Strokes

As you age, neurological diseases are quite common. A large variety of changes take place in the nervous system as you grow old. These changes can include loss of vibration, sense, tendon reflexes in the legs and irregularity and contraction of the pupils.

Stroke is one of the most serious nervous system diseases that accompany old age. It is a major cause of disability and an important player in the mortality rate in the old age. When you are in the age group of 34-44, the rate of this disease is 0.25 per 1000 per annum but in the age group of 75-84, the rate is 20. The mortality rate also goes up when you age. Though the prevalent death rates are 7-12 per 1000 overall, the rate shoots up to 50-70 per 1000 if you happen to be 65 or more. Stroke is also known as apoplexy and is the sudden acute disturbance of brain function of vascular origin, leading to loss of consciousness, paralysis or death.

You know you are suffering from stroke if you show the following symptoms:

• Dizziness followed by nausea and vomiting and then the general physical weakness.
• Severe headache, have a convulsion or go into the coma without being roused for sometime.
• Complete paralysis of one side and inability to speak.
• May be mentally alert but unable to use the right words to speak.

A lot of strokes occur suddenly and may clear after some time. In serious cases, you may remain in the deep coma for many days. There may be a fever, a rapid pulse and difficulty breathing, which may happen due to brain haemorrhage if you are in coma for more than six hours and have bouts of convulsions with the stiffness in the neck and eyes facing sharply toward the paralysed side. Severe haemorrhage may be fatal in 2-3 days, especially if you have a high fever with rapid pulse.

A lot of people recover if the thrombosis or only a small vessel is involved. They may not lose consciousness but the weakness or paralysis may remain for a long time. There might be some permanent disability even if offered the best of care.

Causes of Stroke:

• Presence of blood clot in one of the vessels supplying blood to the brain, leading to blockage. This clot could be due to inflammation, arteriosclerosis or the presence of clot or embolus from the heart.
• Rupture in the vessel leading to brain due to aneurysm or the enlargement in the wall of the vessel, causing serious haemorrhage.
• Rise in blood pressure due to emotion like anger leading to aneurysm.
• Thrombosis or clotting of blood vessel within the vessel, leading to the affected part of brain becoming necrotic and dying.

Treatment for Strokes :

Try to get the best possible nursing care, especially in the initial stage. Rest in bed and ask your caregiver to turn you from side to side frequently to prevent formation of pressure sores. Apply cold compresses to the head to relieve pain. Keep away from visitors and all forms of excitement. Take leave of absence from work for many days.

Fasting is the most important factor in treating disease. Go on a fast for the first few days and drink only water, if possible. Then drink only orange juice and water. Remain on fast till the severity of stroke subsides. Then start eating fresh fruits like orange, apple, pineapple, pear, grapes, peach and papaya. You can also add fresh and unboiled milk along with fruits. As your recovery progresses, follow a well-balanced diet consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, fruits and vegetables. Try to take as much of fresh fruits and raw vegetable salads and fruit and vegetable juices as possible. Cleanse your bowels twice a day with the warm-water enema for the first two or three days and then daily until the bowels start functioning on their own.

Use your paralysed limbs and all the joints many times a day. Get the paralysed muscles gently massaged. Get up from the bed and walk around the room as much as possible. Take the Epsom salt baths twice a week. Do breathing and other exercises daily along with the daily friction and sponge. Start your normal routine life. Stop consuming alcohol and smoking completely.

A high intake of fruits and vegetables is very effective in treating and preventing stroke. It also reduces the damage caused by stroke. High consumption of fruits by women decreased their risk of stroke by one-third. Men who ate a high amount of vegetables had 45% lower risk of stroke. Hence it is very important for you to eat generous amounts of fruits and vegetables daily.

Carrot is one of the main vegetable in treatment of stroke. If you eat carrots 5 or more times a week will drastically reduce your stroke risk by two-thirds, as against eating carrots only once a month or less. You can also derive the curative benefit of eating spinach. This is because both carrots and spinach contain beta-carotene which offers the protective benefits. Eating the additional beta-carotene, found in one and half of carrots which equal 200 g of mashed sweet potatoes or 170 g of spinach daily dropped the stroke rates by 40%. This decrease was more evident in people who ate 15-20 mg of beta-carotene daily as against those who consumed only 6 mg. this anti-stroke property of carrots, spinach and the other carotene-rich vegetables is primarily due to their antioxidant properties.

Research has indicated that the presence of beta-carotene and vitamin A in the blood stream prevents death if stroke occurs. When your brain is deprived of the oxygen, when stroke occurs, cells start malfunctioning ultimately causing oxidative damage to the nerve cells. But the presence of excess of vitamin A in the blood interferes in the series of processes that occur after the stroke and reduces brain damage and chances of death. Hence get plenty of beta-carotene by eating carrots, spinach, dark green leafy vegetables, orange-coloured vegetables, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, papayas, mangoes and melon.

You should also supply your diet with potassium-rich foods as it is the effective antidote against strokes.  Consume just an additional serving of potassium-rich food daily to reduce the risk of stroke by 40%. Research indicates that people who consume large amounts of potassium survived stroke but those who took very little or no potassium had a far higher death rate. The stroke deaths in people who took very little potassium was 2.6 times higher in men and 4.8 times in women. Taking an additional 400 mg of potassium in food decreased your risk of fatal stroke by 40%. You need only 400 mg of potassium daily which can be achieved by eating just one piece of fruit and vegetable and a glass of milk.   

Taking fresh air and outdoor exercise as much as possible, proper diet and clean wholesome living will go a long way in preventing strokes. Avoid unnecessary nervous excitement, needless worry and excessive strain.