Do you know how to protect yourself from a leading cause of disability?

The injury to a brian caused by stroke can lead to problems with talking, seeing, thinking, remembering, moving, eating, swallowing and more.  It’s no wonder stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults worldwide.

Here are some lifestyle tips to cut the risk of suffering a stroke:

  1. Eat at least 3 to 5 services of fruit and vegatables a day – the more the better.
  2. Exercise most days of the week.  Brisk walking for an hour a day five days a week can cut the risk of a stroke in half.
  3. Maintain a health weight, and especially watch out for abdominal fat.
  4. Limit alchol to no more than two drinks per day if you drink.
  5. Eat more grains such as oats, quinoa and brown rice.
  6. Eat more sources of good fats such as fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed and chia seeds.
  7. Destress – psychological stress is a known risk factor for stroke.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27375141

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443039

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9756580

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17620537

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9892451

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/193111

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195646

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26563170

Related Posts

  • Effect of a corporate chair massage program

    I recently came across a scientific study in slovenia on the impact of a corporate chair massage program.  As you can imagine, as I offer this service I was interested in the results of the study. Ninteen female volunteers who were aged between 40 - 54, were given chair massages on-site at their office twice per week for 1 month.  They were all reporting various levels of aches and pains when they were working at their desks.  The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire was used to track and measure the aches and pains, while a goniometer was used to track and measure range of motion measurements for the neck and spine. The study showed a significant decrease for aches and pains in the neck and upper back.  In addition, it found significant increase in range of movement for cervical lateral flexion of 28.8% (moving your neck so your ear goes towards your shoulder) and cervical extension (moving your head back). This study fits with me and my teams experience that after a Seated Acupressure Neck & Shoulder massages, clients are less tense, feel looser and are able to move their neck & shoulders more freely. Reference Sisko PK, Videmsek M, Karpljuk D, 2011, The effect of a corporate chair massage program on musculoskeletal discomfort and joint range of motion in office workers.  J Altern Complement Med, 17(7):617-22  

  • Can tackling the big questions in life make you less depressed and anxious?

    Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain,and it estimates to cause one fifth of days off from work. Well according to researches if you prepared to tackle big questions in life e.g.

    • Is there a God?
    • Does life have a purpose?
    you will be less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression and better able to cope with emotions. Researches surveyed 307 people about their recent life experience and found those who wouldn't engage in the big questions of life suffered "more intense" bouts of depression and anxiety.  People seem to be more emotionally healthy if they're able to accept troubling insights. Looking at spiritual doubts in an objective way seems to help.  You may or may not work through them but you can at least tolerate having them.  Also ignoring the big questions could be symptomatic of a more general problem of avoidance and escapism, which can be harmful or even self-defeating when trying to achieve goals. So maybe now is the time to start tackling the big questions in life. References NICE (2011). Common mental health disorders | Guidance and guidelines | NICE. [online] Available at: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg123 Das-Munshi et al. (2008) cited in McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. (eds.) (2016) Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital [Accessed 5 Oct 2016] Available at: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748/apms-2014-full-rpt.pdf  Carmen K. Oemig Dworsky, Kenneth I. Pargament, Serena Wong, Julie J. Exline. Suppressing spiritual struggles: The role of experiential avoidance in mental health. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 2016; 5 (4): 258 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2016.10.002  

  • Natrual Ways to Reduce Anxiety – Part 2

    Having explained what anxiety is, I want to look at how people can help themselves to reduce their anxiety levels. Whether you suffer from occasional anxious thoughts to a full blow anxiety disorder yoga can be helpful.  Once study found that women who practiced yoga twice a week for two months reduced their anxiety levels significantly. Another scientific study found that regular yoga was more effective than walking for improving the mood and anxiety levels in healthy people.  Current thinking is that Yoga may work by boosting the levels of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutryic acid) in the brain - which acts as an inhibitor in the brain reducing anxiety. References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19341989 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20722471