Health
‘BE FAST’ to spot the signs of stroke
During National Stroke Awareness Month, NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital offers tips on how to recognize and prevent strokes
Every 40 seconds someone
in the United
States has a stroke.
The earlier a stroke is recognized
and treated, the
greater the chance of recovery.
Nearly two million
brain cells die each minute
a stroke goes untreated.
In recognition of Stroke
Awareness Month, NewYork
Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital is sharing
information on stroke
risk and prevention.
“It takes less than a minute
for a stroke to change
a person’s life forever, but
taking the time to make a
few simple lifestyle adjustments
and fi nding out how
to recognize a stroke as
soon as it happens can save
thousands of lives.” says Dr.
Ji Chong, director of the
Stroke program at NewYork
Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital
Dr. Chong encourages
the community to use the
acronym BE FAST as an
easy way to learn how to
recognize a stroke and act
quickly to minimize its longterm
damaging effects.
Dr. Chong outlines the
risk factors that can be controlled
including treatment
of high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, cardiac
arrhythmias and diabetes.
She shares the following
fi ve stroke prevention tips:
• Reduce salt intake. High
blood pressure is one of the
leading causes of stroke.
Cutting back on salt is one
of the most signifi cant steps
to maintaining or lowering
blood pressure to a healthy
level of 130/80 or below. Try
fl avoring your food with a
variety of spices that may
be healthier than salt.
• Eat a heart-healthy
diet. Maintaining a healthy
balance between your good
cholesterol (HDL) and bad
cholesterol (LDL) is the best
way to prevent high cholesterol,
heart disease and the
increased risk of stroke.
Cholesterol levels should remain
at 200 mg/dl or below.
• Stop smoking. Smoking
is bad not only for your
lungs, but for your brain as
well. A smoker is at twice
the risk of having a stroke
because smoking damages
blood vessels, raises blood
pressure and speeds up the
clogging of arteries.
• Exercise. Exercise benefi
ts everyone, so we should
all aim for at least 30 minutes
of moderate exercise
most days to improve our
THE VASCULAR INSTITIUTE
For the Treatment of Varicose Vein,
Leg Swelling and Leg Wounds
Caribbean L 50 ife, June 4-10, 2021
OF NEW YORK
Dr. Natalie Marks:
The First Vascular Medicine
Specialist in Brooklyn
DIRECTOR OF THE VEIN CENTER
960- 50 St., Brooklyn, NY 11219
www.VascularNYC.com
NATALIE MARKS, MD
Established 1992
Clinical Associate Professor
of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine
718-438-3800
960- 50 St., Brooklyn, NY 11219
www.VascularNYC.com
overall health. If you are
obese or overweight, your
risk for high cholesterol,
high blood pressure and
diabetes increases and so
does your risk for stroke.
• Limit Alcohol: Heavy
alcohol use -- more than one
to two drinks a day -- increases
your blood pressure
and your risk of ischemic
attack and hemorrhagic
stroke.
Certain populations are
at a higher risk of having
a stroke even after making
the proper lifestyle
changes. These include
adults 55 years of age or
older, African-Americans
and Hispanics, those with
a family history of stroke,
and people who have already
had a stroke or a transient
ischemic attack (mini
stroke). In addition, women
are more likely to die from a
stroke than men, although
attacks are more common
in men.
NewYork-Presbyterian
Hospital treats one of the
highest volumes of stroke
and cerebrovascular disease
patients in the world
and the highest in New York
City. The hospital is certifi
ed by the Joint Commission
as a Comprehensive
Stroke Center—the highest
level of stroke certifi cation
a hospital can receive.
For more information on
how stroke affects the body
and brain and more details
to prevent stroke, please visit
https://www.nyp.org/neuro/
stroke
— Provided by New York-
Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
Hospital
/www.VascularNYC.com
/www.VascularNYC.com
/
/www.VascularNYC.com
/www.VascularNYC.com
/
