Living Well - Summer 2015 - Beaufort - (Page 24)

A Ticking Clock In a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, Saver documented the urgency of modifying behaviors that contribute to stroke and seeking immediate treatment. Findings conﬁrm what Saver already knew but hoped would motivate the slow-to-act: "That time lost is brain lost," he says. Left untreated for even one hour, a stroke causes impairment to the brain equivalent to 3.6 years of normal aging, Saver says. "Stroke is a highly treatable brain emergency now, but only if patients recognize the symptoms, call 911 and get to the hospital in an early enough time frame for doctors to be able to intervene," he says. His study focused on ischemic strokes, the most common type, accounting for 87 percent of all cases. For these clot-caused strokes, doctors have about a three-hour time window to 24 SU M M ER 2015 administer tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), a clotbusting drug. Yet much can be done to avoid such an emergency, or to lessen its impact if it occurs despite your best eﬀorts. If you're among the more than half of Americans who don't know they're at risk, the ﬁrst step is learning the common contributors to stroke and acting on those you can change. What You Can't Change These risks make you susceptible to stroke: 3Your age. Seventy-ﬁve percent of strokes occur in people older than 65. 3Your gender. Women have more strokes, some for reasons speciﬁc to their gender and some explained by their longer life span. 3Your race. AfricanAmericans' risk of death from stroke is greater than that of Caucasians, in part because of their higher rates of hypertension, diabetes and obesity. 3Your family medical history. If a grandparent, parent or sibling had a stroke, you may, too. 3Your medical history. If you have had a stroke, a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a heart attack, stroke likelihood grows-by as much as tenfold after a TIA, which doctors call a warning stroke. What You Can Change Risks, often overlapping, and steps to minimize them: HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE Try: Ask your doctor about blood pressure medicine, a heart-healthy diet and exercise. Practice meditation, yoga or tai chi to manage stress. Hypertension is the leading contributor to strokes, making it worth your best eﬀort. SMOKING Try: Many health organizations oﬀer nicotine replacement therapy and smoking-cessation programs. Contact your state's "quitline" at 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or get tips at smokefree.gov. DIABETES Try: Follow your doctor's advice to prevent diabetes, or if you already have the disease, about tightly controlling your glucose levels and taking medicine if prescribed. Aim to manage your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol and to increase physical activity. ARTERY DISEASES, ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND OTHER HEART DISORDERS Try: Work to achieve a hearthealthy diet and increase http://www.smokefree.gov

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Living Well - Summer 2015 - Beaufort