How to Prevent Your Stroke

by J. David Spence

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The Good Cook Life-saving advice for doctors and patients--both those at risk of a first stroke and those who have already had a mini-stroke, the #1 risk factor facing survivors This book is written in the hope of preventing strokes, based on advice Dr. Spence has given to the more than 16,000 at-risk patients he has seen. It is divided into two sections -- "What Your Doctor Can Do" and "What You Can Do." Quitting smoking, following a Mediterranean diet, taking appropriate drugs to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood clotting, and appropriate surgery for severely narrowed arteries in the neck can reduce stroke by as much as 75 percent in high-risk people.

* Especially among African Americans, but in anyone with blood pressure that is difficult to control, two simple blood tests (measuring renin and aldosterone) make all the difference to successful treatment.


* A Mediterranean diet will reduce stroke by nearly half in high-risk people. Dr. Spence provides a collection of gourmet "anti-stroke" recipes that he prepares for himself.
* Vitamin treatment with folic acid, B6, and B12 may prevent stroke by lowering levels of a new risk factor called homocysteine.
* Advanced imaging methods are improving management of arteries by providing feedback on the effectiveness of therapy.
* Transcranial Doppler embolus detection can identify, among patients with narrowing of the carotid arteries who do not yet have symptoms, the ones who are likely to benefit from surgery or stenting.

This approach is the powerful medicine for stroke prevention that patients and their physicians need and will learn from this book.

Genres: Health

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Silvio Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most practically relevant aspect of stroke for me right now. Written in very simple, usually clear language. The first part starts with a very quick summary of what causes strokes, then moves on into how to recognize transitory ischemic attacks - almost-strokes where the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked, but then the blockage clears before the damage becomes permanent. Then it talks about drugs or surgeries that might be called for if a TIA shows that you're at a high risk of stroke. The second part is about things that are a good idea to do even if you haven't had a TIA. The most important one is to quit smoking if you do. The next is to eat well. The goals of the eating program described are to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure and to lose weight. The author has a variety of recommendations, but the one he keeps coming back to is to eat very little meat, compared to what most people in the U.S. do - to be specific, no more than two ounces per day on average. The back of the book includes thirty or forty recipes.

[Jwt Jan50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stroke is in the gene pool. Generally, I'm with Satchel Paige about not looking over your shoulder at what is probably gaining on you, but in this case it doesn't seem prudent. Writing this review 8 years later . . . so far so good. I like the line from Puzo about keeping your enemies closer.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author works at a stroke prevention clinic and also conducts research on the topic. It contains a lot of detail about the types of strokes a person can have. It broadened my understanding or the mechanics of stroke.

It also contains information about imaging of the brain, heart, arteries, and such. And it covers risks as well as medications (as well as their side effects). It also discusses lifestyle changes a bit, like diet and exercise. However, the best part of the book is the first part--the technical description of the mechanics of strokes.

I would have given it a 5, but it's a bit dated now--written 9 years ago. Because older people are at increased risk for stroke, I thought I should read it. (I'm in my 50s, and I'm a gerontologist.)