I removed my heart blockage without surgery 20 years back and am still active

The heart is the most vital organ of any living being. This organ loses its powers with age and once the symptoms become visible, one seeks medical advice. The patient has to go in for medication as the medical team pores over the findings of various tests. Usually, the suggestion of the learned professionals is surgery. However, I did nothing of the sort when doctors advised that option. It happened in 2003 when I was in service. I still had one year left to retire and the doctors said – ‘don’t worry - you will not need to pay anything because the company will bear the expenses since you are still an employee.’ It did not convince me. Yes, my heart was weak. I was taken to the hospital from my office and preliminary investigation in Mumbai showed my LVEF to be far below limits. In those days, the cardiac scene was practically not there in Nashik and I had to go to Mumbai. I dreaded the very thought of lying unconscious on the operation table as surgeons tried to repair my damaged heart. I had never undergone any surgery until then and even now, there are no such scars on my body.

Well, when I returned back from Mumbai, a woman who worked in my section gave me a local Marathi magazine in which there was a medicine prescribed to improve the functions of the heart. It consisted of three ingredients. These were basil leaves, fresh lemon and ‘khadi’ shakkar. This is a form of sugar that comes in the form of lumps. I would pluck 10 to 12 basil leaves, clean them and make a paste with the ‘khadi’ shakkar using a marble-stone mortar and pestle. I would then put the paste in a cup, mix the juice of a fresh lemon and swallow the mixture on an empty stomach. Simultaneously, I would munch a pod of garlic along with my morning tea. I continued this ‘medication’ for nearly six months. When I next went for checkup in Mumbai, the LVEF value had gone up to a satisfactory level. I did not go for any surgery and am as fit as a fiddle even today. My age is 78.

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Health is an important issue for senior citizens above 60

A person gets a new lease of life once he reaches the age of 60. By then, the individual has gained enough experience to know what is right and what is not. He has to manage not only his health but his wealth as well. Some of the following factors decide how he would pass his twilight years. He has to be choosy about his food habits and avoid anything that might look attractive but could have ill effects on the body. Diabetes is common among this group of people and they should not succumb to the temptation of items loaded with the sweet stuff. Another common complaint is about blood pressure and the heart disease. By the time he has crossed the threshold of 60, he must have passed through periods of breathlessness, inability to have sound sleep, perspiration etcetera. These indicate trouble if ignored. Nowadays, home kits are available to check blood pressure and blood sugar levels in the comfort of your home.

In India, hospitals offer attractive health packages. However, the best policy is to take care of your health by yourself. The human body is, after all, a machine that runs 24X7 and has to be given due care. In order to ensure the longest possible service, it needs to be pampered. All around us we see men in their 80s who go for morning walks, who use the stairs instead of the elevators. They want to exercise their bones and muscles in order to keep the mechanisms in working condition.


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He was a doctor who could remain afloat in the swimming pool

Here is the seventeenth unforgettable character in my life …

Doctors are supposed to practice what they preach and should lead by example. In those days the ill effects of smoking was not highlighted to the extent that it is done today. There were no bans and tobacco companies used to be the greatest advertisers and sponsors of major events with catch lines like ‘made for each other’, ‘good to the last puff’, and ‘live life king-size’. There was not so much restriction on smoking and this Doctor used to be a chain smoker. Even while he was on duty in the in-door ward of the hospital, he was never without his cigarette.

I have seen him in the swimming pool – he had the ability to remain afloat for a long time. This was an achievement because he had a bulky body. He was a specialist on heart diseases and, when I asked him about this smoking habit of his, he replied that he did what he thought best and there was no need to imitate him. Then he added with a smile – I can remain afloat for two hours. Can you do that?
The Doctor’s wife was a teacher in the school and they did not have any children. Therefore, they decided to go in for adoption. They adopted a sweet little girl and, no outsider ever knew that the kid was not theirs.
The Doctor’s father was an avid writer of letters. Every morning, he would walk down to the post office with an umbrella for company – a distance of around two kilometers up and another two kilometers down. He would usually be the first person at the counter of the post office which would open at 9am. He would drop the letters he had written the previous night into the letter box and purchase envelopes and stamps for continuing the letter writing the next day. He spoke little and kept to himself.
This Doctor friend was suddenly transferred to another unit of our organization. That disturbed his regular routine and affected not just him but other members of his family as well. Still, the transfer had to be accepted so off he went – into a sort of exile. His family followed him after a lapse of time. But, it was not easy for him to reconcile to the change. He suffered a stroke and passed away.


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