The best way to treat a stroke is to prevent it from happening.
There are two categories of risk factors when it comes to stroke, controllable and uncontrollable. While certain individuals have a greater likelihood of having a stroke, individual lifestyle decisions can reduce your risk of stroke.
What we can’t change:
- Age. As you get older your risk of stroke goes up
- Gender. Males are at a higher risk
- Race. African-Americans have a higher incidence of high blood pressure, making them more susceptible to hemorrhagic stroke
- Genetics. Having a family history of stroke increases your chances.
- Personal history. Diabetes increases your risk for a stroke.
What we can change:
- Tobacco Use. It’s the number one preventable cause of serious illness
- Poor Diet. Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, and Cholesterol will increases risk of stroke
- Inactive Lifestyle. Obesity is a major risk factor
- High Blood Pressure. An easily identifiable risk. Get yourself checked
- Heavy Alcohol Use. Increases blood pressure
Simple lifestyle choices can greatly reduce your risks of stroke. Eating low-fat foods, exercising regularly, and limiting tobacco use are just some ideas of how you can lower your possibility of stroke. Prescribed medicine and other various over-the-counter drugs provide another way to reduce stroke risk in some people. Talk to your health care provider about these and other ways you can reduce your risk.
