Stay healthy and having a healthy heart is very important as cardiovascular disease is the world’s number one killer today. Just by doing little changes in our lifestyle like walking, exercising, eating healthy, and avoiding alcohol, smoking can keep our heart healthy.

WORLD HEART DAY 2020 THEME

This year’s theme of World Heart federation for the world heart day 2020 is to Use heart to Beat CVD. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and it has many causes: smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, air pollution, and rare and untreated disorders such as Chagas disease and cardiac amyloidosis.

CVD patients are facing double-edged threat at the time of COVID-19. Not only they are at greater risk of getting a serious infection, but also their treatment for heart disease may get affected.

This World Heart Day is all about spreading awareness about using heart for different purposes like:

Use the heart to make better choices like eating a healthy diet, saying no to tobacco, sticking to safe alcohol guidelines, and getting plenty of exercises – setting an example for our children and loved ones.

Use Heart to listen to your Heart means in conditions like heart disease, heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure, or obesity, don’t let COVID-19 stop you attending your regular check-ups. And never avoid calling the emergency services if you need to – it’s safe and medical professionals are there for you.

Use Heart for society, your loved ones and you

Use Heart to Thank Health care professionals

Use Heart to take part in bringing positive change and to help people live longer, better, healthier lives.

Information source: https://www.world-heart-federation.org/world-heart-day/world-heart-day-2020/

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world but there are a number of ways to avoid heart disease and the complications that come with it. The biggest concern on everyone’s minds these days is heart health or how to improve heart health.

In order to keep your heart healthy, cardiologists recommend a plant-based diet as it is rich in anti-inflammatory Phyto compounds and nutrients that reduce inflammation inside the walls and protect the cells from free radical damage. To prevent heart disease, doctors advise eating 5-7 servings of fruit and vegetables every day, if eating fruits and vegetables doesn’t suit you then juicing can also impact the heart health.

To improve your cardiovascular health, including some drinks with heart-healthy benefits in your diet is beneficial.

1. Beet juice: Beet Juice is made by mixing beet and water and is one of the healthiest drinks for heart patients. Beet is a great source of antioxidant betalains that give deep red color to the vegetable and prevent heart disease risk. It helps in lowering the blood pressure and inflammation of arterial walls.

2. Cranberry juice: Cranberries are a natural source of polyphenols that help reduce the risk of cardiac disease. Cranberry juice is also rich in antioxidants anthocyanins, flavonols, and vitamins C and E which prevent the arteries to constrict and plaque to form on it.

3. Red Grapes Juice: Red Grapes juice contains resveratrol which restricts platelets to stick together. The daily dose of Red Grape juice reduces the risk of developing heart disease.

4. Pomegranate Juice: Pomegranate fruit is a bundle of nutrition. It is rich in Vitamin K that aids in heart health, blood clotting, and nerve impulses. The antioxidants present in pomegranate protects the cardiac system from tissue damage and inflammation.

5.  Orange juice: Oranges are rich in antioxidant Vitamin C that is essential for skin and immune system. Its phenolic compounds, such as cinnamic, ferulic, and chlorogenic acids fight against the free radicals and protect the body from diseases.

6. Garlic Juice: Garlic juice has the potential for cardiovascular protection. It lowers the blood pressure and total cholesterol level and thus prevents atherosclerosis. Garlic is more beneficial when it gets fermented. This fermented garlic is known as Black Garlic. It has more nutritive value than white garlic.

7. Celery Juice: Celery contains phthalides having anti-hypertensive properties that relax tissues of the artery and reduce blood pressure.

8. Apple Juice: the most common type of juice is apple juice. It is rich in antioxidants that fight against free radicals and prevent heart diseases. Apple is also a source of potassium that helps in conducting nerve impulses smoothly.

Other important factors to include in your daily life for a healthy heart are, avoid smoking, drinking, and junk food. Adopt healthy habits, do exercise regularly, and take action as early as you detect the symptom for heart disease.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. Jugaadin.com does not claim responsibility for this information.

5 types of Heart disease in children can be:

1. Congenital Heart Disease: If a child born with some heart defect, it is called congenital heart disease. There are some conditions of the heart that come under congenital heart disease like holes in the heart, heart valve disorders, underdeveloped heart. These congenital heart diseases are usually treated with surgery, medication, or heart transplant.

2. Arrhythmias: Arrhythmias is a condition in which children have an irregular heartbeat or abnormal heart rhythm. This heart defect is associated with fast Heart rate (Supraventricular Tachycardia), slow Heart rate (bradycardia), Long QT syndrome (a heart condition that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats that might trigger a sudden fainting spell or seizure).

3. Kawasaki Disease: In this, children get swelling (inflammation) in the walls of medium-sized arteries throughout the body. This inflammation tends to affect the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. Children having high fever and peeling skin can be symptomatic for Kawasaki disease.

4. Heart Murmur: Heart murmurs are basically the heart sound made by blood flowing in or near the Heart. It is not a disease but sometimes it may signify an underlying cardiovascular problem. Heart murmurs can be congenital or develop later in life.

5. Vascular Rings: Vascular rings are the malformation of the aortic arch and/or its associated blood vessels. The trachea and the esophagus are fully encircled and often surrounded by the “ring” created by these vessels, which may contribute to breathing and digestive problems. It is congenital heart disease. 

Diagnosis of Heart problems in children can occur soon after birth or during the first few months of life. The symptoms that children show can be:

If your child has any of the above signs or symptoms as he or she grows, call your child’s doctor or consult a cardiologist. They will let you know if your child’s symptoms are due to a heart defect or another medical condition.

How cardiac stress is done?

The cardiac stress test takes about an hour, including both the preparation time and the time it takes to administer the actual test. The final test only takes about 15 minutes. The patient is allowed to have a tension check while walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bicycle. If they are unable to do exercise, an intravenous drug that mimics exercise so as to increase blood flow to the heart is given to the patient.

Why Cardiac stress is used?

A cardiologist may recommend a Stress test to examine the conditions like coronary artery disease, irregular heart rate, and other heart diseases or disorders.

Coronary Artery Disease: Coronary artery disease occurs when a coronary artery carrying blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the heart got damaged due to plaque formation.

Irregular Heart Rate: Sometimes, the heart beats very fast and sometimes slow due to improper functioning of electrical impulses that coordinate with heart rhythm. The irregular heart rate is called as Arrhythmias.

Your Cardiologist may take a stress test to decide the right time of cardiac surgery, heart transplant, and other surgeries. A more advanced nuclear stress test or echocardiographic test may also be suggested by the doctor if he is not able to diagnose the problem from the stress test.

Risks associated with Cardiac stress test

Stress tests are generally safe and secure as they are performed under the supervision of experts and doctors but some minor risks may occur during the test are chest pain, collapsing, fainting, heart attack, irregular heartbeat.

Before undergoing a stress test, always notify your cardiologist before the test about the medications you are taking as in some cases, the drug can interfere with the accuracy of the test.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. Jugaadin.com does not claim responsibility for this information.

Good Diet and Bad Diet have an equal effect on Heart. A bad diet can lead to Heart Disease or high blood pressure. A diet rich in Sugar, Salt, Fats is termed as Bad diet. Improving your diet reduces your risk of heart disease in many ways, including helping lower levels of high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar and insulin, as well as preventing obesity and improving your heart and blood vessel function.

 There are some foods that you must not eat or eat in limits to keep your heart healthy strong.

1. Refined and processed grains and carbohydrates: Refined or processed foods like white bread, white rice, low-fiber breakfast cereals, sweets, and sugars are not good for cardiac health. They are not good as refinement or processing removes the natural structure of the food. Processing of any food often adds many ingredients that are less healthy, particularly trans fats, sodium, and sugars. Thus, eat refined or processed food occasionally.

2. Drinks: Soda and sugary drinks: Like refined and processed food, soft drinks also have an ill effect on heart health. In addition, to affect heart rate and blood pressure, soft drinks increases the bodyweight too.

3. Red Meat / processed Meat: Bacon, Chicken, sausage, red meat, or pork can raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, and increases your chance of a heart attack or stroke. They are full of salt, which bumps up your blood pressure and makes your heart work harder. High amounts of sodium can lead to stroke, heart disease, and heart failure.

4. Foods undergo deep-frying: French fries, fried chicken and fried snacks increased the risk of heart disease. Frying creates trans fats, a type of fat that can raise the bad type of cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol.

5. Cookies, cakes, and muffins that are called baked food should be taken on less quantity.  They’re loaded with added sugar, which leads to weight gain and can also lead to heart disease. White flour is the main ingredient that may spike blood sugar levels and in turn, increase blood pressure.

6. Drinking alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, strokes, and weight gain. So if you don’t already drink, don’t start.

These are some of the foods that constitute a bad diet and avoiding this diet can save you from a heart attack and high blood pressure. Eat nutritional diet including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, cut salt and sugar intake for a healthy life. Include 30-minute exercise in your daily routine.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. Jugaadin.com does not claim responsibility for this information.

There are three approaches when dealing with heart diseases: invasive, non-invasive, and interventional cardiology.

The difference between these three approaches explained by Dr. Dinesh Sehgal, Director Cardiology Department at Sapra Multispecialty Hospital.

Non-invasive: The non-invasive procedure usually involves external tests rather than the insertion of body fluids, needles, or other such devices to diagnose heart disorders, cardiovascular diseases, or other heart conditions. This feature usually prevents further complications of the heart. Overall, this does not include the breakdown of the skin or any part of the body. These procedures are as simple as listening to the heartbeat, being non-invasive to perform such tasks, as well as taking a pulse and blood pressure. This evaluation is also useful in cases where patients are suspected to have valve disease, chest pain or another history of heart diseases. Further conditions treated in this way are nuclear cardiology, echocardiography (to identify the pumping of blood, infection, or any structural abnormalities), cardiac electrophysiology (electric currents to produce and evaluate the heartbeat). , Treadmill stress test (how to perform one under stress). Holter – Heart monitor, echocardiogram, trans-esophageal echocardiogram, myocardial perfusion scan and CT scan (for diseases of the heart and atherosclerosis). In most of these procedures, imaging using ultrasound waves, tape recorders, or electric currents are used to monitor cardiac activity.

Invasive: It is a minimally invasive procedure to identify heart abnormalities. Such procedures are usually minor surgeries that need to be broken into the patient’s skin. These include perforation, catheterization, incision, etc. Such procedures are used in situations such as angioplasty (arteries blocked by a balloon are opened to increase blood flow) and Stenting (a stent – a thin metal needle inserted to open a vein). In addition, invasive procedures are conducted for coronary angiography, coronary artery bypass grafting, valve replacement surgery, electrophysiology, right heart catheterization, permanent pacemaker digestion, automated transplant cardiac defibrillator (ACID), for acute chest pain. The equipment used is usually laparoscopic and remote controlled for these procedures.

Interventional: The interventional cardiologists perform treatment / traditional treatments for severe cardiovascular diseases to ensure that blood is delivered to the heart later and to other parts of the body. This approach uses a small catheter used to repair arteries or vessels or other parts of the heart surrounding areas i.e. treatment of structural heart diseases. Occasionally, angioplasty and stenting may be referred to as traditional procedures because they are catheter-based and require the opening of blocked arteries. Other conditions treated by this method are coronary artery disease (narrowing of the arteries), heart valve disease (not working well in relation to blood flow), peripheral vascular disease (clogged or hardened arteries and veins), Pericardiensis, transesophageal echocardiograms, and plaques. Invasive and interventional cardiology is closely related to where cardiologists work on similar techniques to overcome a patient’s disease.

Dr. Dinesh Sehgal told “What basically Heart Pain is”? Typical heart pain must be taken seriously and instant attention is needed. Typical heart pain is a central pressure like feeling over the chest, often depicted as an elephant is sitting on the chest. Heart pain can radiate to the arms, back, and jaws. With exertion, it often worsens, association with shortness of breath, and calms down with rest. Nausea and sweating can accompany heart pain. If Heart pain happens at rest and persists for long, then heart pain is unstable and immediate medical attention should be sought.

The symptoms of a typical heart pain include tiredness or just slowing down or being unable to do as much as in the past. Fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness may occur. Indigestion may be there with some leg swelling and shortness of breath.

 If you have symptoms of heart pain such as those outlined, it is important to visit cardiologist as early as possible. If symptoms occur at rest or more frequently then instant medical attention is needed.

Here are some ways in which obesity contributes to heart disease – and what you can do to take control of your health and combat not only obesity but heart disease too!

It can cause a rise in your blood pressure level. The individuals who are obese require more blood to supply oxygen and nutrients to their bodies which causes an increase in blood pressure. Increase in blood pressure is a common cause of heart attack.

Obesity can change your cholesterol levels. It lowers good high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol.  HDL cholesterol is important for removing bad cholesterol and working to reduce the risk of heart disease.

It can also lead to Diabetes. According to the American Heart Association, at least 68 percent of people aged 65 or older with diabetes also have heart disease. Thus Diabetes is also one of the major factors of Heart-related problems.

To reduce the risk of Heart disease, a person should be fit and fine with no extra fats in the body. A person can follow some steps to lower the weight can be:

Exercise daily to reduce body fat. This is the main and foremost step that an obese person should follow to stay healthy.

Have a nutritious and healthy diet plan. Obese people should restrict eating fast food and oily substances. Few foods that may help you achieve your weight loss goals are Oats, Green Leafy Vegetables, Grilled Chicken, Cottage Cheese, Eggs, Tofu, Peas, Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds.

Include at least 6-7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables in a day’s diet and a serving of green leafy vegetable daily

Decrease salt and sugar intake.

Stress can have also many effects on the body and mind. Stress leads to change in eating patterns and person started craving for High- calorie foods. Eating too many high-calorie foods can contribute to the risk of Heart Diseases. Hence always keep the stress away from you.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to promote understanding of and knowledge about general heart health topics. It is not supposed to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your cardiologist, family Doctor or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment

Blood pressure is the act of blood pushing against the walls of arteries. High blood pressure is diagnosed when it remains elevated for extended periods of time. High blood pressure can cause damage to our heart and arteries, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and other major complications.

High Blood pressure gives some symptoms which everyone should know:

Dizziness, headaches, nose bleeding, poor vision, breathing difficulty, chest pain etc. If anyone faces these symptoms, he/ she should immediately consult the cardiologist to reduce the severe effect.

 Through medication, one can lower the blood pressure but there are also natural ways to maintain healthy blood pressure. By following several of the heart healthy ideas, anyone can maintain their blood pressure and avoid serious complications such as heart attack or stroke.

The one who is diagnosed with high B.P. should follow the healthy diet plan to reduce the chances of heart attack. A healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fats and cholesterol is must for them. Lowering sodium intake can also reduce the blood pressure. The eating plan should have heart healthy foods such as Whole grains, Poultry Fish, Nuts, Fruits, Vegetables and Low-fat dairy.

Exercising for at least 30 minutes in a day can help in reducing the High Blood pressure problem. According to patient’s medical status and cardiovascular health, he/ she should follow the appropriate mode, duration, frequency of exercise in order to get maximum benefit.

High blood pressure is just one of the many adverse side effects of cigarette smoking. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, kicking this habit will be one of the best ways to regain a healthy blood pressure level.

It is recommended that alcohol is good for human being but if it is taken in limit. Excessive alcohol consumption can be detrimental to the health.

Stress is yet another cause for high blood pressure. So, always keep your stress at bay. Work-related stress is often the most frequent contributor to high blood pressure. Try to avoid the situations which lead to increase your anger and blood pressure. With proper diet and meditation practice, one can lower the risks of High Blood Pressure.

If you have a family history of Imbalanced Blood pressure, or someone in your family shows signs indicating a heart problem, taking care of your heart is crucial. Be proactive and schedule an appointment with your cardiologist today!

Disclaimer: This content includes generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for any medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. Jugaadin.com does not claim responsibility for this information.

Follow below tips for healthy heart

• For the first few weeks after surgery use elevator, later can start climbing steps in gradual manner, by taking 30-60 secs break after every few steps.
• After complete recovery climb steps as a part of your everyday activity.
• Avoid pushing/pulling heavy objects.
• There can be individual variations in diet, but in general 50-60% calories come from carbohydrates (peas, beans, whole grains, and vegetables); 20-30% from fats (fatty beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, beef fat,  butter, cheese and dairy foods); and 15-20% from proteins (fish, beans, poultry, nuts, and low-fat dairy)
• Meal should contain one portion of protein, two portion of grains and three portions of vegetables.

• Avoid consumption of oily or fried foods, meat, sweet preparations like cakes, pastries, margarine and carbonated drinks.
• Include servings of fresh fruits and vegetables in a day’s diet.
• Decrease salt and sugar intake, and keep a check on blood sugar and blood pressure value.

• Stop smoking and decrease intake of alcohol.

• Exercise improves your strength after surgery and also helps to increase your cardiac capacity.
• Prefer walking at home during the first week, building compound or neighborhood.

Here is how quickly we can get on with our day to day work

• Patient can lift anything heavier than 3-4 kg after six weeks of surgery.
• Patient can start driving after 6 to 8 weeks of surgery
• Patient can resume to work after 4 to 6 weeks of surgery
• Continue your medications as prescribed by your doctor.

Disclaimer: Consult your doctor before starting/initiating any of the activity