Practise Yoga, avoid heart disease

KOCHI: Even when the world observed ‘Heart Day’ on Sunday few knew about the role of Yoga in setting aside cardiac diseases.

While the World Health Organisation (WHO) ranks cardiac disease as the second reason for death, experts opine that a proper Yoga-based lifestyle can prevent cardiac diseases to a great extent.

Pranayama is found effective for reducing heart diseases, says L B Suresh Kumar, secretary, District Yoga Sports Association. “Yoga gives a proper lifestyle and a systematic way of living,” he said. Yoga helps in dilation of blood vessels thus removing blocks in heart blood vessels.

The effect of yoga in controlling heart diseases can be summed up to three categories. Certain Yogasanams prevent cardiac diseases in people with genetic heart disease possibility. The second category is people with heart diseases who are going to be operated soon.

Even though Yoga cannot replace operations in emergency cases, it can help prevent them in long term cases. Yoga can also be useful for post-operative treatment. “For those who had done bypass surgery, simple yogasanams help them to keep away from post-surgery traumas,” he said.

A USA-based scientific study has found out the fast changing lifestyle is the reason for the increased heart diseases. Most cardiac diseases happen due to reasons like increased cholesterol, smoking, variation in blood pressure and eating habits, which can be controlled by yoga, says Dr Kunjumon Sebastian, a cardiologist.

“Yoga helps in reducing heart rate and cholesterol. Major cardiac problems due to blocks in the heart blood vessels can be controlled with the help of yoga,” he said.