Best Health Tips Pk

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Green Kitchen: Roasted Leek and Mushroom Salad

Posted by whatsapp status on January 25, 2011 with No comments

Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.

In the three-and-a-half months my kitchen has been without gas, I’ve gotten creative. I’ve learned the moods of an electric cooktop. I’ve almost set my toaster oven on fire with parchment paper. I’ve microwaved a lot of tea. It’s been an adventure but I can’t say it’s been good, or easy, or fun.

So when my boyfriend, working from home on Friday to let the utility guys into the apartment (and make sure the cat ever came out from under the bed), texted me that we had gas, I was EXCITED! All-caps EXCITED, here. Cookies! Cake! Roasted broccoli! I did not pass many waking hours this weekend without the oven running. (As the temperature’s been hovering around six degrees farenheit today, I don’t feel very bad about that.)

I’ve resigned myself to a nonlocal winter, weighing good Whole Foods produce against its price, against the kinda dodgy broccoli I can get from the supermarket near me. (After nearly four months without roasted broccoli, I’m a little obsessed right now.) But even though it’s, did I mention, six degrees farenheit out, my farmers market is year-round, and not entirely produce-free!

In a month or two it will really be just jam, bison jerky, and onions, but a last few vegetables are still hanging around. The leeks I brought home were maybe a little soft, but once they’re roasted and carmelized and golden, are you drooling yet?

This meal came together by a bit of kismet, and a bit of what-I-had-around. When I was in Whole Foods with my friend J, I think it was as I was bagging these mushrooms that I complained about winter meal planning – in the summer I buy whatever’s cheap and pretty and in-season and build my meals around that. The rest of the year, when seasonal eating shuts down and I hit the supermarket produce aisles, it’s almost like there’s too much choice – everything’s there, everything’s an option. I bought the greenmarket leeks because they’ll probably be gone soon; I bought supermarket mushrooms because, I dunno, because it’s cold? Whatever, it worked out.

I decided to roast the leeks and mushrooms together, and the oniony and rich carmelized flavors do go well together, but it was all a bit savory and heavy. I looked around my fridge and kitchen, brightened things up with some tangy goat cheese and a crisp apple, and voila! It all felt fancy and chic, despite the fact that I ate it from a chipped bowl, in pajamas, on the couch, in front of the TV.

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If this looks tasty, you'll love:

~~~

Roasted Leek and Mushroom Salad
Serves 3-4

1 bunch leeks (5-6 large, 8-10 small)
1 package crimini/baby bella mushrooms
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 oz goat cheese (herbed or plain)
1 medium apple (I like Gala or Empire, nothing mushy or too tart)

1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Trim ends and dark green bits from leeks. Cut into about 6” pieces, and then in half lengthwise. Soak in a bowl of cool water to remove any grit or sand. Pat dry.

3) Rinse mushrooms and trim ends. Cut any big ones in half.

4) Spread leeks and mushrooms on baking sheet (covered with aluminum foil, perhaps) in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt (about ¼ tsp) and pepper (a few grinds or shakes). Toss to evenly coat, then make sure leeks are all cut side down.

5) Bake leeks and mushrooms for 20-30 minutes, until mushrooms are done and leeks are tender and caramelized. Toss once halfway through.

6) Core and quarter the apple, then cut into very thin slices. Use a mandoline if you like.

7) Plate leeks and mushrooms. Add crumbled goat cheese, then arrange apple slices on top. Pretend this is Iron Chef: Battle Leeks.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
3 Servings: 278 calories, 11g fat, 5.1g fiber, 10.6g protein, $2.48
4 Servings: 208.3 calories, 8.3g fat, 3.9g fiber, 8g protein, $1.86

Calculations
1 bunch leeks: 271 calories, 1.3g fat, 8g fiber, 6.7g protein, $3.00
1 package crimini mushrooms: 135 calories, 0.5g fat, 3g fiber, 12.5g protein, $2.50
1 Tbs olive oil: 126 calories, 14g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.12
¼ tsp salt: 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.01
¼ tsp pepper: 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.01
2 oz goat cheese: 206 calories, 16.9g fat, 0g fiber, 12.2g protein, $1.50
1 apple: 95 calories, 0.3g fat, 4.4g fiber, 0.5g protein, $0.30
TOTALS: 833 calories, 33.1g fat, 15.4g fiber, 31.9g protein, $7.44
PER SERVING (TOTALS/3): 278 calories, 11g fat, 5.1g fiber, 10.6g protein, $2.48
PER (smaller) SERVING (TOTALS/4): 208.3 calories, 8.3g fat, 3.9g fiber, 8g protein, $1.86

Ask the Internet: Upscale Slow Cooker Recipes?

Posted by whatsapp status on January 25, 2011 with No comments

Today's question comes from reader Marnie:

Q: I have sort of the opposite question from the one posted [last week]. I have several different size slow cookers and a couple of slow cooker recipe books from which I’ve mostly pulled relatively bland recipes. My husband and I are on a tight budget and we like to use fresh whole foods whenever possible. We don’t ever keep canned soups in the house nor jars of salsa or other short cut ingredients that are frequent staples in slow cooker recipes. We love flavor and are happy with meaty or meat free recipes as long as they are not bland and boring.

Any suggestions for great, flavorful and healthy recipes for the slow cooker that don’t use any short cuts?

A: Marnie, I've heard nothing but good things about Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker. The recipes are more complex and take a more international approach than your regular crockpot cookbook. Searching Saveur and Epicurious might also be helpful, since they're a tad more gourmet than say, All Recipe (Which I love! But not for everything.)

Readers?

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

Pasta e Fagioli, or: I Succesfully Rehydrate Dried Beans For the First Time, Ever

Posted by whatsapp status on January 24, 2011 with No comments

Up until last night, I've always used canned beans in recipes. I wish I could say it’s because they taste better. Or they’re cheaper. Or they come in prettier colors and sing me neat Pink Floyd songs as I go to sleep at night.

Alas, that ain’t the truth. The truth is more like this: I have never been able to rehydrate dried beans. Ever. Like, in recorded history. Even before I was born, I couldn’t do it. No matter how long I soaked, no matter how many hours I boiled, my dried legumes always stayed dried. Like tiny, grainy BB gun pellets.

Then, I stumbled over The Kitchn's One-Pot Pasta e Fagioli, which uses caramelized onions and a smattering of bacon to flavor a rich broth, in which dried cannellini beans, pasta, and spinach are then cooked to a soft, hearty stew. (Wow, that was a long sentence. Also, A Smattering of Bacon is potentially great title for your next novel about Existentialism.)

And just like that, I have been joined the ranks of the People Who Are Capable of Rehyrdating Beans, or PWACORB. Really, it's kind of a revelation, and not just because dried cannellinis are much creamier than canned. They're also way, way less expensive, use significantly less packaging, and are a comparative breeze to carry. Which? Is important when you're training for the Olympics. (Note: I am not training for the Olympics.)

Back to that recipe, though: I liked it, and it's a wonderful way to incorporate bacon into your diet in a healthy way. However, it did turn kind of mushy. Not unacceptably so. Just more than I would have liked. To remedy this, next time I will:

1) Try using a thicker pasta. I added elbow macaroni, and it softened pretty quickly. A whole-wheat pasta or sturdier mezze penne or orrechiette would have probably held up better.

2) Try adding the pasta last. That way, it won't have so much time to absorb extra water.

Besides that minor issue, we ate it, and have more than enough to last for a week o' office lunches. Not to mention, now I will rehydrate beans with impunity. IMPUNITY, I SAY!

~~~

If this looks tasty, you’ll surely enjoy:

~~~

One-Pot Pasta e Fagioli
Serves 8 to 10
Adapted from The Kitchn.

1 pound dried cannellini beans
5 strips bacon, chopped
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin
3 medium celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound small pasta (whole-wheat for extra healthiness)
5 thyme sprigs
3 teaspoons salt
10 ounces frozen spinach (fresh would also work)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

1) In a large mixing bowl, add beans and enough water to cover by an inch or two. Let sit overnight.

2) In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until a little crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon or a spider. Set aside. Get rid of all bacon fat in pot, except for one tablespoon. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. (This will take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on how large you slice the onions and a few other factors.)

3) Preheat oven to 325 °F.

4) Add celery to onion mixture. Sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scoop half of onion mixture into a bowl and set aside with bacon.

5) Deglaze pot with 1 cup chicken broth, making sure you scrape up all the tasty onion bits stuck to the bottom.

6) Drain beans. Add to pot along with bay leaf, remaining chicken broth, and “enough water to cover the beans and onions by 1 inch.” Cover. Stick in oven and braise for 1 hour. If the beans aren’t soft after 1 hour, cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

7) Remove pot from oven. Place on burner and turn it up to medium-high heat. Add reserved bacon, reserved onion mixture, thyme, remaining salt, and pasta. Cook until pasta is almost done. Stir occasionally, and don’t be afraid to add more water if things are getting a little dry.

8) Add block of frozen spinach. Cook, stirring often, until spinach is totally defrosted and spread out in stew. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

OTHER SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Try using a thicker, smaller pasta, or perhaps a whole-wheat pasta. If you’d like it to have more of a chew, add it in with the spinach and cook until al dente. The pasta will soften significantly and absorb water as the stew sits, so don't fear adding more H2O as time goes on.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
Nine servings: 312 calories, 3.6 g fat, 6.3 g fiber, 17.8 g protein, $0.68

NOTE: Calculations are for Goya cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans or alubias.

Calculations
1 pound dried cannellini beans: 1500 calories, 10 g fat, 40 g fiber, 100 g protein, $1.59
5 strips bacon, chopped: 230 calories, 17.8 g fat, 0 g fiber, 15.7 g protein, $0.83
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin: 92 calories, 0.2 g fat, 3.1 g fiber, 2 g protein, $0.50
3 medium celery stalks, diced: 17 calories, 0.2 g fat, 1.9 g fiber, 0.8 g protein, $0.30
4 garlic cloves, minced: 17 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.2 g fiber, 0.7 g protein, $0.32
1 (15-ounce) can chicken broth: 30 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 5.8 g fiber, $0.66
1 bay leaf: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.02
1/2 pound small pasta: 840 calories, 4 g fat, 8 g fiber, 28 g protein, $0.33
5 thyme sprigs: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.50
3 teaspoons salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.02
10 ounces frozen spinach: 103 calories, 0 g fat, 3.4 g fiber, 6.8 g protein, $1.00
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: negligible calories, fat, fiber, and protein, $0.02
TOTAL: 2812 calories, 32.3 g fat, 56.6 g fiber, 159.8 g protein, $6.09
PER SERVING (TOTAL/9): 312 calories, 3.6 g fat, 6.3 g fiber, 17.8 g protein, $0.68

Saturday Throwback: Cheap Healthy Salad Dressings - 102 Recipes

Posted by whatsapp status on January 22, 2011 with No comments

Every Saturday, we post a piece from the CHG archives. This one came from April 2008. (See: The immediate Spring reference.)

Ah, Spring - the birds are singing, the trees are budding, the construction next door has resumed, the writers’ strike is over, and last but not least, salad season is finally upon us. So gather ‘round, my leafy green-lovin’ compatriots, and let’s talk dressing.

Guest Post: Chocolate Granola

Posted by whatsapp status on January 21, 2011 with No comments

Jerimi Ann Walker a math professor living in the Chicago area and founder of Math Bootcamps. When not doing math, she enjoys trying to put new and hopefully healthier spins on common recipes.

My husband and I love finding ways to satisfy our collective sweet tooth without eating food that's over-the-top sweet or too heavily processed. Last year, this lead us to experiment with recipes for different type of granola. Eventually, we decided that any old granola wouldn’t do. We had to find a recipe for chocolate granola. I mean, think about it - the best of all worlds!

After a couple of duds (okay - way more than a couple of duds), we finally found a recipe that has become a staple of our household. Just a few simple and easy-to-find ingredients makes an amazing sweet and salty mixture that always has our friends asking us when the next batch will be ready. Compared to granola from the store, which is expensive and often comes in small packages, this turns out to be a great deal. When we are being selfish and keeping it for ourselves, it can easily last a week.

Before I present the recipe, I do want to make two comments:

1) You really have to try it with the sea salt. I know it seems strange and even I was skeptical of the thought at first, but now I won't eat this granola without it. It will work with regular table salt as well, but the sea salt is a step up.

2) Don't expect granola bars. This will come out more like the granola in a cereal, with some large and some small pieces.

With that said, here's the recipe!

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If this looks good, you'll love:

~~~

Chocolate Granola
Serves 4

2 1/4 cups of oats
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup CRUNCHY peanut butter (Note: I do not think natural peanut butter would work here.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
You will also need a 9x9 casserole dish, a large mixing bowl, and a pot for melting the butter.

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter the casserole dish.

2) Mix the oats, sesame seeds, cocoa powder, and salt together in large mixing bowl.

3) Place the butter and peanut butter in a medium sized pot on the stove and melt both together over low heat. Once they have melted, remove from heat and mix in the brown sugar.

4) Pour the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar mixture over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

5) Take mixture and put into baking dish pressing it down and flat. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until browned on top. Once you remove it from the oven, allow it to cool COMPLETELY for the best results. In fact, we will often let it cool a bit then put in the freezer for about 15 minutes to really set it.

After it cools, it is ready to go, simply use a spoon to break it into pieces and eat by itself in a bowl, or even with milk or ice cream (I need to try this!). You will find that it is not only really good – but also VERY
filling for a snack!

Veggie Might: Baking and Cooking for the Sensitive and Cleansing

Posted by whatsapp status on January 20, 2011 with No comments

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.

Cooking is an act of giving as much as survival. We eat to live, and those of us who love to cook, cook to love.

Many people in my life have so-called restrictive diets—I say “so-called” because once you get used to a change in your eating habits, it doesn’t feel challenging anymore. As a 20-year vegetarian (in a few short months!), my diet is varied and imaginative. I ate a mostly meat and potatoes diet in my youth, and I’m a much more adventurous eater now. But I digress...

Factoring in other food-related disorders, sensitivities, intolerances, and allergies, life can look pretty bleak at first glance. Change is scary, and adjusting to life with a new diet is challenging.

Among my loved ones I count many vegetarians and vegans, a mother with sugar and gluten sensitivities, friends with Celiac disease, severe lactose intolerance, hypoglycemia, and people in my circle are forever doing cleanses. Whether the restrictions are born of preference or necessity, I try be understanding and creative. Try, Helen Reddy, I love it.

Getting creative in the kitchen it is what I live for. It’s way more fun, and often way more delicious, than making the same old boring recipes all the time. And usually healthier too.

Let’s take a general look at food sensitivities to begin. According to WebMD, a food allergy is a response of the immune system and a food intolerance is a response of the digestive system. For example, Celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to the proteins in wheat gluten. The small intestine refuses to absorb nutrients from food, causing intestinal discomfort, malnutrition, and all manner of bad stuff. Lactose intolerance is a digestive rejection to lactose, milk sugar, and casein, the protein in dairy products, causing nausea, gas, and diarrhea. Symptoms of food allergies and intolerances can both trigger nausea, gas, bloating, and diarrhea; but allergic responses can also evoke respiratory distress, such as shortness of breath and anaphylaxis.

Food-related disorders, like diabetes and hypoglycemia, are linked to sugar, and more specifically carbohydrates. In Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as Juvenile diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, a hormone that converts sugar to energy. In Type 2 diabetes, also known as Adult-onset diabetes, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to convert the sugar to energy. Too much sugar can enter the blood stream and havoc ensues: frequent urination, thirst, hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, fatigue, and irritability.

Hypoglycemia works in the opposite way. The pancreas releases to much insulin in reaction to the presence of sugar (glucose) in the blood, sending the blood sugar level down too far. Equal and opposite havoc: fatigue, insomnia, headaches, blurred vision, and heart palpitation.

But cutting back on added sugar and simple carbs, like white potatoes and white rice, help keep people with diabetes and hypoglycemia out of the fog. A common misconception about both sugar-related disorders is that sufferers can never have sugar. They can, in moderation, as part of a well regimented, low-carb, high-protein diet. It’s all about making choices that work for the person and his or her body.

Suggested Diets/Food Lists
Here are links to the “official” food recommendations for people with specific allergies, intolerances, or disorders, or folks who just want to take a break from the ordinary. When in doubt, speak to a health professional.

Celiac Disease Quick Start Guide from Celiac Foundation *If you think you have, but not been diagnosed with, Celiac disease, consult a physician before going on a gluten-free diet. Gluten must be present in your system to test properly for Celiac.

What Can I Eat? from American Diabetes Association

The Hypo Diet from the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation

Milk Allergy Facts from Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network

Egg Allergy Facts from Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network

Cooking and Baking for the Sensitive and Cleansing
So now that you know what your friends can and can’t eat, you’re dying to get down to recipe renovation, right? But where to start? The web is crawling with amazing food blogs, recipes, and tips for modifying and creating amazing meals and desserts.

For all your vegan, dairy-free, and egg-free baking needs, I can’t recommend enough the Post Punk Kitchen’s Guide to Vegan Baking. It’s my go-to every time I need to remember how much tofu equals an egg or if flax seeds are a good idea in a particular recipe.

Nondairy plant milk, like soy, almond, and rice, can be substituted 1:1 for cow’s milk in any recipe. If your recipe calls for buttermilk, add 1/4 tsp of vinegar for every 1/2 cup of nondairy milk and you’re good to go. For yogurt, sour cream, and cream cheese, you can find all manner of nondairy substitutes in the refrigerated section of your local natural foods market. Vegan cheese is still something I personally avoid, but apparently the folks at Daiya are doing weird and wonderful things with soy cheese these days. Butter is easily replaced with nonhydrogenated margarines, like Earth Balance, or coconut oil in moderation.

Dairy- and Egg-free Resources from Around the Web
Fat-free Vegan
Vegan Yum Yum
The Messy Cook
Post Punk Kitchen

Dairy- and Egg-free Recipes
Rice Pudding
Ginger Cookies
Pumpkin Pie
Tofu Scramble

My friend and former co-worker Erin was diagnosed with Celiac disease as a child, and has been a lifelong advocate for Celiac awareness and a shining example of how the right attitude (and fun sunglasses) can make up for a life without Eli’s Health Bread. Before her, I’d never heard of Celiac; but her stories started filling in some gaps for me. I thought of my mom, who stopped eating wheat several years before I met Erin.

Mom has a severe sensitivity to wheat, which exacerbates her rheumatoid arthritis, increasing the inflammation and discomfort. Whenever she has even a little bit of wheat, her arthritis flares up and she feels fatigued and achy for days. She has never been diagnosed with Celiac, though I suspect its because the tests are unreliable when you are on a low-gluten or gluten-free diet at the time of the test.

Diagnosis or no, she feels much better when she avoids gluten. So she eats other whole grains, like quinoa, millet, and lots and lots of rice. Just last week she called to tell me how much she loved the Mushroom Quinotto recipe I posted back in the summer. Even indirectly, I can feed my loved ones!

Gluten-free Resources Around the Web
Erin’s Gluten-Free Fun

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
Delectably Free
Julia and Julieta
Gluten-Free Goddess

Gluten-freen Recipes (also dairy- and egg-free)
Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca
Mushroom Quinotto
Carrot Cake
Snickerdoodles

Here’s where I have the least personal experience, at least as far as baking goes. You know I love to whip up a whole grain dish, heavy on the veg. But sweets without sugar... I don’t know where to begin. Here’s what the American Diabetes Association has to say about the matter: “For many people, having about 45 to 60 grams [of carbohydrates] at meals is about right. Serving sizes make a difference. To include sweets in your meal, you can cut back on the other carb-containing foods at the same meal.”

CB’s mom has hypoglycemia, and she can have about 100 grams of carbs per day, when the average woman takes in over 300. Otherwise, she gets terrible headaches and fatigue. So even though people with diabetes and hypoglycemia can have sugar on occasion, they have to be selective about it. Eating a diet that’s high in protein, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates keeps folks with sugar issues on track.

One obstacle to sugar-free baking is texture and bulk replacement. I tried to make a batch of stevia cookies for CB’s mom when we visited last weekend. While they tasted good, the texture was more like a biscuit than a cookie. Granulated sugar is what gives cookies their chewy texture, and it didn’t help that I replaced the bulk (1 1/2 tsp of stevia = 1 cup of sugar) with tofu.

I’ll be going back to Angel Food Laboratories for more sugar-free baking experiments, and when I’ve perfected the stevia cookie, you’ll be the first to hear about it.

Sugar-free Resources
The Sweet Stuff: A New Color in the Packet Rainbow
Diabetes.org Recipes
Gita’s Kitchen
Savvy Vegetarian: Sugar Free Desserts with Stevia

Sugar-free/Low-carb Recipes
Oatmeal Apple Muffins(also dairy- and egg-free)
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Lentil, Spinach, and Bulgur Stew

Gentle Readers, what are your favorite food-issue resources? Got any great tips for specialty cooking or baking? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. You are so wise and I have much to learn.

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If you dig this article, you may also dig:
Vegetarian Meal Planning for Meat Eaters
Serving Sizes and Portion Control: A Primer
Ewww...That’s Not Vegetarian 101

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

Posted by whatsapp status on January 20, 2011 with No comments

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help,the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!

A cardiologist says If everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can bet that we'll save at least one life.

BE A FRIEND AND PLEASE SEND THIS ARTICLE TO AS MANY FRIENDS ! AS POSSIBLE

A Chat with Dr. Devi Shetty (Heart Specialist) - Very Useful! - Do read

Posted by whatsapp status on October 13, 2010 with No comments

Good info please read till the end...
Very Very Critical Information please share with your friends and relatives.
Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya
(Heart Specialist) Bangalore

A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya
(Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for its employees .
The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone.

Qn: What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart?
Ans:
1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil
2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime
3. Quit smoking
4. Control weight
5. Control blood pressure and sugar
Qn: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?

Ans: No

Qn: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person
gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective?

Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.
Qn: Are heart diseases hereditary?

Ans: Yes
Qn: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?

Ans: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.
Qn: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?

Ans: Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints
Qn: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?

Ans: Extremely rare
Qn: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age
(I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?

Ans: Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.
Qn: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ?

Ans: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.
Qn: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines?

Ans: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.
Qn: Can yoga prevent heart ailments?

Ans: Yoga helps. (I add this - Tahajjud is better)
Qn: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?

Ans: Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.
Qn: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?

Ans: All oils are bad .
Qn: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test?

Ans: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.
Qn: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?
Ans: Help the person into a sleeping position , place an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.
Qn: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?

Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG.
Qn: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.

Ans: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.
Qn: Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?

Ans: Yes.
Qn: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?

Ans : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child
Qn: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart ? What precautions would you recommend?

Ans : When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.
Qn: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short / long term)?

Ans : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.
Qn: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?
Ans : No.
Qn: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?

Ans : No.
Qn: How would you define junk food?

Ans : Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds , samosas, and even masala dosas.
Qn: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?

Ans: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.
Qn: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?

Ans : No.
Qn: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a lot of forwarded emails on this)?

Ans : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.
Qn: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems?

Ans : No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.
Qn: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?
Ans : Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.
Qn: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?

Ans: Yes. A strong relationship since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.
Qn: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?

Ans : Diet, exercise, drugs on time , Control cholesterol, BP, weight.
Qn: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?

Ans : No.
Qn: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?

Ans : There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem, but my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet to
reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles.
Qn: Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?
Ans : No.
Qn: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?

Ans : Nature protects women till the age of 45. (Present Global census show that the Percentage of heart disease in women has increased than in men ) Â Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?

Ans : Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for health checkup s if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) .... Â
Send it to all your friends....... They might be benefitted.

Heartburn Home Remedies

Posted by whatsapp status on September 05, 2010 with No comments

What is Heartburn?

If you feel a painful sensation in the chest and stomach or even feel a burning sensation then most likely you are experiencing heartburn. This is mostly felt after consuming liquid or food. Common symptoms associated with heartburn are the following:
A – Shortness of breath
B – Upper abdominal heaviness or fullness
C – Bloating
D – Nausea
E – Indigestion
F – Sour taste in the mouth (specially in the throat)
G – Growling stomach

According to an article cited in Wikipedia, heartburn or pyrosis is a painful or burning sensation in the esophagus, just behind the breastbone usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid. The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw.

Effective Heartburn Home Remedies:
Normally, when a person suffers from heartburn, his/her initial instinct is to take an antacid. It is quite convenient that antacids can easily relieve heartburn pain. But did you know that before tossing that pill, there are very effective heartburn home remedies that are as efficient as any antacid tablet.

Papaya
This is a tropical fruit which aids in digestion due to its papain enzyme found in it. Though it may be a little hard to locate papayas in groceries, you may still consume dry papayas in small amounts. You take papaya before or after eating a heavy meal.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is considered one of the many effective heartburn home remedies. You may take a teaspoon of it or you can do this simple mixture for people who cannot take the cider straight:

Mix all ingredients:
6 ounces of water
1 tablespoon of apple cider with a dash of sugar
Add a little baking soda to create frizz in your drink

Bananas
Bananas are also useful as one of heartburn home remedies. Its natural antacid helps the stomach to relieve heartburn by coating it.

Garlic
Garlic is not only meant for cooking but it can also be a health supplement. You may chew on a clove of garlic when you feel that you have heartburn. This wondrous supplement is packed with powerful antibiotic. this antibiotic is used to destroy pathogenic microorganisms found in the stomach.

Almonds
Just eat a small handful. It is said that it has a high concentration of oil that counterbalance the acid in the stomach during digestion.
These heartburn home remedies are very efficient and more importantly economical. So, when the next time that you feel that you are experiencing heartburn, these home remedies are sure enough to take the pain away.

Americans Use Alternative Medicine

Posted by whatsapp status on August 19, 2010 with No comments

In the United States, more patients are turning to alternative and complementary medicine as part of their health care.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health say that nearly 40 percent of adults have used some type therapy that isn't taught in medical schools. But more than 40 U.S. universities, including Stanford, UCLA, Duke and The George Washington University have integrative medicine centers.

Jean Ayers is not a regular patient. She is studying to be a physician assistant at George Washington University, which includes taking an elective course in integrative medicine. Participating in treatments is strongly encouraged.

"In most of my training as a physician assistant, we look at a patient's history and symptoms and then come up with a quote differential diagnosis," says Ayers. "Here we focus more on the symptoms as indicative of lifestyle and symbolic of larger issues."

The Center for Integrative Medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center was founded in 1988 by Dr. John Pan, who had practiced as an obstetrician and gynecologist for more than 25 years. He says the center has about 6,000 patient visits a year. Most have tried conventional medicine.

"They have gone to Hopkins. They have gone to the Mayo Clinic," says Pan. "They aren't solving their problem. They are telling them nothing can be done, you have to live with it and they are seeking the last resort."

VOA
More Americans are turning to alternative medicine, some when they feel traditional medicine has failed them.
That includes patients like Anna Sterud. After a two-year battle with ovarian cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy and a clinical trial, she decided to try vitamin C infusions.

"I'm very much for scientifically proven methods of treatment, but when you feel your time is starting to run out, you feel you just have to go 100 percent and look for alternatives and that is what I did."

With more Americans turning to alternatives, the U.S. government founded The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine as part of the National Institutes of Health.

"Our job here at the National Institutes of Health is to bring really good science to these really interesting practices," says Dr. Josephine Briggs, the center's director.

Practices that are considered outside mainstream medicine, like the use of dietary supplements, meditation and yoga, as well as chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, reiki - or therapeutic touch - and massage. A survey by the NIH in 2007 indicated four in 10 Americans use one of these practices, most often to treat pain.

VOA - A. Greenbaum
Anna Sterud is using both traditional and alternative medicine to fight cancer.
"I think that the extent to which Americans are interested in these practices is a good reason for them being studied," says Briggs. "We do do our best to provide reliable information on our website about methods. That material is carefully reviewed by peers and scientific experts."

Testing some alternative therapies can be difficult. Scientists still aren't certain how acupuncture works.

"There may be direct effects of the stimulation on the nervous system that change pain processing and our researchers are looking at those," says Briggs. "But part of this may be expectation and the reassurance of the practitioner, the effect of the ritual. Some people call it the placebo effect. If it helps, however, it is worth knowing about."

Dr. Deirdre Orceyre is both a naturopathic physician and Chinese medicine practitioner at the Center for Integrative Medicine. She sometimes uses acupuncture for her patients.

"I try my best to use it in conjunction with the more Western model with natural or conventional and bring that in as a perspective and a healing modality."

That is the philosophy behind integrative medicine, to complement Western treatments with other methods.

"For me it was very important to do both, because I believe in the scientifically approved methods," says Sterud, the cancer patient.

She's encouraged that her oncologist has asked her to share information on her experience at the Center for Integrative Medicine.

Interesting Facts about Human

Posted by whatsapp status on July 14, 2010 with No comments

Human bone is as strong as granite in supporting weight. A block of bone the
size of a matchbox can support 9 tonnes -Â that is four times as much as
concrete can support.

The Strong Contraction of Your Heart Creates Enough Pressure To Squirt Blood As
Far As 30 Feet.

You Can Still Have An Erection After Death.

Heart Attacks Are More Likely To Happen On Monday.

Three Hundred Million Cells Die In Your Body Every Minute.

80% of the brain is water.

The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia
Britannica.

Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour

The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb.

Womenâ€™s hair is about half the diameter of menâ€™s hair.

Blondes have more hair.

The largest internal organ is the small intestine.

The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades.

Humans spend a third of their lives sleeping.

A pack-a-day smoker will loose approx. 2 teeth every 10 years.

People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more.

When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop--even you heart!

A human's mucus membrane, used to smell, is the size of a postage stamp.

Your skin is the heaviest organ.

Those stars and colours you see when you close and rub your eyes are called
phosphenes.

The human brain stops growing at the ages of 18.

Sneezes can travel over 100 mph.

85% of the population can curl their tongue into a tube.

Only 7% of the population are lefties.

Our eyes never grow, our nose and ears never stop growing.

Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years
old.

Only one person in 2 billion will live to be 116 or older.

A human has 60,000 miles of blood vessels in their body.

The average person will drink 8,000 gallons of water during their lifetime.

There are 450 hairs in an average eyebrow.

Smart people have more zinc in their hair.

The lining of your digestive system is shed every 3 days.

The sound of knuckles cracking is generated by imploding synobial fluid.

The human tooth has about 55 miles of canals in it.

Your skin weighs twice as much as your brain.

The average Human bladder can hold 13 ounces of liquid.

If you went out into space, you would explode before you suffocated because
there's no air pressure.

The storage capacity of the human brain exceeds 4 terabytes.

You loose enough dead skin cells in your lifetime to fill eight five pound flour
bags.

Your thumb is the same length as your nose.

Your foot is the same length as the distance between your wrist and elbow.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

REMOVING GALLSTONES NATURALLY

Posted by whatsapp status on July 09, 2010 with No comments

REMOVING GALLSTONES NATURALLY
by Dr Lai Chiu-Nan

It has worked for many. If it works for you please pass on the good news. Chiu Nan is not charging for it, so we should make it free for everyone. Your reward is when someone, through your word of mouth, benefits from the regime. Gallstones may not be everyone's concern. But they should be because we all have them. Moreover, gallstones may lead to cancer. "Cancer is never the first illness," Chiu Nan points out. "Usually, there are a lot of other problems leading to cancer.

In my research in China , I came across some materials which say that people with cancer usually have stones. We all have gallstones. It's a matter of big or small, many or few.

One of the symp tom s of gallstones is a feeling of bloatedness after a heavy meal.. You feel like you can't digest the food. If it gets more serious, you feel pain in the liver area." So if you think you have gallstones, Chiu Nan offers the following method to remove them naturally.

The treatment is also good for those with a weak liver, because the liver and gallbladder are closely linked.

Regimen:
1. For the first five days, take four glasses of apple juice every day. Or eat four or five apples, whichever you prefer. Apple juice softens the gallstones. During the five days, eat normally.
2. On the sixth day, take no dinner.
3. At 6 PM, take a teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) with a glass of warm water.
4. At 8 PM, repeat the same. Magnesium sulphate opens the gallbladder ducts.
5. At 10 PM, take half cup olive oil (or sesame oil) with half cup fresh lemon juice. Mix it well and drink it. The oil lubricates the stones to ease their passage.
PS. 1cup=250ml, ? cup lemon juice=3 lemons (aprox.)

The next morning, you will find green stones in your stools. "Usually they float," Chiu Nan notes. "You might want to count them. I have had people who passes 40, 50 or up to 100 stones. Very many."

"Even if you don't have any symp tom s of gallstones, you still might have some. It's always good to give your gall bladder a clean-up now and then.

PASS THIS AND YOU MAY HELP OTHERS!

Do Not "CROSS YOUR LEGS" ????

Posted by whatsapp status on March 04, 2010 with No comments

I bet quite a few of you were like me...started to read this with your legs crossed...so hard to break this bad habit!?
For those who do not understand Chinese, take a look at the photos below:- Those who often cross their legs when sitting for a long period of time, 3 unhealthy things will happen:

1. Their backbone tends to become 'C' shape
2. They will have neck aches and backaches on one side
3. For ladies, the shoulder will tend to slant one side causing the bra strap to slip down the slanted shoulder.

Try not to cross your legs when sitting.

Protect Your Heart at Every Age

Posted by whatsapp status on February 21, 2010 with No comments

Follow these easy health tips specific to every stage of aging
By Woman's Day Staff
You're never too youngâ€”or too oldâ€”to start lowering your heart disease risk. Of course, exercising, eating healthy and reducing stress are key throughout life, but due to physiological changes that happen as we age, certain risk factors do become more of a threat.
In Your 20s

Stub Out a Social Smoking Habit
Smoking is enemy number one when it comes to heart disease, and even just a few cigarettes can do damage: New research from McGill University in Montreal found that smoking just one cigarette a day stiffens your arteries by a whopping 25 percent. Plus, smoking erases the hormonal advantage you have from estrogen, which can leave you vulnerable to a heart attack before menopause, explains Dr. Bonow.

Don't Ignore the Birth Control Factor
Remember that hormonal contraceptives slightly increase the risk of blood clots, so if you've ever had one, make sure to discuss it with your doctor before going on birth control. And if you're currently a smoker, don't take oral contraceptives, because the combo can be especially dangerous, says Sharonne N. Hayes, MD, director of the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Watch Your Alcohol Intake
Moderate amounts of alcohol can have a beneficial effect on your heart. (By "moderate," we mean one drink a day or about 5 ouncesâ€”but many restaurants serve far more than that.) Overdoing it can raise triglycerides, increase blood pressure and lead to weight gain, thanks to all those empty calories.

In Your 30s

Get a Grip on Stress
When you're juggling career and family, it's crucial to find stress management techniques that work. "Untamed stress has a direct negative impact on heart health," says Dr. Stevens. "The constant bombardment of adrenaline raises blood pressure and destabilizes plaque in your arteries, making it likely to cause a clot or heart attack."

Lose the Baby Weight
No, you don't have to fit into your skinny jeans by the time the baby's 6 months old, but do aim to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight within one to two years. "Carrying around extra pounds can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors," Dr. Bonow says. Also remember that it's easier to lose weight in your 30s than in your 40s, when your metabolism slows down.

Stay Social
It's important to stay connected to friends and family for the sake of your mood and heart. Research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that high levels of loneliness increase a woman's risk of heart disease by 76 percent. On the flip side, having strong social support can help lower your blood pressure and improve other cardiovascular functions. Set aside time once or twice a week to call friends, or make a monthly dinner date.

In Your 40s

Make Sleep a Priority
Thanks to peri-menopause, fluctuating hormone levels can interfere with a good night's sleep. But not getting at least seven hours of shut-eye regularly can lead to increased blood pressure, low-grade inflammation and higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, all of which are harmful for your blood vessels and heart, explains Jennifer H. Mieres, MD, a cardiologist at New York University School of Medicine and coauthor of Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas. Lack of sleep has also been linked to weight gain. So establish good habits: Turn in (and wake up) at the same time every dayâ€”even on weekendsâ€”and do your best to relax before going to bed, whether it's watching a favorite funny TV show or reading.

Reassess Your Risk Factors
You may discover that your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels have changed in this decade, even if you aren't doing anything differently, says Dr. Hayes. In fact, 22 percent of 40-something women have high blood pressure and 50 percent have high cholesterol (a jump from 38 percent of women in their 30s), according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Also, be sure to get your thyroid checked around 45; hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland), which becomes more common as women get older, can negatively affect your cholesterol levels as well as your heart.

Step Up Strength Training
You start to lose muscle mass more rapidly in your 40s, which causes your metabolism to slow down since muscle burns more calories than fat. Unfortunately, this makes it harder to stave off those extra pounds. To help maintain muscle and keep your metabolism going, aim for two 15-minute sessions weekly of lifting weights, using a resistance band or doing other toning exercises.

Carve out Personal Time
"Between the demands of work and family, it becomes even more challenging to find time for yourself in your 40s," says Dr. Mieres. But it's crucial to do soâ€”not only to help ease stress but also to guard against depression, which commonly crops up in this decade and can raise your risk of heart disease. "Find at least 10 minutes of â€˜me' time every day to do somethingâ€”even if it's just chatting on the phone with a friendâ€”that helps you destress and regroup," says Dr. Mieres.

In Your 50s

Move More
Around menopause, you tend to gain extra weight around your belly, which can lead to insulin resistance, inflammation and heart strain. Cardiovascular fitness also starts to decline, particularly if you're not that physically active to begin with. "Unfortunately, at this point, women have to burn more calories to stay at the same weight," Dr. Stevens says. Start taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can, walk faster around the mall, or jog to the mailbox to send letters instead of sticking your hand out the car window as you drive by. Small changes really do add up.

Have an ECG
Silent heart abnormalities become more common in your 50s, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart's electrical activity can pick them up, says Dr. Goldberg. Also ask your doctor if you should have a stress test; this is especially important if you're just starting to exercise.

Add Fiber
Besides being good for your cholesterol and blood sugar, pumping up your fiber intake (think whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice and flaxseeds, as well as beans, fruits and veggies) can help prevent constipation, which becomes more of a problem as you get older and your digestive system starts to slow down.

In Your 60s

Get Even More Vigilant About Screenings
After you go through menopause and get older, your blood pressure and cholesterol tend to go up, and blood vessels get stiffer. "Have your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol measured yearly," advises Dr. Goldberg.

Consider Medication
If you have hypertension or high cholesterol, the way you've been managing it before may not be enough. "As you get older, you may need more aggressive therapy," Dr. Bonow says. "High blood pressure that was controlled with one medication may now require three to control it." Talk to your doctor about whether you need to add to or adjust your medications to control your risk factors.

Be Alert to Symptoms
Now is when the first noticeable symptoms of heart disease may appear, so it's important to know what's normal for your body and be on the lookout for worrisome signs like chest discomfort, shortness of breath or changes in exercise toleranceâ€”meaning you suddenly feel winded going up a flight of stairs or feel unusually tired for no apparent reason, says Dr. Mieres. If these appear, see your doctor pronto!

Be Careful when eating apples

Posted by whatsapp status on February 18, 2010 with No comments

Be Careful when eating apples

Please don't eat the skin of the apple because it's coated with wax.
Check before you eat many of the fruits.
WAX is being used for preservation purposes and cold storage.
You might be surprised especially apples from USA and other parts are more than one year old, though it would look fresh. Becoz wax is coated, preventing bacteria to enter. So it does not get dry.
Please Eat Apples after removing the wax as demonstrated below. Please follow this and let know others...........

Now, in all honesty, I don’t know if this is a hoax or not. They could really be using wax on apples to keep them fresh, I wouldn’t know!

A Personal Story of Heart Attack

Posted by whatsapp status on February 08, 2010 with No comments

Zul's story from himself..

Hi,
I thought of sharing my recent experience with all of you with the hope that you could gain something from it. Note the symptoms and warning signs that i will be relating. Suspecting that your are getting heart attack and making your way as fast as possible to the hospital, I think, is the key to surviving it.
So here is my story.

It was late Saturday night and I was watching a documentary on Nat. Geo. Everyone had gone to bed hours earlier. My wife had been preparing to leave for her one week trip to Institute Aminuddin Baki at Genting Highland the next morning.

It started with pain around the shoulder region spreading to the arms. My neck felt very uncomfortable. It's something I always get whenever I sit in a weird position for an extended time (in this case I am sitting where the TV is on my right side so I have to turn my head when watching) or I also gets it after hours in front of the computer. So I though, it's because of the way I was sitting that causes it but I had only sat there for about 10 minutes. Earlier, I was sitting comfortable with the TV straight. So I decided I should just go to bed. After all its already about 1:30 in the morning. Normally, lying flat on the bed helps as I have done so many times after sitting for hours in front of a computer.

Just as I was going up the stairs, I started to feel a little dizzy and my stomach feels weird and warm. When I got in the bedroom, the a/c was on and it was quite cool. I lie down on the bed. Minutes later I started to sweat- cold sweat. The sweating was so bad that it started dripping from my head and the back of my ears. My stomach feels like I have eaten too much (I did not really ate a lot that nightâ€¦it just felt that way). It feels as if it I am having a bad case of indigestion and heartburn. Minutes later I started to feel like I am going to puke.. It's the same feeling when you get a severe headache, sweat and feels like you are going to vomit (but this time no headache)

I got up, went downstairs and grab myself minyak cap limau. I always keep this handy for stomach discomfort or â€œanginâ€. The sweating is getting worst and as I sat on the sofa, sweat started to drip on to the floor. There was so much of it that my shirt is all wet so I took it off and put my shirt on the floor where the sweat was dripping.

I drank a glass of warm water and decided to go back to the bedroom. The dizziness is still there. My arms felt numb all the way to my fingers. I thought if I could get some sleep then all of these would go away. So I lie down on the bed. I was so sleepy that in between awake and sleep I could tune to my heart beat. It sounded weird, irregular. At this point my breathing was very heavy. The warm in my stomach feels like its moving up to the chest area.I keep thinking and trying to figure out what was going on. Is it just "angin" or indigestion or is it due to food poisoning.

I got up, went to the toilet and tried to make myself puke but couldn't. So I came back into the bedroom and sits at the edge of the bed.. My face was already very pale, I feel very tired and the sweating was still very bad, dripping on the floor . Still sitting on the edge of the bed and feeling very tired and sleepy, I remember asking my sister in law a year earlier about the symptoms she had when she had a heart attack and it seems all the symptoms are there. I still could not believe that I am having a heart attack.

About half an hour had passed and I am still about 50-50 whether to wake up and inform my wife. Then I thoughtâ€¦if this is really a heart attack, then I could die tonight. I thought of my lovely wife and my kids and finally decided to wake my wife up and inform her what is going on.. She was surprised to see my shirt was all wet and my face very pale and sweat dripping. I told her that the symptom I am having is very much like the one her sister had told me and that we should go to hospital.

It only took us about 15 minutes to make it to the hospital. When we arrived at the emergency ward, I could barely walk. I was so tired and was having difficulty breathing. I was immediately asked to lie down and an ECG was performed. An oxygen tube was placed in my nostril and I can see nurses and hospital assistants running towards me. At this point the pain had spread to the jaw and teeth.

The nurses started to poke my wrist and the back of my hands with needles. A drip was connected to my right arm while at the same time a machine that controls a small bottle of medicine was injected on my left hand. I was asked to place a small tablet of medicine under my tongue.
Half an hour later the sweating stops and it feels a little better. In the meantime, my wife who was still waiting outside was still not informed of what had happened to me. It was 2 hours later that she started to inquire what is happening and she was told that I had suffered a major heart attack.

After completing two bottles of drips, I was then pushed into the ICU. ECG/EKG was performed every half an hour for the rest of the night as well as throughout the next day. When the doctor came in the morning, I was informed that I had suffered a major heart attack.

On the scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means alive and 10 means dead, the doctor asked me where I think I stood. I thought for awhile and said 6.5. He said no and said that it was actually about a 9.5. I was so shocked. The doctor then started to give me a cardio 101 lesson and explained that they had injected me with the strongest clot busting drug in the world when I arrived. Clot buster thins the blood and helped to ensure blood continue to flow but does not really solve the blockage problem.

I suppose the clot buster is almost similar to the chemical we use in our kitchen sink when it gets clogged.

After 4 days in ICU I was confirmed stable and plans were being made to move me for further observation in the general ward. An appointment was made with the heart specialist in Penang GH but I had to queue for about a month before I could even see the doctor and performing an angiogram/angioplasty would then take another couple of months.

I decided I do not want to wait and asked the doctor whether I could be transferred to a private hospital. The doctor was very helpful and recommended a specialist for me at the KPJ hospital in Bandar Perda. He called up the doctor (Dr Safari) and make arrangements to send me there.

When I arrived at about 7pm, Doctor Safari greeted me. He said I was very lucky and that the fast action of going to the hospital saved me. He then scheduled for an angiogram and also an angioplasty immediately the next morning. An angiogram is to see how bad the clot was and where it is. It is also to determine the condition of the other coronary arteries (there are 3 main ones). A balloon angioplasty is to clear the blockage in the artery thus allowing blood to flow again.

The procedure took several hours with only little pain and discomfort. Although the procedure is safer than an open heart surgery, it is still dangerous and could be life threatening. A flexible catheter is injected into the groin artery and then guided all the way up to the heart.. Then a dye was injected and on the x-ray screen you could determine where the blockage was. I still have an 80% blockage (the clot buster I guess managed to clear about 20% which helped to allow blood to flow back into my heart. It did not resolve the problem in whole). Was told that when a blood flow to the heart is blocked, any portion of the heart that did not get enough blood and oxygen would then die off, permanently. This then causes the heart to be weak and disrupt its efficiency. Mine was considered a major because the clog happens in the main artery which could damage a huge portion of the heart below it.

Once the blockage is determined, a small balloon is inflated to push the clogs against the artery walls and a drug coated stent (a sort of wire mesh tube) is placed to ensure the arteries do not collapse again. When the balloon is deflated and removed, the stent stays and overtime would become part of the coronary artery. The stent is treated with some types of drugs to prevent a recurrence of abnormal narrowing due to further clotting of the blood since it is made of metal and it attracts blood platelet to stick to it. I was not able to walk or even move my right leg the first 6 hours after the procedure. I spent another day in the hospital and was released the next day with a month long MC.

So what were the symptoms again?
1. Pain around neck and shoulder region and spreading to the arms(in my case it was the left arm).
2. Feeling of indigestion and/or heartburn. Feel warm in the stomach that slowly moves up to the chest.
3. Pressure, fullness or pain in the center of the chest
4. Sudden weakness, dizziness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath

Some people (men) have the classic symptoms of severe pain in the chest (feels like someone is squeezing your heart) but I only felt a little pain when I was already in hospital. The above 4 symptoms however, should be generally true to heart attacks in both men and women.
If you suspect you are getting a heart attack. Go quickly to the hospital. Every second counts.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Friday, July 9, 2010

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