A veterinary doctor named Dr Pawan Singhal, a locally popular veterinarian and committed yoga enthusiast from Madhya Pradesh’s Ashoknagar district, tragically passed away on Sunday morning, possibly due to a heart attack.
“The incident occurred while he was driving to Tulsi Sarovar Park to conduct his daily yoga class. His car unexpectedly came to a halt near the park, where he was found unconscious by his followers, who were waiting for him to lead the session. Despite their swift efforts to transport him to the district hospital, he was pronounced dead upon arrival,” news agency IANS reported.
Dr Singhal was a man of extraordinary achievements. Last year, he had successfully covered 70 kilometres in seven hours. He has also performed 5100 times Surya Namaskar. On the day of the tragic accident he woke up at 4.45 am and had completed his daily ritual of running two kilometres before driving to the Yoga class.
“His followers and students, initially waited for him to step out of his car but grew concerned when he did not emerge. Upon opening the car door, they discovered him unconscious. He was rushed to the district hospital, where an ECG confirmed his death,” the media report has said.
Reacting to the medical situation, Dr D.K. Bhargava, civil surgeon of District Hospital, Ashoknagar told IANS, “Many people suffer from silent heart attack. It means they have no noticeable symptoms like chest pain, etc., also sudden cardiac spasms may be one of the reasons. It can happen to even an apparently healthy and fit person appearance-wise. It is an example of such even as he (the vet) had no known history of cardiac issues to my knowledge.”
Dr Sudhir Kumar, popularly known by his X profile “hyderabaddoctor” has expressed condolences and has pointed out certain ‘red flags’ in his lifestyle which are not supported by medical science. “While the exact cause of his sudden death is not known, there are a few red flags in his diet and lifestyle:
1. Waking up at 1 AM and sleeping only 5 hours daily: Sleeping for 5 hours is associated with a higher risk of heart attack (as compared to the normal sleep duration of 7-9 hours).
2. He had stopped taking sugar and salt for one month. While stopping sugar would not cause any adverse effects, salt is essential for life. Not taking salt can result in hyponatremia (low sodium levels in blood), which can result in serious medical complications,” Dr Sudhir Kumar has posted on X. “We do not have any information on whether he was suffering from any risk factors such as diabetes or hypertension. Some practitioners of Yoga are dismissive of modern medicines. However, my view is that both can complement each other. Medicines, if needed for treating high BP or high blood sugars, should be used, if lifestyle modifications alone do not work,” he wrote.
Dr Vikaas, Neuro and Spine surgeon at RIMS, Ranchi, has posted, “Many people who practice yoga do not believe in allopathic medicine or rather they reject it. I have seen many people in my OPD whose blood pressure and sugar level have increased and they have given up medicines and are only doing yoga. The question to ponder over is whether we can’t stay healthy by using both? Why the fight between yoga and medicine? Both have their own different functions. What is your opinion on this subject??”
The incident underscores the importance of balancing yoga with modern medical practices.
