Autonopedia

STROKE

NOTHING IS MORE FRIGHTENING THAN A STROKE. You are visiting with friends in your sitting room and suddenly you are unable to feel the right side of your body. You can't move, and one side of your face droops. You can't speak or the words come out garbled. If help is handy, you are rushed immediately to hospital.

Strokes are caused by a sudden decrease in blood supply and oxygen to part of the brain. The exact symptoms depend on which part and the degree of damage. Damage to the brain, with the loss in feeling or function that results, could be permanent. Severe strokes can even cause death.

How does a stroke happen? Several different components of blood can play a role, including blood clots, cholesterol plaques and a type of blood cell called platelets, among other substances. Fragments of these break off from an artery. These fragments, or emboli, then travel into arteries in the brain. Because the arteries in the brain are smaller, these fragments can become stuck and block circulation.

Who is at risk for stroke? You're automatically a candidate if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, narrowing of the carotid arteries due to cholesterol-based plaques or a specific type of arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation - or if you smoke. Doctors can sometimes predict an impending stroke when they detect abnormal sounds over the carotid artery, known as carotid bruits, or if you've had a transient ischaemic attack (TIA). TIAs are brief episodes of temporary, limited brain dysfunction, lasting less than 24 hours and usually less than 10 minutes. Between 50 and 75 per cent of people who experience full-blown strokes have already had a TIA at some time, but having a TIA doesn't mean you will definitely have a stroke.

ADOPTING HEART-HEALTHY HABITS
Your risk of stroke is closely related to the health of the coronary and other arteries, so lifestyle changes that benefit these body systems automatically reduce your chances of experiencing a stroke. Among the changes you have the power to make:
Stop smoking.
Exercise regularly.
Eat a high-fibre, low-cholesterol, low-animal-fat diet.
Include soya products and a rich variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, and look for food with a high bioflavonoid content.

Whole books are written about foods that promote a healthy heart and circulatory system; for a start, check out the recommendations in the chapters on heart disease and high cholesterol.
Consider supplementation. If you're otherwise healthy, you are probably leading a busy life that makes it hard to get enough essential fatty acids and other essential nutrients in your diet, no matter how many vegetables you eat. Check supplement recommendations in the chapter on heart disease.

SUPPLEMENTS FOR AVOIDING STROKE
Bromelain, made from proteolytic enzymes found in pineapple, fights inflammation, inhibits platelet clumping and has been shown to break down atherosclerotic plaques. Typical dosage: 250 to 500 milligrams three times per day on an empty stomach. Caution: occasionally causes upset stomach.
If you have risk factors or a family history of stroke, you should focus on doing what you can to lower your risk and improve the health of your circulatory system. Review the chapters on cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes if you have these conditions.

Most people who have strokes are hospitalised. If they are admitted soon enough, they can be given intravenous drugs that dissolve emboli or clots to limit brain damage. Once a stroke happens, doctors may prescribe anticoagulants, but treatment focuses mainly on supporting the person's return to health. Although brain damage cannot be reversed, other parts of the brain can take over the work of the damaged areas.

If you're at risk for stroke based on your medical history, a previous TIA or the presence of bruits, doctors may prescribe the drugs listed below or cholesterol-lowering drugs.
If you are taking medications of any kind for heart disease or atherosclerosis, anticoagulants or drugs that affect platelet function, do not use herbs without consulting your doctor and/or an experienced herbalist. Some heart medications interact with herbs. Never stop any medication without supervision, and always keep your doctor informed of all other substances you take.

DRUG TREATMENT

Clot Reducers
Dipyridamole (Persantin). Function: prevents clumping of platelets. Side effects: dizziness, abdominal pain, headache, rash, hot flushes.
Ticlopidine (Ticlid). Function: prevents clumping of platelets. Side effects: decrease in white blood cells or platelets, elevated cholesterol.

Other Drugs
Aspirin. Function: reduces clots or emboli. Side effects: heartburn,
indigestion, stomach irritation, mild nausea or vomiting.
Warfarin. Function: prevents blood clots by inhibiting vitamin K-dependent coagulation. Side effects: bleeding, allergic reactions, interactions with other drugs, herbs and foods.

HERBAL REMEDIES

FRESH GINGER-HONEY CHUTNEY
Here's one tasty way to take your daily ginger, which lowers blood cholesterol and prevents platelet clumping.
2 tablespoons grated or finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or to taste
Combine ingredients and stir. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Take up to 2 teaspoonfuls per day, before meals or with food.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
An extract of the leaves of this tree benefits the nervous system, the brain, the heart and the arteries. It may even prevent stroke. In people who have experienced a stroke, ginkgo improves the functioning of undamaged areas of the brain and helps ease depression, a common result of stroke. Typical dosage: 40 to 80 milligrams of capsules standardised to 24 per cent heterosides three times per day. Caution: rarely, individuals may experience gastrointestinal discomfort, headache and dizziness.

Garlic (Allium sativum) and Onion (A. cepa)
Both of these delicious, aromatic herbs contain substances that decrease clumping of platelets, lower blood cholesterol and increase HDL, the 'good' cholesterol. Garlic promotes the breakdown of fibrin­ based clots, which can form stroke-causing emboli. Typical dosage: at least 1 garlic clove or 1/2 of a small onion per day; or enough garlic capsules to provide 10 milligrams of allicin per day.

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)
This traditional herb helps prevent stroke by treating heart disease and atherosclerosis. It is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It lowers serum cholesterol and blood pressure and stabilises collagen, thus strengthening the wall of arteries. Typical dosage: 2 to 3 cups of tea per day (simmer 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried berries in 1/4 litre of water for 10 minutes); or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of tincture three times per day; or 100 to 250 milligrams of capsules standardised to 20 per cent procyanidins three times per day.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Another delicious, aromatic herb, ginger is a good stroke preventive because of its benefits to the arteries. It lowers blood cholesterol, prevents platelet clumping and produces anti-inflammatory effects.
It works best when eaten fresh and taken on an empty stomach. Typical dosage: 10 grams (a slice about 6 millimetres thick) of fresh root ginger per day; or 150 to 300 milligrams of freeze-dried ginger in capsules three times per day. Caution: may cause stomach upset in susceptible people, especially at higher doses.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
The leaf from this grain may help decrease blood cholesterol and shrink plaques already present. Typical dosage: eight or nine 400- to 500-milligram capsules per day; or 15 to 30 drops of tincture four times per day; or follow manufacturer's directions.