‘Reduce working hours by 50%’: Doctor’s advice to man working 17 hours a day goes viral

The doctor insisted that more than any pill, one needs to make lifestyle changes.

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Many health problems that we see today are caused by unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles. While people seek quick solutions to these problems in the form of medication, doctors have long insisted that one should follow healthier habits for long-term gains rather than take medicines for quick relief.

On Saturday, Dr Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist, shared a copy of a prescription in which he recommended six ‘pills’ to aid the recovery of a 60-year-old patient who suffered a stroke. These recommendations were regular sleep of seven to eight hours, brisk walking for 30 to 40 minutes, complete abstinence from alcohol, reduce stress, adopting a healthy diet, and reduced work hours.

35-yr old consulted me today, as he wanted me to prescribe aspirin pill to prevent stroke.
His father aged 60 had recently suffered from stroke (paralysis), and he was concerned about his higher risk of getting stroke in future.
Instead of one pill (aspirin), I prescribed "6… pic.twitter.com/3NzMu9TLBS

— Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (@hyderabaddoctor) June 10, 2023

Once a picture of this prescription went viral, a Twitter user (@HarshalSal67) asked, “Hi Doctor, i am 37 yo, into corporate job, current working hours from past 6 months are more than 16-17 hours, have to give non stop coverage for all global regions, i recently did BP check, it’s 150/90 and 84 min. Please advise next steps 🙏”.

In response, the doctor suggested, “1. Reduce working hours by 50%, and ensure an unemployed person gets a job (whose job you are doing in addition to yours). (+follow other advice from the pinned post on my timeline)”.

1. Reduce working hours by 50%, and ensure an unemployed person gets a job (whose job you are doing in addition to yours)
(+follow other advice from the pinned post on my timeline) https://t.co/wThD7cEvMt

— Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (@hyderabaddoctor) June 10, 2023

This advice resonated with several people who were dealing with the high stress of a demanding job with little time for rest. Interestingly, @HarshalSal67 mentioned in a follow-up tweet that he quit his “toxic” job after he was asked to work on a weekend.