Let Your Heart Keep Beating !

Dr. Aarti Mishra

29^th September is marked as the World Heart Day. The human heart is a topic of interest for poets as well as doctors. It is the seat of all emotions and is one of the most vital organs of the body.

Love Your Heart!

The human heart is a loving and benevolent organ that pumps nutrient rich blood through all the blood vessels of your body by repeated and rhythmic contractions.

If all the blood vessels in an adult are taken out and laid in a line, the line would be about 100,000 miles long.

Small size, Enormous task

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist. It beats around 72-90 times per minute. This means, on an average it will beat 3.4 billion times during a life-span of 80 years.

That’s enough reason to take good care of your precious little heart!

A SPECIAL  DAY TO  CELEBRATE  HEART  HEALTH 

Although we all know important facts about heart health, the World Heart Day is a special occasion to acknowledge the important role that our tender heart plays in our lives, and subsequently take positive steps to ensure its health.

Are you ready to go an extra mile to ensure the health of your heart so that it continues to beat for you and your loved ones?

Okay, let’s quickly review some important Do’s and Dont's for a healthy heart.

1.   Work out for a healthy heart

                              

                                                                     

We all know that regular exercise helps to maintain proper body weight and decreases the chances of developing high Blood Pressure; it helps us to cope with stress, which is a risk factor for heart disease.

Still, we come up with umpteen reasons for not exercising- job pressures, family responsibilities, household chores, lack of time, fatigue, inertia, deadlines. The list is endless..

The truth is- If we don’t take proper care of our heart in today’s hectic and highly competitive world, this laborious body part will be overwhelmed/ overburdened and will become unfit for proper functioning.

Why let Emergency strike the heart before taking some constructive action?

On this special day, resolve to exercise regularly for 20-25 minutes every day. (An average of two and a half hours every week)

Your generous heart will thank you for this kind gesture!

2) Consume a Heart Healthy Diet

          


        

* Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (Organic!) and whole grains.

* Avoid Saturated fats and Trans fats because these raise the blood cholesterol level and predispose the heart to disease.

Saturated fats are present in butter, cream, cheese, hydrogenated oils and animal fats like meat, pork, organ meat and egg yolk.

*Omega-3 fatty acids (a type of poly-unsaturated fats) are good for heart health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are present in abundance in some fish like Salmon and mackerel, in flax-seed oil, Canola oil and in dietary supplements.

* Low fat dairy products should be taken in moderate amounts.

3)      Don’t Carry Extra Weight with You !!

TRAVEL LIGHT!

                   

                                                                

 Excess body weight invites high Blood Pressure, Diabetes and raised levels of cholesterol, which increase the  chances of heart disease.

* The Body Mass Index (B.M.I) is a good parameter to see whether your body weight is healthy or not. 

* BMI is calculated on the basis of your weight in kilograms and height in meters.

BMI =     Weight (Kg) 

            {Height (m)}2     

* A B.M.I. greater than 25 is associated with higher risk of heart disease.

Remember, your waistline is linked to your lifeline!

 4) Routine Tests for a Healthy Heart

* Give your heart the luxury of important regular tests like-

a)  E. C. G             b) Echocardiograph and

c)   Treadmill Test ( T.M.T)
 

 

                                     

 

* Save your heart from dis-ease by regular testing of-

a)  Blood Pressure

b)Lipid Profile (Total Cholesterol, HDL-Good Cholesterol, LDL- Bad Cholesterol & Triglycerides) &

c)   Blood Sugar-       Since Diabetes usually does not present any symptoms, it becomes mandatory to get your blood sugar tested every year. ( fasting as well as after breakfast)

•  People with a family history of diabetes need to get their blood sugar checked after every 6 months. 
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•  Diabetics are 75% more prone to heart  disease as compared to non-diabetics.
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•  Glycated Haemoglobin or glycosylated Haemoglobin test measures a person’s average blood glucose level over  prolonged  periods of time and is absolutely essential for diabetic patients. 
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5) Don’t attack your heart by smoking !

*It has been proved that smokers have double the risk of suffering from a heart attack as compared to non-smokers.

* Moreover, smoking increases a person’s risk of sudden cardiac death by many times.

(Quitting smoking will help you; bye-pass surgery/Angioplasty may not always come to your rescue!)

6) Don’t Torture your Heart by excessive intake of Alcohol 

 

Seek Happiness in the Right Things! Don’t Be a Miss-directed Seeker of Joy.

* Consuming excessive amount of alcohol leads to high cholesterol levels, thus increasing the risk of heart disease.

* Moreover, when your blood stream is loaded with alcohol, the nutrient-rich blood is not able to nourish your heart properly.

Can an ill- nourished heart function efficiently for you?

Be kind to your heart so that it stays in the pink of health and does not trouble you!

7.Have a Merry Heart! 

Laughter IS indeed the Best Medicine. It lowers your pulse rate and Blood Pressure and is a good stress-buster. Someone has rightly said- ‘He who has a merry heart has a continuous feast’.

Why not start following a healthy heart regime from today itself? Pick up your phone and fix up an appointment for a thorough  check-up of the heart. 

      

 You owe it to yourself and your family!

Dr. Aarti Mishra

http://in.linkedin.com/doctorsword