Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

Part 1 of this 2-part article discussed the devastating effects of a stroke and the common sense steps you can take now to reduce your risk. In Part 2 we will look at some lesser known risk factors — and when you should consider medical intervention as a preventative.

Lower Homocysteine Levels

Homocysteine has been getting a little more attention recently as an important risk factor for hardening of the arteries.^1,2 Although studies have yet to definitely prove that lowering homocysteine levels prevents strokes, the treatment is simple and safe enough that there’s little risk in lowering your homocysteine levels while further studies are being done.

Homocysteine levels can easily be measured with a blood test. You lower homocysteine by supplementing with vitamins — namely folic acid, B6 and B12.

Keep Your Gums Healthy

This surprises many people, but more and more research shows a link between gum disease and vascular disease, including stroke.^3-5 The connection seems to be caused by chronic activation of the body’s inflammatory system by the gum disease.

Elevated levels of inflammatory factors circulating in the bloodstream slightly injure the lining of arteries. This starts a chain of events that leads to the development of plaque.

Eliminating the inflammation prevents the plaque. The answer is good dental hygiene.

As a baseline, regular professional cleaning both prevents gum disease and allows early treatment should you develop it. Schedule a regular cleaning every 6 months.

Next, use an electric tooth brush. It’s both more effective and gentler on your teeth than manual brushing.

Flossing is the good habit people love to hate. For some reason, most people just don’t do it. As you now know, the benefits of healthy gums go way beyond letting you keep your teeth. Floss regularly.

My teeth are very close together and I had trouble flossing until the Glide brand of floss came along. If you’re having trouble, see if this helps you too.

Take Fish Oil Every Day

I’ve written about the many benefits of fish oil before. Reducing the risk of stroke is a big one. One study.⁶ showed a 52% reduction in strokes in women who eat fish at least 5 days a week.

Many people don’t want to eat fish that often and unfortunately heavy metals and pesticides contaminate many fish these days. For these reasons, fish oil supplements make sense for most people. I recommend 1-2 grams twice a day, taken with meals.

Do You Need Low-Dose Aspirin?

Platelets are the body’s first responders to a cut in a blood vessel. When an injury occurs, they clump together to form a temporary plug while the clotting process gets underway.

Unfortunately, as plaque builds up on the interior of vessels, it also can stimulate the platelets to clump. That clump can block the vessel right there or it might break off and cause damage downstream. To reduce the chance of that happening, physicians often recommend aspirin at the children’s dose of 81 mg daily.

Aspirin interferes with the platelets ability to clump together. This reduces the chance of a blockage but comes at the expense of an increased risk of bleeding. Balancing the risk vs. the benefit varies from person to person, so it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before taking it.

Aspirin’s effect on platelets persists for up to 2 weeks after you stop taking it. If you have surgery scheduled, be sure to let your surgeon know you’ve been taking it.

How Medical Intervention Can Help

As a vascular surgeon, I’m keenly aware of surgery’s role in preventing stroke. I’d much prefer that people never get to this stage, but the reality is, people do.

Let me be clear. I consider surgery crisis intervention. It’s much better never to need it.

But if someone has gotten themselves in a situation where plaque fills 75% or more of the main artery to their brain, they’re in trouble. In this situation, surgery to clear the vessel may be their best option, even with the risks involved.

If someone you love finds themselves needing surgery, my best advice is to find a surgeon who is board certified and that you’re comfortable with. The patient-physician relationship is always important. Given the dramatic nature of surgery, it’s even more so. The surgeon should welcome your questions and explain the options clearly.

Past experience also counts. You should look for a surgical team who has a less than 3% rate of major complications. I wish I could say the complication rate is zero, but its not.

The good news is that successful surgery greatly reduces the long term risk of stroke, especially if the person changes their lifestyle. “If you do what you always do, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” applies here.

Live Life Well

As you review these suggestions, I’m sure you can’t help but notice some recurrent themes from other health advice you’ve heard. The themes of eating right, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight replay over and over again in health literature for a simple reason. Lifestyle affects health.

I’ve reminded you of some things you already know and perhaps given you some new ideas as well. One of the things I hope you accept is the profound influence the choices you make today have on the quality of your life in the future.

Follow the suggestions I’ve made here and a more vital future is yours.

References

1. Perry IJ, et al. Lancet 1995; 346:1395-8.
2. Malinow MR. J Nutr 1996; 126(4 suppl):1238S-43S.
3. Schillinger T, Kluger W. Stroke. 2006 Sep; 37(9):2271-6.
4. Dumitrescu A. J Intern Med. 2005;43(1-2).
5. Dörfer CE, Becher H J Clin Periodontol. 2004 May;31(5):396-401.
6. JAMA, 2001; 285: 304-312.