Stroke Prevention Starts Now Part 2: Some Lesser Known Facts

By Joseph McCaffrey, MD, FACS

Part 1 of this 2-part article discussed the devastating effects of a stroke and the common sense steps you can take now to reduce your risk. In Part 2 we will look at some lesser known risk factors - and when you should consider medical intervention as a preventative.

Lower Homocysteine Levels
Homocysteine has been getting a little more attention recently as an important risk factor for hardening of the arteries.^1,2 Although studies have yet to definitely prove that lowering homocysteine levels prevents strokes, the treatment is simple and safe enough that there's little risk in lowering your homocysteine levels while further studies are being done.

Homocysteine levels can easily be measured with a blood test. You lower homocysteine by supplementing with vitamins - namely folic acid, B6 and B12.

Keep Your Gums Healthy
This surprises many people, but more and more research shows a link between gum disease and vascular disease, including stroke.^3-5 The connection seems to be caused by chronic activation of the body's inflammatory system by the gum disease.

Elevated levels of inflammatory factors circulating in the bloodstream slightly injure the lining of arteries. This starts a chain of events that leads to the development of plaque.

Eliminating the inflammation prevents the plaque. The answer is good dental hygiene.

As a baseline, regular professional cleaning both prevents gum disease and allows early treatment should you develop it. Schedule a regular cleaning every 6 months.

Next, use an electric tooth brush. It's both more effective and gentler on your teeth than manual brushing.

Flossing is the good habit people love to hate. For some reason, most people just don't do it. As you now know, the benefits of healthy gums go way beyond letting you keep your teeth. Floss regularly.

My teeth are very close together and I had trouble flossing until the Glide brand of floss came along. If you're having trouble, see if this helps you too.

Take Fish Oil Every Day
I've written about the many benefits of fish oil before. Reducing the risk of stroke is a big one. One study.⁶ showed a 52% reduction in strokes in women who eat fish at least 5 days a week.

Many people don't want to eat fish that often and unfortunately heavy metals and pesticides contaminate many fish these days. For these reasons, fish oil supplements make sense for most people. I recommend 1-2 grams twice a day, taken with meals.

Do You Need Low-Dose Aspirin?
Platelets are the body's first responders to a cut in a blood vessel. When an injury occurs, they clump together to form a temporary plug while the clotting process gets underway.

Unfortunately, as plaque builds up on the interior of vessels, it also can stimulate the platelets to clump. That clump can block the vessel right there or it might break off and cause damage downstream. To reduce the chance of that happening, physicians often recommend aspirin at the children's dose of 81 mg daily.

Aspirin interferes with the platelets ability to clump together. This reduces the chance of a blockage but comes at the expense of an increased risk of bleeding. Balancing the risk vs. the benefit varies from person to person, so it's a good idea to check with your doctor before taking it.

Aspirin's effect on platelets persists for up to 2 weeks after you stop taking it. If you have surgery scheduled, be sure to let your surgeon know you've been taking it.

How Medical Intervention Can Help
As a vascular surgeon, I'm keenly aware of surgery's role in preventing stroke. I'd much prefer that people never get to this stage, but the reality is, people do.

Let me be clear. I consider surgery crisis intervention. It's much better never to need it.

But if someone has gotten themselves in a situation where plaque fills 75% or more of the main artery to their brain, they're in trouble. In this situation, surgery to clear the vessel may be their best option, even with the risks involved.

If someone you love finds themselves needing surgery, my best advice is to find a surgeon who is board certified and that you're comfortable with. The patient-physician relationship is always important. Given the dramatic nature of surgery, it's even more so. The surgeon should welcome your questions and explain the options clearly.

Past experience also counts. You should look for a surgical team who has a less than 3% rate of major complications. I wish I could say the complication rate is zero, but its not.

The good news is that successful surgery greatly reduces the long term risk of stroke, especially if the person changes their lifestyle. “If you do what you always do, you'll get what you've always gotten” applies here.

Live Life Well
As you review these suggestions, I'm sure you can't help but notice some recurrent themes from other health advice you've heard. The themes of eating right, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight replay over and over again in health literature for a simple reason. Lifestyle affects health.

I've reminded you of some things you already know and perhaps given you some new ideas as well. One of the things I hope you accept is the profound influence the choices you make today have on the quality of your life in the future.

Follow the suggestions I've made here and a more vital future is yours.

References

1. Perry IJ, et al. Lancet 1995; 346:1395-8.
2. Malinow MR. J Nutr 1996; 126(4 suppl):1238S-43S.
3. Schillinger T, Kluger W. Stroke. 2006 Sep; 37(9):2271-6.
4. Dumitrescu A. J Intern Med. 2005;43(1-2).
5. Dörfer CE, Becher H J Clin Periodontol. 2004 May;31(5):396-401.
6. JAMA, 2001; 285: 304-312.

Nutrients & Health: Support for the Prostate By Dr. David Kamnitzer

If you've ever suffered prostate-related pain, burning on urination, reduced urine flow, prosatitis, prostate infections, BPH, or an enlarged prostate … to say that healing and relief would be welcome indeed, is an understatement of epic proportion!

Certainly regular exercise, adequate hydration, and a healthy diet provide a good foundation for prostate health. However, once symptoms present, usually more is required to handle the situation.

Many individuals do not know that there are powerful herbal options that can come into play. Some of the best herbs for prostatic support come to us from the Amazon.

A high-quality formula for the prostate will contain all or most of the following herbs: nettle, jatoba, mutamba, graviola, Brazilian peppertree, vassourinha, cipa capeludo, pau d'arco, and anamu. This type of formula has no known contraindications or drug interactions.

However, since several of these herbs kill bacteria, they will also destroy your friendly digestive flora - so supplementing with probiotics is advisable if this formula is used for longer than 30 days. In addition, individuals taking blood thinners and/or medication for high blood pressure should be monitored while on this formula.

Let's look at some of the research on these powerful herbs.*

• Nettle root has been shown to help both BPH and prostatitis, due to its hormonal and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Jatoba, mutamba, and Brazilian peppertree have demonstrated antifungal and antibacterial properties.
• Graviola has shown both antimicrobial and anti-tumor properties.
• Vassourinha has shown analgesic (pain relieving), anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, and anti-fungal actions.
• Cipo capeludo is traditionally used in Brazilian herbal medicine for prostate problems.
• Pau d'arco has shown broad-spectrum antimicrobial and anti-tumor properties.
• Anamu has shown anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-mycoplasmal properties.

As you can see, a high-quality herbal formula of this type not only protects your prostate, it provides additional support for whole-body wellness. May this information help you and your loved ones in your quest for greater health and well-being!

*The author wishes to thank Dr. Leslie Taylor, ND for her exceptional reviews of Amazonian herbal research and traditional uses.

[Ed Note: David Kamnitzer, D.C. is an expert at helping people achieve high levels of health and well-being - far beyond what is available simply through drugs and surgery alone. He combines his 20-year clinical experience and extensive knowledge in structural, nutritional, and energetic balancing to offer individuals cutting-edge approaches to healing. To learn more, click here.]

Healthy Recipes: Stout Glazed Pacific Halibut Kelley Herring

This Irish-inspired dish is an excellent source of five key nutrients including selenium. Research shows selenium is a key component of the body's antioxidant machinery and is also essential for healthy functioning of the immune system and thyroid gland.1

Time to Table: 2 hours
Serves: 4

The Benefits
Excellent source of protein, magnesium, potassium, selenium, omega-3 fats
Low in sodium

Ingredients
24 ounces Pacific halibut
24 ounces stout beer (try Guinness or Murphy's)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp organic hot sauce
1 Tbsp agave nectar

Preparation
In a skillet, combine the beer and the agave nectar. Simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes to reduce to 1/2 cup. Pour into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and hot sauce. Cool to room temperature. Place halibut in a deep dish for marinating. Pour the glaze over the fish. Cover the fish and marinate 1 hour or overnight (preferred) in the refrigerator. Preheat the broiler. Place fish on a rimmed baking sheet and broil 4 inches from heat until brown and just cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.

Nutrition Information
332.6 kcal Calories, 22.99 g Carbohydrate, 53.76 mg Cholesterol, 3.86 g Total fats, 1.01 g Fiber, 35.81 g Protein, 105.84 mg Sodium, 16.02 g Sugars, 0.55 g Saturated fats, 0 trans fats, 1.26 g Monounsaturated fats, 1.23 g Polyunsaturated fats

Reference

1. Sher L. Med Hypotheses. 2001 Oct;57(4):480-3.

[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the Founder & CEO of Healing Gourmet. She is also the creator of Healing Gourmet's Personalized Nutrition Software and Editor-in-Chief of the Healing Gourmet book series published by McGraw-Hill, including Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility. For more information, click here.]

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs [Issue 06-27-08] which offers alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com/