Another Series Of Questions And Answers On Health Issues Part B
Please circulate this far and wide.It is useful for everyone.*
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:
*Question :* What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his or her 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 :* Can we convert fat into muscles?
*Answer:* It is a dangerous myth. Fat and muscles are made of two different tissues - fat is fat, ugly and harmful. Muscle is muscle. Fat can never be converted into a muscle.
*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 :* Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?
*Answer:* Extremely rare.
*Question :* 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?
*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 oils 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 or her 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 years 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.
*Question :* Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?
*Answer :* No.
*Question :* How would you define junk food?
*Answer :* Fried food like Kentucky, McDonalds, Samosas, and even Masala Dosas.
*Question :* 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?
*Answer:* Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease. For more information on health issues and counseling, call me on +234 7015355297 or email me on [email protected]. God bless you.
