Times of India
27 September 2010
Bangalore, India

Keep walking for a healthy heart. A walkathon organized by Narayana Hrudayalaya sent out this strong message on World Heart Day. Over 200 people, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, patients and their relatives, participated in the health march.

The 5–km walk from Narayana Hrudayalaya to Biocon and back to the hospital saw enthusiastic patients from Nigeria, Malaysia and Bangladesh, who are being treated at the hospital.

Dr S Vijeendra, in charge of cardiac rehabilitation at Narayana Hrudayalaya, said the theme this year is ‘I work with heart’. The idea is to create awareness in the workplace and encourage people to take steps for a healthy heart.

"It’s important to walk for at least 4 to 5 km or at best 30–45 minutes a day. Besides, lifestyle changes have reduced physical exercise, which is a must. The result: many youngsters suffer heart attacks and stroke," Vijeendra explained.

To create awareness, Narayana Hrudayalaya organized poster presentations on how to take care of one’s heart, what should be the daily diet and other related issues. At least 1,000 people participated in this.

Besides, a lecture on lifestyle modifications was organized, where cardiologists, physiotherapists and nutritionists shared their take on the subject. There were special packages and 50% discount on executive check–ups:

packages 1 and 2 as well as special packages are on offer for the next 10 days. To mark the day, Manipal Hospital launched SafeBeat, a comprehensive heart check–up package through which 100 corporate employees were screened.

The package comprised seven important tests focusing on heart, liver and kidney functions, and a general check–up. Dr S C Nagendra Swamy, chief operations officer (COO), Bangalore region, director of shared strategic services, Manipal . Hospital said: "We sincerely believe this package will help people analyze common problems like high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels which pose high health risks. It’s important for everyone to be aware of the wellbeing of their hearts."

BGS Global Hospitals organized a free camp, where patients availed of free ECG, random blood sugar, blood pressure check and consultation with the hospital’s team of cardiologists. Many also got a free echo check–up and treadmill test done, as advised by cardiologists.

Watch Out For These
Risk factors for heart–related disorders include diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight, high fat diet, lack of exercise, and family history of premature cardiovascular disease. The earlier any of these is detected, more likely that one can avoid life–threatening events such as heart attacks and strokes.