by Life Positive

Terror showed its myriad hues on every countenance. As the ambulance rattled its way through the dark, wet roads of Mumbai city, Mala Shah sat crouched in the corner of the van, frantically praying, "Lord Krishna no, not my only son!" Tears filled ten-year-old Dipti's eyes as she stared intently at her father's ashen face, a single thought running through her head, "You promised you would come for my prize distribution, daddy, you promised." And Smita, Rajesh Shah's wife looked stunned, shocked –  unable to speak. It had been an uneventful normal day. Rajesh came late from work, ate his dinner, and was watching the news when a sudden pain gripped his chest, and he began sweating profusely. Yelling his wife's name, he clutched his chest, and fell on the floor. Everything else was a blur –  phone calls, ambulance, hospital, injections. After two hours of agonising wait, the doctor spoke gravely to the family, "It was a heart attack. A few minutes late, and he would have been no more. Although he is out of danger, we will have to check the extent of damage this attack did and do a bypass soon." Heart attack? Wasn't that something that happened to a third person? Definitely not to a 35-year-old? The Shah family didn't know whether to be relieved that the current impediment had passed, or scared of the danger looming ahead. Choosing composure, they stepped into a new phase of life, filled with research and realisations.

In all cultures across the world, the heart is much more than a fist-sized muscle, working efficiently from birth until death, pumping blood continuously  – 72 times in a minute, 1,00,000 times in a day, and nearly one million barrels of blood in an average lifetime! The heart holds a deep emotional and spiritual significance for us. We thank people from the bottom of our heart, love and heart are almost synonymous for us, and we even suffer heartbreaking losses. So when this wonderful organ starts giving up, we lose heart. Sadly, we ourselves are the cause of its abuse by appalling lifestyles. Let's look at the structure of the heart to understand how we damage it.

The heart is a hollow, pear-shaped organ situated in the middle of the chest, tilting slightly to the left. It is made up of four chambers. Arteries which carry blood to the heart get blocked with time and abuse. When the block is partial, nothing may appear wrong when the heart is at rest. But with physical exertion or mental stress, the blood supply to the heart becomes inadequate, and a sense of discomfort and pain is felt. In medical terms this is referred to as angina. A heart attack occurs when a block is total, and the part of the heart which is supplied blood by that artery starts getting destroyed. Every three seconds, one person in India dies of a heart attack. Rajesh looked stunned as he discovered what his heart had just been through – he, like most other heart patients had not even realised his arteries were getting clogged before the attack. How does clogging happen? The answer is:

Smoking and tobacco: The risk of coronary heart disease is directly proportionate to the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Do not think you are immune even if you smoke only four to five cigarettes a day. This increases your risk of a heart attack by over 50 per cent as compared to a non smoker! Tobacco in any form, chewing, inhaling, sniffing, is also a grave heart hazard.

Lack of exercise: A sedentary lifestyle allows the arteries that transfer blood to the heart to get clogged by plaque.

Diabetes: Often caused due to eating a wrong diet for long periods, diabetes predisposes people to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and triglyceride levels which increase the risk of heart disease.

High cholesterol: The consumption of fatty food must be kept in control as the fat in the foods circulates in the blood, and this can settle in the arteries.

Obesity: Weight, if not maintained in proportion to height of the body, increases the work load on the heart, thereby harming it.

Stress: Stress can cause spasm of the arteries, leading to heart disease.

Besides these risks, there are also certain unmodifiable risks:

The natural aging process: With advancing age, the condition of the arteries undergo several changes.

Gender: Men are much more likely to have a heart attack than women. Until menopause, women are protected by the hormone estrogen, but later they too develop high chances of heart ailments.

The genetic factor: If your father and grandfather have had heart problems, it is likely that you will be more prone to it at an earlier age than someone whose family has never shown heart problems.

However, institutes across India suggest that 90 per cent of heart cases coming to them do not fall in this, but the lifestyle category. Rajesh himself nods emphatically as he shares, "Almost all the points hold true for me. I worked as a stockbroker, and was always under stress. My eating hours were irregular, and my liking for cheese and sweetmeats ensured that I always fell into the overweight category. I have abused my heart, but now can I do anything to reverse this? I don't want to go in for invasive surgery – a car whose engine has been opened once will never drive smoothly again – same way I don't want doctors to open my heart. Can I bypass the bypass?"

Armed with this question the family entered the often uncharted waters of alternative therapies. And they were certainly not disappointed. For they found that not only were alternative solutions cheaper by half or more (depending on the therapy one opted for) than bypass, but they also treated the root cause, thereby healing more holistically. A bypass surgery involves creating a bypass, or alternative way, in the heart when one artery is blocked. To put it simply, if there are two roads to go to your house, and one is blocked, you may take a second road. However, there is no guarantee that in time, this second road too won't get blocked. And since the surgery requires the heart to be opened, there are many risks involved in the operation itself. Angioplasty is the other invasive option available that uses catheter attached with an inflating angioplasty balloon to open up the blockage. However, even with this, the blockage-creating tendency of our body remains unchanged, and 10 per cent of the patients experience pain and blockages once again within six months of the surgery itself. While a bypass is a must in some serious cases, about 90 per cent of heart problems could be solved through alternatives. Rajesh was happy to discover that since he had got immediate help in the critical period, i.e within one hour of the heart attack, his heart had not been badly damaged and the world of alternatives lay open to him. Here are some options:

Aid from Ayurveda
Dr Pankaj Naram, founder of the Mumbai-based Ayushakti Ayurved Centre, says, "When doctors tell patients to go for a bypass surgery, they are giving them a fear motivation. As per Ayurveda, heart problems are essentially vata disorders. We use six instruments to break heart blockages – diet, herbal preparations, home remedies, panchakarma, marma, and lifestyle changes."

Herbal preparations include herbs like rudshakti, jivan shakti, suhruday

Home remedies:

• Have one clove of garlic every day. If you find this difficult, take some jaggery, or honey along with it.
• Have six tulsi leaves with three grains of black pepper every morning.
• If you experience palpitation or perspiration, mix one-fourth teaspoon of ajwain with one teaspoon of jaggery, and have this mixture.
• For instant pain relief, mix half a teaspoon of ginger powder with one teaspoon of ghee, and apply this mixture on the heart.

Panchakarma (heart dhara):
Panchakarma is needed to flush out toxins accumulated in the body. The heart dhara treatment improves blood circulation, removes blocks, and strengthens cardiac muscles. A warm liquid containing crushed Ayurvedic herbs, water, and oil is poured into a dough (made of urad dal flour and water) and placed on the heart area for about 20-30 minutes.

Marma
Marma chikitsa is a therapy wherein the doctor uses his fingers to stimulate various vital energy points in the body for free flow of energy. This helps to remove heart blocks.

Pushpa Varma, who documents case histories on behalf of Dr Naram, shares the story of a gentleman who had three blockages in his heart, and as a result, was unable to climb the stairs to his sixth floor office. "An allopath suggested bypass surgery. But when the patient was taken to the operation theatre, the electric current went off, and he was brought back to his room. He stayed up all night thinking about this strange occurrence, and then felt that it was God's indication to him to skip the surgery." He came to Ayushakti instead, and in only a few months felt both healthier and happier.

Sanjivani Heart Care Centre, Bangalore, is yet another Ayurveda centre that provides a non-invasive solution to detect, and heal, heart ailments. Diagnosis is done through a non invasive system called 3- Dimensional Cardiovascular Cartography (3D-CCG), as opposed to the invasive Angiography. The latter only shows the blockages in the heart, whereas the 3D-CCG produces a complete cardiovascular physiological profile of the patient. And what's more, it costs only Rs 3,500 as opposed to Rs 15,000 that one spends on angiography.

The treatment consists of medication, (certain drugs developed by Sanjivani associates, not available over the counter), exercise, pranayama and lifestyle advice. The duration of the treatment is four-six months and the total expense is Rs 15,000- Rs 20,000. The centre has had 80 per cent success with the five thousand or more patients that it has treated since 2001.

The Global Heart Foundation, Pune, treats heart patients using Myodrops, a combination of ancient herbal medicines like arjuna sal ghan, vekhand ghan, amba sal ghan, shewaga sal ghan, kadi nimb leaf ghan, pimpli ghan and punarrnawa mool ghan.

According to A V Narayan, founder of the organisation, Myodrops has proved to be the best alternative to angioplasty, bypass surgery, and post bypass problems. ''It works on the central nervous system, corrects the imbalances in the body, helps opening the co-laterals, removes the blockages in the arteries, and increases the myocardial blood flow up to 50 to 60 per cent thus helping heart to function smoothly," he said.

Regular consumption of Myodrops for 90 to 120 days varying from patient to patient would nullify the possibility of surgery in 80 per cent of the cases, explains Dr Jayesh Jani, medical advisor of the Foundation. He further adds, the cost would work out approximately to around Rs 25,000 as compared to Rs 1,50,000 required for surgery. (Given below are two reports – before and after Myodrops treatment from The Global Heart Foundation)

Report one

After 15 days of Treatment

Myocardial Blood Flow Profile Zones Measured (ml/min/100g) Predicted (ml/min/100g) Flow Difference (ml/min/100g) Anterioseptal(AS): 65.59 68.40 -2.81 Inferioseptal (IS) : 50.10 51.40 -1.30 Lateral (L): 69.04 72.40 -3.36 Global : 87.72 86.40 Normal Flow

Solutions through yoga
Hansa Yogendra, Dean of The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, said, “A heart disease is the body's signal for you to change. Where is the room for attaching strong negative emotions like fear, guilt and regret to it? Listen to the warning, and transform your life. After all, you were not given this beautiful life to suffer endlessly.” The Caring Heart Project was a reiteration of the Institute's vision to ensure people live a joyous life.

The study consisted of 71 heart patients who were chosen to undergo an intensive yoga course, and lifestyle changes for a year (only urgently required allopathic medicines were allowed). A control group consisted of 42 patients who received allopathic treatment, and no yoga training. Each Sunday, the Caring Heart participants came to The Yoga Institute, and partook of the programme, starting with a satsang with Hansaji and Dr Yogendra. After that, short sessions were held with experts on various different aspects of heart and healing.  Dr. Shekhar Ambadekar, a renowned cardiologist, spearheaded the project. Asanas and pranayama were included. Volunteers even went to participants' homes to ensure all the imparted knowledge was being practiced.

One of the most powerful satsangs given by Hansaji was on relaxation, a stress-free state. She started by saying that one who has total faith in God can sit back and enjoy the whole show, as he knows it's all God's creation. Yoga, through contemplation, encourages surrender, “This whole business is your burden, God, I am not going to worry about it. You have created me, You have created these problems, and you jolly well look after them.” Behind the humour exists awareness that 80 per cent of heart patients drive themselves to a diseased state due to stress.

Dr Malay Dave, a psychiatrist, shared the story of the hare and the tortoise. The hare was a typical Type A personality, while the tortoise was actually a non-typical Type A in nature – competitive but not obsessed. When the bell rang to start the race, the hare shot off towards his goal, but went to sleep just a few feet away from the finishing line. The tortoise took in the scenery, whistled, hummed, and sauntered his way to the finishing line, and won the race. The Type A person is always in an undue hurry, utilises his energy very fast, gets tired easily, and is unable to reach his goal. On the other hand, the tortoise participates, plays, and realises the journey is more important that destination. Do you want to live life as the hare or the tortoise?

The dietician, Naaznin Hussein, plays a sizeable role in the programme with her sessions on the right kind of food and with wholesome recipes to help craft a diet plan. She says, quoting a Sanskrit proverb, “As the food, so the mind; as the mind, so the man.” She explains that food can be broadly divided into three categories: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic.

Sattvic food includes milk and milk products (for heart patients buttermilk and skimmed milk only is advised); fruits and dry fruits; seasonal vegetables; cereals like wheat, unpolished rice, millet, jawar, bajra and corn; pulses like moong dal; sprouted cereals and pulses; spices like turmeric powder, jeera, dhania, etc; sweet tasting food like honey, jaggery, misry, and oil like filtered oil, groundnut oil and til oil. When one eats sattvic food, which is natural, and therefore easily digestible, one automatically feels contented, light, energetic, alert and joyous.

Rajasic food includes nonvegetarian food; soya beans and chick peas; pulses like urad dal, chana dal and toovar dal, hot spices, onions, and garlic, excess salt. This type of food is difficult to digest. Though this food may generate energy, it leaves one in a disturbed state of mind – making them aggressive, agitated, and irritated.

Tamasic food includes stale food which has been kept for more than 24 hours; processed food items; tea, coffee, cocoa, liquor, drugs, etc; fine flour (maida), polished rice, white bread, etc. Tamasic food is extremely difficult to digest, and gives no energy. After consuming, it makes a person feel dull, inert, lazy.

If we can make at least 80 per cent of our daily diet sattvic, most heart ailments can be reduced as stress would be taken care of, cholesterol levels would fall, and heart patients would enjoy a joyous state of mind, enabling quick recovery.

The results of this one-year programme has been phenomenal. It was seen that total cholesterol in participants had gone down by 23.3 per cent as compared to a meager 4.4 per cent in the control group; bad cholesterol (LDL) had fallen by 26 per cent in the yoga group as compared to 2.6 per cent in the control group; angiography showed a 70.4 per cent regression of disease in yoga group and only 28 per cent in the control group.

Says Thomas Cardoz, a clearing agent, and one of the jubilant participants in the programme, “Before this project, I practised the art of wrong living  – non-vegetarian food, smoking, drinking. I have had two heart attacks. I got greatly inspired by Dr. Ambardekar, who didn't look discouraged when he saw my reports, and said we could improve things together.  With every session in the Institute, I learnt so much –  along with non-veg food, I gave up my 'non-vegetarian attitudes' like aggression, and being extremely materialistic. A year later, I feel like a better, calmer, and more complete person. What better gift could the Yoga Institute have given me?”

Mr. N Rathi, an elderly businessman, too claimed that his entire life changed downside up through this one-year programme. Brimming with health and joy, he wonders what the doctors, who told him in 2002 that he would not survive more than a few months without bypass, would have to say when they found that not only was he thriving, but has recently begun his own yoga classes in Mira Road, Mumbai.

Kaivalyadhama Yoga Health Centre too has done a lot of research into the heart. Mr Ravi Dixit, Deputy Secretary, says, “Yoga can help tremendously as it slows the heart rate. This means that the heart is functioning just as well, using lesser fuel, and lesser efforts. Also lactic acid is a known culprit for heart ailments. It is produced during over-strenuous exercise, and through the consumption of processed foods, which the liver is often unable to digest. This collects and clogs the arteries. In proper yogic practise, every body part is exercised, without production of lactic acid.”

He recommends a one-hour yoga programme, (see box), which if done four times a week, would take care of much of the problems. Patients who have had a bypass can also do it after a green signal from their yoga teacher and consulting doctor.

Mr Dixit also recommends mitahara, which is the diet suggested by yogic texts. It means limited and controlled diet. One should always eat vegetarian food up to 75 per cent of one's need, and leave the rest 25 per cent empty. He also offers a few dietary tips that have helped his students tremendously:

• Heart muscles can be strengthened by consuming two bananas with a tablespoon of honey
• A regimen of wheat grass juice taken twice a day for 21 days can rejuvenate the heart
• Drink plenty of water (12-14 glasses), if your cholesterol is high
• A tablespoon of honey in coconut water serves as the perfect drink for heart patients
• A teaspoon of onion and garlic juice can do wonders for the heart
• The vitamin 'C' content of amla controls blood cholesterol levels, and builds resistance to fight disease.
• Don't eat food when feeling agitated – it will have a negative impact on you. Eat only when hungry, and in a peaceful state of mind.

Meditation Heals
Jon Kabat Zinn, PhD, founder of Stress Reduction Clinic, one of the world's leading organisations for relaxation, is of the view that meditation heals the heart. Meditation is directly related to the experience of being whole, of interconnectedness. From the outside, it may look like you are totally isolated while meditating, but from within, you are the universe, pulsating with life, connected to everyone. He writes, “It's such a deep state of well-being, of relaxation. It's such a psychological state of connectedness that it is merciful, it is spontaneously accepting, open, and compassionate.” Therefore, a healthy heart, and also healing for a not-so-healthy heart, comes naturally through meditation.

Vipassana, the ten-day meditation programme, defines health as a perfect state of equilibrium of body and mind, where all the physiological activities take place without disturbance. Disease is a state of discomfort produced due to a loss of balance between body and mind. When participants go through a process of purification of the mind, various somatic or bodily manifestations of disease disappear or are alleviated as a byproduct.

An astounding case study available on the Vipassana website, www.dhamma.org, states the instance of an elderly woman. One night she suddenly experienced severe pain in the chest. The clinical diagnosis was heart attack. The pain was such that she felt that her life was threatened. She decided to take refuge in Vipassana, and started meditating. The doctor thought that she had become unconscious. Suddenly, the room became quiet and peaceful, and all present felt the spiritual charge in atmosphere. After some time, she came out of deep meditation. She said she felt that hatred had left her, and that she felt full of love and compassion, peace, and goodwill. Miraculously, she required no surgery, and hardly any medicines to heal completely.

Discovered by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Transcendental Meditation is a simple procedure whereby the individual's awareness settles down, and he experiences a unique state of restful alertness. As the body becomes deeply relaxed, the mind transcends all mental activity, and enormous healing takes place. Research studies show that TM, done only for three months, could give several benefits like deep relaxation, lower blood pressure, and improved overall health.

Love and the Heart
Love and survival. What do they have to do with each other? Dr Dean Ornish asked this poignant question, and brought a revolution in the way we look at heart diseases. Ornish acknowledges that the heart is a pump that needs to be addressed on a physical level, but it's also much more than just that. We also have an emotional heart, a psychological heart, and a spiritual heart. In his book, Love and Survival, he writes, “The real epidemic in our culture is not only physical heart disease, but also what I call emotional and spiritual heart disease – that is, the profound feelings of loneliness, isolation, alienation, and depression that are so prevalent in our culture with the breakdown of the social structures that used to provide us with a sense of connection and community.”

He writes of the Roseto study, one of the earliest, most potent studies recognising the power of love and relationships in the reduction of heart attacks. The population of Roseto, Pennsylvania, was found to have a strikingly low mortality rate from heart attacks as compared to neighbouring cities, risk factors being common. What protected Roseto? It still displayed a high level of social homogeneity and close family ties. However, in the coming years Roseto shifted from close three-generation households to fragmented, isolated communities. The rate of mortality by heart attacks grew manifold and became as much as its neighbouring cities! The researchers wrote, “Those with conventional risk factors are more likely to develop heart attacks than those without the risk factors, but an even larger proportion of the population may have the risk factors and not succumb to heart attack over a period of nearly three decades if they are protected by a strong sense of connection and community.”

Ornish created a heart programme, which besides lifestyle changes, exercise, and meditation, involved a lot of sharing in support groups, opening the pathways to love by expressing freely, and thereby reducing heart risks. Ornish was inspired by his guru, the well-known Swami Satchidananda, founder of the ashram,Yogaville in the USA, teaching Integral Yoga. Ornish's programme has revolutionised heart care not just in the West, but has inspired many in India to promote what amounts to an Indian approach to heart healing. The Science and Art of Living (SAAOL) programme, developed by Dr Bimal Chhajer, is one such programme. As a cardio-physician, he specialises in the reversal of heart disease. The science in SAAOL refers to allopathic medicines, while the art refers to the holistic approach that includes stress management, diet management, yoga, meditation, exercise and education.

Deepak Dalal, Dr Chhajer's Mumbai coordinator, says, “We give a lot of importance to education about the disease, medication, and the pitfalls of invasive treatment like angioplasty and bypass surgery. This gives patients a lot of self-confidence.”

The SAAOL programme is conducted in the form of a three-day non-residential camp. Prior to the camp, Dr Chhajer meets each patient personally to know about his case history. He insists that the spouse or a family member also accompany the patient for the camp, as love heals, and the spouse's presence assures the patient that he is not alone in handling the disease. Also, a SAAOL family meeting is organised where old patients come to inspire new patients, and everyone expresses themselves freely.

During the camp, patients are taught a set of modified yoga-based exercises called Heart Rejuvenating Exercises (HRE). These are a combination of 12 sets of movements which help in heart disease reversal. These are done in standing position, and take about 15 minutes. They are to be done slowly, and without jerks. Walking too is given utmost importance.

Overweight people are advised to have plenty of vegetables, salads, sprouts, and soups. Underweight people are advised to have more of wheat and rice, and less of salads. Patients are advised a zero-oil diet and during the camp patients are actually taught to cook this.

To manage stress, participants of the SAAOL programme are taught the technique of Preksha meditation. In his book, Learn How to Reverse Heart Disease, Dr Chhajer writes, “Preksha meditation helps in the release of neurotransmitters that help in the reversal of heart diseases.Lying down in Shavasasana for 15-20 minutes, when disturbed, is also advised.

Participation at a SAAOL camp costs Rs 15, 000. Sponsored camps are subsidised, and the fee is only Rs 3,000. A lot of youngsters, who are not patients themselves, attend these camps for preventive reasons.

Mr Vijay Dosani, a stockbroker, had a heart attack in 1998. Though he took allopathic medicines for six months, Mr Dosani did not listen to the doctor's advice for bypass. He attended a SAAOL camp in 1998, and has immensely benefited from it. “I followed Dr Chhajer's zero-oil therapy and other diet modifications. I also began to go on walks. Initially, it was only 15 minutes, because I felt a pain in my chest, but I kept the faith, and was gradually able to make it 35 minutes. Today, I can run, and even play badminton comfortably.” A regular practice of HRE has taken care of his sinus problem and knee joint pain. Mr Dosani says, “Today, I am healthier than I was even before my heart attack.”

ACT and EECP to the Rescue
“A senior cardiologist in Mumbai told me that I am sitting on a time bomb,” said Mac Iyer, a financial entrepreneur as he faced Dr. Pratiksha, founder of Institute for Preventive Cardiology, India (IPC). “When will this time bomb burst?” Her light-hearted reply was, “We can defuse it.” The lines of worry on his face reduced as she explained to him that he needed no surgery, and through two advanced technologies using either Artery Clearance Therapy (ACT), or Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP) (approximate cost of both is about Rs 50,000- Rs 70,000), his heart problem could be completely handled. Tears of relief blurred his vision when he left her office.

ACT or chelation therapy consists of injecting EDTA, a synthetic amino acid compound, which travels 40,000 miles of arteries of your entire body, picking and binding essential metals floating loosely, and depositing them in its correct locale. Toxic metals get flushed out. Blood circulation improves. 20-30 sittings each of duration of 3-4 hours are required over a period of 3-4 months depending on severity. There are 50 lakh patients treated with this therapy over the world with 90 per cent success rate. Certain side-effects like weakness and giddiness can be managed by dosage alteration. However, meticulous medical monitoring of patients is required, and for this reason Dr Pratiksha warns against going to quacks claiming to be chelation experts.

Besides this, IPC Centre also happens to be India's largest EECP provider. In an EECP session, which is safe, non-surgical and non pharmaceutical, the patient lies on a padded table and three large inflatable cuffs (like blood pressure cuffs) are strapped around the calves, lower thighs and upper thighs. These cuffs are rapidly inflated during the part of the cardiac cycle when the heart is at rest, and deflated just before heart contraction. The entire process is monitored by an electrocardiograph display. Through this treatment the following benefits can be received:

• The heart is capable of forming new collateral network (small natural bypasses) when one artery is blocked. EECP triggers and accelerates this circuit, and makes it permanent.
• It requires only 35 days of treatment with only an hour each day
• Gives same symptom relief as bypass and angioplasty, and patients can walk more distance without chest pain, little or no angina, need for medicine would be reduced, patients can return to work immediately, patients become more energetic.

“However,” says Dr Pratiksha, “To clap we require two hands and so also for healing – the doctor does his work, and the patient has to do this by improving his lifestyle. Our centres have inhouse yoga teachers, meditation teachers, and dietitians who impart important knowledge to patients. Along with treatment, these must be followed.” Her book, Bypassing Bypass Surgery, has several remarkable case studies, all presented with actual angiograph reports.

Rajesh is excited about these options. After considering costs and proximity of institutes from his house, he will make the best decision. He understands, like other heart patients, that it's time for him to make up to his heart. The journey from being a heart patient to becoming hale and hearty will require effort and dedication, but he is not complaining. Muse of the poets, treasure of lovers, faith of the believers, let's make our heart a cherished companion. After all, we live only as long as it lives.