A push for prevention: The Heart Truth

Imagine you are driving cautiously on the road. You are aware that there still are many factors like brake failure or another car crashing into you that could lead to an accident. Does that mean you would stop being careful? Dr Aashish Contractor always likes to give the analogy of a car on the road while explaining his patients the risk of heart disease. “Yes, your uncle who probably does everything wrong, is healthy and the poor Ramesh who goes to work, eats well and exercises got a heart attack - but these are just exceptions,” says the doctor whose patients include former PM Manmohan Singh.

His book, The Heart Truth, focuses on prevention of heart disease—something he believes every adult must do. The mantra is simple—be physically active, take care of your nutrition, watch your stress levels. If something is still out of the ordinary then see a doctor. “There is awareness but not as much as we think. A lot of people don’t know that diabetes increases their risk of heart ailments,” Dr Contractor explains.

One of the myths he hopes to bust through the book is that heart disease is associated with the old. “It strikes Indians much earlier, by almost a decade, compared to the West,” he explains. The book makes use of graphic illustrations to simplify concepts for the readers. “I have also tried to explain about the symptoms that one needs to keep in mind which does not happen till you keep reading about it and retain it,” he adds.

Head of the department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Dr Contractor is recognised as a pioneer in cardiac rehabilitation. He says that he has tried to keep the book free of any medical jargon and used everyday examples to reach out to the lay reader. While most of the studies tend to be done in western hospitals on their population, it might not hold true for the Indian population. Dr Contractor believes that with his over two decade of experience in the field he has added his own insight wherever relevant in the book. 

“The last chapter is on recipes by Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarla Dalal which is a guide for the readers,” he says. One of the biggest takeaway for the reader from the book is that heart disease while genetic in some cases, is still largely under the control of the individual. Asked what is the one thing he hopes the book will achieve, he says, “If even one reader of the book becomes more cautious about health after reading this then I will be happy.”