When we hear the word “Stroke”, it can be alarming for anyone. A stroke can be listed as fairly harmless to deadly. It is a challenging situation for anyone to face with his or her health. So the question is, how do we avoid it? What can we do to naturally keep our bodies healthy enough to potentially never have one? If we understand what may be the root cause for many strokes, then we can ask and understand what to do to support the body. First we must understand what a stroke is. In radio, I hear this a lot. A stroke occurs when there is a weakness in the wall of a blood vessel causing it to tear or rupture. There are many theories on why this takes place. The plaquing of the arteries called atherosclerosis has been one universal theory in medicine that has caused the medical community to function off of the cholesterol premise to monitor good and bad cholesterol. The late Linus Pauling won a Nobel Peace Prize for his research on Vitamin C and its role in collagen production and stabilizing the vessels. He challenged much of the medical community of his day. It is a theory that is still being examined. At the heart of any health challenge, we must look at the physiology. A stroke is a weakened vessel in the body. What causes the weakness? Typically it has to do with the collagen and elastin that makes up the vessels themselves. Collagen is a protein that we get from the foods we eat. The challenge is that over time, our bodies break that collagen down. This is why you see much of the aging in the skin, the wrinkles, etc. Poor dietary habits, smoking, drinking, lack of sleep. These are all contributing factors.
But I thought strokes were genetic? Kind of. Yes genetics play a role in a stroke, but a limited amount. Our lifestyle choices that we make daily will usually override the genetics. So I am going to share some of the basics of what it takes to have a strong cardiovascular system. Ultimately, that should be the goal. Great stroke prevention is found in a healthy cardio system. So here we go…
1.Eat More Hydrolized Collagen
We just don’t get enough from chicken, fish, beef, etc. After age 40, our bodies don’t produce enough hydrochloric acid to properly break down the proteins. We must utilize a form of collagen that we can digest. Taking in about 10g per day has been shown in research to be helpful in addition to an anti-inflammatory diet. I personally like Great Lakes Hydrolized Collagen.
2.Increase Vitamin C
We are generally low in the levels we need in vitamin C. Getting it from natural sources like fruits and vegetables are the best option. Vitamin C is a catalyst for making Collagen to support strong and healthy vessels.
3.Exercise
Get moving 6 day per week. You don’t have the option of being lazy anymore if you want a strong cardio system. If you ache and hurt, then go swim. No more excuses.
4.Vitamin E
It’s been proven now that Vitamin E is a powerful source to help in collagen production and increasing the strength of the vessels. Make sure to get a natural source. Look on the label for the d-Alpha rather than the dl-alpha version.
5.Beef and Chicken Stock
Make your own bone broth and stock. Drinking the broth up to 16oz per day can have dramatic effects for empowering your health.
6.Sleep
The restoration that we get from sleep can be dramatic. The increase of our HgH growth hormone will help increase collagen and strengthen the vessels.