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Once a stroke has begun, it is too late to make sure your hospital has the best facilities to help you. So do your research now to find the best hospitals in the area for stroke care, and inform your close family and your doctor so they know where you want to go if you were to experience a stroke. If you are older and/or have high-risk factors for stroke, knowing your medical care options…

The risk factors of stroke include both modifiable and non-modifiable factors. Modifiable factors are those you have some control over. Non-modifiable factors include age, sex, race, and family history; among these, the most powerful factor is age. Approximately 75% of all strokes are in people over age 65, and your risk for stroke increases every 10 years after age 55. Why is age such a strong factor? As we get older, the intricate network of…

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is called “the silent killer” because it often has no obvious symptoms. But high blood pressure is a major cause of stroke and can cause damage to organs, such as your heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes. Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, and a Harvard study shows that 7 out of 10 are not being appropriately treated. Understanding high blood pressure Your blood pressure is a measure…

The sooner a stroke is treated, the better. In the neurological community, there is the saying “time is brain” because when a person is having a stroke, every second counts. A stroke is a blood clot or burst blood vessel that restricts blood flow to the brain. The blood carries oxygen, and within four minutes of oxygen deprivation from a stroke, brain cells begin to die. From this point forward, an estimated one million brain…

Heart attacks and strokes, though they occur in different organs, are similar in many ways and share some causes and risk factors. While their symptoms are different, decreasing your risk of one will likely decrease your risk of the other. And this is good news. Symptoms of heart attack Factors such as age, gender, severity of the episode, and other health issues can affect an individual’s precise symptoms or warning signs of a heart attack,…

Immediately after a stroke, you may be involved in a highly regimented rehabilitation program, which helps you regain a lot of your mobility. But after rehab and therapy end, what can you do to continue to improve and help avoid a second stroke? No matter what your level of mobility is, the answer is to get your body moving once you have clearance from your doctor. Benefits of exercise Regular exercise has many health benefits,…

According to the CDC, every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke, and every 3.5 minutes someone dies of a stroke. Nearly 25% of all strokes are repeat strokes, making a previous stroke a major risk factor. But an even greater risk factor is obesity – being overweight doubles your risk of stroke. Unfortunately, 66% of Americans are overweight. Why obesity increases stroke risk Like smoking, being overweight can cause a host…

The medical community is working hard to get the message out to the public about recognizing the signs of stroke and getting timely treatment to limit damage. But what exactly are emergency stroke treatments? The appropriate treatment will depend on the type and severity of the stroke. There are two types of strokes: ischemic, in which a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain, and hemorrhagic, in which there is bleeding in…

The Neuralert lightweight, non-invasive wristband device that automates stroke detection and alerting, has been selected for TIME’s List of the Best Inventions of 2022 in the medical category. “Our goal is to end the devastating impact of stroke when symptoms are not detected in time for effective treatment,” said Eric Corkhill, our CEO. “When a stroke occurs, we want patients get proven treatments faster.” One of the hallmark signs of a stroke is arm asymmetry…

There is no doubt that stroke can cause many serious consequences. In fact, stroke is the #1 cause of disability in the United States. With such a statistic, it is easy to focus on the negative when recovering from a stroke. However, many stroke patients have been able to recognize positive changes in their lives as a result of their stroke. And studies show that focusing on the positive has a strong correlation to better…