Warning signs of brain stroke

Many might have heard about your neighbors or relatives had an attack of stroke or died of stroke.
Some even consider that Stroke is a type of Heart attack !

So, for all those who have queries about stroke or don't know what it is, continue reading to know more about it.

Stroke is the loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain.
This could occur either due to ischemia (lack of blood flow) due to blockage or due to hemorrhage or due to blood Clot in the blood vessels supplying the Brain. However, an ordinary person is not aware of what stroke is, what it's manifestations are, what the immediate course of action should be and how stroke patients should be rehabilitated.


The Causes of Stroke are multi-factorial and no single factor can be the only cause. 
Diabetes & Hypertension, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol level, and heart diseases are the important risk factors of stroke.
Thus it is essential that you maintain a healthy lifestyle practices and take care of your health

Warning signs of brain stroke
Fainting attack: Before you get an attack of stroke, some people can experience sudden fainting attacks and momentary loss of Consciousness. Though this can be associated with other conditions, but it is very essential for you to be evaluated for its cause as one of the most common cause is vessel occlusion which can later lead to Stroke.



Throbbing headache: One can suffer a severe throbbing headache suddenly without a reason, this generally points towards hemorrhagic stroke.

Face drooping: If the face of the patient droops to one side or there is numbness on one side of the face, go to Hospital immediately. Also ask if the person can smile and see if both side of lips move equally.

Weakness in the arm and Lower Limb: A stroke patient will experience numbness or weakness in one of both of his/her arms. You can ask him/her to raise her hand, in a stroke patient the hand will fall downwards.

Difficulty in speaking: During a stroke patients generally have slurred speech. Ask them to repeat simple questions, generally they won't be able to reply it correctly.

Loss of balance: A stroke patients finds it difficult to balance his body, he may suffer from difficulty in moving and lack of co-ordination.


Other symptoms include: 

- Loss of short-term memory
- Neck stiffness can be present. 
- Episodes of black-out or visual impairment
- Giddiness/ imbalance
- Pain behind the eye

Act Fast:
If you suspect a person to be having an attack of stroke, act fast as Brain is one of the most vital organ which cannot survive long without inadequate blood supply. Immediately call the emergency service and Prompt treatment can a person almost completely recover from it.

Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Adopt Power walks

Power walks the way you go !!

Hypertensive patients who went for fitness walks at a brisk pace lowered pressure by almost 8 mmhg over 6 mm Hg.

Exercise helps the heart use oxygen more efficiently, so it doesn’t work as hard to pump blood.

Get a vigorous cardio workout of at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Try increasing speed or distance so you keep challenging your ticker.

Be salt smart

It has been found out that Hypertensive patients usually have family history of hypertension. This has been recently found to be due to family sensitivity to salt.

Watch for sodium in processed foods, That’s where most of the sodium in your diet comes from. Try seasoned foods with spices, herbs, lemon, and salt-free seasoning blends.

Breathe deeply

Slow breathing and meditative practices such as  yoga, and tai chi decrease stress hormones, which elevate renin, a kidney enzyme that raises blood pressure.

Try 5 minutes in the morning and at night.

Inhale deeply and expand your belly. Exhale and release all of your tension.

These stress-busting yoga also helps to relieve tension.

Potassium for sodium

Aim for potassium levels of 2,000 to 4,000 mg a day.

Loading up on potassium-rich fruits and vegetables is an important part of any blood pressure-lowering program.

Top sources of potassium-rich produce include sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice, potatoes, bananas, kidney beans, peas, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and dried fruits such as prunes and raisins.

Indulge in dark chocolate

Dark chocolate varieties contain flavanols that make blood vessels more elastic.

Studies have shown eating dark chocolate have shown to decrease Blood Pressure.

Have 1/2 ounce daily (make sure it contains at least 70% cocoa).

Drink Alcohol

Don’t get excited !  Drinking a little Alcohol is good ( Beware: Only LITTLE”). Studies have found that light drinking (defined as one-quarter to one-half a drink per day for a woman) may actually reduce blood pressure more than no drinks per day.

One “drink” is 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of spirits.

Other studies have also found that moderate drinking—up to one drink a day for a woman, two for a man—can lower risks of heart disease. But moderate alcohol is protective of the heart. If you are going to drink, drink moderately.

Switch to decaf coffee

Scientists have long debated the effects of caffeine on blood pressure. Studies found that caffeine consumption of 500 mg—roughly three 8-ounce cups of coffee—increased blood pressure by 4 mm Hg, and that effect lasted until bedtime.

Caffeine can raise blood pressure by tightening blood vessels(Vasoconstriction) and by magnifying the effects of stress.

When you’re under stress, your heart starts pumping a lot more blood, boosting blood pressure and caffeine exaggerates that effect.

 If you drink a lot of Coffee, it is better that you switch over to Decaffeinated Coffee.

Take up tea

Lowering high blood pressure is as easy as one, two, tea.

The phytochemicals in hibiscus are probably responsible for the large reduction in high blood pressure, says studies.

Many herbal teas contain hibiscus-  look for blends that list it near the top of the chart of ingredients—this often indicates a higher concentration per serving.

Work (a bit) less

Putting in more than 41 hours per week at the office raises your risk of hypertension by 15%, according to a University of California.

Overtime makes it hard to exercise and eat healthy.

It may be difficult to clock out early in today’s tough economic times, but try to leave at a decent hour—so you can go to the gym or cook a healthy meal—as often as possible.

Set an end-of-day message on your computer as a reminder to turn it off and go home.

Take a break of few minutes between work so relax your mind.

Music Therapy

Want to bring down your blood pressure a bit more than medication or lifestyle changes can do alone?

The right tunes can help, according to researchers at the University of Florence in Italy. 

Listening to soothing classical, Celtic, or Indian music for 30 minutes daily while breathing slowly lowers systolic pressure by 3-4 mm Hg after a month.

Seek help for snoring

It’s time to heed your partner’s complaints and get that snoring checked out. Loud, incessant snores are one of the main symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

University of Alabama researchers found that many sleep apnea sufferers also had high levels of aldosterone, a hormone that can boost blood pressure.

In fact, it’s estimated that half of all people with sleep apnea have high blood pressure.

If you have sleep apnea, you may experience many brief yet potentially life-threatening interruptions in your breathing while you sleep.

In addition to loud snoring, excessive daytime tiredness and early morning headaches are also good clues.

If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor if OSA could be behind it; treating sleep apnea may lower aldosterone levels and improve BP.

Jump for soy

A study from Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association found for the first time that replacing some of the refined carbohydrates in your diet with foods high in soy or milk protein, such as low-fat dairy, can bring down systolic blood pressure if you have hypertension or prehypertension.

20 Chocolaty facts about Chocolate

 Chocolate is certainly the most popular confectionary flavour on the planet. We consume it with a passion, in extraordinary amounts but just how much do we know about Chocolate. Here are 20 facts that I find quite interesting.

 

Chocolates !! hmmm ......

1. Research studies show that chocolate was originally used more than 2,500 years ago, beginning in Central America. It was used ceremoniously and sometimes as a form of currency.

2. The name chocolate comes from the Aztec word xocalati meaning bitter water. Not surprising, considering they made a drink, by mixing cacao beans with chillies, achiote, cornmeal, and some reports suggest the inclusion hallucinogenic Mushrooms (probably helped to get over the taste).

3. More than 66 percent of the worlds cacao is produced in Africa and 98 percent of the worlds cocoa is produced by just 15 countries.

4. Women eat and crave more for chocolate than men.

5. Crave for chocolate can only satisfied by Chocolate only ( No Substitutes).

6. Chocolate produces the effects of a mild anti-depressant by increasing serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain. Most depressed women consume more chocolate

7. Chocolate contains a small quantity of caffeine emulates a mild amphetamine.

8. Although not scientifically proven, chocolate is believed by many, to be an aphrodisiac. The theory is supported by the fact that chocolate does contain among many chemicals the stimulants: caffeine, theobromine, and phenylethylamine.

9. Cocoa butter is a by-product produced from the crushing of roasted cacao beans, and although used in the chocolate making process, it is also used in a number of cosmetic products including massage oils and skin cosmetics. It is one of the most stable, highly concentrated natural fats known. It melts at just below average body temperature and therefore it is easily dissolved into the skin, making it the ideal foundation in moisturising creams and other such products.

10. About 40 percent of almonds produced in the world are made for chocolate products. Without chocolate, the almond is nothing!

11. Do you eat dark chocolate every day? If so, you’re effectively reducing the risk of heart disease by one third.

12. Chocolate melting in one’s mouth can cause a more intense and longer-lasting pleasure than kissing.

13. Despite being high in fat content, chocolate doesn't appear to raise blood cholesterol levels.

14. Allergies to chocolate are uncommon.

15. Almost half the world's chocolate is consumed in America.

16. Napoleon always carried chocolate with him, which he ate as a pick-me-up whenever he needed an energy boost.

17. A cocoa pod contains an average of about 42 beans. It takes up to 270 cocoa beans to make a pound 

of chocolate.

18. More than 7 billion chocolate chips are eaten annually.

19. Ninety percent of the worlds cacao is grown on small family run farms, no larger than 12 acres.

20. A single chocolate chip can give you enough energy to walk 150 feet.

These are some of the facts which I found useful about chocolate! Though there are much more benefits, I’ll limit myself to 20.

P.s. Why not take a chocolate break before I post  another article

10 Health Benefits of a Low Carbohydrate Diet

Low-carb diets have been controversial for since a long time.

People believed that these diets would raise cholesterol and cause heart disease because of the high fat content

But after many human studies conducted on low-carb diets, low-carb diets come out ahead of the diets they are compared to.

  

Not only does low-carb cause more weight loss, it also leads to major improvements in most risk factor such as cholesterol.

The 10 Health Benefits of a Low Carbohydrate Diet are

1. More weight Loss with low carb diet

Cutting carbs is one of the simplest and most effective ways to lose weight. Studies show that people on low-carb diets lose more weight, faster, than people on low-fat diets, even when the low-fat dieters are actively restricting calories.

One of the reasons is that low-carb diets tend to get rid of excess water from the body.

Since they lower insulin levels, the kidneys start shedding excess sodium, leading to rapid weight loss in the first week or two.

In studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets, the low-carbers sometimes lose 2-3 times as much weight, without being hungry.

Think of low-carb as a lifestyle, NOT a diet. The only way to succeed in the long-term is to stick to it. However, some people may be able to add in healthy carbs after they have reached their goal weight.

2. Low-Carb Diets Kill Your Appetite (In a Good Way)

Hunger is one of the main reasons why many people feel miserable and eventually give up on their diets.

One of the best things about eating low-carb is that it leads to an automatic reduction in appetite

The studies consistently show that when people cut carbs and eat more protein and fat, they end up eating much fewer calories.

So when we cut carbs, the appetite tends to go down and we often end up eating much fewer calories without trying.

3. Abdominal Cavity Fat a.k.a Visceral Fat

 Not all fat in our body are the same. The place where it is stored determines how it will affect our health and risk of disease. Most importantly, we have subcutaneous fat (under the skin) and then we have visceral fat (in the abdominal cavity).

Visceral fat tends to lodge around the organs. Having a lot of fat in that area can accelerate inflammation, insulin resistance and is also believed to lead to metabolic dysfunction.

Low-carb diets are very effective at reducing the harmful abdominal fat. Over time, this would lead to a drastically reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

 4. Triglycerides Tend to Go Way Down 

Triglycerides are fat molecules. It is a well known fact that Triglycerides is also one of the risk factor for Heart disease.

Perhaps the main driver of elevated triglycerides is carbohydrate consumption, especially the simple sugar fructose.

Low-carb diets are very effective at lowering blood triglycerides.

5. Increased Levels of HDL (the “good”) Cholesterol 

High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is often called the “good” cholesterol. It is not actually cholesterol.

HDL and LDL refer to the lipoproteins that carry cholesterol around in the blood.

Whereas LDL carries cholesterol from the liver and to the rest of the body, HDL carries cholesterol away from the body and to the liver, where it can be reused or excreted.

The higher your levels of HDL, the lower your risk of heart disease will.

One of the best ways to increase HDL levels is to eat healthy fat and low-carb diets include a lot of fat.

Therefore, it is not surprising to see that HDL levels increase dramatically on low-carb diets, while they tend to increase only moderately or even go down on low-fat diets.

The triglyceride to HDL ratio is another very strong predictor of heart disease risk. The higher it is, the greater your risk of heart disease is.

Low-carb diets lead to a major improvement in this ratio.

6. Reduces Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels, Benefits people with Type 2 Diabetes

 When we eat carbs, they are broken down into simple sugars (mostly glucose) in the digestive tract. From there, they enter the bloodstream and elevate blood sugar levels. Because high blood sugars are toxic, the body responds with a hormone called insulin, which tells the cells to bring the glucose into the cells and to start burning or storing it.

People with Type 2 Diabetes have an impaired system of Glucose uptake and storage.

But there is actually a very simple solution to this problem -  by cutting carbohydrates, you remove the need for all of that insulin.

Thus with Low carb diet blood sugars and insulin go way down

If you are currently on blood sugar lowering medication, then talk to your doctor before making changes to your carbohydrate intake, because your dosage may need to be adjusted in order to prevent hypoglycemia.

7. Reduces Blood Pressure 

Hypertension (Elevated Blood pressure) is an important risk factor for many diseases.

This includes heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and many others.

Low-carb diets are an effective in reducing Blood pressure which eventually reduces the risk of various diseases.

8. Low-Carb Diets Are The Most Effective Treatment Known Against Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a medical condition that is highly associated with the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

It is actually a collection of symptoms:

Abdominal obesity

Elevated blood pressure

Elevated fasting blood sugar levels

High triglycerides

Low HDL levels

It also leads to Polycystic Ovarian Disease which is an important cause of Infertility in women.

The good news is… all symptoms improve dramatically on a low-carb diet .

9. Low-Carb Diets Improve The Pattern of LDL Cholesterol

 Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is often referred to as the “bad” cholesterol (again, it is actually a protein). It is known that people who have high LDL are much more likely to have heart attacks. However scientists have now learned that it is the type of LDL that matters. Not all of them are equal.

In this regard, the size of the particles is important. People who have mostly small particles have a high risk of heart disease, while people who have mostly large particles have a low risk.

It found that low-carb diets actually turn the LDL particles from small to large, while reducing the number of LDL particles floating around in the bloodstream.

Thus, with a low Carb diet, small LDL(Bad) is converted to Large LDL(Better) reducing the risk of diseases

10. Low-Carb Diets Are Therapeutic For Several Brain Disorders

Glucose is necessary for proper functioning of Brain which is derived from carbohydrate. But a large part of the brain can also burn ketones, which are formed during starvation or when carbohydrate intake is very low.

This is the mechanism behind the ketogenic diet, which has been used for decades to treat epilepsy in children who don’t respond to drug treatment.

In many cases, this diet can cure children of epilepsy.

(BEWARE: It is only of Historic use, though not practiced nowadays.)

Very low-carb/ketogenic diets are now being studied for other brain disorders as well, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.