THE LIFESTYLE AND WELLNESS DIALOGUE with Dr. Deepak Rao

In today's world of urban life, we have a whole list of diseases of the modern era caused by hectic, irregular and poor lifestyles. We see people suffering from backaches, slip disc, heart coronary blockades, high cholesterol, diabetes, acidity and ulcers and so on. Most of these can be easily prevented or cured by correcting lifestyle routines. How can we do that is the crux of this interview with Dr. Deepak Rao, a highly accomplishied lifestyle physician and himself a leading icon of good health, fitness and joy de vivre. Dr. Deepak Rao's polymathic profile

Q1: Dr. Deepak Rao, what are the commonest causes of disease in the developed world?

Obesity, Sedentary life, Junk food, Stress, Cell phone radiation, Irregular Sleep, and Lack of sunshine are the greatest contributors. Almost all the prevalent diseases of the era can be improved by correcting these.

Q2: How do we counter this threat of urban living?

We do that by following a healthy lifestyle and routine which will help reduce the effect of the toxic urban lifestyle unconducive for robust health and fitness.

Q3: Dr. Deepak Rao, what is a healthy routine?

Material success can be enjoyed only if you have a good quality of life. We must invest in fitness, food and in the fight for survival for a complete life - career, family, social and personal.
Good Lifestyle habits are also essential for Health, Healing and prevention of disease. A mnemonic TESSLA is useful to enumerate factors:

T - Correct Training (exercise)
E - Correct Eating
S - Correct Sleep
S - Sexual release
L - Light exposure
A - Aum or Meditation

These are essential factors of a good routine. So, remember to checkmark your TESSLA routine. It is the only thing that you may do for your own Self!

Q4: Dr. Deepak Rao, Please tell us about what is correct Exercise.

The "T" of TESSLA refers to Training/Exercise. Ideal Exercise regimen must be composed of following. Remember the mnemonic RASIO:

R - Resistance Exercises: Push-ups, squats, sit-ups, chin-ups, press-ups. Gym is another alternative.
A - Agility/Calisthenics (free hand exercises), Sport, Dance, or Martial arts for coordination and nervous system health
S - Stretching: Spine bends, arches, twists & bar hangs
I - Isometrics: Planks, wall-sits, wall push, bar pull & holds
O - Cardio: Walk, swim, stair climb, cycling

Q5: Dr. Deepak Rao, Please tell us about healthy nutrition.

The "E" of TESSLA refers to correct eating. Use the mnemonic SPACED:

S - Salad
P - Pulse/lean meat
A - Apple/fruits
C - Cereals/Millets
E - Eggs/Nuts
D - Doodh (milk) & Yoghurt

Drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Q6: Dr. Deepak Rao, can you please tell us how one should manage their Sleep routine?

The S of TESSLA lifestyle refers to correct Sleep.

Sleep and wake at the same time at least 5 days in a week. Sleep 8 hours a day — aim for a total of 56 hours a week and make up for any deficit as needed.

Quality:

Don’t just count the duration of deep sleep, as sleep is made of many phases of varying depths. 8 hours may equal 7 hours of sleep plus 1 hour of power naps throughout the day.

Of the 7 hours, at least 5 hours should be deep sleep. The remaining 2 hours can be meditative rest — simply observing the mind without analysis.

Alternatively, the 2 hours may be superficial sleep with daydreaming, provided the mind is free of worrisome thoughts.

Sleep must not be restless or disturbed by anxious thoughts, muscle tension, or physical exhaustion.

Instead, it should be a relaxing, recuperating, and energizing time spent in bed.

Q7: Dr. Deepak Rao, please tell us about Sex.

The S of TESSLA lifestyle routine deals with Sexual Release.
Regular Sexual activity with spouse or consensual partner is good for relating, relaxation & hormones.
Testosterone, the male hormone, is responsible for muscle mass and to provide drive for life goals, while Estrogens, the female hormone, is responsible for compassion, adaptability and relating.
An orgasm releases stress, relieves emotional turbulence and causes a hormonal reset. Avoid obsessive compulsiveness and remember sex is a luxury, and not a necessity!

Q8: What is the role of Sunlight?

The "L" of TESSLA stands for Light Exposure.
- 20 mins of sunlight on skin and eyes in the morning and evening.
- Regulates melatonin (sleep), thyroxine (metabolism), and cortisol (healing).
- Helps produce Vitamin D — crucial for bone, immune, and metabolic health.

Q9: Dr.Deepak Rao, please tell us about Meditation.

The A of TESSLA lifestyle routine is Aum or Meditation.

Meditation helps sort the mind of present worry, future fear & past repressions. A simple method is outlined here based on the Stanford literature on Zen.

The best time for this is just after waking or while traveling to work or during times of high stress. Follow the following steps -

A. Relax various body parts (all 4 limbs) by alternative tightening and relaxing of muscles. e.g. make a fist and loosen the hand consecutively to relax upper limb. Similarly by curling and uncurling toes, you may relax the lower limb.

B. Focus on the breath by breathing deeply and slowly. Count 50 to 100 breaths. This process will make you enter the meditative trance where the brain waves become slow and shallow, thus

creating a state of intense concentration where the mental faculties are at their maximum
potential.

C. Next observe the mind by looking within at various thoughts without analysis. Observe the various emotions of anger, jealousy, hate, fear, lust etc without analysis or without attaching feelings like an outsider who is simply observing without bias. Let emotions pass by without stopping any emotion from flowing freely.

D. Now you may give autosuggestive commands for positive attitudes to build optimism. Typical commands are "I shall become positive, optimistic and happy" or "I shall develop distaste for nicotine or alcohol" or "I shall control my feelings and find no reason to get angry". You may design your own command for self betterment.

E. Hereafter exit the trance with focussed mindfulness. Mindfulness is of
i. Of sounds - count 10 sounds in surroundings
ii. Of sensation - focus on sensations in all 4 limbs, face and trunk
iii. Open your eyes and focus your vision on any 10 colors of objects in your surroundings.

F. End your meditation by a few stretches and heightened awareness of people and surroundings.

With a 20-40 min session like this you should feel energized and rejuvenated. Repeat at least twice a week. With meditation you will begin a journey of self realization and contentment!

Q10: Dr. Deepak Rao, whenever we visit a medical facility, its in all probability a blind folded journey into the unknown, at least for many patients. We do not know what is wrong, what is the type of disease, how severe it is, what are the possible complications, what are the options of therapy. Many a times, We are simply given no choice and are asked to follow the therapeutic line prescribed, without questioning the medical faculty about feasibility, options and choices. Dr. Deepak Rao, What can we do to better this situation?

It is expected of the doctors to explain and elaborate details of medicare to dispel the patients fears and give confidence to their relatives about the therapeutic line of management. However in this busy world of fast paced life, ideal communication is seldom practiced. In order to guide the patient towards this goal, I have enumerated below a series of questions towards that purpose. Here is the framework of the questionnaire to ask your doctors for satisfying the provision of informed consent before beginning therapy. These are 15 must ask questions to your healthcare provider or specialist.

Q11: Dr. Deepak Rao, what question should we ask about the disease?

1. Which organ system is affected by my disease?

2. What is the cause of this illness?

3. How long will it take to heal?

Q12: Dr. Deepak Rao, what question should we ask about the investigation and tests?

1. Should we not confirm the diagnosis with laboratory blood tests too?

2. Should we do scans to see the extent of damage? Can MRI be done instead of CT-Scan which has more radiation?

3. Can we do away with invasive investigation like scopy and do something else non-invasive?

Q13: Dr. Deepak Rao, what question should we ask about the treatment of the disease?

1. Do I need immediate treatment or can I wait for my body to naturally resolve this?

2. Can I seek a expert opinion from a specialist of my choice?

3. How long will treatment last?

Q14: Dr. Deepak Rao, what question should we ask if an intervention procedure or surgery is adviced?

1. Is it absolutely necessary?

2. How much can I delay this surgery?

3. What are possible complications of this operation?

Q15: Dr. Deepak Rao, what question should we ask if hospitalization is needed?

1. How many days in hospital?

2. What are appropriate costs and hidden costs?

3. Will the referring doctor be in control of the situation? Will I be able to take discharge or transfer to another setup if I dont heal well?

Q16: Dr. Deepak Rao, what question should we ask if ICU is adviced?

1. Which organ systems are involved?

2. Who is the principal doctor treating and who are the other specialists?

3. Whether you are okay or not with Ventilator, Dialysis and Surgical procedures?

Q17: Dr. Deepak Rao, as a patient/relative what should we research and read up on to understand the illness and treatment?

Read up on

1. Your illness

2. Drugs and medication

3. Procedures and intervention

Q18: Dr. Deepak Rao, what question should we ask our health insurance company about reimbursements?

1. What is the upper limit of cover?

2. Will expensive tests like MRI, CT-SCAN, etc. be covered

3. What type of surgery is covered and what is not?

Q19: Dr. Deepak Rao, as a relative/caregiver, what questions should we ask the patient about their illness/treatment?

1. Whether they want treatment or none at all, specially if they are elderly?

2. Whether patient is okay with the option of OPD, Hospital or ICU

3. Whether patient wants to undergo surgery or intervention or chemotherapy or would rather choose a palliative method to reduce suffering?

With the answers to these queries, partly by the doctor and partly by online reads, the patient will feel empowered to embark on the journey of navigating healthcare with confidence, happiness and knowledge of whats to come. And fear will be replaced with hope, the essence of medical care.

Dr. Deepak Rao, thank you very much for this vastly informative talk. We are sure this will put our readers on the track to better lifestyle routine.