Getting to know your heart

Then God spoke. Through thunder and lightning, trumpet and smoke, he gave two tablets of stone, inscribed by his own finger: the Ten Commandments.

In an age when thunder and lightning in our cells and tissues overwhelm us, doctors are the new gods. And right now they are dishing out the new ten commandments for optimising your health. The oldest umbrella organisation of cardiologists in India, the Cardiological Society of India (CSI), is asking us to embrace 10 everyday tips to live better. With 'My heart, Your heart' as the theme for this year's World Heart Day on September 29, cardiologists have put together a slim document, 'Ten Commandments for Creating Heart-Healthy Homes' (see graphic), in 11 languages, and sent it out to schools and movie halls. "It is our gift to the nation, not just to keep the heart-health conversation on but also to take it a step further- a call for action," says Dr Soumitra Kumar, general secretary of CSI. "Keep the ten commandments in mind, follow it yourself and teach your children," he says.

According to the World Health Organization, of the 54.7 million deaths across the world per year, 36 million are due to noncommunicable diseases or NCDs like heart attacks, stroke, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, hypertension and diabetes. A large proportion of these are due to the risks related to urban built environment: from