11 action steps that can prevent strokes
As we discovered in our companion article “Learn why 80% of strokes are preventable.” an estimated 750,000 Americans will have a stroke this year. Of this number, 160,000 will die and the rest will change their lives forever in significant and profound ways. African Americans are twice as likely to die from a stroke as Caucasians, and the rate of having their first stroke is almost twice that of Caucasians. Half of all African American women will die from a stroke or heart disease. For those with sickle cell anemia, 11% will have experienced a stroke by the age of 20. Pretty depressing until you understand that, according to the National Stroke Association, “80% of strokes are preventable.”
Everyone is at risk for stroke, but everyone has the power to reduce this risk. The rest of this article is designed to empower you with a few simple steps to help you gain control in this area of your life. Let’s start helping you make a significant difference in how strokes affect our community.
Risk factors: uncontrollable vs. Controllable!
There are some uncontrollable risk factors for stroke such as: age, gender, race, family history, and a previous stroke or TIA. Now, before moving on to the controllable risk factors, I would like to make a few observations about two of these uncontrollable risk factors.
o Age. Although you have no control over your chronological age, you have the ability to lower your biological age. One of my subscribers recently shared with me that he has been making some gradual changes to his eating and exercise habits. These changes have caused him to lose more than 10 pounds and have more energy and stamina for his daily work activities, as well as his recreational activities. Although your chronological age will continue to advance, the process of improving your biological age has begun. This area is so important that our website at Aging No More is designed to address the problem of aging with practical, everyday steps to slow down the aging process.
o Family history. If someone in your family has had a stroke, then you are at a higher risk of having a stroke. Part of this could be due to genetics and part of your family history could be lifestyle. You have no control over genetics, but you certainly have control over your lifestyle. You have the power to change the food, drink, smoking, and lifestyle choices that contributed to your family member’s stroke. The action steps we’ll talk about in this article will help you break the family history cycle.
As you can see, there are 5 uncontrollable risk factors of which 2 offer you some ability to take positive action to lessen its impact. The good news is that there are 8 controllable risk factors that you have a high degree of control over to help substantially reduce your risk of having a stroke. They are:
o Control high blood pressure.
o Manage heart disease, especially arterial fibrillation.
o Stop smoking.
o Control alcohol consumption.
o Control your cholesterol.
o Control your diabetes.
o Control your weight through diet, exercise, and nutrition.
o Check for other circulatory problems.
11 Steps That Can Reduce Your Risk Of Stroke!
These 11 steps will help you take a proactive approach to reducing your risk of stroke. Some of these steps are further developed in some of my other articles.
Step 1: Go see a qualified doctor. If you don’t know what your blood pressure reading is, what your cholesterol level is, or where your blood sugar is, you should get these benchmarks as soon as possible. These are the big three. And while you’re there, ask your doctor to check your heart and circulatory system, especially the carotid arteries.
Step 2: Make sure your blood pressure is below 120/80. Anything above 120/80 is cause for concern and anything above 140/90 is a red flag to take action. High blood pressure increases the risk of stroke 4-6 times and is the number one risk factor for stroke.
Step 3: Make sure your cholesterol level is below 200. Anything over 200 is cause for concern, and anything over 240 is a red flag to take action. Step 6 of this article will have a positive impact in this area.
Step 4: Make sure you are not diabetic. Diabetes is not something to play with. Not only does it increase your risk of stroke, it affects many other organ systems in your body as well. There are many positive steps you can take to control your blood sugar. Step 6 of this article will have a positive impact in this area.
Step 5 – Control your weight. If you are 30 pounds or more overweight, then you need to make some positive changes to your eating patterns. We are not talking about dieting. Diets don’t work. Most people have been dieting to reach their current overweight condition. Please read my article “4 Keys to Changing Your Diet for Successful Long-Term Weight Loss!” which will teach you how to incorporate some simple techniques that can have a big impact on your weight and overall health. Step 6 of this article will have a positive impact in this area.
Step 6 – Increase Your Fiber Intake! At best, the typical American only gets 50% of the necessary fiber in their diet. This step is so important that we have prepared a separate article entitled “4 Benefits and 3 Steps to Adequate Fiber Intake!” Adequate fiber intake can reduce 3 of your stroke risks: cholesterol, diabetes, and being overweight / obese.
Step 7: Increase your water intake. Adequate water intake is essential for good health. We discussed this in more detail in our article “Is Water Really The Number One Ingredient For Slowing Down The Aging Process?” Simply put, you need an 8-ounce glass of water for every 15 pounds of body weight. Coca, coffee and other manipulated beverages do not count. Only pure water!
Step 8 – Quit Smoking! You know it’s a nasty habit. Smoking not only affects the lungs, but it also affects the heart, pulmonary arteries, liver, and various other systems. Once you stop smoking, your risk of stroke from this activity will drop significantly within two years. If you are a woman over the age of 30 who smokes and takes birth control pills that are high in estrogen, your risk of having a stroke is 22 times more likely than that of the average nonsmoker! Take action today to break this unpleasant habit.
Step 9: learn STR. Smile, Talk, Raise could save your life and the life of a loved one! Recognizing the symptoms of a stroke and knowing what to do is incredibly valuable, as you have a 3-hour window to significantly reduce the effects of a stroke. Please go to our Synergy Encode product website and click on “STR Poster” to print a special poster that fully explains STR. Share it with family, friends and neighbors. Ask your local barber, stylist, and merchant to display it prominently for you to see as many of it as possible. Help us educate your community so your quick response can make the difference between life or death, permanent disability, or meaningful recovery.
Step 10: Consider supplementing with L-arginine through two products: ENCODE or ProArgi9. Genetic research has discovered a significant genetic variation that directly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in many people of African descent. The problem lies in the body’s breaking down an essential amino acid, L-arginine, too quickly, which can lead to weakening or damage of the blood vessels. This can significantly increase the risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes.
Researchers from Duke University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute recently discovered one of the keys to the cause of pain in sickle cell anemia. Normal red blood cells release a signaling molecule called nitric oxide that tells arterial walls to expand. When sickle cells change from oval to sickle, the ability to release this signaling molecule is lost. Researchers at Duke University found that the degree of nitric oxide deficiency was directly correlated with the severity of symptoms in people with sickle cell anemia. When nitric oxide was given, her symptoms were relieved.
Research from the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine showed that the main pathway for creating nitric oxide in the body comes from the essential amino acid L-Arginine. Due to genetic variation, African Americans make too much of an enzyme called arginase. In the bloodstream, arginase destroys L-arginine, making it no longer available for nitric oxide production. ENCODE was formulated by Dr. Ann de Wees Allen, one of the world’s most renowned L-Arginine researchers. With the help of Dr. Clair Francomano and Dr. Randall Maxey, Dr. Allen was able to genetically engineer a low glycemic delivery system for L-Arginine specifically designed to address this problem in the African American community.
ENCODE’s patent is pending, but it is derived from Dr. Allen’s other low glycemic L-Arginine product called ProArgi9. With the ProArgi patent9, Dr. Allen was granted 15 legal claims. Of these 15 legal claims, 4 are directly related to the cardiovascular system. They are:
o Legal claim 5 – Helps reduce body fat
o Legal claim 7: helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels
o Legal claim 12 – It is an adaptogen
o Legal claim 14 – Helps produce nitric oxide
These 4 elements can be beneficial in reducing the risk of stroke, as “lower body fat” helps control weight, “helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels” helps control blood sugar, “is a adaptogen “helps regulate blood pressure and” helps produce nitric oxide, “which has been shown to be a critical factor for proper cardiovascular function.
Step 11 – Control your alcohol consumption. For most, moderate alcohol consumption does not greatly affect their risk of stroke. Drinking “moderately” means limiting alcohol intake to no more than one drink per day. By definition, a “moderate” drink is 1.5 oz. hard liquor, 4 oz. of wine, or 12 oz. of beer. Drinking more than 2 drinks a day can increase your risk of stroke by 50%.
We hope these 11 steps will be of direct benefit to you in reducing your risk of stroke. We’ve given you some very specific steps you can take today to start on the path to reducing your risk of stroke while improving your overall health and well-being. Look for our other articles on our Aging No More website as they will give you more details on how to make other positive changes in your life. Together we can empower our community for better health so that we can have a positive impact on our world.