Importantly, limit salt intake, eat more fiber, and increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. Healthy diet: It is without question that eating healthier allows for a healthier lifestyle.So what exactly can we do to prevent the risk of strokes? There are many ways as outlined below: These numbers, if all above normal or worse - severely elevated, can significantly increase the risk of not only stroke, but also heart attacks. Therefore, knowing your numbers, such as your LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), A1C (average blood glucose over three months), and blood pressure are vitally important. Diabetes can furthermore contribute to blood clots by causing fat deposits in the arteries. High cholesterol can cause a thickening of the arteries and can result in clot formation. A stroke is the loss of blood flow to part of the brain and results when a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain, thus the importance of cholesterol management. Silent stroke symptoms include a lack of balance, slight memory loss, and changes in mood or personality. Previous column: February is great time to think about your heart healthīut the subtle signs, we realized in hindsight, we had possibly missed. He had many of the risk factors including diabetes and high blood pressure. He had suffered not just any stroke, but a massive one. His speech was slurred, and his memory now foggy. When I walked into the hospital room a few weeks ago, I could hardly believe my eyes - my formerly healthy father-in-law was now bedridden, on a feeding tube and unable to use the left side of his body. I’ve discussed stroke prevention before, but now, more than ever, seeing first-hand what it can do to a beloved family member, I believe strongly that we not only need to discuss the prevention but also the side effects of a stroke. Facial drooping - check arm weakness - check slurred speech - check and time to call 911 - check. My mind raced to think about the acronym that we had so often learned in school: FAST - face, arms, speech and time to call 911. It was a typical Monday afternoon when my sister-in-law called me and in a hurried voice said, “Dad fell.” After a few minutes of frantic discussion and determining that my wise sister-in-law had already called 911, I switched my mindset from being a family member to a healthcare professional.
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