Common Cause of Stroke - Causes of Strokes

by Webmaster, All4NaturalHealth.com

What is a common cause of stroke? What causes a stroke in the first place?

Strokes occur when vital blood and oxygen supply to a certain part of the brain is cut off. In this regard, strokes are not dissimilar to heart attacks, and you can think of them as "brain attacks".

The brain is a critical organ of the human body, and its cells need a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen to properly function. When supply of these critical agents to certain parts of the brain is cut off, the corresponding body parts then suffer from functional impairment. That is why, after strokes, some people lose their ability to speak, or to move one side of their body, or control over a particular limb. These effects could be recoverable, but in some cases, damage may be permanent.

There are basically two types of strokes - ischemic strokes, whereby a blood clot forms in a blood vessel leading to the brain, thereby cutting off blood supply, or hemorrhagic strokes, whereby a blood vessel leading to the brain bursts instead.

This, of course, still not does really answer the questions of what is a common cause of stroke, or what causes a stroke. Rather, this seems to be explaining what happens when a stroke occurs, and what the effects of such an attack are.

I am not sure how conventional medicine tackles the questions of what causes a stroke or what is a common cause of stroke. Like all degenerative conditions, there are always multiple factors and causes. Similarly, I would say there are many contributory causes of strokes.

For example, a blood vessel whose walls have thickened or hardened (which narrows the passageway available for blood flow), a condition called atherosclerosis, would be more susceptible to being blocked by a blood clot. So, in a sense, atherosclerosis is a contributing causative factor for strokes; to many, it is in fact considered a common cause of stroke. Yet, not everyone who has atherosclerosis suffers from stroke attacks.

How about cholesterol? Excess cholesterol clogs up arteries; this, too, increases the odds of blood vessel blockage. Again, an unhealthy cholesterol profile may be a contributing factor, a possible cause of strokes.

Smoking, too, contributes, as the fine pollutants in cigarette smoke play their part in narrowing and blocking blood vessels in the body.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, also plays a part, and this condition is another common cause of strokes. When blood pressure is high, there is a much higher likelihood of a blood vessel bursting. Of course, for a blood vessel to rupture, there would very likely be a local weakness in the integrity of its walls.

Besides smoking, hypertension, and high levels of "bad" cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and heightened levels of homocysteine have also been linked with increased risk of suffering a stroke. As far as homocysteine goes, however, it is not clear if it is a direct cause of stroke, or whether it is simply indicative of some other possible cause.

What do all of these conditions and bodily states have in common? They are all results of poor lifestyle and dietary habits. Thus, if we can zoom right in on the true underlying reasons, I would say the common cause of strokes is degenerate lifestyle and dietary habits. Basically, I'm talking about too much junk food, not enough essential nutrients, lack of exercise, overeating, too much refined foods, smoking, too much stress and emotional distress, etc.

These habits result in atherosclerosis, weakened blood vessels and arteries, high blood pressure, excess fat and cholesterol in the bloodstream, etc, which then raise the risk of strokes.

For more information on strokes, including how to prevent and manage them, read the other related stroke pages.

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Some Related Stroke Pages

What is a Stroke - Introduction

Common Cause of Stroke - Causes of Strokes

Signs and Symptoms of Stroke

Tips on Prevention of Strokes

Tips on Management of Stroke