Tag Archives: stroke

Stroke Risk Cut with Exercise

senior runner Moderate-to-high intensity exercise like jogging, swimming, or tennis may help reduce stroke risk in older men. But sorry ladies, for some reason the results don’t translate for women.

A study included almost 3,300 men and women in Manhattan, with an average age of 69. The men who did moderate-to-high intensity exercise were 63 percent less likely to have a stroke than people who didn’t exercise. Over a five year period, the baseline risk of ischemic stroke (the leading type of stroke) for all participants was 4.3 percent; 2.7 percent for those who did moderate-to-high intensity exercise and 4.6 percent for those who didn’t exercise. (more…)

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Jason

Can Road Noise Cause High Blood Pressure?

When I take long road trips, I always wonder when I see beautiful mansions on the side of the highway “why on Earth would anyone build such a beautiful home right there?” Well, there are more than aesthetic reasons for not building your home right next to a busy road. According to a team at Lund University in Sweden, people who live near a noisy road are at a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.

The health risk was even higher when the noise rose above an average daily exposure of 60 decibels. That accounts for about one in four people in western Europe. No comparable analysis was done on how many people would be affected in the U.S. (more…)

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Jason

Music’s Health Benefits Sing a Happy Tune

Everyone should have a steady diet of fruits, vegetables, and music. That’s right, music is good for the soul, and the rest of your body. Authors of the latest study on music’s health benefits claim that the best type is opera, which may help particularly with stroke rehabilitation. woman with ipod

Researchers tested various combinations of music with silence on volunteers and found that songs that emphasized alternating between fast and slow tempos were most effective in improving circulation and heart health.

“We have seen enormous benefits in people who have had strokes or heart attacks. The power of music is just incredible,” says Diana Greenman, chief executive of Music in Hospitals, a UK-based charity that provides live music to hospital patients. (more…)

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Jason

Fast Food Location Linked to Increased Strokes

There’s more concern over the fast-food industry. This time researchers are finding that the more fast-food establishments there are in the proximity of your home, the higher the risk of stroke

Researcher Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor counted 1,247 strokes caused by blood clots in 64 census tracts in Nueces County, Texas, from January 2000 through June 2003.

“The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by one percent for every fast-food restaurant,” the authors wrote in a poster presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference. (more…)

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Jason

Spring: A Stroke of Bad Luck For Some

Spring is on its way. It’s a time of renewal, blossoming trees, and apparently stroke. In this study, stroke risk was highest in March, April and May, regardless of people’s known risk factors. Now, I hate to be a cynic, but a lot of these types of studies sound so bogus. You can take any random collection of events, and they can by happenstance fall into some sort of pattern. Presto – you have a “trend.” The key to there being any validity to the study centers on the idea that blood pressure may vary with climate.

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Jason

One more reason to watch your BMI

A study just released from the journal Stroke reported that men with high body mass index (BMI) and high systolic blood pressure are at an increased risk of dying from a stroke. It seems like weekly, we continue to get reports from clinically-controlled trials which support the increasing body of evidence that maintaining a healthy BMI and blood pressure levels equates to a healthier and even longer life.

Start to get in the habit of being able to rattle off your health numbers- like your BMI, blood pressure and triglycerides just as quickly as you can cite your shoe size. Maintaining ongoing checks and balances on your health will motivate you to stay on track with your health goals and it will alert you to a red flag when those numbers creep up to unhealthier levels.

Posted on February 8, 2024 by heather