In this issue:
Don't Disgard the Mini-Stroke
Lifestyle Changes Lower High Blood Pressure
And Speaking of High Blood Pressure...
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Don't Disgard the Mini-Stroke
Only about 10 percent of people who've experienced a mini stroke, a.k.a. a transient ischemic attack (TIA), head to the emergency room. And less than 50 percent get medical attention soon after the episode. Those figures come courtesy of a British research team, who were alarmed by the results of their analysis.
Here's why: If you've had a TIA, you are at risk for suffering a major stroke in the near future, possibly as soon as 48 hours after the first attack. An untreated TIA can bump up your risk factor even higher. The trouble is that TIA symptoms may not seem like much to worry about, so people tend to ignore them.
The most common symptoms, most of which come on suddenly of a TIA include:
- weakness
- numbness
- confusion
- vision problems
- dizziness
- very bad headache
These effects can vanish as suddenly as they appeared, making it much easier to forget about them.
In the British study, the researchers asked 241 TIA patients (their average age was 71) what they believed had caused their symptoms. Only 107 of them even realized these symptoms signaled an emergency. And when it came to treatment, most patients did not head for the nearest ER. Just 27 of them got same day, non-ER treatment...43 didn't seek any treatment until the next day...and a whopping 64 waited at least two days to see a doctor.
If you or someone you love gets hit with these symptoms, don't delay -- seek immediate medical care. Go directly to the emergency room, don't wait for a call back from the family doctor. Although TIA symptoms may not seem dramatic, and may ease relatively quickly, they are still signs of a dangerous condition. Even these mini-strokes stop some of the blood flow to your brain. And they can be a signal that a much bigger episode is on the way...which may be prevented by prompt medical treatment.
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Lifestyle Changes Lower High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the biggest risk raisers when it comes to heart disease and stroke. This condition has hit near epidemic proportions in the U.S., where over 65 million Americans have high blood pressure. Add to that 59 million more who are considered "prehypertensive," meaning their blood pressure isn't quite high enough to count as high, but is still higher than healthy levels...and still raises the risk of cardiovascular disease.
On the plus side, you can reverse these conditions with simple lifestyle changes -- as long as you keep those changes going for at least 18 months. All it takes is an increase in physical activity and sticking to a healthy diet. According to the NHLBI, making these general changes -- and using the DASH diet specifically -- along with some behavioral counseling can knock your blood pressure down by anywhere from 22 to 37 percent.
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And Speaking of High Blood Pressure...
The first human clinical trial testing grape seed extract as a potential treatment for people with metabolic syndrome found that this natural remedy does in fact work for at least one of the underlying conditions -- high blood pressure.
The study, carried out by scientists at the University of California (Davis), treated 20 metabolic syndrome patients with either placebo or grape seed extract in either 150 mg or 300 mg dose form. No dietary changes were made for any of the volunteers.
After a month, the patients getting the real grape seed extract (in either dosage) showed substantial decreases in both systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) blood pressure. The average systolic drop was 12, and the average diastolic drop was 8 -- both very impressive changes. And the benefits didn't stop there for the group getting 300 mg of grape seed extract: Those patients also saw their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels drop.
Yours in better health,
Michele Cagan
Health eLiving Today
