Dharamshala: “Winter rings bell for the heart patients who need to become more careful to keep their heart healthy during the cold weather,” said renowned cardiologist and Director of Cardiology Department Fortis Hospital Mohali Dr RK Jaswal, while reacting to media at Dharamsala on Saturday.
Dr. Jaswal who has conducted more than 18,000 transradial invasive procedures and over 8,000 transradial interventions, including complex transradial coronary interventions, is the recipient of Globle Health Care Award of this year.
Dr Jaswal is in the city to hold special screening camp for the heart patients in collaboration with the Lions’ Club. He said that winter months are especially hard on the heart. “There is a change in the ratio of daylight hours to dark hours, which changes the hormonal balance, and the hormones involved can lower the threshold for a cardiovascular event.
The drop in temperatures causes arteries to tighten, thus restricting blood flow and reducing the oxygen supply to the heart. All of this can trigger a heart attack,” he elaborated.He added that surveys confirm that heart trouble is more in cold areas than warm areas. Dr. Jaswal said,” it was a fact that people of hilly areas where hard workers ,which kept the heart trouble at a distance ,but now the luxurious life style and development brought more disease to the area.”
He further advised that the people suffering from cardiovascular disease due to genetics, obesity or stress, should not increase the intake of fatty foods.
He advised the people of Himachal Pradesh, to ensure they keep themselves insulated and healthy to avoid increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.“The high climes get snow and the mercury drops drastically. When the weather is cold, the heart has to work harder to maintain body heat. It’s tough on the heart – doing all that pumping,” the doctor shared.
Talking about his bonds with Kangra he said that it holds a very special place in his heart because he belonged to this region and added that every time there was an opportunity to interact and consult patients, he made sure to travel here from Mohali.
Dr Jaswal who has represented India at prestigious cardiology forums across the world. Recently, he delivered a lecture at Beijing on handling difficult angiographies and angioplasties through wrist artery. He was one of the very few doctors to represent India at the World Congress. Having one of the largest and richest experiences in north India.
Dr. Jaswal advised the following to heart patience:
- Stay hydrated: Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day during the winter too
- Avoid high calorie food
- Avoid alcohol
- Be aware about any change in BP or other vitals. Inform your doctor immediately if there is any drastic change
- For high BP patients, early morning walks should be avoided. Walk when the sun is out
- Use multiple layers of clothes to avoid exposure to extreme cold conditions, and therefore, heart attacks.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
