Supplements and Stroke

Strokes are on the rise in this country; each year there are 700,000 reported strokes in the U.S. Too frequently, they occur in people under the age of 30. The Wall Street Journal has published a number of front page articles devoted to stroke in the U.S. (1) (2) (3) (4) They show that medical costs and disabilities from strokes have a direct effect on business and productivity.

Strokes are the leading cause of disability in this country, affecting as many as nine million Americans. Yet the long-term outlook for stroke victims has changed little in American medicine. Less than one-quarter of stroke victims are administered clot-busting drugs that can limit brain damage. Consumers rarely see the promise offered by the field of integrative medicine to those affected by stroke.
In the October 9th online edition of the American Heart Association journal Stroke, Johns Hopkins researchers write that they have discovered that Ginkgo bilboa can cut the damage from stroke in half. Ginkgo was also shown to reduce the amount of paralysis and limb weakness after only one week in an animal study. The animals that were given Ginkgo suffered 50.9% less neurological dysfunction following a stroke compared with mice that were not given the herb. The area of the brain damaged by the stroke was also 50% smaller than in the other group.
Paula Bickford, Ph.D., of University of South Florida published research which demonstrated that spirulina—blue-green algae—could limit stroke associated lesions by up to 70%. Dr. Bickford expressed her amazement that a natural substance could demonstrate a benefit to such an incredible extent.
Paul Harch, M.D., author of The Oxygen Revolution, is one of many researchers who have published the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for stroke patients.
And a Florida physician and Nobel prize nominee repairs the damaged blood vessels of stroke victims using novel topical agents including nitroglycerin and sublingual magnesium. William Hammesfahr, M.D., who was the test case for Florida’s Access to Medical Treatment Act when that state’s board of medicine targeted his practice, demonstrated to the satisfaction of Medicare that his multi-factorial therapy (which includes hyperbaric oxygen, nutrition, and blood vessel damage repair) can return stroke victims to normal decades after a stroke. Did you know that AAHF can help you find an integrative doctor like Dr. Hammesfahr in your area?
Stroke therapy is just one reason that supporting the right of practitioners to offer innovative science-based care is critical to each of us. Our mission is essential for every integrative practitioner and every consumer who wants more than the standard of care.