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By David Blyweiss, Advanced Natural Medicine
Stroke. It’s one of the most frightening things that can happen to you—and, it happens entirely too often. But it’s not just that a stroke can kill you. It’s that it won’t. Instead, it can leave you unable to talk, unable to walk, and unable to function. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite stroke as the No. 1 cause of serious, long-term disability in America.
A stroke is really a “brain attack” that occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blood clot or burst blood vessel. This results in a lack of oxygen to the brain, which, in turn, causes some brain cells to die.
There are several kinds of stroke. One is a hemorrhagic stroke, which results in bleeding in the brain. When this happens, the blood that accumulates in the brain may cause pressure on some of the tissues, interfering with brain activity. When the blood supply to the brain is reduced, some brain cells lose their food supply and die.
An embolism causes another type of stroke. This is the most common type and accounts for up to 80 percent of all strokes. It typically occurs at night or early in the morning when blood pressure is lowest and is frequently preceded by a mini-stroke (a transient ischemic attack, or TIA). Embolisms occur when a blood clot or another particle that can form in a blood vessel in the heart — like a piece of arterial plaque — moves through the bloodstream and gets stuck in an artery to the brain, blocking the blood flow. Strokes can also occur if small blood clots form during rapid heartbeat (atrial fibrillation).
What is frustrating to me as a physician is that many strokes are highly preventable. By making just five healthy changes, most people can avoid becoming a victim of this potentially devastating condition. Here are my top recommendations to help you avoid becoming a stroke statistic:
- Stop smoking. Cigarette smoking doubles your risk of stroke. Research indicates that the risk of stroke for people who have quit smoking for 2-5 years is lower than people who still smoke.
- Exercise regularly. Common sense dictates that moderate exercise makes the heart stronger and improves circulation. It also helps control weight. Being overweight increases the chance of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Moderate physical activities like walking, cycling, yoga, swimming and yard work lower the risk of both stroke and heart disease.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet. A diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts and fish increases the amount of healthy fats and stroke-busting antioxidants in your bloodstream and limits inflammation cause by unhealthy fats and sugars.
- Drink alcohol in moderation. Studies show that having one or two drinks each day can help protect against stroke by reducing the clumping ability of blood platelets. On the other hand, drinking more than that can have the opposite effect by thinning the blood too much. But the most important reason to keep alcohol consumption low is that heavy drinking can cause a rebound effect after you stop. This means that your blood gets thicker and platelets increase dramatically, sending your risk for stroke through the roof.
- Take supplemental B vitamins. B vitamins can help lower homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is normally generated when we digest protein, but high levels can lead to a stroke. Homocysteine also increases your body’s production of plaque that can clog arteries. Taking a combination of vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid can keep your homocysteine levels low and your arteries open.
The message here is that stroke prevention is largely in your hands. So don’t wait for a stroke to strike. Take action today to keep blood clots and plaque build-up from wreaking havoc with your brain.
References:
Hollman PC. Dietary Flavonol Intake May Lower Stroke Risk in Men and Women. Journal of Nutrition. 2010 Jan 20. [Epub ahead of print]
Reimers CD. Exercise as stroke prophylaxis. Dtsch Arztebl International. 2009;106:715-721.
Sánchez-Moreno C. Stroke: roles of B vitamins, homocysteine and antioxidants.Nutrition Research Reviews. 2009;22:49-67. |
