[Zed]

Interesting thread. If I were to list just one topic to contribute to this thread - it would be to shift the needle from fitness/gym/diet toward an active lifestyle that focuses on long term health and a positive state of mind.

There’s little to be gained by spending an hour in the gym with the rest of the day spent on a couch breathing in stale recirculated air.

Some changes I can recommend : walk, bicycle or use public transport. Moderate food intake and actively evaluate what you eat and how it affects your gut and mind. Sleep well. Play a team sport. Don’t be afraid of the sun. Drink plenty of water. Don’t hesitate to take vitamin supplements if required. Limit the intake of refined sugar and refined flour.

Do all of this AND then add gym, running, and diet on top.

[SS80]

What a timing for this thread!

There is one aspect that most of ignore or are unaware of, that is personal space. Ever since my marriage (just 3yrs back) I have never spent a big deal of time at home. So 5 days a week I spent less than 10hrs at home, add night shifts to this and barely any family interaction.

But things were good, atleast no one within family would have heated debates or silly arguments knowing about the limited interaction time that we have.

Then came the unexpected corona, forcing everyone at home to be locked up and to deal with each person 24x7, this is easier said than done. At times some discussion in families, felt like a never ending big boss show.

Now with the lock down eased, things are getting back to normal, my wife finds me more irritating than ever before, as she too works from home, but monitors all my activities - why do you scratch, wash your hands, help me with household chores, keep your tea cup in the sink, today it's your turn to wash clothes and what not.

On a funny note, I explained to my wife, that the reality is, I have not changed, but she just found more time to observe me.

One thing I learnt late ( 33yrs now) is that, its better to give up on silly arguments and opinions within home and stop reacting to everything, that itself reduces stress. Act like a dampening sheet, absorb the noise. Tin can like talks won't help to reduce stress in anyway.

Just be thankful to God for everything he gave you and grab every tiny opportunity to smile that you can.

Heart Disease - people do a lot of work to avoid this exercise, health insurance, term insurance, reduced food intake, weight management, but don't forget to be happy and keep others happy too.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Zed

it would be to shift the needle from fitness/gym/diet toward an active lifestyle that focuses on long term health and a positive state of mind.

Play a team sport. Don’t be afraid of the sun.

Hardly hear this sort of fitness advice these days! Now it mostly seems to be all about calculating x calories, how many 'evil' carbs (if any at all!), which cross-fit/animal flow fad, what 'gear' we need from Decathlon, etc etc. Which of course works well for all those self-styled 'fitness gurus' and their fans mushrooming all over social media!

Thanks for posting this! I enjoy being outdoors playing a sport, however badly and amateurishly, 2-3 times a week and that seems to be working well for my physical and mental health.

[landcruiser123]

A topic very close to my heart. I'm consider myself very very lucky as a loved one was snatched from the jaws of death due to the quick judgement and the right decisions. As a 21y in 2016, it was a life changing moment for me.

Here's what I'd advice BHPians:
1. Keep reasonably active - moderate activity distributed over a week is better than one or two days of strenuous activity
2. Eat Healthy - avoid meat, dairy, and processed food as much as possible
3. Never be fooled - even people who seem pretty fit and with no real indicators can be hit with this deadly disease
4. In the grand scheme of things, don't stress about small things in life - staying away from argumentative people and/or social media as much as possible
5. Medical insurance is a must. Also, if you're above 40, try getting a treadmill stress test every year - but take your doctor's recommendation on that

[haisaikat]

BHPians who have the habit of driving for long hours frequently must also take precautions to prevent DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis. The only way forward is to develop healthy driving habits by making halts every two hour or so and stepping down and stretching your body.

Apart from that make sure you get yourself Master Health checked every 2 years after 30 and every year after 35.

During the lockdown I developed some exercising habits, thanks to the initiative of my office and even if its just 10 minutes a day, I have started seeing benefits. It does not make me lose weight but sure it helps me kill a lot of that lethargic attitude throughout the day.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

In 2019 when I started on my alternate diet journey my doctor was shocked that I planned to go on a low carb modified keto diet. It has been drummed into everybody's heads that saturated fat is bad and LDL is the worst.
And here I was proposing to start consuming dollops of butter. But he had some respect for my ideas and was only preaching a slow systematic trial. He suggested I use ghee.
Nowadays I start my morning with 3 teaspoons of ghee and black tea. On fasting days I take 3-4 tablespoons of ghee and black tea/coffee in the morning. I don't feel hungry till it it time to break the fast.
I am trying to convince the ladies at home to switch to coconut oil for cooking. And I am happy to note that all commercially available savouries are now using palmolein (which contrary to general wisdom is actually better than the seed oils).
My LDL levels and HDL levels have improved markedly, excess body fat has disappeared while muscle mass is constant. All other markers like ECG, 2D echo, Abdominal Sonography are normal and much improved from before.
And I have stopped medications for BP.
https://Youtu.be/jZu52duIqno

Those are great points sir. I have also started looking at Dr. Khadervalli's videos on millets. Makes a lot of sense and I think by moving out of refined items, the human body mostly does pretty well. The concept is simple - take food as medicine and not medicine as food. I think using coconut oil is awesome, brings back the old charm on everyone's face. The problem in India is, people think we are sick if we loose some weight. On the contrary, it's actually good. If you loose some flab around your waist and cheeks, it's great for the body. The heart feels more lubricated, pumps well and you have a great mind too.

I think the overall messaging is that, if you get diabetes or BP, you will have to rely on medication for the rest of your life. FALSE. It is reversible, can be managed in pretty simple ways. Goes the same for kidney infections, heart problems and other ailments. Concoctions of some plants (specific to disease) and a diet devoid of carbs and sugars get any body up and running again. The beauty of the human body is that, it behaves exactly as it is trained. We expect our cars to have the best fuel (unadulterated), it should be likewise for the human body. Give it the best fuel and it will support you in the toughest times. The more you work the body, the more it will support you. The more you keep it in idle mode, the more it will trouble you!

[srishiva]

Good discussions. On the point of taking Ghee, is it really needed ? Does one need calories from that? Consuming nutrition which also has fat along is one thing but taking only fat I am not sure is really needed. There have been contrary studies and results for consuming Ghee and using coconut oil.

Also, there have been cases of Cardiac arrest among very active people. Either people who are running long distance or cycling for long distances. These are people with no issues. So moderation (more so in food) in everything is needed especially when over 40.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

5. Medical insurance is a must. Also, if you're above 40, try getting a treadmill stress test every year - but take your doctor's recommendation on that

A point of caution regarding Treadmill Stress Test.
The hospital that I frequent is a genuine charitable setup. No unnecessary treatments, reasonable rates etc.
My treadmill test was so bad that everybody was panicking. My 2-D echo was also abnormal. They wanted me to immediately shift to the cathlab, but I resisted and decided to discuss with my doctor. He was also practising in the same hospital and he also was very concerned and advised angiography. They were estimating 2-3 large blocks and that at-least a couple of stents may be needed.
It turned out that the arteries were clear, with only very minor plaque starting at the end of one.

None of the specialists had any explanation as to why there was such a situation.
My own hunting around on online sites and papers found that deficiency in potassium can cause such symptoms. And it is a known issue that diabetics tend to leach potassium in the urine. This will be while your electrolyte test shows normal levels.

[anjan_c2007]

I would like to share an anecdote from a lecture that Dr Ashwin B. Mehta, the Mumbai based interventional cardiologist once delivered. He is presently with Jaslok and Breach Candy Hospitals.

He was talking about heart care and gave many tips to have a healthy heart. He also corroborated the fact that pure ghee is not as harmful as hydrogenated oils. While talking about morning/evening walks that many of us regularly go for, he described how the walk should be. Firstly, he referred to slow or "Baraati" walks, wherein we walk very leisurely just following some imaginary groom astride on an occasionally prancing horse. The second type of walk is like the one a person engages in, while in a rail platform to board the correct bogie. And the third type of walk or run is like the one a person does after being chased by a dog.

He said the walk for good health should be somewhere between the "Baraati" walk and the 'dog chase man' walk. More or less like the walk to board the correct rail bogie in a platform.

The audience had a hearty laugh. His talk was full of interspersed humour. Dr Mehta is a very good speaker, apart from being among the topmost cardiologists in the country.

[Thermodynamics]

A breakthrough research at Stanford school of medicine that employs carbon nanotubes to cleanse arterial plaque (Link)

Apparently the same mechanism can also be used to treat Cancer. I wish the research becomes successful in human trials.

https://youtu.be/TNfYzima37c

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

BHPians who have the habit of driving for long hours frequently must also take precautions to prevent DVT or The only way forward is to develop healthy driving habits by making halts every two hour or so and stepping down and stretching your body.

Very true and this applies to frequent fliers too especially those who take long haul non-stop flights. A stop over flight is actually a good thing for your circulatory system not to forget your knee and ankle joints, even the respiratory system.

My system - whether in a long haul flight, long inter city/State drive or even at work - take a break and get off your butt every 60-90 minutes or so depending on your convenience to get the blood flowing to your extremities. If at work your eyes will thank you too, prevents dry eyes caused by staring at laptop or phone screens.

[doxinboy]

Can anyone explain in simple terms how stress & mental outlook affects cardiovascular health? I understand that accumulating plaque in the veins will reduce the flow of blood to heart and causes pressure leading to heart attacks. But what is the correlation with stress and heart attack? I don't get it.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by doxinboy

But what is the correlation with stress and heart attack?

The physiology is better explained by a doctor and I'm sure one of the several docs on the forum can give a good explanation.

From a layman's point of view, I think it's also the way we react to stress and our attendant coping mechanisms that can lead to heart issues. For example, some people smoke to deal with stress, no-brainer that that is just making things worse! Some people overeat, some binge drink. Those are obvious magnifiers.

I think it's also the change in good behaviours that stress causes that leads to problems. For example, if I have a stressful couple of weeks with a huge deadline at work, I am more likely to skip my daily run or hour of exercise. I may end up eating pizza and drinking several cups of coffee to stay up late and work instead of cooking a healthy meal and sleeping early. Things like that.

[The Rationalist]

I have less time to get into a discussion on Diabetes, will do that later. I have done a Fellowship in Diabetes from CMC, Vellore. Will stick to Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
There are many types of presentation for CAD
1) Acute Coronary Syndrome or ACS (layman's heart attack), two major subtypes
a) STEMI: ST segment elevation myocardial infarction in ECG leads (at least two consecutive leads)
b) NSTEMI: Non ST segment elevation MI (normal or minimal change in ECG with elevated level of blood Troponin enzymes)
2) Stable angina: chest pain occuring during exertional,activity.

Now most of the cases we talk about is the ACS-STEMI or ACS-NSTEMI, the person gets typical central chest pain with pain radiating to arms, shoulder, neck or jaw. There may be sweating and nausea like symptoms. In STEMI, one has changes in ECG , which means arteries have been blocked completely. The treatment option is to lyse the clot or go for Coronary angiography (CAG) and based on that undergo PCI or angioplasty. In NSTEMI the block or occlusion is incomplete, so no need for lysis or PCI. But you will require CAG to determine the amount of occlusion or narrowing of artery. Both cases will be given Aspirin and Clopidogrel along with Statin (cholesterol lowering drugs).

Coming to Treadmill testing or exercise ECG. The sensitivity of Treadmill is 68% and specificity of 77%. Sensitivity of test means it will correctly detect 68 patients in 100 patients having CAD. It will miss the 32 who have disease. Specificity of test means it will correctly detect 77 people out of 100 who have no CAD, it will label 23 as having CAD (false positive). So it depends on whom the test is done, unless the test is done on people having symptoms or having high probability it will result in many being labelled as positive! Coronary angiography is the Gold standard test for Coronary Artery Disease. That is done mostly when you develop ACS-STEMI or NSTEMI or those with long standing Diabetes.

Coming to treatment, if you are having hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, you may take Treadmill test. But if you are having no symptoms the test won't mean much. But if you have symptoms and test is positive, the Cardiologist will decide on whether to optimize medicines or if high risk is there to offer CAG. Most narrowing of arteries can be managed by medicines. Only those are not adequately controlled with medications need to go ahead and get angioplasty.

Why do arteries develop narrowing? That is a very long topic, but depends on genetics, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and other factors.
Why does the narrowed arteries get blocked? Microscopic injury in the narrowed segment results in clot formation just like a injury on your skin develops a clot, but in the case of narrowed artery, there is already reduced thickness of lumen and if a clot forms it may get blocked completely. Imagine a 2 lane highway where landslide happening slowly has made it into a single lane (no maintenance!) and one fine morning a truck overturns in the now single lane and all the traffic will be blocked. You have to remove the truck (clot in case of artery) for passage of essential goods (blood in case of artery).

[wheeledwanderer]

Nice read. Any thread from BHPian @sridhar-v on diet control? Advise would help!

Originally Posted by vigsom

It is important to

* remain energised even in grim situations
* stay fit and happy
* make others feel happy

I have always been careful about my health but drifted off-course between 2012 and 2018. That was in my 40s.

I used to work 18hrs a day, ate more as I was awake for longer, and ended up putting on 13 kilos in a matter of a few months.

Now, this is what I practise :

* a 45 minute workout at home that is a combination of 30 sets of suryanamaskaars, sit ups, and a workout using dumbells

* walk short distances instead of taking the bike or the car out

* little to no carbs in diet

* no sugar and very little milk in tea/coffee

* reduced use of the air-conditioner, both at home and while driving ( have managed without the car AC even when the outside temperature was 46 degrees.C)

* one multivitamin tab every alternate day

* no medicines for my elevated BSL

I'm now 74 kilos, back to what I used to weigh in 1998.

I'd like to thank bhpian @sridhar-v for his great guidance on diet control.