1. Address Your Heart Disease First
Heart disease is intricately tied to stroke risk. Since your heart supplies blood to your brain, any part of that path that becomes blocked prevents essential oxygen from getting to the brain. When the brain is denied oxygen, brain tissue can die, which is the basic definition of a stroke. Thrombotic strokes develop when a "thrombus" forms in one of the blood vessels that transfer blood from the heart to the brain. This thrombus is a blood clot that acts as a blockage in a vessel.
2. Keep Close Tabs on Your Cholesterol
As it is in heart disease, atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) is a primary cause of thrombotic stroke. Excess fat derived from fried and processed foods increases your levels of bad cholesterol, or LDL. These fatty materials are deposited on the interior of your blood vessels and eventually build up, with the help of other factors, to block an entire vessel. If the vessel is one of the key arteries leading to your brain, you're facing a thrombotic stroke.
3. Lower Your Blood Pressure and Lower Your Risk
Any disease that involves blood being blocked from essential organs, such as the brain, is exacerbated by high blood pressure. If you already suffer from hypertension (as it's known), try using traditional methods like exercise and diet modification to lower your blood pressure. Your doctor may also prescribe a combination of anti-hypertensive medications to help. Additionally, you might explore alternative methods of reducing hypertension, such as meditation and similar relaxation therapies.
4. Drop the Smoking and Get off the Couch
You hear it over and over again, but it's true: Quitting smoking and getting regular exercise help the body lower its risk of heart disease and stroke. Smoking damages the blood vessels that are integral to a healthy vascular bed in the heart and the brain. Physical inactivity leads to obesity, which places undue stress on the heart, increases blood pressure and, again, vastly increases the risk of stroke. Once you quit smoking, you'll find that you breathe easier, and that cardiovascular exercises such as walking and running become easier and more enjoyable. Try to incorporate exercise into your daily schedule by choosing the stairs over the elevator, parking farther away from your work and walking, or even commuting by bike.
5. Know the Signs of a Transient Ischemic Attack
A transient ischemic attack, or TIA, is a warning sign or "mini stroke" that is an excellent predictor of a major stroke to follow. Fortunately, TIAs only last an average of 10 minutes, but then it's time to take serious action. While you will not have prevented the initial TIA, you can still try to prevent a complete stroke, which is likely to happen in the following weeks if no action is taken. Watch for sudden changes in your speech or vision, as well as dizziness, weakness, numbness and/or tingling, one-sided movement or sensory issues. If you experience any of these symptoms, have the nearest person call 911 immediately.
