We’ve reported many aids and treatments for various conditions afflicting physical or mental conditions especially as we age. Fortunately the solutions, whether due to an alternative remedy or due to technology keep popping up too.
Leg Wraps For Strokes – All Wrapped Up
One of the latest to grace our media was the reports about leg wraps in the treatment of strokes. A stroke as you’ll be aware is about the loss of blood to the brain. The condition is serious and can leave sufferers with long term problems.
Recent research in Scotland however suggests that the use of inexpensive, inflatable leg wraps could have positive affects on sufferers. Basically ongoing squeezing by the wraps helps the blood flow in the legs and helps restrict blood clots forming.
The research study used a sample of 2,876 patients to assess the success of this treatment and found that less clots formed with the use of the wraps. The Stoke Association found the results ‘very encouraging’.
Listen to Dr Martin Dennis of Edinburgh University talking about the potential to save lives with this method here. He estimates this treatment could help 60,000 stroke patients every year in the UK’s hospitals.
While we often associate deep clot thrombosis with long haul flights, it is also a problem for patients who cannot move i.e. after a stroke. This treatment is definitely being hailed as a break through and potentially it is very simple.
Keeping that blood pressure low
High blood pressure is a known risk for strokes. How do we know if our blood pressure is high? Often there are no symptoms at all but some conditions are known to accelerate or hinder keeping your blood pressure low. These include smoking, carrying too much weight, not exercising enough, drinking too much, heart problems, Diabetes, Lupus disease, kidney problems and simple tablets like ibuprofen. See NHS comments.
So we have some clues there. Obviously we can’t stop getting older but we can help ourselves by keeping as healthy as possible starting with an ‘everything in moderation’ policy about our food and alcohol intakes. Getting plenty of exercise is important too. Even if you aren’t up to high energy exercise, some walking, dancing, gardening or even chair exercises all help.
See how this dance class in Taiwan keeps the elderly dancers in shape. Click on the video below to watch them.
Taking more beetroot with it?
Yes more research this time from the London School of Medicine and St Barts has found that beetroot juice is very effective in lowering blood pressure. Their study is small – just 15 patients – but the results were good. Just drinking 850ml of beetroot juice resulted in lowering blood pressure to normal levels and kept them there for a good 24 hours.
The researchers are looking at lifestyle changes i.e. asking high risk patients to consume more leafy green vegetables and beetroot all of which gather nitrates from the soil. The researchers say that much more work is needed but they are intrigued to find that even relatively low levels of nitrates had a really positive effect.
If you try this at home, just remember drinking beetroot juice may turn your urine pink – so don’t be alarmed! Have you ever tried vegetable juices as well as fruit juices? Let us know in the comments if you have a favourite recipe.