Almost every month, if not every week, we hear about someone affected by heart disease. I count my blessings for knowing a lot of people. I count my blessings that my dad recovered from a heart attack 11 years back. I count my blessings that several people helped us. My wife, being a cardiologist, also offers lot of guidelines and inputs to our extended friends and family.
Today is no exception. One of my friends informed me about her close relative who passed away recently from a sudden heart attack in India.
(this relative of hers) was healthy. Spoke with the family in preparation for 2021 and was in high spirits. Within the next 15 minutes the person passed away from sudden heart attack.
Yes, the relative had higher blood pressure, sugar and high cholesterol for a long time. But then this happened all of a sudden.
Many stories we hear about are similar – health person getting an attack all of a sudden and passing away. With age our risks increase. Over the past five decades we are all blessed with abundance of food that seemed wonderful. Little do we know about the long term effect of many of the food items that was abundant in quantity and perhaps less abundant in quality. Case in point, green revolution in India was revolutionary concept in the 1960s. However high calorific content, high glycemic index (sugar level), along with increasingly sedentary lifestyle and modern day stress challenges all of us.
Here are a a quick set of steps that our family took in the past 10 years. This might be helpful reminder for ourselves as well as for many others.
- Sleep well: Rest and relaxation are the solid foundation for healthy life.
- Exercise: Ensuring our muscles and body get physical use. At least 30 minutes of exercise with good breath control per day is essential.
- Eat well: Fresh food with less sugar and cholesterol along with higher intake of fruits and vegetables is important. Besides controlling cholesterol, one should pay attention to the triglycerides in the body. Triglycerides are very common amongst south Indian population and often open up door for higher cholesterol and diabetes
- Worry less: Modern day life with devices and distractions also bring a lot of worries. Saying “No” to worries is opening doors for healthy life.
- Breathe: Stress adversely affects breath. We take breathing for granted. Consciously developing breath through yoga or other methods is useful.
- Connect: Connect with people who are positive, helpful, and supportive. As we age, it is the quality of connection that is critical compared to the quantity. Connect with people who care and provide support.
- Let it go: In a positive manner, sometimes we have to let go of adverse events in our life to reduce stress from coming in.
- Pray and have faith: Each person has their own approach to religion. Building spiritual connection to the universe and shared beliefs also opens doors for more relaxation and strength.
Over the 10-years, we increased the following in our home:
- More Brown rice and Quinoa instead of good old enriched white rice
- More whole grain foods than bleached and enriched flour
- More vegetables, greens, fruits and chicken (we do not eat red meat)
- More exercise, walk, and rest
- Breathe when faced with stress and realize
- More quality connections
- More gratitude
There are 100s of books and 1000s of articles published every day about heart condition. Fundamentally it comes down to care and comfort. Little steps go a long way. Again, I am thankful for many people who helped my dad recover 11 years back. Plus I am thankful for many things to come.
Leave a Reply