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March 22, 2008
Christina V. Mills
Because my grandmother had multiple strokes and eventually died from them, I have become increasingly alert to stories that decrease a woman’s risk, even if she has a family history of strokes. A particular story on CNN.com piqued my interest and encouraged me to further investigate the matter.
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in America, and according to the National Stroke Association, African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke as Caucasians.
While these are sobering statistics, many of us have already heard that diets high in saturated fats and sodium, combined with a lack of exercise have greatly contributed to this problem in the African American community.
However,
this article on CNN.com, provides even more insight into other ways women can cut their risk of having a stroke. And surprisingly, they cite birth control pills, chiropractic visits, and visits to the hair salon as potential means for triggering strokes.
Strokes are generally caused by decreased blood flow to the brain from an aneurysm that bursts a blood vessel or a blockage to a blood vessel from a blood clot. Immediately, the connection with birth control pills became clear, as every commercial promoting them warns women not to smoke for the risk of blood clots.
While we all know this, it seems to be a broken record that everyone has tuned out as millions of women still smoke – while on birth control. With smoking, it seems that the potential consequences of cancer are years off, giving the smoker time to quit. Yet strokes caused by blood clots can happen even in a woman’s 40s or earlier and can cause permanent damage if not death.
Visits to chiropractors also make sense, as the quick adjustments of the neck can disrupt blood vessels and release blood clots, diminishing the precious blood flow to the brain. This seems pretty easy to avoid. Yet, many women are self-neck crackers. While cracking one’s own neck certainly does not have the same amount of force as when it is done by a chiropractor, this may be a bad habit to try to quit ASAP.
But the hair salon? Apparently, the deep angle at which the neck is held while having the hair washed is the source of the problem. But not to worry! According to CNN, simply placing a towel under the neck to decrease the angle can help to manage the risk.
Another very notable risk factor is drinking more than one alcoholic drink per day. While ‘common knowledge’ tells us that one glass of red wine a day is good for the heart, it may actually be detrimental to African American women with the risk of stroke as it leads to hypertension.
It would be outrageous to expect women to completely give up using birth control pills and going to the hair salon, and visiting chiropractors to decrease the risk of having a stroke. However, the presence of this information is not to scare women, but to provide awareness so that at least women can weigh their risks and make educated decisions. And with about 80 percent of strokes being preventable, according to the American Stroke Association, every little bit helps.
