For some seniors, experiencing a stroke is a wake-up call that makes them want to take better care of their health. Your senior loved one will take the first steps toward recovering from the stroke while still in the hospital, but it won’t take long before he or she comes home. These home remedies may be helpful for boosting your loved one’s health and providing a better chance for a great recovery.
Drink Black Or Green Tea
Tea contains flavonoids, which lower blood cholesterol levels and can have a positive impact for people who have high blood pressure. Tea is also a safer beverage for stroke survivors to enjoy compared to other drinks that are high in calories. If your loved one is sensitive to caffeine, make sure to serve decaf varieties of tea.
Garlic
Garlic, a wonder plant, has many medicinal properties. It contains a molecule called ajoene, which prevents blood platelets from accumulating at one place and forming a blood clot, which causes a stroke. For better effects, consume raw garlic. One of the major reasons behind cardiovascular problems is high cholesterol level. And, garlic can help you decrease the level of bad cholesterol in the body and increase the levels of the good one.
Eating garlic can increase a person’s nitric oxide levels. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and antifungal food. Its main active ingredient, allicin, is often responsible for associated health benefits.
Some research suggests that garlic increases the body’s production of nitric oxide, which helps the smooth muscles to relax and the blood vessels to dilate.
These changes can reduce hypertension.
One study reported that garlic extract reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive people.
Garlic can enhance the flavour of many savory meals, including stir-fries, soups, and omelets. Using garlic instead of salt can further promote the health of the heart.
Dietary changes may extend life span by up to 10 years
A diet rich in legumes and whole grains can add up to 1 decade to a person’s life if they start eating for longevity early enough.
The study comes with a free, interactive online calculator people can use to explore the life expectancy benefits achievable by eating specific foods.
It may come as no surprise that the types of food people eat can have a profound impact on their health.
Having a general sense of what to eat for health is one thing, but the wealth of available information can be overwhelming.
A new study — which comes with a free, interactive online calculator Food4HealthyLife — makes it easy to estimate the beneficial effect of any food group on a person’s longevity. The research used comprehensive global data from the Global Burden of Diseases study.
Taking into account a person’s age and the proportion of different food groups they consume, the calculator models the life expectancy benefit that they may achieve.
The factors that influence one’s life expectancy extend beyond their diet, and the calculator predicts only the potential effect of dietary changes in isolation.
The scientists conclude that a sustained switch from a typical Western diet to the optimal diet from age 20 years could increase life expectancy by around 10.7 years for women and 13 years for men. The study was published in PLOS Medicine.
Tomatoes
Here is another reason to savour tomatoes: a recent study in Neurology finds they may help lower your risk of ischemic stroke—blockage of a brain artery that starves cells of oxygen and causes them to die. Lycopene seems to have some beneficial effects when it is in the form of fruits and vegetables. Also, tomatoes have antioxidants. Antioxidants are believed to help protect against cell damage from molecules known as “free radicals” and “singlet molecular oxygen”. Antioxidants are thought to work by reacting with an unstable molecule and bringing it under control. Some have suggested that antioxidants may have a protective effect against stroke by reducing damage to blood vessels.
Balanced healthy diet
Eating a balanced, nutritious diet is the key to stroke prevention. It is important to lower the amount of fat in the diet (saturated and trans fats) so as to reduce the risk of blood clots in the artery. The diet should include plenty of fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains, seeds and beans to avoid suffering from a stroke.
Physical activity
Regular exercise is another important aspect of lowering the chances of a stroke. Cardiovascular exercises, including swimming, jogging, yoga, biking and more, increase the level of good cholesterol in the body and improve the resilience of the arteries and the heart. Moderate activity like riding a bike, walking, or yoga is recommended every day for 30 minutes.
Also, researchers have shown that exercise alters brain chemistry to protect aging synapses and enhanced nerve transmission in older adults who remained active.
When elderly people stay active, their brains have more of a class of proteins that enhances the connections between neurons to maintain healthy cognition, a University of California (U.C.) San Francisco study has found.
This protective impact was found even in people whose brains at autopsy were riddled with toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The study was published in the January 7 issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition have been shown in mice but have been much harder to demonstrate in people.
Reduced salt intake
Salt intake of less than 5 grammes per day for adults helps to reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart attack. The principal benefit of lowering salt intake is a corresponding reduction in high blood pressure.
No smoking
Nicotine from cigarette smoke thickens the blood and makes it more susceptible to clot. Smoking can lead to aneurysms and is linked to lung disease, heart disease and cancer. Smoking increases the chances of ischemic attack twofold and the risk of haemorrhagic stroke fourfold. It also causes atherosclerosis (fatty deposits) in the carotid artery, which is the main blood vessel to the brain.
Weight loss
Research has shown that people whose BMI (Body Mass Index) is over 30 are two to three times more likely to suffer from stroke compared to those with a normal weight (a BMI of less than 25). In addition, obesity also brings with it different complications like diabetes and high blood pressure, which raises the odds of having a stroke. Therefore, it is necessary to include physical exercises as part of the everyday routine.
Avoid physical and mental stress
Stressful conditions can increase the risk of a stroke. Inadequate rest, long working hours, ongoing emotional stress, or physically demanding tasks can all contribute to stress, releasing hormones that raise the blood pressure and increase the probability of blood clotting. Reducing one’s stress levels with the help of meditation, yoga helps to overcome feelings of anger, resentment, hatred, or repressed animosity, all of which can also contribute to the risk of stroke.
Control diabetes
Diabetes is a risk factor for stroke. The high blood sugar level in the body damages blood vessels, which makes it more likely for clots to form. To prevent strokes, it is important to keep diabetes under control. One should follow a nutritionist’s instructions, monitor the blood sugar levels, and implement other lifestyle changes, such as exercise and a healthy diet.
Good sleep
For those who want to reduce the risk of stroke, getting an optimal amount of sleep regularly is important. Researchers at the University of Alabama found a strong link between getting less than six hours of sleep and a higher incidence of stroke symptoms for people over 45.
Stay positive and optimistic
According to scientists at Harvard University, people with positive dispositions are far less likely to suffer from heart attacks or strokes. Studies have also found a 50 per cent reduction in cardiovascular disease for those who scored highest for optimism and vitality.
Lower blood pressure
High blood pressure is a huge factor, doubling or even quadrupling your stroke risk if it is not controlled. High blood pressure is the biggest contributor to the risk of stroke in both men and women. Monitoring blood pressure and, if it is elevated, treating it, is probably the biggest difference people can make to their vascular health.
Your ideal goal: Maintain a blood pressure of less than 135/85. But for some, a less aggressive goal (such as 140/90) may be more appropriate.
How to achieve it:
*Reduce the salt in your diet to no more than 1,500 milligrams a day (about a half teaspoon).
*Avoid high-cholesterol foods, such as burgers, cheese, and ice cream.
*Eat four to five cups of fruits and vegetables every day, one serving of fish two to three times a week, and several daily servings of whole grains and low-fat dairy.
*Get more exercise — at least 30 minutes of activity a day, and more, if possible.
*Quit smoking, if you smoke.
If needed, take blood pressure medicines.
If you drink — do it in moderation
Drinking a little alcohol may decrease your risk of stroke. Studies show that if you have about one drink per day, your risk may be lower. Once you start drinking more than two drinks per day, your risk goes up very sharply.
Your goal: Don’t drink alcohol or do it in moderation.
How to achieve it:
*Have no more than one glass of alcohol a day.
*Make red wine your first choice, because it contains resveratrol, which is thought to protect the heart and brain.
*Watch your portion sizes. A standard-sized drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine, 12-ounce beer, or 1.5-ounce glass of hard liquor.
Beets
Drinking beet juice can reduce blood pressure in the short and long terms. In 2015, researchers reported that drinking red beet juice led to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension who drank 250 milliliters, about one cup, of the juice every day for four weeks. The researchers noticed some positive effects within 24 hours.
In this study, those who drank one cup of the beet juice every day had an average drop in blood pressure of around 8/4 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). For many, this change brought their blood pressure within the normal range. On average, a single blood pressure medication reduces levels by 9/5 mm Hg.
The researchers suggested that beet’s high levels of inorganic nitrate caused the reduction in blood pressure.
Watermelon
Watermelon contains an amino acid called citrulline, which may help to manage high blood pressure.
Citrulline helps the body to produce nitric oxide, a gas that relaxes blood vessels and encourages flexibility in arteries. These effects aid the flow of blood, which can lower high blood pressure.
In one study, adults with obesity and prehypertension or mild hypertension that took watermelon extract showed reduced blood pressure in the ankles and brachial arteries. The brachial artery is the main artery in the upper arm.
Researchers have also found that animals given a diet rich in watermelon had better heart health. In one study, mice that drank a solution containing watermelon juice had 50 percent less plaque in their arteries than the control group.
The mice that drank the solution also had 50 percent less low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which many describe as bad cholesterol, and they showed 30 percent less weight gain than the control animals.
Lentils and other pulses
Lentils are a staple of many diets around the world, as they are an excellent source of vegetarian protein and fiber.
In 2014, researchers who studied the effects of a diet rich in pulses on rats reported decreased levels of blood pressure and cholesterol. A total of 30 percent of the rats’ diet comprised pulses, including beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas.
Lentils are very versatile. Many people use them as a vegetarian alternative to minced beef or to add bulk to salads, stews, and soups. A range of lentils is available for purchase online.
