Health Blurbs

Have you been experiencing moments, or more, of double vision for no apparent reason? You may be having “mini-strokes” and heeding your body’s warning by contacting your doctor could save your life. Stroke is the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.

A stroke happens when blood to part of your brain gets cut off. And brain cells die if they don’t receive blood and oxygen.

The most common type of stroke is a blockage of a blood vessel to your brain or neck, known as ischemic stroke. There are three different conditions which cause this blockage of blood:

• Stenosis ~ severe narrowing of an artery leading into your brain
• Embolism ~ the movement of a clot from another part of your body
• Thrombosis ~ formation of a clot within a blood vessel of your brain or neck

Bleeding into your brain, or the spaces surrounding your brain, is a hemorrhagic stroke, the other type of stroke.

There are two steps you can take to lower your risk of death or disability from stroke:

• know stroke warning signs
• control strokes risk factors

Warning signs are clues that your brain is not receiving enough oxygen. If you observe one or more of these signs of a stroke (brain attack):

• sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• sudden severe headache ~ no known cause
• sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• sudden numbness, weakness face, arm, leg ~ especially on one side

Other danger signs that may occur along with these include:

• nausea
• vomiting
• drowsiness
• double vision

Don’t wait, call 911 right away!

Sometimes your warning signs may last only a few moments and then disappear. These brief episodes are known as transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), or “mini-strokes.” They may be warning you about an underlying serious condition that isn’t going away.

Unfortunately, too many ignore these warnings since they seem to go away. Don’t. Heeding them can save your life.

One of the most important treatable and potent risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure (hypertension). If your blood pressure is high, you need to do whatever it takes to bring it down into your normal range.

Some lifestyle adjustments that will help reduce your high blood pressure that needs to made your priority right away are:

• exercise more
• cut down on salt
• maintain proper weight
• eat fruits and vegetables
• avoid drugs known to raise blood pressure

Your doctor may also prescribe medication that helps lower your blood pressure.

If you have diabetes, you need to get it under control. It causes destructive changes in the blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain. Also, if blood glucose levels are high at the time of a stroke, then brain damage is usually more severe and extensive than when blood glucose is well-controlled.

Let your double vision lead you straight to your doctor for further evaluation, and while you are there ask them for additional lifestyle adjustments you need to make in preventing the preventable. Get healthy and get happy in a single stroke.

• Heart Disease: Inside Scoop to Prevention
• Hypertension: What It Is and Why You May Have It
• High Blood Pressure and Why Lowering is Important
• Cuffs for Self Monitoring Blood Pressure to Prevent or Lower High Blood Pressure
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