A Chat With The Heart Specialist

Here’s an article that will help us take better care of our hearts and our lifestyle. Thanks to Au Yeong for sharing the information on Dr. Devi Shetty.

Be well to Excel!

A Chat with Dr. Devi Shetty (Heart Specialist)

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 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 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: Can yoga prevent heart ailments?
Ans: Yoga helps.

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

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, edentary 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?
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 hour and 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 and go 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.

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 checkups if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended ) . . .

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We’re Always Negotiating, So Here’s What You Must Have To Win

Just completed four intensive days of training on Brain Power and Effective Negotiation Skills. Over the days, it has brought to mind a reminder that we’re always negotiating, all the time, every time.

Ever since young and as babies, we have been negotiating deals of all kinds. We negotiate with ourselves and on our inner dilemma, negotiate with our family, friends and loved ones, with our romantic interests, with people we buy things from and we negotiate with our boss, colleagues and customers. You name it, you’re always negotiating.

It is therefore crucial to remember that the winning state of negotiation begins from the mindset you have.

It then extends to the plan you have laid out to get what you want.

This is followed by the applications of the strategies and tactics in the pursue of your intention.

Finally, make sure both parties walk away with the win-win outcome.

Since we can never avoid negotiation and we are always negotiating, isn’t it time to devote some time to improving our negotiation skills? This will help ensure that we can get the things we want, more often than before.

The next time you want something, you know you have to negotiate for it… and excel in it.

Outcome Of The Deal

Whenever people step up to the negotiation table, they hope to get the best of out of the deal. However, what many do not realize is that very often, the outcome of the deal is somewhat determined even before you and the other party meet at the table.

Be it a win-win, lose-win, win-lose or lose-lose outcome, various elements comes into play. Massive advantage goes to the team that has the following determining factors all ready BEFORE you meet to negotiate.

1) Preparation and Strategy

2) Information and Data

3) Controllable Resources and Assets

4) Mindset and Character

5) Team Synergy

What if you don’t have all these five factors to your advantage and you step onto the negotiation room?

Then DURING the negotiation, the one vital element that presents any real hope of turning around the losing situation is this:

Eloquence of the negotiator

Now that you know about this, how can you put your negotiation to your advantage?

Best wishes on your coming deal.

Yeah, Right… It’s All In The Mind.

Sometimes, certain people scowl at the idea of talking about the mind and the uses of the brain. Some perceive it as another mumbo-jumbo, a hogwash brainwash. So the usual remarks hover around something like, “yeah, right… it’s all in the mind.”

Guess what? They’re right! It’s really all in the mind! In fact, everything that you need to get a better life begins with the mind.

The right mindset provides you the right attitude which in turn influences your beliefs and what you can be capable of to accomplish anything! It begins in the mind indeed.

The next time a person gives you a sour grin and says with a patronizing tone, “yeah, yeah… it’s all in the mind…”

Tell them they’re right all along… 8)

The Cycle of Consequences

Whatever that is happening to us now in our lives has gone through a long series of cycle. And it goes like this:

Thoughts —> Action —> Consequences —> Thoughts —> Action …

When we focus on the quality of our thoughts, we affect the type of action we take and that in turn produces the form of consequences.

Whatever the consequences are, we will end up thinking about them, shaping us for the next round of action, which leads to another consequences.

What then do we do to positively affect this cycle of consequences?

We must first take charge of the quality of our thoughts for that triggers the action that follows. Eventually, our lives become affected and are changed by our thoughts in the cycle of consequences.

Awareness Beyond Awareness

As you contemplate and think about the various issues in your daily life, have you ever taken a step back and think,

“How do I know what I already know?”

“Why do I think the way I think?”

“How can I better move beyond what I am already moving?”

Interesting, isn’t it? This becomes an attempt to develop a sense of awareness beyond your current level of awareness. To look at things at the meta level.

When you perform a meta analysis of your awareness, you don’t just analyze. You want to be aware of the intention, the steps and the actions behind whatever you want to do.

You actually question and challenge your current awareness, resulting in growth of a higher, more in-depth awareness of your present state of mind.

Hence, meta-awareness presents these benefits:

* Allows you to analyze the strategy of why you do things the way you do.

* Detects and be more acute of areas you can fine-tune.

* Lets you mentally project into the future what might happen if you perform a certain action and what might not happen as a result of it.

So, right now, what are you aware of about your life? How do you know about this awareness? What makes you think you are right about this?

An awareness beyond awareness opens the channel to excel beyond excellence.

Back With New Perspectives

I’m finally back after about 2 and a half weeks of reservist in-camp training. Got to catch-up with my counterparts as well as working with new networks. Special thanks and appreciation also to Jas, my very able assistant and Shah, the Company Sergeant Major, for partnering me in serving the company.

Over these weeks, I’ve done some thinking about certain issues and developed new learnings. These perspectives and introspection provided me with further insights of our lives in general and are extremely applicable.

I am also re-conditioning my mind and lifestyle to fit the changing circumstances. More growing experience awaits.

Every new experience lets you learn with a new perspective, see with a new eye and develop a new insight.

Meanwhile, until my next posting, do stay tuned.

Be well to excel!

What Do You Feed Your Mind With?

Just as our body need to consume food, so does our Mind. The mind feeds on thoughts. It allows these thoughts to grow and provide the drive and energy for our beliefs and converts into behavior.

What do you feed your mind with? Is it with toxics or tonics?

Every toxic thoughts we have puts us on the negative belief level, making our behaviors more destructive. The reverse becomes true when tonics are fed. Tonics nourish our beliefs and self-esteem. Our actions becomes more proactive and positively driven.

We must constantly watch our mind diet.

All right then, it’s back to camp in less than 3 hours and on to outfield exercise in ‘muddy mozzie’ land for the next few days.

Will continuously feed my mind well with tonics during this time. It’s the key tool and channel to live life better.

Think well to Excel.

See you again in 5 days’ time.

A Tight Time

A rather short weekend for me. A tight time of rushing as I booked out of camp only to book in a few hours later. Yet, in the midst of planning and preparing my mind for the outfield exercise starting tomorrow, I have to maximize the use of my time for designing the courses that come.

Exciting isn’t it?

Hence, it is imperative for me to take the following steps:

1. Keep my mind clear and calm.

2. Sort out and list out the things to do, either written down or mentally (if you’ve a trained mind.)

3. Prioritize according to urgency and importance.

4. Set duration and deadlines for every single item to do.

5. Just to do.

6. Reflect and evaluate at the end of event for efficiency and effectiveness.

7. Make it even better the next time.

Since I’ve worked out the training tasks, it’s time to get to doing them.

Excellence begins here!

Is There A Jungle In Your Mind?

As I prepare to return to my reservist camp in a few hours’ time, I remain focused on the program for the coming week. I will be gearing up in being ready for the upcoming field exercise a week from now… to face a ‘jungle’.

Throughout the next 7 days, lots of things have to be done and sorted out in an instant. Its a jungle out there.

At the same time, another jungle appears within us when many issues crop up unexpectedly. With time pressure, the stress mounts and frustration abounds. We then live in another jungle, one that is within us. A mental jungle, that is.

When the thoughts in the mind get scattered all around, it’s tough to make sense of anything. However, if we take time to organize our mind, putting them in the right places, then the jungle can see the sunlight instead of being buried thick with overbearing trees and bushes.

Every time I clear my mental jungles, I use all the tools available to help me: time stoppage, resource listing, serviceability levels, action planning, etc…

I work at them and chop down the cluttered ends. Soon enough, the light permeates through the otherwise unseen sky. Solution befalls and issues resolves.

While we cannot totally influence the outside environment from turning into a jungle, we can definitely disallow the weeds from growing in us and the disorganized tree branches from shielding us from the light.

We have the ability to clear our mental jungle. Takes time, takes tools, takes effort, but it’s possible.

Is there a jungle in your mind?

Are you clearing it?

See you here in a week’s time.