What if I told you there was a disease that could paralyze you, that could give you recurrent seizures, impact your bladder control, drastically decreased your cognitive function and turned your life upside down – all without a fair warning? What if you could prevent that from occurring?

May is National Stroke Awareness month and it is a good time for us to pay attention to this life altering threat. According to the World Health Organization up to 80% of strokes are preventable, yet it still remains to be the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. This means up to 600,000 American lives could be saved with preventive stroke treatment. Naturopathic physicians specialize in preventive care making this silent killer obsolete with the right naturopathic care.
        
What is a stroke?
A stroke, also know as a cerebrovascular accident, is basically a heart attack to the brain where the brain is deprived of blood. This may happen as an ischemic stoke where plaque builds up and blocks a major brain blood vessel or it may happen as a hemorrhagic stroke where a vessel in the brain bursts.

Should I be worried?
When it comes to our health, we often think things would never happen to us – “Oh, I would never get a stroke.” In reality we all need to be conscious of our health, especially our heart health. Here are a few risk factors and things to pay attention to, especially on your next visit to your physician.

1.      Familial History: If anyone in your family has had a stroke, a heart attack or has poor heart health, then perhaps you should pay more attention to your heart health. This includes cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease, etc.
2.      Diabetes: Men and women with diabetes are at a higher risk for stroke, almost 70% more likely. This is thought to be contributed to the damage diabetes may have on vascular health.
3.      Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): Hypertension is usually the most common cause of a stroke.
4.      Hyperlipedmia (High Cholesterol): Increased levels of LDL may be a contributed factor to atherosclerosis and may impact the integrality of the vascular system. I wouldn’t stress your total cholesterol but make sure your HDL (good cholesterol) is greater than 50 mg and your LDL (lousy cholesterol) is below 130 mg. It is also essential to keep your triglyceride levels lower than 150 mg.
5.      Homocysteine levels: Homocysteine is a protein found in the blood that has been linked to increased risk for stroke and heart disease. (Hankey)
6.      C-Reactive Protein (CRP): This protein is an inflammatory marker and elevated levels have been associated with increased stroke risk. (H.-K. Kuo et al.)
 

Preventing a Stroke
The best way to prevent a stroke is to enhance your heart health through diet and exercise. Eating a heart healthy diet includes foods that make your heart love you. It is key to eat foods high in fiber, high in healthy fats, low glycemic/low sugar foods, and lean meats like wild fish, turkey and grass-fed beef.
 
Here is a list of foods your brain and heart will thank you for…

• Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna: High in omega-3 fatty acids.
  • These healthy fats can help reduce inflammation and protect the heart and vascular system.
• Flax seed, walnuts, hemp seed, chia seed: High in healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids along with fiber.
• Fruits – Apples, berries, pears, cherries, pomegranate
  • These fruits are high in fiber and antioxidants to protect against plaque accumulation.
• Vegetables – Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Cauliflower, Collards.
• Health fats – Avocado, olive oil, tree nuts (almonds, walnuts), coconut oil.

 
Additionally there is some supplementation that may help. Supplements are exactly what they sound like, they supplement your diet and lifestyle. You need all the pieces to achieve health.
 

• Omega-3 Fish Oil – 1,000 to 3,000 mg daily
• Fiber supplementation – Increase fiber helps maintain and control blood lipid levels.
• Folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 - Deficiencies have been associated with elevated homocysteine levels. Additionally, taking B-vitamins may reduce the event of major vascular (including stroke) events. (Hankey et al.)
• Coenzyme Q-10: Some studies indicate CoQ10 may help decreased blood pressure.
  • CoQ10 is a coenzyme the body uses to create energy within cells in the electron transport chain, which may be helpful in supporting heart health.(Shargorodsky et al.)

Lastly, but perhaps most important, take time to breathe, relax and pay attention to what your body is telling you. Stress is often the most blamed culprit of disease in America. Your body will tell you when something is wrong, don’t ignore it. Don’t be part of the 80%.
 
Resources:
Hankey, Graeme J et al. “Antiplatelet Therapy and the Effects of B Vitamins in Patients with Previous Stroke or Transient Ischaemic Attack: a Post-hoc Subanalysis of VITATOPS, a Randomised, Placebo-controlled Trial.” Lancet neurology 11.6 (2012): 512–20. Web. 23 May 2013.
Hankey, Graeme J. “Is Homocysteine a Causal and Treatable Risk Factor for Stroke?” Lancet neurology 6.9 (2007): 751–2.
Kuo, Hsu-Ko et al. “Relation of C-reactive Protein to Stroke, Cognitive Disorders, and Depression in the General Population: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” Lancet neurology 4.6 (2005): 371–80.
Shargorodsky, Marina et al. “Effect of Long-term Treatment with Antioxidants (vitamin C, Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10 and Selenium) on Arterial Compliance, Humoral Factors and Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Multiple Cardiovascular Risk Factors.” Nutrition & metabolism 7 (2010): 55.