Because Your Health Matters

Dr Umesh Jalihal, Dr Umesh Jalihal, MBBS, MD, DM, DNB, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Therapeutic Endoscopist, of Karnataka Gastroenterology Centre, Bangalore, is one of the rare doctors who believes that it is not enough to just treat a patient, but also to educate him about his/her ailment. In this exclusive interview to This Week Bangalore, he dwelt on some of the common health problems associated with people living a fast-paced life, and suggested some simple lifestyle modifications. Excerpts from the interview:
People who have more than their share of stress, often experience heart burn. What exactly is this condition and how does one cope with it?
Heartburn called GERD (Gastrosophageal Reflux disease) is the reflux of acidic contents of the stomach into the food pipe (esophagus). It is caused by weakening or frequent relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. The symptoms of heart burn are painful burning behind the chest bone, regurgitation of food in mouth on lying down, and difficulty in sleeping after eating, sore throat or chest infection. To control heart burn, you should have smaller and frequent meals of low fat foods, wear loose fitting clothes and belts, and avoid spicy foods, chocolates, smoking and alcohol.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the cause of chest pain – whether it is because of acidity or a symptom of impending heart attack. How can we tell one from the other?
Yes, both are accompanied by chest pain and so it’s not easy to tell one from the other. However, heart attack symptoms are characterized by pain on the left side of the heart, with the pain extending to the forearm and intense sweating, while in the case of heart burn or acidity induced chest pain, you feel a sense of intense warmth after food intake. However, heart burn or chest pain due to acidity is not life threatening, unlike heart attack symptoms which required immediate medical attention.
Please throw some light on what is called as panic attacks, where a person experiences heart burn, or abnormal sweating, etc. The situation is compounded by an inability to see a doctor immediately. How does one cope with such a situation?
A panic attack is known as a psychosomatic condition of stress, and generally is not a life threatening condition as such. What happens is, the brain sends out an alarm signal to a particular part of the body, which experiences pain, when a person is under great stress. While further diagnosis is needed to identify the actual condition, there is no need to panic!
What is the best lifestyle suited for people living a fast-paced life?
Exercise (where all body parts are involved in the act), yoga, meditation, no junk food and spicy foods, no smoking and no alcohol. Moderate drinking is good for the heart, but only if you know to keep it under control.
People who are busy say that though they don’t go for morning walk or jogging, they exert a lot physically in their factory. Is this compensation enough?
No. Normal physical activity in the course of one’s daily life is not devoid of stress, and also not all parts of the body are exerted. When you go for a morning walk, you are free of stress. Also, when you play a game, you are fully focused on the game, and so such physical activity helps you to relax and also burn fat.
Ulcers are another common complaint among people who find it difficult to adhere to a structured diet regimen or timings. What should one do to avoid getting ulcers?
Eating fried or masala foods, spices, smoking, heavy intake of tea/coffee/alcohol, causes peptic ulcers that affect the stomach, duodenum or esophagus. Ulcer pain may be experienced in upper abdomen with occasional radiation to back, and maybe associated with vomiting, and in extreme cases, blood vomiting or blood in motion. People with such problems should avoid foods that seem to bring on the pain, apart from cutting down on the usual suspects.

The problem of “gas” is also widely prevalent. How do we treat it?
It is better to keep a diary of the foods and beverages that you consumer over a certain time period to help determine which maybe the most responsible for the symptom of gas. Also, note the foods that are frequent gas offenders, viz. whole grains such as whole wheat and bran, fruit drinks and soft drinks, broccoli, cabbage, onions, asparagus, apples, pears, peaches, dried beans and legumes, milk and dairy products such as ice cream and cheese, sugar free foods as well as candy and chewing gum.
On a personal note, we were told that you take a lot of active interest in spreading general awareness among the public and your patients about the ailments treated by you.
Common awareness about good health habits is very important especially in the context of the quality of life we wish to have and the daily stress we all go through nowadays. As a doctor it is not possible to educate each and every patient. So I have developed a lot of literature on ailments like peptic ulcers, colon cancer, pancreatitis, Gerd, etc, so that people know what they have to do and what they should not.