Reducing Your Risk for Stroke

Anger Management

We know a lot about what puts us at risk for a stroke. We discussed HRT the other day, but there’s also high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity to consider when evaluating your risk.

Now, we even know more about what triggers strokes — particularly ischemic strokes, which result from a blood clot.

A new study reveals that 30 percent of stroke victims report experiencing either intense anger or negative emotion within two hours of their stroke.

It’s interesting to note that this study also tested to see if experiencing strong positive emotions brought on strokes, and the answer is no. So it isn’t that we need to avoid strong emotions — just strong negative emotions.

We’ve seen other studies that try to measure the impact of emotions and attitude on health. Last year, we told you about another a study that showed pessimistic people are more likely to have heart disease than optimistic people (1/26/04 e-Tip, subject line: Half full). The stroke trigger study shows, however, that even an optimistic person can have a sudden turn of anger and their usual sunny disposition will not prevent the stroke.

When you become angry, the body experiences the ancient fight-or-flight response. Your blood pressure shoots up, at least temporarily, and the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released and flood the body. Your heart rate increases, your muscles become tense, your digestive processes come to a halt, and certain parts of your brain are triggered, altering your brain chemistry. It’s not exactly a surprise that, if you have a blood clot developing, this kind of physical response would be enough to put it into action and cause you to have a stroke.

For those of us who live life with a full range of expression, including anger, this study is a bit frightening. Of course, anger is a natural part of life, and it is impossible (even unhealthy) to attempt to never feel or acknowledge your anger. A better, more realistic course of action is to find healthy outlets for releasing anger, or even channeling your anger in healthier, more positive ways.

Some find that exercise helps to release anger, while yoga and meditation train the body to instantly relax and get grounded, and prepare to address the emotion more productively.

The two-hour time frame reported by the stroke victims was of particular interest to researchers. It could mean that if you can find a way to relax and short-circuit a sudden and extreme physical response to something that makes you angry, the event won’t become a trigger, and you can go back later and deal with your emotions in more manageable doses at a later time.

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The herb that halves headaches

Q: I have had migraine headaches since I was a young girl. I get them often and they are quite debilitating. I’ve tried a number of natural remedies with varying degrees of success. But I have just discovered your newsletter, and I’m wondering what you recommend?

JVW: Welcome to Nutrition & Healing and the Health e-Tips. I hope you take a minute to browse through the newsletter article archives on the Nutrition & Healing website (www.nutritionandhealing.com — log on with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent newsletter issue). You’ll find that I’ve written quite a bit about migraines and have had much success treating them in my practice. I stress to my patients and readers that it is important to determine the cause of your migraines before proceeding with treatment. Elimination of migraine triggers such as food or stress often significantly reduces the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.

Recently, some new research has emerged about the herb butterbur and its effects on migraines. This herb has been used for centuries to treat a number of ailments including headaches.

In a recent study published in the journal Neurology, a group of 245 migraine sufferers were given a 75mg dose of butterbur or a placebo. The participants, who had two to six migraines per month in the three months prior to the study, took the butterbur or placebo twice daily for four months. At the end of the study, those taking the butterbur experienced a 48 percent reduction in headache frequency.

I always urge readers to work with a skilled natural health physician when beginning any supplement or herbal regimen. To find a doctor in your area, contact the American College for Advancement in Medicine at 800-532-3688 or go to www.acam.org.

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What is…butterbur?

Butterbur, also known by its botanical name as petasites hybridus, is a shrub found throughout Europe, parts of Asia, and North America. It can grow to a height of three feet and is usually found in wet, marshy ground, in damp forests, and adjacent to rivers or streams.

Butterbur has been used medicinally for centuries to treat cough, asthma, and skin wounds. The active ingredient is known as petasin, which may have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties.

In addition to its effects on migraine headaches, butterbur has also helped some people combat their seasonal allergies, asthma, and bronchitis, and in some studies has outperformed top-selling Allegra, although researchers agree that more studies are needed to confirm these results on this very promising herb.

Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing

Sources: Koton S, Tanne D, Bornstein NM, Green MS. “Triggering risk factors for ischemic stroke: a case-crossover study.” Neurology. 2004; 63(11): 2,006-2,010.

Everson SA, et al. “Anger expression and incident stroke: prospective evidence from the Kuopio ischemic heart disease study.” Stroke 1999; 30(3): 523-528

Lipton RB, Gobel H, Einhaupl KM, Wilks K, Mauskop A. “Petasites hybridus root (butterbur) is an effective preventive treatment for migraine.” Neurology 2004; 63(12): 2,240-2,244.