscle coordination and metabolism and also help maintain balance of nitrogen in the body. It also help promote mental calmness and enhance maintain mental vigor. Isoleucine is essential for ensuring blood formation, keeping a check on blood sugar levels. It also helps heal and repair muscle tissues, bones and skin. Threonine helps maintain protein levels in the body. It also helps formation of tooth enamel, also prevents formation of fat in the liver. Tryptophan which act as natural relaxant and help fight anxiety, depression and insomnia. They also help in treating migraine headaches. They reduce excess appetite and help control weight gain; they also release of growth harmones. Methionoine which is a sulfur based amino acid which is essential for various activities in human body. It is said to help promote growth of healthy skin and hair. The Sulfur which we get from Methionine helps produce a substance called lecithin which helps reduce cholesterol, reduce fat inside the livers and help protect kidneys. This methionine is generally lacking in staple diet of some of the vegetarians and hence regular Ragi intake will help get enough of these amino acids. Ragi Nutrition Chart (Amino Acids) Amino Acids Content Amount (mg/g of protein) Leucine 594 Valine 413 Phenylalanin 325 Isoleucine 275 Threonine 263 Methionine 194 Tryptophan 191 Lysine 181 Cystine 163 Ragi Vs Other Grains (Wheat, Maize, Brown Rice) Below table shows how Ragi (finger millet) stands against other staple grains – Wheat, Maize and Brown Rice. Ragi Nutrition Chart (Comparison) Content (grams) Brown Rice Wheat Maize Ragi Energy (KCal) 362 348 358 336 Carbohydrate 7.9 11.6 9.2 7.7 Protein 7.9 11.6 9.2 7.7 Fibre 1.0 2.0 2.8 3.6 Fat 2.7 2.0 4.6 1.5 We can make out from the chart that Protein content in Ragi is not on the higher side. It is least on Calories, Protein and Fat. It is relatively high on Protein. Ragi Nutrition Chart (Mineral Comparison) Content (mgs) Brown Rice Wheat Maize Ragi Calcium 33 30 26 350 Iron 1.8 3.5 2.7 3.9 Niacin 4.3 5.1 3.6 1.1 Thiamin 0.41 0.41 0.38 0.42 Riboflavin 0.04 0.1 0.2 0.19 Ragi has very high amount of calcium which are way more than others. The Ragi also have traces of Iron. Other minerals are not present in high numbers Verdict Ragi is a very good to be included as a part of staple diet as it lot of essential nutrients, amino acids and minerals. Add to this is the fact that these have very low amount of fat content and reasonable amount of fibre. Having said that caution should be taken to ensure that you dont take more than your body can take, esp if you have some limitation. This article is a testament of goodness of ragi and including Ragi into diet plan starting with couple of times a week will help a lot. References 1. Finger Millet basics from Wikipedia.org 2. Finger Millet Facts and statistics from blackherbals.com 3. Essential Amino Acids and its need from Realtime.net