how can one try to prevent from getting a stroke?

Answer 1

National Stroke Association suggests you ask your doctor for advice on how to best use these guidelines



Stroke Prevention Guidelines

1) Know your blood pressure.- High Blood pressure is a leading cause of strokes
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2) Find out if you have atrial fibrillation-
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an irregular heartbeat that changes how your heart works and allows blood to collect in the chambers of your heart.This blood, which is not moving through your body, tends to clot. The beating of your heart can move one of these blood clots into your blood stream, and can cause a stroke. Doctors use blood thinners to prevent the formation of clots.

3) If you smoke, stop. - Soking doubles the risks for strokes.

4) I f you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Studies now show that two drinks a day may prevent stokes. However, anything more than that increases the risks as well as other disease such as liver disease.
5) Find out if you have high cholesterol-Know your cholesterol number. If your total cholesterol is over 200, you at risk for strokes.

6) If you are diabetic.- Having diabetes, puts you at high risk for a stroke.Diabetes should be controlled by diet, meds and exercise.
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7) Exercise.- brisk walk for as little as 30 minutes a day can improve your health in many ways, and may reduce your risk for stroke. Try walking with a friend; this will make it more likely that you'll make it a habit.
If you don't enjoy walking, choose another exercise or activity that you do enjoy, such as biking, swimming, golf, tennis, dance, or aerobics. Make time each day to take care of yourself by exercising.

8) Enjoy a lower sodium (salt), lower fat diet. By cutting down on sodium and fat in your diet, you may be able to lower your blood pressure and, most importantly, lower your risk for stroke. Work towards a balanced diet each day with plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and a moderate amount of protein (meat, fish, eggs, milk, nuts, tofu, and some beans).
Adding fiber, such as whole grain bread and cereal products, raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables and dried beans, to the diet can reduce cholesterol levels by 6 to 19 percent.


9) Circulation (movement of the blood through the heart and blood vessels) problems.- Fatty deposits - caused by atherosclerosis (a hardening or buildup of cholesterol plaque and other fatty deposits in the arteries) or other diseases - can block the arteries which carry blood from your heart to your brain. These arteries, located on each side of your neck, are called carotid and vertebral arteries. This kind of blockage, if left untreated, can cause stroke.


10) Know the Symptoms of Stroke.

If you have any stroke symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.



These include:
Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg - especially on one side of the body.
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
Sudden severe headache with no known cause.



If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you may have had a TIA or mini-stroke. Ask your doctor if you can lower your risk for stroke by taking aspirin, or by other means.
If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do this simple test:





Act F.A.S.T.
FACE
Ask the person to smile.
Does one side of the face droop?

ARMS
Ask the person to raise both arms.
Does one arm drift downward?

SPEECH
Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?

TIME
If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important.
Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying

Answer 2

i have always been of fan of avoiding smoking, diet and exercise...but here is some other help:

Lowering Stroke Risk
The new report reiterated some well-known steps that people can take to lower their stroke risk, including:

Knowing your blood pressure and keeping high blood pressure under control
Not smoking and avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke
Getting regular physical exercise
Aggressively treating disorders that increase stroke risk, such as diabetes, irregular heartbeat, carotid artery disease, and heart failure
Treating diabetes patients with statins to lower "bad" cholesterol
Increasing potassium in the diet to at least 4.7 grams a day and reducing sodium intake to 2.3 grams or less to help lower blood pressure in people with hypertension
Limiting alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks a day if you are a man and one drink a day if you are a woman. Avoiding illicit drug use.
Taking low-dose aspirin if you are a woman at high risk for stroke. Aspirin has been shown to reduce heart attack risk in men, but the stroke data are less conclusive. No one should take aspirin for prevention without first discussing it with their doctor, however.

Answer 3

You cannot prevent but you sure hell can try to lower the risks.
1. Stop smoking
2. Control your diet/weight
3. Check your blood pressure regularly
4. Reduce stress
5. Exercise
That's all I can say for now.

Answer 4

Low doses of aspirin.