Alkaline Foods to Prevent Cancer, Obesity & Heart Disease by Dr Vivek Baliga

With time, we all get older and as we get older, we need to take care of our health more often. As children, we used to keep our bodies active by playing most of the time. But as we grow old, a lot of responsibilities take a toll on our activeness which leads to a lot of diseases such as obesity and other chronic heart diseases. This will be very problematic in the long run and as older adults, chances are that we will have severe diseases that began with bad diet and no activity. You can prevent this, yes that is possible. You must eat food items that are rich in alkaline. Alkaline is known to prevent diseases like cancer, obesity and heart diseases. Dr Vivek Baliga lists different foods that are alkaline in nature and that will help you in maintaining your health well:

1. Spinach

Spinach is something that our mothers have asked us to eat ever since we were kids and most of us disliked it. But did you know that spinach can abolish free radicals? Yes! Not only that, spinach can also improve your memory and keep your heart strong. This is because spinach is rich in antioxidants that can stimulate your brain functions. It is extremely healthy and has a lot of benefits in the long run.

2. Lemons

Rich in Vitamins E, A, C, B6, lemons have a lot of important minerals like zinc, calcium, potassium etc. The lemon juice is known to minimize the risk of a stroke. It is also a cure for kidney stones and helps you fight cancer. This is why most people prefer drinking lemon juice or lemonade during the summers. It not only helps you in freshening up, but it also helps you in a lot of ways by boosting your health.

3. Quinoa

Quinoa is the one food dish that is known to control cholesterol and blood sugar level. Experts have suggested that quinoa is right is proteins and when it is compared to other grains, it has a lot more fiber. Today, a lot of nutritionists and dieticians will suggest you to switch to quinoa to maintain your health and to avoid problems in the long run. This is mainly because, quinoa is rich in manganese, magnesium, riboflavin, lysine and iron.

4. Buckwheat

Ordinary wheat may not be fattening but it still does not help you improve your health. Buckwheat on the other hand, can help you in fighting diseases like diabetes and other chronic diseases related to heart. It also happens to be the single most essential food to eat to get the right amount of nutrients such as vitamins, iron and proteins.
 
5. Bananas

Bananas are not only most people’s comfort food, but they should also be something that you incorporate in your regular meals. They help you lose weight. Of course, the weight loss will not be a dramatic transformation but it is sure to happen steadily. Additionally, they are rich in nutrients like potassium, manganese, B vitamins and fiber.

Dr Vivek Baliga reviews that consumption of alkaline foods can be highly beneficial for your health. So, you must incorporate these foods into your daily diets.

Testing For Heart Blockages - Step By Step Guide. Dr Vivek Baliga Writes.

One of the most common questions I get asked as a doctor is whether or not a person has ‘heart blockages’.

The term is a very broad one and many a time it is unclear to us as to what the patient is trying to convey. From what I gather, patients wish to know if the blood supply to the heart muscle is reduced and whether they are at a risk of a heart attack.

For the purpose of this article, I will talk about heart blockages in the same context as patients refer to it. This way, I hope to give you a clear understanding as to how we can detect this problem through both non-invasive and invasive methods.

Testing For Heart Blockages

In the first instance, the most important thing for us as doctors is to know what the history of the patient is.

Is there a history of chest pain? 

Is this chest pain any worse when walking and is it relieved upon resting? 

Is the pain any worse when you move or take a deep breath in? 

The answer to these questions can help give us a better idea as to whether or not the pain an
individual is experiencing is heart -related.

If the symptoms are suggestive of heart disease, the first test to perform is an electrocardiogram, or ECG.

An electrocardiogram is useful in detecting whether there are any electrical changes within the heart muscle that have been brought upon by narrowing in the heart arteries.

Please note that it is quite normal for patients to have a completely normal electrocardiogram but still have heart artery disease.

However, if an ECG is conducted at the same time a patient is experiencing chest pain, a normal ECG usually rules out disease. That being said, by looking at the risk factor profile, we
decide whether or not further investigation is required.

The next best test to learn about the health of the heart is an echocardiogram, also called an ‘echo test’.

This is an ultrasound test of the heart that can help find out how well the heart is pumping and how efficient it is. It also looks at whether or not any damage has occurred to the heart muscle due to reduce circulation to a particular part. It can also find out whether there are any holes in the heart or problems with any of the heart valves.

An echocardiogram can sometimes show subtle changes which are indicative of reduced circulation to the heart muscle. I personally have picked up hidden heart disease in many patients just by doing an echocardiogram.

Given that it is a painless test, it is essential that it is performed as a part of a cardiac evaluation.

If the echocardiogram is unremarkable, the next test would be a treadmill test.

The treadmill test is one that will help determine whether the heart is receiving adequate amount of blood during times of stress. By walking on a treadmill at a particular speed, the patient is put under a deal of cardiac stress which should unmask problems with circulation through either changes on the ECG or the occurrence of symptoms such as chest pain.

Once again, it is important to note that a negative treadmill test does not necessarily rule out heart disease completely. In fact, one in every five treadmill tests can be negative despite there being some degree of heart artery narrowing.

Given that it is a non-invasive test, it becomes less sensitive than the invasive tests described below.

Depending on how positive the treadmill test is, further investigations such as an angiogram may be performed. An angiogram can be performed either as a CT scan or as a conventional angiogram in the hospital.

The former is reserved for patients who are at a low to intermediate risk (fewer risk factors) while the latter is reserved for more high-risk patients.

An angiogram is the best test to determine if there are heart blockages. These days they are performed as day procedures and do not require admission to hospital as such.

Do I Need All These Tests?

Not everybody requires all these investigations. Depending on the risk factor profile such as a history of smoking, family history of heart disease, abnormally high cholesterol levels, the presence of high blood pressure and diabetes, a determination will be made as to what test would be appropriate.

The best way to know if you have heart blockages is to speak to your doctor and get yourself tested.

What Is Your Heart Disease Risk? Heart Doctor Vivek Baliga Discusses..

Heart disease affects millions of people across the globe. These days, one of the most common reasons why young people visit doctors is not just for the common cold or flu, but also to find out what their chances of developing heart disease are.

Years ago, a group of researchers started looking into whether an individual’s risk of developing heart disease could be estimated. 

Looking at normal parameters such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease in the family and a history of high cholesterol and smoking were all well and good, but there was no way to know what exactly a person’s risk was in years to come.

In 1946, scientists embarked on the Framingham Heart Study. 

This remains, to date, one of the largest heart studies performed all over the world. This study was so robust and remarkable, that to this day we use data published from this to determine an individual’s heart disease risk. 

Not only that, the study also provided valuable insights into how various risk factors affect the heart and how one can make changes to reduce their risk.

The risk scoring system takes into account various parameters including age and gender, and churns out a 10 year risk score. 

This risk score determines what a person’s chances are of having a heart attack in 10 years time. 

Those who have a low risk score have a 10% chance of heart disease in 10 years, those with an intermediate risk score have a 10 – 20 % risk while those with a high risk score have a >20% risk.

Since the Framingham risk score emerged, a number of different scoring systems are being used not only to predict chances of developing heart disease, but also outcomes of patients following a heart attack. 

The Q-risk score is being used more widely these days. Similarly, the GRACE score and CHADS2VASc scoring systems are also used for patients with heart disease.

It must be remembered that these scoring systems are arbitrary. They apply to majority of individuals but not to all. Ask your doctor about what your heart disease risk is today.