Pradaxa Side Effects: It is a fact—-smoking doubles the risk of having a stroke. That’s right, you are twice as likely to have a disabling stroke if you smoke. Smoking has a major distinction: it is the most pre”ventable of all the risks for stroke. Simple. But, as anyone who has ever smoked knows, quit”ting is easier said than done. Even though studies have found that smokers are one and one-half to three times more at risk for stroke than nonsmokers, even though smoking adversely affects circulation and blood supply, and even though the risk of smok”ing is high with or without taking into account high blood pres”sure, heart disease, and age, many people continue to smoke.

Birth control pills have helped shape the way we think, the way we act, and, obviously, the way we conceive. They helped give birth to women’s rights. They influenced an entire generation of young adults. But as the years pass, studies have found that there are some side effects with oral contraceptives. One of these is the risk of stroke, especially in women over the age of thirty who .have a history of hypertension and smok”ing. One study of stroke in young women discovered that certain women who used birth control pills were at an increased risk for stroke compared to women who did not. This risk increased in women who have hypertension. And other studies show there is also a connection between oral contraceptives, heavy cigarette smoking, and stroke. The overall risk is quite small, so you need to weigh it against the fact that pregnancy itself carries a risk. The decision is difficult, but women who are older, hypertensive, and smoke should consult their doctors regarding the risks of taking birth control pills.

Unfortunately, this decline has plateaued recently, which further shows that other risk factors must be treated as well. A lower-fat diet that is also lower in salt, exercise, weight loss, no smoking, even taking one drink of alcohol a day (but don’t forget that heavy drinking increases the risk of stroke!)—all these can help reduce the risk of stroke. And reducing one risk factor can have a favorable outcome on the others. As we have seen, many conditions are related: high cholesterol and hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Treating one of these factors can help treat another.

Pradaxa Side Effects

Pradaxa Side Effects: We all talk about it. We check labels for it. We get our blood checked for it. But many of us are not quite sure what cholesterol is—or its connection to disease. Basically, cholesterol is a waxy material that the body manu”factures, and, believe it or not, it’s natural and necessary for many of our functions. But today, there can be too much of a good thing. Not only does the body manufacture cholesterol, but cholesterol also is found in many of the foods we eat, such as steak and eggs. And saturated fats found in such foods as meat, cheese, milk fat, shortening, and even margarine contribute even more to higher blood cholesterol levels than does dietary intake of cholesterol.

Cholesterol is carried in the bloodstream by lipoproteins, a “shopping cart” substance of fat and protein produced by the liver. The lipoprotein that does most of the work is low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. All well and good, but once the body has taken what it needs, the LDL is still floating around, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Eventually, this floating LDL cholesterol settles on the artery walls, clogging passageways or causing clots that could break off and travel to the brain. This is why LDL is called “bad cholesterol.” But LDL does not travel alone.

The risk of high cholesterol comes from the amount of LDL in the bloodstream. Cholesterol has received most of its press from its relationship with heart attacks. Indeed, until recently, cholesterol has not been considered a risk for stroke. But new re”search has shown that lowering cholesterol is important in stroke prevention. A recent study of the new “statin” drugs showed that by lowering LDL cholesterol by 23 percent to 42 percent, the risk of stroke was decreased by 29 percent. In short, cholesterol levels, especially LDL cholesterol, must be watched. The current recommendation is keep your choles”terol below 200MG/DL, and if your LDL is more than 100MG/ DL you should be on a statin medication. High-risk patients with multiple risk factors should try to get their LDL down to 70MG/ DL. And if your levels are high, help decrease the numbers by eating a low-fat diet, taking cholesterol-lowering medication, and exercising regularly. You are never too young to know your cho”lesterol level and to start working on a healthy lifestyle.

Pradaxa Side Effects