| |
My brother-in-law is just thirty.
With a normal physique, he looks like a fit young man.
It was last month, while he was getting ready to leave
for the office, that he suddenly started vomiting and
collapsed. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital,
where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Doctors
diagnosed him with two blocked arteries. In the ensuing
complicated surgical procedures, he nearly lost his
life. This sudden ailment of Shahid Raza compelled me
to research and write this feature. This is my humble
effort to spread awareness in order to help prevent
the disease.
All cardio-thoracic and vascular surgeons agree that,
the process of blockage of arteries starts at birth,
but the speed at which it accelerates depends a great
deal on your lifestyle and how many calories you burn
every day. So you may just be thirty years old, but
your heart could be that of a sixty year-old.
The heart has to pump harder during exertion or under
emotional stress, and this can cause a heart attack.
So how can youngsters be forewarned? How can they find
out if they are at risk of a heart attack?
A waist of over thirty-two inches for women (medium
Pakistani frame), and thirty-six inches for men is the
danger sign. Fat goes to the abdomen only when the arteries
and internal organs have had more or less enough.
Pakistanis
are at greater risk!
Studies show that Pakistanis are at a greater risk.
The factors could be lack of exercise and our eastern
cuisine consisting mostly of Nihari, Paya, Haleem, Qorma,
Biryani and what not.
A Few Useful Tips
lIf a person collapses at a public place, like an airport,
the first hour is critical if he is suffering from cardiac
problems. The maximum damage and number of deaths occur
during this time. Help should immediately be given so
that the movement of the heart muscles and the flow
of blood are brought under control. Blood flow should
not be left at minimal or zero levels.
The patient should be given immediate first aid. For
cardiac arrest, the first aid would include administering
a defibrillator shock (electric shock) along and intubating
the patient so that a breathing pathway is created.
Hospital and health care phone numbers should be readily
available. It is advisable to call up a hospital and
find out if it has enough beds instead of simply landing
up there and surprising the doctors. That way precious
time is saved by contacting a hospital with a vacant
bed and driving to it immediately.
How
to Keep the Heart Young
A low-fat, high-fibre vegetarian diet, an hour of exercise
(yoga, tai chi, aerobics but not weight resistance training
or body building) and a long walk surely helps in preventing
heart disease
.
Say no to drugs E-pills, doping (joints), liquor. These
drugs have their individual side effects i.e.,
E-pill – memory loss and dehydration.
Dope – blood diseases
.
Liquor – liver cirrhosis and blood pressure.
Beside individual side effects they all have one common
side effect: blockage of arteries
.
So, in order to live a long and healthy life, always
make sure to take time out to exercise, so your heart
stays young.
|
|
