Let’s Talk About Stroke

I saw on the news yesterday that most people don’t know the signs of stroke, which inspired today’s entry. We’ll look at risk factors, signs, and ways to reduce your risk.

Risk Factors You Can Do Something About:

-High blood pressure (hypertension)

-Smoking

-High cholesterol levels

-Being overweight

-Stress

-Physical inactivity

-Heart disease

-Diabetes (sometimes you can do something about this)

-Excessive alcohol consumption

Risk Factors You Can’t Control:

-Age

-Gender

-Family history

-Ethnicity (First Nations, and those of African or South Asian descent are at greater risk)

-Prior stroke

Signs of a Stroke:

-Sudden loss of strength; numbness in face/arm/leg, even if temporary

-Sudden difficulty speaking/understanding; confusion, even if temporary

-Sudden loss of balance, especially with other signs

-Sudden trouble with vision, even if temporary

-Sudden severe or unusual headache

Reducing Your Risk:

-Take time out every day to relax

-Get…and stay physically active – aim for 60 minutes of moderate activity each day

-If you smoke, quit – try www.smokershelpline.ca for support

-If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to 1-2 drinks per day, to a weekly limit of 9 drinks for women and 14 for men

-If you are overweight, talk to your healthcare provider about ways to achieve your healthy weight – or email me – even a modest weight reduction can help

-Consider the quality and quantity of fats in your diet – aim for 20-35% of your daily calories from fat (40-75 grams for women, 60-105 grams for men)

-Limit saturated fat (from animal sources)

-Avoid trans fats (foods made with shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, hard margarines, many fast foods and prepared foods)

-Choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, fish, olive and canola oil

-Eat more fruit, vegetables and fibre

Make healthy choices and be well!