My maternal grandfather was my father figure. We affectionately called him “Dhomdada” after a character he used to play in the local theater. He grew up poor, “stone soup” was a reality for them, not just a story. He didn’t finish high school since his family had very little money and he needed to start working at age 15. He started as a foreman and towards the end of his career was the general manager of a local factory in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India. Engineers in the factory asked his opinion when they couldn’t figure stuff out since he knew the whole operation inside out.
He was a great cook, he loved unhealthy food too much. Like a lot of Indians of his generation he did not exercise much, though he loved to walk. He chewed tobacco and betel nut – all my lecturing was to no avail. He had high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and myasthenia gravis. He was very open about his diagnoses and liked to boast that he had the same disease (myasthenia) that the famous Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan . He had his first heart attack at 52. Another one a decade later, third one a decade later. I remember crying at his bedside when he was 62 (I was 8) and he told the doctor, in the throes of his heart attack, that he needed to stay alive for my sake. In those days, heart attacks in India were treated with aspirin and rest. He developed chronic stable angina, cardiomyopathy and symptoms of heart failure. However, maintained his positive attitude to the end. Despite my pleading he never agreed to a bi-ventricular defibrillator. My wife or kids never got to meet him.
South Asians like me have a very high risk of cardiovascular disease. This article was the cover story of ACC yesterday. Most of us, while vegetarians, eat a lot of dairy, ghee (clarified butter), oil and sugar. Exercise is unheard of. People chew tobacco. My interventional cardiology colleagues have told me that we South Asians have small coronary arteries.
South Asians living in the U.S. are more likely to die from heart disease than the general population. The MASALA study is investigating heart disease in the South Asian community.
I have learned a lot from my research for this blog about general health. These things SHOULD be taught to doctors in medical school and residency but they are not.
I am trying to NOT follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. I understand that genetics is against me.
I have adopted some common sense lifestyle changes to try and not die a premature death. I will (hopefully) let you know in 45 years if they worked!
Here are my common sense guidelines for good health.
I follow them most of the time . I aim for 100% on all 10. My self reported 🙂 scores are 100% on #1-3, 90% on #4, 70% on #5-6, 50% on #7-10. Like all of us, I am working on it.
- Eat a plant based diet. Eat different colored fruits and vegetables every day.
- Eat less.
- Eat less often – intermittent fasting.
- No processed food.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
- Meditate 30 min every day.
- Move – exercise 1-2 hours every day (does not have to be regimented, walking is good too). Get a dog, it is good for you.
- Work less.
- Spend time with people you love.
- Have a positive attitude.