Popular Science: Exploring the warning signs of stroke!

Stroke is a serious neurological disease that brings great pain and burden to patients and their families. However, by understanding the signs of stroke and taking effective preventive measures, we can reduce the morbidity and mortality of stroke.

1. Premonitions of stroke

Stroke is a serious neurological disease, and its precursor symptoms can indicate the onset of stroke.

Amaurosis fugax: This refers to the transient blackening of one eye, which may appear as a dark shadow in front of the eye or loss of vision. This condition may be caused by stenosis or bleeding of the ophthalmic artery. This is one of the earliest warning signs of a stroke and requires high attention.

Severe headache: If the headache is different from the past, feels worse and persists, especially in a fixed position, it may be a precursor to cerebral hemorrhage and stroke. This headache may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

Obvious vertigo: Vertigo accompanied by nausea and vomiting, and symptoms on one side of the body, such as difficulty lifting a leg or numbness in the hands and feet, may be a precursor to a stroke. This may be caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain or cerebral hemorrhage.

Symptoms of numbness in the hands when twisting the neck: When you turn your neck to one side, your fingers suddenly become numb and weak, and then recover after 1-2 minutes. This may be a sign that the carotid artery is already highly narrowed, and you need to pay attention to it. This may be caused by carotid artery stenosis or thrombosis.

Frequent yawning: If the elderly yawn frequently, especially if they yawn every day and feel drowsy, this may be a sign of risk factors such as high blood lipids, high blood sugar, and obesity, and is also one of the precursors of stroke. This may be caused by lack of oxygen or blood supply to the brain.

Recurrent nosebleeds: For elderly people with hypertension and arteriosclerosis, recurrent nosebleeds may be a sign of stroke, especially cerebral hemorrhage. This may be caused by rupture of nasal blood vessels or cerebral blood vessels caused by high blood pressure.

It is worth noting that a considerable number of stroke patients do not have obvious symptoms before the onset of the disease. Middle-aged and elderly people, especially those with high-risk factors for stroke, should consider the possibility of stroke if they experience the above symptoms and seek medical treatment in time. The treatment effect of timely medical treatment will be significantly better than treatment after the onset of stroke.

2. How to prevent stroke

Stroke prevention can be carried out in many ways.

Drug prevention: Using drugs to prevent stroke is a common method. These drugs usually include lipid-lowering drugs such as statins and antiplatelet aggregation drugs such as aspirin. These drugs can lower blood lipids, improve blood viscosity, and reduce the risk of thrombosis, thereby reducing the incidence of stroke. However, it should be noted that these drugs usually need to be taken for a long time to achieve significant preventive effects.

Prevention through exercise: Appropriate exercise can enhance the body's resistance, improve blood circulation throughout the body, and prevent the occurrence of stroke. The intensity and duration of exercise can be adjusted according to personal physical condition, but shoulder exercises, foot circles, neck massage, etc. require long-term persistence.

(1) Shoulder exercise: Place your hands on both sides of your shoulders with your palms facing down. Rotate your shoulders from back to front 10 times, then from front to back 10 times. Then, lift and lower your shoulders repeatedly. Each time you shrug your shoulders, try to tighten your muscles, and also try to relax your muscles when you relax.

(2) Draw circles with your feet: Moving the ankle joints can not only dredge the relevant meridians, but also stimulate the acupoints around the joints, balancing yin and yang and harmonizing qi and blood. Moving your hands and feet can also relax your muscles and activate blood circulation, reducing the risk of stroke.

(3) Massage the neck: After rubbing your hands together until they are warm, massage the left and right sides of the neck at a slightly faster speed until the skin becomes warm and red. Do this for 4 to 8 minutes each morning and evening.

Quit smoking and drinking: Tobacco and alcohol have a strong stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system. People who smoke and drink frequently will have a significantly increased risk of stroke. Quitting smoking and drinking is an important measure to prevent stroke.

Dietary prevention: A reasonable diet is also important for preventing stroke. It is recommended that the elderly eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and eat less greasy, high-fat, and high-salt foods. For patients with hyperlipidemia, they can eat more lipid-lowering fruits and vegetables such as celery, bitter melon, and cucumber to control blood lipid levels.

Finally, getting enough sleep is also a measure to prevent stroke. Lack of sleep will affect the body's metabolism and immune system, increasing the risk of stroke. It is recommended to have at least 7 hours of rest every day to ensure the normal functioning of the body.

Stroke is a preventable disease. Through medication, exercise, quitting smoking and drinking, diet and sleep and other preventive measures, we can effectively reduce the risk of stroke. I hope this popular science article can give readers a deeper understanding of stroke. At the same time, I also hope that you can pass this information to the people around you and build a protective dam together. (Bi Zhenhua, Department of Internal Medicine, Gu'an County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Langfang City, Hebei Province)