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So, in the prevention of heart attacks and angina, when we doctors advise against smoking, control of blood pressure, control of blood lipids, I think the most important aspect which we must inculcate or include is behavioral therapy. Because it is true that behavioral therapy helps, that it has been possible in some people to change their personality from A to personality B- and the mechanisms I have already alluded to.
If this is done in normal persons before they have heart problems, one can prevent arteriosclerosis to some extent. If it is done in people who already have arteriosclerotic disease, the thickening of the arteries, there is enough proof that one can reverse it. Dr. Norni's work you are all aware of. What has he done? He has just taken the hint from ayurveda, given the patients a diet which is sattwic and told them to do mental relaxation. By coronary angiography he has shown that arteriosclerosis can be reversed. So, if we talk of food for the heart, then this tripod has three limbs: diet, exercise and mind.
Therefore, by inculcation or incorporation of yoga techniques, in addition to the other risk factors, one will achieve prevention of heart attacks. When we talk of a holistic approach to heart care, this will include: (1) achara, character, (ii) vichaara, thought process, (iii) vyavahaara, interpersonal dealings and (iv) aahaara, food, on which our body depends to some extent. But I feel that we eat most of the time. We eat much more than our body requires. So it resents this. It revolts and that revulsion of the body expresses itself in high blood pressure, ulcers and heart attacks. This is where a combination of achara, vichara, vyavahara and ahara has to be put together in order to aim at what I said at the beginning: Shareera madyam khaludharma sadhanam. For that, yoga should never be considered just as the total alternative.
I would like to end by saying that the role of yoga in human health care in general and in human heart care is adjunctive, additional and not alternative. Where we go wrong is somebody saying, "Well, that is a total replacement." That is not so. I think we should keep in mind that if we keep yoga as adjunctive in our therapeutic approach to our patients, and for keeping normal human beings normal, and normal hearts normal, we will have achieved something for which we have assembled here.
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