Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Cardiovascular disease accounts for 32 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke.
As a run-up to World Heart Day 2020 on September 29, ASSOCHAM’s Dil Ki Baat webinar was held as part of the Illness to Wellness campaign. The main objective of this was to harness awareness and share knowledge about how best to take care of the heart, how to recognise symptoms of heart ailments and how to prevent the development of heart diseases and how to maintain a robust cardiovascular health. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body because it pumps blood and oxygen to all of your organs. And it is imperative that you take good care of this organ. Yet people tend to neglect this organ till it gives off warning signs of impending disease. Most of the time, the damage is already done.
Total lifestyle change is the answer
Of course, heart disease is caused by undesirable lifestyle habits. Dr Praveen Chandra, Cardiologist, Chairman of Interventional Cardiology at Medanta, tells us how a heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. The blockage is usually due to a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances in the heart (coronary) arteries According to him, “Prompt treatment is needed for a heart attack to prevent death and not wait till last hour.”
Preventing heart diseases: The need of the hour
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director Total Care Control, Delhi, said, “Heart diseases have become the major cause of death and is affecting the younger generation. This has a lot to do with the lifestyle with high calories, bad fats which come with fast foods, lack of physical activity, stress and even environmental pollution. A diet low on fats and whites like maida (refined wheat flour and other carbs), sugar and salt yet colourful and rich in whole grains, vegetables and fruits combined with daily physical activity not less than 150 mins per week would be beneficial in preventing heart diseases and deaths to a great extent.”
Major cause of death globally
Cardiovascular disease accounts for 32 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke. Dr Sushant Srivastava , Chairperson, Adult Cardiac Surgery & Heart Lung Transplant, Artemis Hospital, said tests or treatments to diagnose a heart attack include: ECG, MRI, angioplasty, statins, bypass surgery.
Dr Rajiv Passey, Cardiologist, Sir Gangaram Hospital, agrees with Dr Srivastava when he says, “Cardiovascular diseases kill more people in the world than coronavirus ever will.” He also added that symptoms of heart disease can be hereditary, breathlessness, chest pain, dizziness, exertion, weakness in limbs, excessive headache. Moderation in lifestyle is vital and added that seeking appropriate advice from a good cardiologist at the right time is essential.
