Stroke is the number one cause of adult disability in the world’s wealthiest countries and the third leading cause of death after heart attack and cancer.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that simple lifestyle changes can dramatically reduce your risk. Read on to discover the 7 top risk factors for stroke and what you can do to prevent them.
But first, what is a stroke and what are the warning signs?
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted and brain tissue is deprived of oxygen and nutrients. Most strokes are ischaemic strokes caused by blood clots blocking an artery to the brain.
About one out of five are caused by a haemorrhage in a blood vessel to the brain. This is a haemorrhagic stroke. It can occur when an artery ruptures causing bleeding into the brain.
A stroke can also happen when a clot from elsewhere in the body becomes dislodged and blocks an artery in the brain {embolic stroke}.
The common symptoms are:
Numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg on one or both sides of the body.
Loss of vision in one or both eyes.
Speech difficulty.
Vertigo, loss of balance.
Sudden, severe headache.
Confusion and memory problems.
Difficulty swallowing.
Seizures or blackouts.
RISK FACTOR NUMBER 1.
High blood pressure or hypertension.
Defined by the US National Institutes of Health as a blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher.
Factors such as a high fat diet, stress and being overweight can narrow arteries. The resulting pressurized blood flow damages artery walls, making the formation of fatty plaque more likely. Plaque can break off and cause blood clots to form according to studies at the Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Centre at Robarts Research Institute London, Ontario, Canada.
Normalizing blood pressure cuts the risk of stroke in half. No other preventative measure is as effective. The Mediterranean diet can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke by up to 60%.This diet calls for five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. It also emphasizes the importance of whole grains, beans, fish and poultry. It suggests replacing butter and cream with olive oil or oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid.
RISK FACTOR NUMBER 2.
Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke.
Cigarette smoke is a bigger risk factor than previously thought. Research conducted at the University of Auckland New Zealand divided people into three groups: smokers, non smokers exposed to secondhand smoke and non smokers not exposed to secondhand smoke.
Researchers discovered that smokers had six times the stroke risk of non smokers and non smokers exposed to secondhand smoke had almost double the risk of other non smokers.
The obvious prevention is to quit smoking. Some success has been achieved with nicotine patches, anti smoking medication and hypnosis.
RISK FACTOR NUMBER 3.
Sticky blood or platelet aggregation.
In this process, microscopic components of blood stick together, leading to clot formation. To prevent this, talk to your doctor about taking a low dose aspirin daily. Aspirin inhibits platelet aggregation and can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 30% in some people. Vitamin E can improve blood flow and prevent blood clots. It is possibly the most important vitamin for promoting normal blood circulation, healthy arteries and heart.
RISK FACTOR NUMBER 4.
High cholesterol level.
High total and/or high LDL ["bad"] cholesterol levels contribute to the narrowing of arteries.
Prevention: Have a blood test. If your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol are high, ask your doctor to discuss options with you. A number of natural options are available. These include a high fiber diet. Psillium husks and ground flaxseed are particularly high in fiber. Garlic can lower cholesterol levels as well as clean the arteries of accumulated fats.
RISK FACTOR NUMBER 5.
Ministrokes.
Before a person has a stroke, he/she might have one or more “ministrokes”, or transient ischaemic attacks [TIAs}. The symptoms are the same as a stroke.
Though TIA symptoms go away, those who have had a TIA have about a 30% risk of having a stroke within the next two months.
Prevention: If you think you have had a TIA, see your doctor without delay. It is possible that you
Tags: Adult Disability, Anatomy, Artery Walls, Blood Supply To The Brain, blood test, Brain Tissue, Factors, Fatty Plaque, Floods, High Blood Pressure, Institute London, Ischaemic Strokes, London Ontario Canada, Loss Of Balance, Loss Of Vision, Major, Mediterranean Diet, National Institutes Of Health, pigbel, Preventative Measure, Prevention, Risk, Risk Factors For Stroke, Robarts Research Institute, Speech Difficulty, Stroke, Stroke Prevention, structure, SUMMER, Wealthiest Countries, What Is A Stroke
The New York (NY) Islanders is one of the two ice hockey teams from New York. The NY Islanders were formed to block the upstart New York Raiders of the World Hockey Association (WHA), and the WHA itself from placing its team at the newly constructed Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County. Officials of the Nassau County wanted nothing to do with WHA, which they did not consider to be a professional league. They sought the help of William Shea, who had brought the New York Mets to the area. Shea, with the help of the then NHL president – Clarence Campbell – had a franchise awarded to Roy Boe, a clothing manufacturer and owner of American Basketball Association’s New York Nets, to form another team in the NHL league.
Expecting to be named the Long Island Ducks, the team was surprisingly named the New York Islanders. Playing in the Atlantic Division of the NHL, the NY Islanders are based at Uniondale, New York.
Starting their life in the league in 1972, they won their first Stanley Cup, the Championship Trophy of the NHL, in the 1979-80 season, and followed this up with three more trophies, consecutively in the 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83 seasons. The NY Islanders also won three consecutive Prince of Wales Trophies for the 1982, 1983, and 1984 seasons. The Prince of Wales Trophy is awarded to the Eastern Conference (formerly the Wales Conference) playoff champions.
1974 To 1979 – The Years Of Accendancy
The first few years were the time to build up the team. In 1975, there occurred one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of NHL. Having earned their first berth in the playoffs, the NY Islanders beat their fiercest rivals, the New York Rangers, in the very first round in the best of three games, when they scored the winning goal in the 11 seconds into the extra session.
They followed this stunning performance with another more stunning performance in the second round. Down three games in the best of seven games series to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the NY Islanders came back with another inspired performance to win the next four games, and the round. The only time when such a feat was performed by any North American professional sports team was by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1941-42, and by the Boston Red Sox – nearly 30 years later in 2004.
They nearly repeated the stunning display in the third round, coming from 3-nil down to equalize in six games, and then losing the seventh deciding game to the eventual Stanley Sup winners, the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Tickets
If you wish to procure your NY Islanders tickets for the home and away games, you will need to book well in advance. Whether you are looking for NY Islanders tickets for the season or post season games, they are not easy to come by.
You can certainly purchase your NY Islanders tickets from licensed ticket brokers in New York, who will attend to all your ticketing problems professionally and competently. Give them a call for your NY Islanders tickets, and rest easy.
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The city of New York has nine teams representing the four major sports – baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey. Two teams represent New York in ice hockey – the New York (NY) Rangers, and the New York Islanders. The NY Rangers are based at the Madison Square Garden, whereas the New York Islanders play from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale – New York. The NY Rangers is the older of the two teams and started playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1926.
The NY Rangers came into being as part of a franchise granted the Madison Square Garden by the NHL during the 1926-27 season. As the then president of the Madison Square Garden – G. L. ‘Tex’ Rickard – was responsible for building this team; the team came to be known as ‘Tex’s’ Rangers. This is how the team later came to be named the New York Rangers.
The NY Rangers have won four Stanley Cups – the championship trophy of the NHL. The NY Rangers did what no other team has ever done since – win their first Stanley Cup in their sophomore year. They won this during the 1927-28 season and followed it thrice more during the 1932-33, 1939-40, and 1993-94 seasons. They won this last Cup in front of their cheering home crowd at the Madison Square Garden.
The New Yorkers are proud of their team, which has won the Prince of Wales Trophy three times. The Prince of Wales Trophy is the NHL trophy awarded to the Eastern Conference playoff champions. The NY Rangers have also won the President’s Trophy twice. This is presented by the NHL to the team that finishes with the best record in the league during the regular season.
The Home Ground
The Madison Square Garden is home of the NY Rangers since 1926. That was the third Madison Square Garden, and since 1968, they have moved into the fourth Madison Square Garden. The Garden has 18,20 seats for hockey, and is unquestionably the most beautiful arena in the world.
The NY Rangers honors its greatest players by retiring their jersey numbers, never to be worn by any other Rangers team member. So far, the Rangers have retired four jersey numbers, and these numbers will hang – forever – from the rafters of the Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers Tickets
More than 25 home games are scheduled to be played by the NY Rangers until the first week of April 2007 at the Madison Square Garden. This is a great opportunity for the fans of the Rangers to watch their favorite team playing close up. With the games being played close to home, the NY Rangers tickets are definitely not going to be easy to come by.
With all the fans hankering to watch the games, the NY Rangers tickets would all have been sold out. It may already be too late in the day to expect to procure your NY Rangers tickets at the venue.
Your best option is the reputed ticket brokers, who have the resources to deliver your NY Rangers tickets to your door.
Tags: Rangers
