Dr. Devi Shetty on heart

Dr.Devi Shetty, 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.

Q: 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
Q: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?
Ans: 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?

Ans: 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?
Ans: Yes

Q: 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.

Q: 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

Q: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?
Ans: Mother Theresa , who was my patient.

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

Q: 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.
Q: 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.

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

Q: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?
Ans: Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.
Q: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?
Ans: All oils are bad .

Q: 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.

Q: 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.

Q: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?
Ans: 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.
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.

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

Q: 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

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?
Ans : 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)?
Ans : 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?
Ans : No.

Q: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?
Ans : No.

Q: How would you define junk food?
Ans : 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?
Ans: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

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

Q: 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.

Q: 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.

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?
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.

Q: 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 cho lesterol, BP, weight.

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

Q: 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.

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

Q: 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 not smoke and, go for health checkup s if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) ....


Please, It takes sharing of knowledge to discover and understand the world in which we live.

Small Story

>>A Junior Software engineer, a Senior Software engineer and their Project Manager are on their way to a meeting. On their way
through a park, they come across a wonder lamp. They rub the lamp and a ghost appears.

>> 

>>The ghost says, "Normally, one is granted three wishes but as you are three, I will allow one wish each".

>> 

>>So the eager Junior Software engineer shouted, I want the first wish. I want to be in the Bahamas , on a
fast boat and have no worries. "Pfufffff" and he was gone.

>>> 

>>>Now the Senior Software engineer could not keep quiet and shouted " I want to be in Florida with beautiful girls, plenty of food
and cocktails. "Pfufffff" and he was also  gone.

>> 

>>The Project Manager calmly said," I want these two idiots back in the office after lunch at 1.30pm"

>> 

>> 

>>Moral of the story is:

>>Always allow the   boss to speak first

Meaningful Life

"Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."~ Mahatma Gandhi




“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”  -~ Albert Einstein


"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.”    - Henry Ford




"A goal without a plan is just a wish." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery





"The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places"



 Self-trust is the first secret of success. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

10 steps to success ...!!!

1. Self-Belief: 

Success is begins in the mind. One has to be a believer, first, if one wishes to be an achiever. Never under-estimate yourself. You have no idea how often can you surprise yourself. So to begin with, let's get in the belief, "I Can."

2. Clarity of Vision: 

There is no point running around without knowing where one wants to reach. you must get your job cut out. Greatest achievers in the world have been visionaries. Know exactly what you are best at and give it your best shot.

3. Setting the Right Goals: 

The goals should be realistic .The goals should be achievable ,and yet challenging enough - neither too easy nor too difficult -something in the middle.

4. Be focused: 

If the sun's rays are focused on a piece of paper with a lens, the intensity of the concentrated energy burns the paper. Focus on your objective will enhance the intensity of the effects of your efforts.

5. No Short Cuts to Success: 

There are no short cuts to success. Divide your overall goals into smaller targets. Divide your monthly plans into weekly and weekly plans into daily plans and see how simple can things be.

6. Take Risks: 

Without any risk no progress is possible. Life comes to a stable standstill. People who take chances are the people who get ahead in life. The only way to reduce risk is to take risks.

7. Take the Initiative: 

People who take the initiative make the most of their lives. Proactive people do not wait for success to happen; rather they make it happen. As they say, 'JUST DO IT'.

8. Never Hesitate to Struggle: 

No one has ever climbed a mountain just by looking at it. Struggle, hard struggle, is a key to success.

9. Own Responsibility: 

Failure to hit the bull's eye is never the fault of the target. People, who own complete responsibility of their lives, are the people who make the most of it.

10. Never Give Up: 

Many people who failed in life, where those who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Success demands extra-ordinary amount of perseverance. Never, never, give up.

ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR CAREER 

New Year Wishes-2011

Happy New Year to everyone. Wow, how could another year just fly by so quickly? So many wonderful things have happened this year and so grateful to God for each and every blessing he has sent to everybody. This upcoming year seems to be a mystery in a way, but we will leave it in God's hands and accept any new challenges that will come to everybody.  everybody to be a little skeptical skeptically of year because we know what the past has held but we don't know what tomorrow will bring. One thing for certain is that if our faith is in the Lord, we know and give thanks and praise to Him for bringing us through another year knowing that only through His love and mercy and grace we are here today. We leave our Yesterdays in the safekeeping of His faithfulness and trust and have faith in Him of what tomorrow will bring.

Let this coming year be better than all the others. To do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time. Call up a forgotten friend, let go an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Not to make a promise you don't think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more, you'll look ten years younger. Don't be afraid to say, ‘I love you'. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world. Hug your family and friends. I for one am a hugger and hug everyone.

May you have the best year ever. A year filled with all the peace, health and happiness that you so deserve. In this New Year know that you are blessed with friends who cherish you, with people who love you and a God that adores and watches over you each and every day.

Nice Message

A Friendship is sweet when it's NEW….
But it is SWEETER when it's TRUE!....
But you know what? it is SWEETEST when it is YOU…..
........................................................................................
If you think my eyes are beautiful it's because they are looking at you….
..........................................................................................
Some people have nice eyes..
Some people have a nice smile and some of them have a nice face.
But u have all of them with a nice heart….
...........................................................................................
Like a candle in the dark….
make every thing feel bright…
you may be out of my sight but you will always be deep in my heart…
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No matter who you are,
no matter what you do,
you absolutely have the power to change.
Just trust yourself, then you know how to live
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God always does things right.
His way always the best way.
Even if to us seemed all wrong.
If you asked God for one thing and received another TRUST you can be sure that he always give you what you need…
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I hope you that you like my messages….....

Nice Quotes

In a day, when you don't come across any problems -  you can be sure that you are traveling in a wrong path
----SWAMI VIVEKANANDA