THE TRIBUNETrends

4 WELLNESS CHANDIGARH | SATURDAY | 28 SEPTEMBER 2019

A healthy lifestyle plays an important role in the prevention of heart diseases. It is up to us to make life-affirmative choices
Dr Babina N. M in your arteries. Belly or vis-
ceral fat is especially dan-

M
OST of the time gerous. A recent study
heart diseases are found that having a potbel-
diagnosed and ly, even if you are not over-
treated only after weight, increases the risk of
these occur. How- lifestyle diseases. The fat in
ever, the rising burden of the belly pumps out
cardiovascular diseases,
hypertension, diabetes and IMPROVE YOUR cytokines and free radicals
that trigger inflammation

heart health
the ensuing complications, in the body. Make sure to
including stroke, heart include whole foods in your
attack, heart failure, and diet and cut down on sugary
sudden cardiac death, have and processed foods. Also
led to a shift from curative detoxify the body regularly

to preventive care.
According to the Ameri-
can Heart Association,
almost 80 per cent of cardio-
vascular diseases, includ-
ing stroke, are preventable.
This underlines the utmost
importance of prevention as
the first line of defence
against the rising epidemic
of heart diseases.
Naturopathy offers useful
tools to improve the health
of your heart. For people
who are at a higher risk of
developing heart diseases
such as those having dia-
betes or hypertension,
lifestyle modifications,
along with modern medi-
cines, can be of great help.
A study published in the
Canadian Medical Associa-
tion Journal found that
patients at high risk of car-
diovascular diseases experi-
enced a reduced cardiovas-
cular risk profile over 10
years and a lower fre-
quency of metabolic
syndrome by includ-
ing diet modifica-
tions, strategic use of
natural health products
and following health pro-
motion advice in conjuga-
tion with modern medicine.
LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION
VS MEDICATION
There is no denying that
the use of medication like
statins can be beneficial,
but it is important
to bear in mind
that these
drugs should be accompa-
nied by lifestyle
modifications
naturally
with the use of herbs such
as triphala, neem and mint
to prevent weight gain.
Keep a control on blood pres-
sure: Having high blood
pressure puts you at risk of
stroke, heart attack, impo-
tence, kidney disease,
decreased mental capacity,
and dementia. To keep the
blood pressure in control,
make sure your diet
PRACTICE YOGA REGULARLY includes plenty of fruits
Various researches have proved the and vegetables which are a
beneficial effects of both short and long- rich source of calcium,
term yoga practice. People who practice potassium, and magne-
yoga on a regular basis have achieved sium. All of these help com-
lower heart rate, healthy blood pressure bat the negative effects of
and better autonomic function. Regular excess sodium. It is essen-
practice of yoga and pranayama can help tial to do physical exercise
your heart stay healthy, and prevent the daily, as it promotes weight
onset of lifestyle diseases such as loss, and helps control
hypertension and stroke, improve blood blood pressure. It also stim-
circulation and lower the risk of ulates the production of
peripheral vascular diseases. useful chemicals, such as
nitric oxide, which helps
expand blood vessels and
increase the blood flow.
Herbs such as basil, garlic,
cardamom, celery seed, etc.
help to keep blood pressure
in control.
Keep blood sugar in check:
EXERCISE WITHOUT FAIL Studies have found that
strokes and heart
Regular aerobic exercise is one of the best things you can do to improve your heart health. Make sure you attacks are twice as
practice at least 30 minutes of aerobics daily, strength-training exercises at least twice or thrice a week, prominent in diabetics
and stretching exercises as and when you can. But before you do, make sure you get a tolerance test compared to non-diabet-
done, especially if you are at risk for a cardiac event like a stroke or a heart attack. ics. However, healthy eat-
ing and daily exercise can
improve the level of glu-
cose in your blood, and
help you shed body fat,
ISTOCK
both of which are major
risk factors for heart dis-
ease. Herbs such as aloe
and not as an excuse to Adopt a heart-healthy diet: unsaturated fats as these major risk factor for a num- flaxseed, walnuts, celery, vera, cinnamon, milk this-
absolve yourself of the Avoid trans-fats as these boost HDL, or good choles- ber of debilitating diseases, grapes, olive oil and spices tle, black seed, fenugreek
responsibility for your raise the LDL or bad choles- terol levels and lower the risk including heart diseases. A like rosemary, ginger, and and ginger help reduce the
health. In fact, what you terol levels. These are found of heart disease. Make sure diet rich in anti-inflammato- turmeric. Garlic is particu- blood sugar levels. Similar-
can achieve using in fried foods, baked goods, to include plenty of roughage ry foods and herbs is benefi- larly useful in lowering bad ly, the consumption of onion
lifestyle modifications has and any food item that lists in your diet through fruits, cial. This will help the body cholesterol levels and keep- also helps diabetics keep
no chemical substitute. “partially hydrogenated” oil vegetables, beans, legumes, fight inflammation and the ing blood pressure in check. their sugar under control.
Here are a few steps you in its ingredients. Include whole grains, and nuts. oxidative stress caused by it. Lose body fat: An increase in —The writer is joint
can take to protect your foods that are rich in poly- Fight chronic inflammation: Foods rich in anti-inflamma- body weight also increases CMO, Jindal Naturecure
heart naturally. unsaturated and mono- Chronic inflammation is a tory properties include tofu, the risk of plaque build-up Institute, Bengaluru

A safety valve for your heart

Dr Puneet K Verma
Go for detox detour
Megha Jaina other minerals like iron, zinc, and
magnesium. It helps in maintaining

N
AVRATRI festival that starts electrolyte balance of the body. Rock

C
ONSIDER a 60-year-old
elderly woman who suf-
fers from chest pain,
palpitations, shortness
of breath, fatigue, weakness.
She can’t walk without feel-
ing lightheaded or perform
her routine tasks without
support. During examina-
tion, her cardiologist diag-
noses an unusual heart mur-
mur (more like a ruptured
drum). After tests like ECG,
X-ray (chest), echocardiogra-
phy, the doctor diagnoses
that the woman is suffering
from a severely diseased aor-
tic valve. Subsequent tests
such as coronary angiogra-
phy and cardiac catheterisa-
tion confirm the diagnosis.
Complications from a severe-
ly stenosed aortic valve can
range from heart failure to
stroke and even death.
POSTERIOR VIEW
Bicuspid
Tricuspid valve (mitral) valve
RIGHT SIDE LEFT SIDE
OF HEART OF HEART
Aortic valve
Pulmonary valve
ANTERIOR VIEW
Chest pain, dizziness, loss of
consciousness, breathlessness
could be symptoms of a
damaged aortic valve
WHAT IS AORTIC VALVE STENOSIS
■ Aortic valve stenosis occurs when the
heart’s aortic valve narrows down due to
ageing and calcium build-up. This
narrowing prevents the valve from
opening fully, thereby obstructing the
blood flow from the heart into the aorta
and onward to the rest of the body.
■ The prevalence in India of any valve disease
is 2.8 per cent. Of those with valve diseases,
about 0.4 per cent have aortic stenosis. It is
the most common valvular heart disease
among the elderly and increases with age. The
prevalence is 4.5 per cent at age 75 years and
about 9.0 per cent at 85 years.
tomorrow usually mark the
change in the season. During
this period, fasting is believed to
be beneficial for not only the soul but
for the body as well. During the sea-
son change, fasting is good for health.
During these nine days of fasting,
people usually consume dairy,
buckwheat flour, (kuttu), sago
(sabudana) fruits and vegetables
and avoid eating wheat, other
grains, pulses etc. These are diffi-
cult to digest and slow down the
digestive system. A gluten-free diet
is easy on the digestive system.
Kuttu is rich in nutrients like
magnesium, vitamain E and can
provide energy. It is a seed that is
high in protein and fibre. It sup-
ports weight loss, lowers choles-
terol and can help prevent diabetes
and digestive disorders.
Those who fast, use rock salt (send-
ha namak) during these nine days,
as it is considered the purest form of
salt sans any chemical and has bet-
ter nutrition than ordinary salt.
Rock salt helps in controlling blood
pressure. High in sodium and potassi-
um and low in iodine, it also contains
■ Left untreated, aortic valve stenosis can lead to
debilitating symptoms ranging from exertional
chest pain, dizziness, loss of consciousness,
worsening breathlessness, and ultimately leading
to heart failure. Symptoms usually do not develop
until after age 50 although some individuals may
have a heart murmur at an earlier age.
salt is good for digestion and helps the
body to absorb essential nutrients
and minerals from the food.
People who fast should keep on
consuming small amounts of fruits,
vegetables, dairy products, fruit
juices, coconut water, etc. through-
out the day. Including fruits and
vegetables such as banana, apples,
potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, colo-
casia, raw banana, raw papaya, bot-
tle gourd, tomatoes, ginger, lemon,
cucumber and carrots will keep the
body hydrated and energy levels up.
Some simple tips
Since these fasts are supposed to
detoxify the body ahead of the fes-
tive season, avoid heavy, fried,
spicy and sugary foods, juices or
drinks. Also, eating oily foods on an
empty stomach can cause indiges-
tion or acidity. Keep on sipping
water or coconut water to keep the
body hydrated. Eat lots of salads,
use a curd dressing and add nuts to
upkeep the energy levels.
— The writer is clinical
nutritionist, BLK Super Speciality
Hospital, New Delhi

TREATMENT OPTIONS
A diseased heart valve is a
mechanical problem that
cannot be fixed with medica-
tion alone. Surgery is gener-
ally needed to either repair
or replace the damaged
valve. Valve replacement is
traditionally performed
through open heart surgery
wherein a new
tissue/mechanical prosthetic
valve is surgically sutured in
place of the diseased valve.
Heart surgery is an inva-
sive procedure and is known
to have a longer recovery
time. It may be challenging
for elderly patients. Besides
this, patients may have addi-
tional co-morbidities which
increase the risk of death
and other complications due
to surgical procedure.
A new technique called
trans-catheter aortic valve
replacement (TAVR) is a min-
imally invasive, catheter-
based angioplasty-like tech-
nique during which the
doctors thread a catheter
through an artery in the groin
and into the heart so that a
new aortic valve can be fitted
inside the diseased valve
without surgically opening
the chest. The implanted
valve, called trans-catheter
heart valve (THV), is a tissue
valve with good durability
decreases the need of potent
blood thinning medicines.
This technique may be of
help to high-risk or elderly
patients, because the recov-
ery time is just 3 to 4 days as
this is minimally invasive sur-
gery. Because of faster recov-
ery time and associated clini-
cal benefits for the patients,
its popularity is growing.
— The writer is chief
cardiologist, ACE Heart &
Vascular Institute, Mohali Opt for easy-to-digest foods like sabudana khichdi during the nine days of Navratri fasts