A stroke is a life-threatening pathology because it is characterized by a sudden violation of the blood supply to the brain. In this case, mass death of nerve cells occurs and the connection between them is disrupted, and focal or cerebral neurological symptoms appear, which lasts more than a day and can lead to death.
If earlier such a diagnosis was made mainly by older people, recently the intense rhythm of life has contributed to the fact that even young people are often subjected to such a serious illness as a brain stroke. Prevention of this disease can save not only from prolonged disability, but also save lives.
What is a stroke dangerous?
A stroke is a very serious illness. In addition to the fact that this ailment can lead to sudden death, it can also make a person with a disability who before that was practically healthy. The most common complications are:
- Paresis is a partial violation or restriction of movements in the limbs.
- Paralysis - complete immobilization of the limbs, lesions of one side are more often observed. These are the so-called hemiparesis, when at the same time the arm and leg are not acting on one side.
- Speech disorders.
- Vestibular disorders.
All these complications lead to a long and often even lifelong disability, after which it is difficult for healthy people until recently to adapt in a social environment.
Stroke Risk Factors
Prevention of cerebral stroke is aimed at controlling the factors that can cause this disease, and their correction. These include:
- Hypertension and jumps in blood pressure, the risk increases in proportion to the numbers of blood pressure.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system. For example, atrial fibrillation increases the risk of ischemic stroke.
- Prolonged stress and nervous strain.
- Age after 50 years. The older the patient, the higher the risk of developing this ailment.
- Violation of metabolic processes.
- Diseases of the endocrine system, for example, diabetes.
- Smoking increases the risk of developing acute cerebrovascular accident (stroke) by 50%.
- Taking alcohol and drugs.
- Long-term use of certain medications, such as hormonal contraceptives or anticoagulants.
- Sexual factor - in men after the 45-year milestone, the risk of stroke is higher than in women.
- Heredity.
- Lack of exercise.
- Obesity and overweight.
Primary and secondary prevention
All these factors can provoke the development of the serious disease we are considering. Prevention of cerebral stroke is divided into primary and secondary. Primary implies the prevention of risk factors for the disease. It can be carried out both on a national scale and individually.
The secondary is aimed at eliminating the risk factors for stroke, which under certain circumstances can provoke a relapse of the disease. The most effective method is regular preventive examinations, which allow you to identify and prevent unwanted deviations in time and, if necessary, with the help of drugs to prevent the disease. In addition, both primary and secondary prevention of stroke is carried out not only medically, but also with the help of traditional medicine, as well as through the rejection of bad habits and factors of harmful effects.
Diet
Prevention of a stroke of the brain at home provides for proper nutrition, which will help prevent adverse factors that can provoke the disease. Such a diet should include a sufficient amount of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meat (chicken breast, veal, beef), low-fat fish and nuts.
Products containing animal fats should be excluded. Easily digestible carbohydrates are also undesirable. These include all sweets, pastries, pastries. As a dessert, you can reasonably use dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots). Chocolate is acceptable in limited quantities. It is useful to include slowly absorbed carbohydrates for breakfast, preferably with fresh vegetables. It can be buckwheat or millet porridge with a vitamin salad dressed with olive oil.
Fried and smoked foods, foods containing cholesterol (chicken yolk, lard, etc.), preservatives, pickles, and marinades should be excluded. Excess salt retains water in the body and thereby can trigger an attack of hypertension. And this, in turn, is an unfavorable factor that can give an impetus to the development of a stroke.
It is advisable for overweight people to lose weight. But this must be done gradually. You can’t lose weight dramatically, as this can provoke various health problems, including a brain stroke. Without any harm to the body, you can get rid of 2.5-3 extra kg per month.
Exercise stress
Regular exercise strengthens blood vessels and the body as a whole. But they should be moderate, especially for patients who have had a brain stroke. It is impossible to overload an already weakened organism. All physical exercises should be performed at a slow pace. Prevention of this kind will help a weakened body to tone up.
Bad habits
A complete rejection of bad habits significantly reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis of the blood vessels of the brain and the formation of blood clots. These measures can prevent a stroke in the brain. Prevention of this kind improves the quality and increases the life expectancy of patients who have already undergone this disease. Reducing the number of cigarettes smoked is not a preventive measure and does not reduce the likelihood of an ischemic attack. Only a complete cessation of smoking will benefit.
Some sources report that a small amount of red wine is good for blood vessels, but it is not. The latest findings of scientists indicate that alcohol in any quantity other than harm carries nothing. In order to cleanse the blood vessels, it is better to use proven folk remedies.
ethnoscience
Prevention of cerebral stroke with folk remedies is possible only after consultation with a doctor. It is most often used in conjunction with other methods, for example, drug therapy. You can use the following tools:
- Infusion of Kombucha. It is consumed half a cup 3-5 times a day.
- Alcohol tincture of horse chestnut. 30 drops are pre-dissolved in a small amount of water or tea and taken 2 times a day (morning and evening). Such a tincture is prepared as follows: a half-liter jar is completely filled with flowers or fruits of horse chestnut and poured vodka to the brim. Clean the jar in a dark place for 14 days. After filtering and pouring the resulting tincture into the dishes of dark glass.
- Fresh ginger root - add to tea or any drinks. Dry chopped ginger can be added to meat dishes.
- Ground nutmeg - add to any dish. Nutmeg powder can be held in the mouth for several minutes, then swallowed with cold boiled water.
- Before going to bed, it is useful to instill 2 drops of an aqueous solution of mummy in each nasal passage.
- With a high level of cholesterol, it is useful to eat foods containing natural statins in the prevention of atherosclerosis, which can cause a stroke . These include chanterelle mushrooms and herring. But the herring should not be salty, to which we are accustomed, but steamed or in the oven. A large amount of salt makes this product not very suitable for a healthy diet.
- To cleanse blood vessels, it is useful to use a product made from honey, lemon and garlic. All ingredients are taken in equal amounts. Lemon and garlic are crushed in a blender. Before this, garlic must be peeled and the lemon washed thoroughly. By the way, grind citrus directly with the peel. The resulting product can be stored in the refrigerator and taken daily in one teaspoon.
We remind once again: the prevention of cerebral stroke with folk remedies should take place under the supervision of the attending physician and on his recommendation. Only under such conditions will it be beneficial.
Prevention of cerebral stroke. Preparations
This option, according to many patients, is most effective. Let's discuss the pros and cons.
As you know, those who are at risk for such a formidable disease as a brain stroke should be especially careful. Secondary prevention in this case involves the use of drugs. In addition, often after a transient ischemic attack, doctors recommend patients reconstructive surgery on the carotid arteries, which can save their lives.
People suffering from hypertension are recommended to measure blood pressure twice a day and write these numbers in a special diary. At the cardiologist’s appointment, these records must be shown to the doctor so that he can find an effective treatment for hypertension, which is a risk factor for the development of a stroke - both hemorrhagic and ischemic. Taking antihypertensive drugs, such as Lozap and Lozap Plus, may be prescribed for the treatment of hypertension. In addition, for an emergency reduction in blood pressure, you can use, for example, the drug "Kapoten" and diuretics, for example, "Furosemide" ("Lasix"). Patients should take antihypertensive drugs for a long time, until the stable stabilization of blood pressure. Correcting therapy with such means is tedious necessarily under the supervision of a cardiologist or therapist. Such prevention of ischemic stroke of the brain prolongs the active life of patients and allows them to feel satisfactory for a long time. What other drugs do doctors prescribe for their patients?
To prevent a brain stroke from happening again, prevention must necessarily include the use of antiplatelet agents and antimicrobial therapy. Quite often, cardiologists recommend taking medications such as Aspirin, Ticlopidine, Clopidogrel, Dipyridamole. This therapy is usually designed for a long time. It can last for years. It is important to periodically monitor platelet aggregation activity. prescribe to patients the use of antiplatelet agents or anticoagulants, which include “Warfarin.” These drugs prevent the formation of blood clots and thereby prevent the development of stroke.
The prevention of cerebral stroke in atherosclerosis is aimed at lowering cholesterol. Increasing it by only 10% of the norm increases the risk of stroke to 25%. Excess low-density cholesterol (it is also popularly called bad sticky cholesterol) contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels. With high blood pressure, this increases the likelihood of developing stroke. How to prevent cerebral stroke in this case? The cholesterol level should be tried to maintain normal. To reduce it, lipid-lowering therapy is used, which involves taking statins. Medicines of this group include, for example, Simvastatin, Niacin, Pravastatin. As a rule, these medicines should be taken by patients for life.
In addition, it is necessary to take complexes that strengthen the walls of blood vessels, increasing their tone and elasticity. Doctors recommend Ginkgo Biloba FORTE, which contains active substances of plant origin, which reduce the permeability of the walls of capillaries, strengthen the vascular wall and normalize its tone. Thus, it is possible to provide comprehensive prevention of coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction.
Differences in the development of stroke in men and women
- According to statistics, women are more likely to have a stroke in the age period after 60 years, while men have a risk of developing it after 40 years.
- Men tolerate the disease more easily than women.
- Complete recovery in men after a stroke occurs much more often than in women.
- Statistics show that mortality among women after this disease is significantly higher than in men.
- Female risk factors for stroke: contraceptives, migraines, abnormal pregnancy, and a greater likelihood of thrombosis.
Prevention of cerebral stroke in men and women
To talk about the prevention of this disease, you need to understand the causes of its occurrence. Thus, smokers and oral contraceptives of the fair sex after the age of 30 years, the risk of stroke increases by 25%, compared with non-smokers and women who prefer other types of contraception. It follows the logical conclusion that the prevention of cerebral stroke in women with similar bad habits and preventive measures is reduced to abandoning them.
Also, people are very impressionable and not stress-resistant, with frequent mood swings are more susceptible to stroke. These prophylaxis patients can be advised to take daily walks in the fresh air, a contrast shower in the morning, and in more advanced cases, sedatives, but they can be taken only after consulting a doctor. If insomnia suffers, then as a sleeping pill, it is useful to drink half a glass of warm herbal tea or chamomile infusion before going to bed .
How to prevent a brain stroke? Prevention of this disease should be aimed at reducing and eliminating risk factors. For this, annual medical examinations and medical examinations of the population are carried out. Be sure to take tests for cholesterol and blood glucose. When identifying health problems it is necessary to take measures to eliminate them. All citizens, regardless of their age and gender, it is advisable to abandon bad habits.