Apoplectic

The most recent report for mortality statistics in the USA was released in 2009 and gives numbers for 2006. I have made mention of this report in past posts. The third leading cause of mortality is cerebrovascular disease - better known as stroke or CVA or colloquially - an apoplexy.

The American Heart Association is a supporter of efforts to reduce salt in processed or purchased foods in the USA. Why would they endorse this "invasion" into our food choices? “Lowering sodium is essential to reversing the trend of more Americans developing high blood pressure – a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” said Nancy Brown, the chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. Read more about the National Salt Reduction Initiative here.

The thought of having a stroke scares me pretty bad, maybe worse than having a heart attack. I take comfort in knowing that most strokes can be prevented and I will do everything in my power to make those modifications.

Many people get upset when the Government (big G) gets involved in what we eat and drink, and I can see that this would bother people. On the other hand, I am aware of industry tactics and a lot of the time, the food that we eat has harmful ingredients for no other reason than to get us to keep buying the product. Think of TFAs and HFCS and yes, sodium(salt). It is okay to add salt to your food if you like, but when the American Heart Association which has no ulterior motives suggests that we keep our levels at 1500mg a day - something has got to give change.

Here are the ways that cerebrovascular disease can be prevented:

Limit Salt Intake
Do Not Smoke
Drink only in Moderation - if you drink
Maintain a Healthy Weight (check BMI, WHR, blood work - not just the scale)
Eat a Plant Based Diet, limit red meat and add Omega 3 rich seafood
Exercise

It is more of the same isn't it - take care of yourself and then hope for the best! Makes more sense than ignoring the prevention piece and hoping for the best - that's a Russian Roulette scenario there.

In 2006, according to the CDC's report, about 140,000 persons died from this disease. There are cases where people have strokes though they have adhered to all the recommendations and were living what appears to be a healthy lifestyle. I KNOW, I try not to spend much of my energy worrying about that (it is much less common). WHY? I cannot control it - if you can control it - do so, if not, move on.

That being said, the next important thing is to know the symptoms of a stroke and to get help immediately. The symptoms can be reviewed here.