Happy Healthy Heart

 

Tips for Happy Healthy Heart

Meditation / Yog / Pranayam

Healthy diet seasonal regional light and fresh :  green vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, fibre rich, no to saturated fatty foods and junk food, high salt and sugar processed/preserved/canned food , reuse of oils

Regular Exercise like walking, cycling, outdoor sports of your liking, swimming etc / Avoid Exercise in AC rooms and after Food

Regular health checkups

No to smoking, tobacco and alcohol

Body weight in Control

Good quality Sleep

Avoid stress

Diabetes and Hypertension control

Keep cholesterol in control

Indulge in Hobbies

Laugh without measure and Stay Positive

Spend time in Nature & Garden

Spend time with Pets.

Relax/ don’t rush

Relaxing Music

Avoid Negative News, Heated debates and Violent Programmes

Less time on Social Media, Online presence and Screen time

Spend time with Real life friends /relatives who understand and love you

Spend time with Kids

Avoid rat Race for Name, Fame and Money/ Create healthy working environment

Financial Planning with a Vision/Have a Health Insurance

Live in Pollution free environment

Ingest safe drinking water

Discover a sense of purpose and meaning in Life: Spiritual upliftment

Be grateful, generous and satisfied

Keep faith strong

My Vision for Health in India

My views on a health care system which not only treats but heals the suffering too. There is nothing called ideal and the needs and definition of ideal changes with time. 

Here are some views which i suggested during a seminar. 

Health is the greatest Wealth and Bliss 

1. Health Budget both state and central should be made five times of existing, with at least a quarter of it going for preventive aspect.
2. Focus on preventive Health: Fall ill and then come to me is the mantra, don’t fall ill and don’t come to me should be the Mantra of Health Sector.
3. Preventive medicine by simple life style changes and screening for diseases are hardly advertised, instead curative aspect is promoted and advertised.  Commercial interests are always on top.
4. Screening to identify disease at earlier stage
5. Medicines of God are Food and Nature:   and today they are the most neglected. We all are eating garbage most of the times. No control of food hygiene in most of our shops. Our youth is eating the unhealthiest food possible.
6. Life Style should include: Hobbies/Yoga/Exercise/Art and Music/seasonal and regional Food/Nature and Travelling. Hobby Classes and Regular Counselling of medicos.
7. Our existing town planning is the right culture medium for microbes.
8. Zero tolerance for corruption: but sadly how many times have you heard the regulatory bodies in taking punitive measures against health care providers who are corrupt.
9. Compassion and transparency amongst health providers.
10. Strict punitive action against segments of public who try to harm with their malafide agenda against health service providers.
11. Bonds in health sector should go away, especially for junior and senior residents. They are not bonded labourers. Make your infrastructure and service condition good, so they themselves stay.
12. Existing PHC, CHC, District Hospitals should be made infrastructure and manpower rich so that load on tertiary health care hospitals is reduced. Three tiers Health System with proper referral policy in place is must.
13. Paramedics’ cadre should be strengthened.
14. Integration of different fields of medical sciences like Ayurveda and other traditional health systems is must. Music and Art therapy also play a very positive role in many chronic diseases.  Music meditation: Healing Your Heart and Soul. Wellness clinics should be promoted.
15. Health Insurance should cover the entire population with equal coverage value, with premiums varying based on income level.
16. Indian Health Service cadre should be created for administration of health services in a better way.
17. There should be strong bond and healthy coordination between three wings of system: Health Education and Research, Clinical practice and Health Administration.
18. Data maintenance and Collection with proper computer records.
19. Premier institutions with decades of excellence and proven records should be given more liberty in designing their own policies in medical education and research.
20. Green Hospitals and Colleges should be promoted and made mandatory. Rain water harvesting, solar power, water recycling etc should be mandatory.

Let’s Heal the Humanity, not merely Treat the Disease.

It was a nice pannel discussion today at New Lecture Theatre of Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU on Health Care for India in coming years. The panelists were from Health sector, IT sector, bio medical engineer, insurance and banking sector. Thanks Dr. Manoj Shah and Dr Anshuman Banerjee for your invitation.

Dr. Siddharth Lakhotia MBBS, MS, M.Ch, FIACS

Professor and Head of the Department

CTVS, IMS BHU  

Date: 27^th July 2024

Prof. Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valiathan (24 May 1934 – 17 July 2024)

Sir, today you may have left the physical world , but you will live in countless human lives through your teachings and noble acts. A surgeon par excellence, teacher, innovator, researcher, adminstrator, founder of many institutes, author and a gentle loving human being, he excelled in whatever he dreamed and executed. He has mentored and seen three generations of cardiac surgeons serving all over world.

Thanks so much Sir for shaping my life in many ways , sadly i was never your cardiac surgery student, but I admired you since my early medical college days and got a chance to meet you during my Internship days when you came for a dinner at our home and then I took you to Chaukhamba Prakashan in Chowk, Varanasi as you wanted to buy certain Sanskrit texts and Ayurveda books.

I feel so blessed that you wrote forward for two of my books. Whenever i read about you or interacted with you, i feel so much inspired by your life journey.

You have touched and shaped millions of lives through your surgeries, teachings, research, discoveries and adminstration. Your life journey is a great inspiration for all of us. Your humility and love for everyone is a lesson for all of us and for many future generations to come.

A brief write up about Sir :

Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valiathan (24 May 1934 – 17 July 2024) was an Indian cardiac surgeon. He was a former President of the ” Indian National Science Academy “ and National Research Professor of the Government of India. Founder Director of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology , Trivandrum and first vice chancellor of Manipal university. Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1990 and Padma Vibushan in 2005 for his contributions to health technology in India. He was made a Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques, an honour bestowed by the French Government, in 1999. He received the Dr. Samuel P. Asper International Award from the Johns Hopkins University Medical School in 2009 for his contributions to international medical education. He also developed TTK Chitra Heart Valve , which has now seen more than one lakh implantations. The multidisciplinary team at the Sree Chitra Institute led by Dr. Valiathan also developed a vascular graft and a series of disposable devices such as blood bags, oxygenators and cardiotomy reservoirs. Dr. Valiathan was engaged in promoting research in basic sciences, based on cues from Ayurvedic concepts and procedures. Later on, as a National Research Professor, he carried out a study of Sushruta and Vagbhata and completed the series of Legacy volumes on the 'Great Three' of Ayurveda'.

Fellowships of the IAS, INSA New Delhi, NAS India, NAMS, INAE, The World Academy of Sciences, American College of Cardiology, the Royal College of Physicians of London and the International Union of Societies of Biomaterials and Engineering. He was a “Hunterian Professor” of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a Senior Member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons of the United States and the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain. The French Government has honoured him by making him a Chevalier in the order of Palmes Académiques. He is a recipient of many Awards for Science, Technology and Education, which include the R.D. Birla Award, O.P. Bhasin Award, Jawaharlal Nehru Award, Dhanwantari Prize, Aryabhata medal, Basanti Devi Amirchand Prize, J.C. Bose medal, Kerala State Science and Technology Award, B.C. Guha Award, Pinnamaneni Foundation Award, Sat Pal Mittal Award, G.M. Modi Award, M. V. Pylee Award, H.K. Firodia Award and the Sastra Puraskaram of the Kerala Government.

We all will be forever grateful to your teachings through your life journey, Sir.

Sharing a beautiful nostalgic memoir from Dr S K Deshpande Sir, Cardiac Anaesthesiologist and SCTIMST alumnus

Yesterday, the news of passing away of Prof M S Valathan saddened me and many of us. SCTIMST arranged condolence meet which was attended online by many. People paid rich tributes to late Prof Valiathan sir and I am also expressing my condolences while recollecting few memories about this great man. Dear friends, as you can see the meaning of 'Valia' in malayalam is big, great. Prof Valiathan, whose first few letters of spelling contained 'valia' was not only just big but a great thinker and visionary Cardiothoracic Surgeon. We used to then call him out of respect as 'director'. As a cardiac anaesthesia resident at the prestigious Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences, Trivandrum (SCTIMST), I was first impressed by sir, who asked few questions at the grand interview (where all dept's heads used to ask Q) during selection process for the said course in Cardiothoracic & Neuro Anaesthesia in 1986.. As the time went on I had seen many facets of this great man and although my stay at Chitra was just one year and I didn't have a long association withthe late director but I'll mention a few of the observed facets of this great man. Great visionary He was a great visionary and established SCTIMST as a nationally and internationally recognised institute. He brought this institute then on the map of India as the topmost educational and research institute. Simple living Prof Valiathan used to put on very simple clothes, always walk fast, think fast, use apt yet non-hurting words but all were important and meaningful.. He was pained then to buy expensive disposables as required for cardiac surgery and wanted to develop Indian make devices matching international standards. He made that in reality and we are all aware of noteworthy research products (Chitra mechanical heart valve, oxygenators, blood bags to name a few). They were developed at the biomedical technology (BMT) wing at Poojapura in Trivandrum. Fit and punctual In 1985-86 the biometric method of attendance compulsory for all working at the institute used to be one's allocated 'punching card' which marks your entry time in the institute when punched in. Dr Valiathan being director used to be our role model of punctuality as he himself would punch in between 07:20-07:30 am daily (when time of punch in was 08:00 am), he will directly go to his director's office office and assign some work to his secretariat. Then he used to climb the stairs swiftly to reach 7th floor cardiac surgical OR. We usually used to induce anaesthesia by 07:30-07:45 am. He used to be scrubbed and ready by 8- 8:15 am. He loved to operate on the cyanotic cong HD kids and after operation getting over by 12 or so, he would again reach his director's office by staircase. SCTIMST cardiac ORs used to be very busy, yet quiet operation rooms with no shouting at all (as against in many cardiac surgery units then in other parts of India). Director himself used to speak very less and during surgery his right palm without saying a word used to go to first scrub OR nurse and he would get the right instrument. The Chitra teaching was all present in OR used to operate : surgeons physically while others mentally watching progress of surgery and act proactively and this practice with everyone's involvement naturally used to give good results. Director's voice (barritone) was clear, educative yet respecting all members of the OR. We always respected as students his discipline. Speciality dept He developed the CVTS dept in different specialities like cardiac : Adult and paediatric, thoracic and vascular. The results in the following years were great and many Chitra's cardiac surgeons were recognised and respected in the academic sectors. I, then as a student enjoyed the aura of Chitra in conferences. Research wing The BMT wing (Satelmond palace of late King of Travancore who donated the palace for the research work) where many dedicated biomedical scientists put their herculeean efforts to fructify the dreams of the director. I as student in 1986 watched animal (sheep) implantation of the developing Chitra (now TTK Chitra) valve. The surgery used to take place in the best conditions and with the same disciplined atmosphere in the OR and ICU. The director and his team would operate, and follow-up the progress meticulously with data recording and analysis. This used to be a daunting task as the overseas manufacturing companies of mechanical valves were the "keen observers" to this ' new Indian competitor'. My seniors Dr Rathod, Waikar gave me chance to anaesthetise the sheep under their strict supervision as life of each sheep mattered !! I was amazed at the energy level and dedication of BMT scientists, staff, director, veterinary doctors, dept of Cardiac anaesthesia, cardiac surgery, pathology dept. Our anaesthesia HoD, Prof K. Mohandas, (who followed Prof Valiathan as the next director) was a very sweet, skilled, humble and knowledgeable guiding force in our dept.and Prof Valiathan and his dept used to respect dept of anaesthesia to the core. Therefore I was nurtured in this congenial atmosphere which had made a very positive impact on my personality. Such was an atmosphere which used to encourage me and my colleague Dr S. Bhanumurthy to work harder. Parents of students and director : whenever the parents from different parts of India used to come to Chitra, to meet their son/daughter were usually anxious as how the students are doing since Trivandrum was far from their respective place of residence. The parents narrated their experience of interacting with Prof Valiathan, that he was very warm, gave them time immediately for meeting and were surprised about his all round knowledge in all fields and he could discuss any topic at the highest possible level. Naturally the parents used to feel assured and return back with satisfaction. During my one year short stay I discovered many facets, as he himself never ever spoke about himself. Dream Cardiac surgical team's requirement and getting it done by Indian (make in India concept) make was his dream and he worked very hard, interacted with many knowledgeable people from engineering, medical, biomedical, manufacturing and marketing sectors to fulfill this dream. Student and staff friendly director Any reply to our application, conference attendance or certificate used to be signed on the same day and he never kept the students waiting. Man's true nature is exhibited when he is at the helm, and Prof Valiathan truly was a great (Valia) personality and I feel privileged to get an opportunity, although for a very short period, to watch a few of his facets. I express my sadness on his passing away and truly we lost a great visionary, perfect leader, one who thought of our dear countrymen and developed Indian make devices and products, knowledgeable yet humble, simple yet high thinker gem and a guiding star for many of his students, associates and followers. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family 🙏🙏भावपुर्ण श्रद्धांजली 🙏🙏 From : Dr S K Deshpande, Cardiac Anaesthesiologist and SCTIMST alumnus, Nagpur Friday, 19th July 2024.

Every Human Being is a Doctor

Want to save lives? 

Hence wanted to join the medical profession but fate or wish or circumstances made you something else ? 

So now you are not a doctor ???!!! 

Don't be upset or sad, here how you can still act like a Doctor on a very wide scale, much wider than most of the doctors working in hospitals. 

You can actually save many more lives than we save as doctors, in whichever profession you are, simply by doing follow things ......  

1. Plant trees and take care of them. Each tree is an ecosystem supporting millions of tiny lives, ants,  birds,  squirrels etc. 

2. Recharge ground water and don't waste it. 

3. Use alternative energy sources.  

4. Recycle waste. 

5. Be vegetarian.

6. Grow healthy food.

7. Teach people about basic healthy life habits, preventive health, role of diet and exercise. You don't need to be a doctor to teach these. 

Let's celebrate Earth Day, everyday.

Let's be Doctors of Environment and save lives , not only human lives. 

Medical Science and Education : Do we lack Focus ?

I am writing a few thoughts wrt medical vision especially cardiac surgery future in India. This can be treated as part one. 

We are currently heavily focussed on the treatment or curative part of medical sciences. I feel equal balance should be given to the preventive and research/innovation part of medical sciences also. Only such an approach will make our enormous population healthy or in other words only then will we be able to provide health for all. If we focus on creating only doctors and hospitals for providing the treatment component of health, our resources will always be strained and we will always be short of the need. 

Hence research to produce things in India is very vital, not only to bring down the cost, but to save our foreign currency also. and also to make purchases easy. Imagine a highly advanced computerised automatic Mercedes or BMW comes at a cheaper cost than a heart lung machine, which has only a few metallic roller pumps, not even a computer. This is nothing but white collar loot by foreign multinationals. Look at heart valves, they cost nothing to manufacturers, once their R & D cost is over, they are just moulded pieces of high quality metals. If India can make the finest of jewellery from diamond and gold, what stops us making these heart valves ? 

If we can make Chandrayaan , why can't we make ventilators, heart lung machines, infusion pumps, Defibs, OT lights , tables and so on .... there are hundreds of medical equipment which we import all over india. It's unimaginable that we even import surgical scissors and forceps thus making those countries richer and ourselves poorer. This should stop by making India a hub of manufacturing surgical and medical equipment along with new innovations.

Research should also be directed in preventing diseases rather than a curative aspect only. Prevention is better than cure, we all know and preach. But in reality we all do the reverse due to control of world wide medical superpowers or drug mafias. Our ancient wisdom clearly says that prevention is key to health for all. Then why not to follow the same. We should invest more and more in research for controlling diseases. 

For example we should have a National Programme for prevention of Rheumatic Heart Disease and its eradication. West is making metallic valves to be implanted in RHD patients , whereas in their own countries they have eradicated RHD. One a metallic valve is implanted, the patient is actually living with a time bomb inside the heart. 

Preventive Cardiology is of tremendous need in India than mere Cardiology. Morre and More preventive and social medicine graduates should actually become the backbone of the Indian Health System.

Coming to the education and training part, I feel that with most of the training seats ( MCh )   in Cardiac Surgery going vacant, policy makers should shift focus on post mbbs five year MCh or DNB in CTVS. Else there will be many hospitals but no well trained CTVS surgeons. 

Spirituality and Humanities should be a compulsory subject in medical training.

Facebook vs Fakebook

We had a debate amongst colleagues and students on this topic. Some conclusions of that debate, though nothing new, but still sharing. These conclusions are not truth for all, but are merely conclusions of the group that had debate. 

1. This platform will be remembered in History as a nuclear bomb for majority of society relationships. 

2. Never judge life of an individual through his or her posts, you can never know about the pains, struggles and sacrifices one might be undergoing through their FB wall. They might have posted only happy posts And vice versa is true too. 

3. Slowly addicted people get connected to virtual friends more than to real people around their life, and only in times of disease when their virtual friends are wishing get well soon on FB, they remember real people around them, because then they need someone to take them to hospital, stay with them in hospital or bring medicines for them.

4. Addicted people become too judgemental and comparitive.

5. One good thing is it connects you with your otherwise forgotten friends and brings new virtual friends, but rarely few of them become real life friends but at a cost, which is realised later.

6. Like other social media platforms, it has certainly helped world to see many things which we didn't even knew that they existed.

7. It helps you to pass your time in otherwise busy world, where everyone is rushing and rushing, but then there are many other ways of time pass too

8. It helps you to share your message, activities, information etc on wider large platform.

The conclusions were many, but writing a long essay means too much time on FB.

The take home message was to maintain balance as required in all schemes of universe. Saying and writing is easy, following is difficult. A particular thing may not be harmful to a particular person, but when it's harmful to society as a whole, then it needs to be moderated. Like everything there is a lakshman rekha for freedom too

What you think about FB ?

Feelings of a Surgeon

 "A career in surgery is a wonderful thing. Especially when everything is going good. But the sad thing about surgery is that everything will not be going good all the time. It is not like travelling by a plane or by a train where the chances of getting into an accident are near zero. Surgery is at times travelling in a car or a bike in the night when its raining heavily and your head lights have failed. And you land up in trouble. There will also be times when everything seems to be going well in a particular week and suddenly you land up in trouble with one patient , you had least expected to get into trouble. And for those who tackle difficult patients and complex problems, getting into trouble becomes a norm.

One sick patient, especially after an elective surgery under your care and you do not feel good. You do not enjoy your meal with your family and you look pretty upset and your family can easily make out that something is not right. Over the years I had noticed that you get into some sort of depression/low esteem whenever some patient does not do well. This is some sorrow which cannot be shared with anyone and often goes off slowly once either the patient recovers or dies. I wonder what will someone come with if he or she is asked to talk about ' My morbidities and mortalities'. One thing is for sure. Everyone will have some material at hand. Some will have less and some, more. How much do these adverse things affect a surgeon is a thing of intrigue. While some brush them off casually and move forward while many cannot take them easily. Their 'milieu interior' gets disturbed considerably for long periods of time.

Surgeons are not taught how to cope with surgical stress in their curriculum. There should be some method. There should be some counselling for surgeons to heal themselves. Lest their bodies and souls will take a beating. And for all you know some may die younger than they should. Surgery is a risky profession."

As read on FB wall of Dr. Shweta Sharma, Pediatric Surgeon

Here comes the role of your other hobbies, passion, family and friends. For sake of many other patients, surgeons need to come out of stress induced by one sick patient.