Heart and World Heart Day....

Heart and World Heart Day....

Till science spoiled my muse, to me the heart was an inflated heart shaped balloon mushy and full of love. Blame it on my parents, siblings, friends, bollywood or Mills & Boon heart was not a mechanical part in my body with four chambers connected with arteries, veins. It was a dream world full of fantasies.
Imagine my sudden shock when in some science class of the primary or secondary school we were taught that the heart is a muscular organ in all animals. My child like mind was suddenly burdened to know that the heart was not some fable from fantasy but a real part of our body which pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. In fact our life depended on it for it was the sole means of carrying oxygen and nutrients to the body. Additionally it also pushed carbon dioxide to the lungs. I still remember our science teacher Ms.Maria showing us her closed fist and proclaiming that the human heart looked like that. Within seconds I could feel my make-belief heart blown into smithereens.
Subsequently I learnt of peope suffering from heart diseases. I realised that being love -lorn was different. The sudden rush of adrenaline one felt when one was emotional was different from the functional pumping of the four chambers of the heart.
I also learnt that it was important to maintain the system and keep it healthy to avoid stroke and any diseases. The contraction and relaxation cycle determined how healthy was the heart. The valves enabled the smooth flow and a disruption in the valves could hamper smooth flow of blood and cause problems for the heart.
Soon I also learnt that cardiovascular diseases  are the most common cause of death and account for nearly 30% of deaths and all of it was connected with the heart. I also learnt that  indiscriminate eating, being overweight, leading a sedentary life, doing less exercise,  smoking led to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and poorly controlled diabetes. Protecting and taking care of one's physical body was therefore relevant to the physical heart. The "heart" which "felt" was different, rather abstract and strangely had to be controlled by the mind.
Cardiovascular diseases may cause chest pain or shortness of breath but may also be hidden and can be detected suddenly at times.
World leaders therefore decided to celebrate 29th September as World Heart Day to
to educate people the people about cardiovascular diseases and also making them aware that by controlling risk factors such as unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use at least 80% of the people could avoid heart diseases or death due to it.
The World Heart Day is a global campaign when individuals, families, medical fraternity, communities, and governments around the world participate in activities to take charge of the health of their hearts. This campaign makes people aware of the issues related to heart diseases and unites people in the fight against the cardiovascular diseases.
This day brings to light the need to maintain a physically active life to avoid the risk of getting heart attacks or suffer from stroke. It encourages healthy living. But of course good health is not limited to physical well-being but includes mental health. However a healthy mind holds the key to a healthy body which ultimately takes me back to my childhood stage of utopia with heart shaped frills and balloons. So don't fume with anger or tremble with fear, don't choke up with sadness or wallow in pain, don't drown in self-pity or suffer in hate , just fill your heart with love and simple joys, just breathe in and breathe out, admire the beauty of nature and life , be calm and relaxed and say, I am healthy, happy and positive....