Disrupting Innovation in Cardiac Care with Heart-healthy cooking and Lifestyle Tracking
ICC Wellness Conference pioneers a one of a kind initiative
Are you tired of a lifestyle where your heart ailments and heart health are guided by pills? Wouldn’t it be relieving to skip a host of electrode patches not knowing what ailment your ECG recordings are going to reveal? Preventive and non-invasive heart health is exactly where your desires should drive you then. ICC Wellness hosted their “Skip the scissors: a non-invasive method to prevent and reverse heart disease” on the 13th of July’19. As Dr. Bimal Chhajer, founder SAAOL Heart Center and the workshop host mentions, “With pills there are ‘multiple side effects’, with Yoga rightly practiced, there are ‘multiple benefits’ “.
Dr. Pankaj Vij, the conference chair opened the event highlighting the need for a wellness-based approach to heart health, having authored a book about a sensible program of exercise, natural foods, stress management, and quality sleep called Turbo Metabolism himself.
Naren Bakshi, chief mentor of the conference inspired us with his lifestyle guide to the reduction of 70 pounds in 12 months, almost 1–2 pounds in a week at times by active breathing and lifestyle tracking as a core discipline.
Dr. Chhajer trained by the legendary Dr. Dean Ornish is an icon in his own right as he revealed an array of books on healthy oil-free cooking including various South Asian cuisines and a patented lifestyle tracker to prevent heart diseases.
So many types of heart diseases exist, but coronary artery diseases can be prevented with diet and lifestyle, it’s a long term effort as blocks develop over time Dr. Chhajer emphasized.
Artery wall thickness is crucial to a heart attack caused due to blockages. Information about the percentage of blockage will not be helpful then Dr. Chhajer added talking about misrepresented symptoms and diagnostic practices misguiding outcomes in cardiac health practices today.
A module on stress management, meditation and yoga were also co-presented by engaging the audience in guided Yoga with Dr. Sachin Deshmukh, a yoga practitioner, and coach.
Therapeutic lifestyle is indeed the new buzzword at the ICC Wellness Conference, as Dr. Anjali Gulati, CEO, Intuitive Medical Documents, invasive cardiologist talks about empowering women to take charge of their health, understanding risk factors early on and averting them based on body type and family history. Lifestyle changes should precede pills. Pills should come in late in the game; preventive and predictive approaches in lifestyle should be a part of daily habits/practices for heart health in women.
Dr. Naras Bhat enthralled the audience by offering insights on 5-second Stress test using capnometer, a phone app to control anger in collaboration with HeartMath. He strongly hinted at the killer belly, stress, sweets, and acculturation, inflammation, and omega index risk levels increasing risks of sudden cardiac deaths in the US by 20 times. Gut microbiome and DNA based tests are being served in his facility as state of the art to prevent and manage risk of cardiac diseases.
Dr. Bhat highlighted that $60 Coronary angiography is already available in India. Stress tests may not be adequate for detecting early blockages in arteries, periodic diagnostic tools should be made cheaper for longitudinal health monitoring.
The one of a kind panel discussion comprised of Dr. Ash Jain with Drs. Sam Suri, Dr. Anjali Gulati, and Dr. BimalChhajer and each of them offered unique insights for e.g., cardiac disease and infarction (sudden death) are different in nature and should be managed accordingly. Sudden death/cardiac arrest can occur due to many reasons including infectious disease by a mosquito bite they added. They offered varied perspectives from their practical experience as cardiologists.
In summary, the workshops and talks revealed that heart health depends heavily on lifestyle, more so breathing patterns, and awareness and monitoring of belly fat, vital health parameters, active lifestyle, etc.; a systemic approach is more beneficial and holistic than episodic reactions to heart health variation.
PS: This article has been primarily authored by Vidyangi S. Patil, and maybe reproducible in part or whole by press and media related to ICC health and wellness stakeholders.
