Recently two incidents in India caught the public eye, one more than the other. An Indian actress and celebrity named Shefali Jariwala has passed away in her mid-40s, due to a cardiac arrest.
In another shocking incident, a video got viral on the internet, where a man is seen playing cricket and then he immediately sits on his feet and suddenly dies of heart failure.
Medical professionals can best analyze such a situation, but this blog is not a medical grade report on these instances, it is rather a commentary on them and the society. After you read this blog, I hope you take with yourself a new perspective on health and a new idea to care for yourself, not just in sickness, but every single day.
WHAT IS HEART FAILURE?
No, it does not mean that the heart stops and the person would die in the moment. It does not mean a Heart Attack. Heart failure is when your heart is not able to pump enough blood to your whole body, which can happen in these two ways.
1. When the muscles of the heart weaken (Here heart is not able to pump required amount of blood to the body).
2. When the heart becomes stiff, it cannot relax properly to fill with enough blood between beats. Resulting in reduced blood flow in the body.
Heart failure can be caused on either side of the heart.
The problem is, heart failure does not show much symptoms generally, it might seem sudden in some cases like what happened with that man in the video. You might have heard such stories around you of people having untimely and sudden deaths. This happens due to heart failure many of these times.
THESE INCIDENTS MADE US REALISE THE FOLLOWING THINGS ABOUT LIFE:-
YOUTH IS NOT INVINCIBLE: - These sudden deaths grabbed headlines precisely because they defied expectations — proving that heart and organ failures are no longer limited to old age.
INDIA HAS A SILENT STRESS EPIDEMIC: - Two factors make this thing,
1. People in our country are overworked; they are paid less to work more, inflation makes people push harder to work for longer hours, which slowly contributes to deteriorating their health.
2. The stigma around mental health still prevails; we cannot blame it on people. In India, people still have many problems that they struggle with which makes them overlook mental health as a concern. We need to understand that with self-work and taking care of one's mental health, these primary struggles and issues can be dealt with better.
WE DO NOT INVEST ON HEALTH: - People, who contribute to the larger population in India, do not spend for their health. The reasons could be multiple but this is a real concern that people in India do not consider buying general healthcare devices, I believe there is this image in people’s mind that medical care or devices are only required for the sickly, ill and patients. This is not true.
Any person who is breathing should consider monitoring their health, taking care of their important vitals like breathing, Heart health, and overall physical fitness.
FITNESS AND AESTHETICS ARE NOT HEALTH :- Physical aesthetics , like muscle built for men is considered to be optimal health, which ignores the real important factors like, Real cardiovascular health, Sleep hygiene and Stress regulation are some of the things which often get ignored.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE COMMON CAUSES OF HEART FAILURE YOU SHOULD NOT IGNORE
Heart failure does not happen overnight. It is often the result of underlying conditions that quietly damage the heart over time. Understanding the most common causes can help you take preventive steps before it is too late.
CORONARY HEART DISEASE: - This is one of the leading causes of heart failure. In a disease, arteries that supply blood to the heart become clogged or blocked with fatty deposits. As a result, the blood is not able to reach to the heart and the person will feel the symptoms, like tiredness, shortness of breath, or chest discomfort, etc.
UNCHECKED BLOOD PRESSURE: - Unchecked high blood pressure silently puts extra strain on your heart. Over time, this constant pressure weakens the heart muscles, increasing the risk of heart failure. That is why regularly checking your blood pressure is not just important but it is essential.
Moreover, with a reliable BP monitor at home, you can keep track of your readings daily, catch early warning signs, and take timely action. A simple habit could protect your heart and potentially save your life.
Some other common causes of heart failure are-
Heart muscle disorders (Cardiomyopathy): Diseases that weaken the heart muscle, reducing its ability to pump blood effectively.
Heart rhythm abnormalities (Arrhythmias): Irregular heartbeats can interfere with the heart’s ability to pump efficiently.
Problems with heart valve: Damaged or malfunctioning valves can lead to blood flow issues and strain on the heart.
Congenital heart defects: Structural problems present from birth can impair normal heart function over time.
Obesity: Excess body weight increases the workload on the heart and raises the risk of related conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
Anemia: A lack of healthy red blood cells reduces oxygen delivery, forcing the heart to work harder.
Overactive thyroid (Hyperthyroidism): Speeds up heart rate and increases strain on the heart.
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Does not matter if we are relatively healthier, when we hear such news a strange type of fear surrounds us. It might happen for a short temporary period, but a strange fear grips us, not just about death, but also about how unpredictable life really is.
Mortality Salience a sudden awareness that we get, on how death is unpredictable. Along with it often comes guilt. Guilt for the self-neglect, the unhealthy habits, the skipped checkups, and the signs we have ignored.
We should not wait for tragedies like these to reflect on our life, this small desire to change that you feel after this incident should not go in vain and it can only be utilised best when you give proper direction to this desire.
IS THERE A CURE?
There is no cure to heart failure, only ways to prevent it, or ways to live with it.
PREVENTION BEGINS WITH YOU
Eating healthier, making better choices with your life, showing that you love yourself through your actions. These are the things, which will protect you from such untimely tragedies become reality.
Implanting devices through surgeries is a solution to heart failure but why to let a situation like that arise? Why lead ourselves to a life full of medicines and devices, which make living a task, a challenge.
Start your fitness journey today, you have to make the smarter choices and one such choice can be introducing helpful medical devices to your fitness journey, a good medical device will enable you to take better well-informed decisions.
The smarter choice is starting now. Because prevention is not just, better than cure it is the only path to lasting wellness.
Check out the range of advanced and reliable medical devices, BP Monitors
which can detect Afib help enabling you to monitor any early signs of heart attack, Glucometers and Oximeters help keeping a check on various health vitals.
Informed choices and conscious decisions will help you live a healthier and fuller life.
Don't wait for warning signs to take your health seriously. Start Today J
