A medical professional has highlighted the early warning signs that can appear in the days before a stroke. In the UK, a stroke occurs every five minutes, totalling approximately 100,000 cases annually.
Around 38,000 deaths occur each year as a result of stroke. Dr Eric Berg, who posts health advice on social media, took to TikTok to discuss potential symptoms that may present before a stroke.
“There are three early warning signs of a stroke,” he stated, clarifying that these differ from the symptoms experienced during a stroke – such as one side of the face drooping and inability to move one arm or leg. “The early signs of a stroke are a little bit different,” he elaborated.
“Since a stroke causes a blood clot to the brain, you’re going to get a lot of pressure build up in the brain.”
“That is going to show up as a severe headache.”
Another early indicator of an impending stroke, according to Dr Berg, is extreme nausea or vomiting “if you get an obstruction on the certain part of the brain that affects the brain stem.”
Lastly, persistent hiccups coupled with chest pain can be a warning sign of an imminent stroke, the doctor advised. Cardiac Screen UK also lists other warning signs such as loss of vision or changes to your vision, sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, confusion or difficulty understanding things, and numbness or weakness in one side of the body.
Medical professionals note these symptoms can appear days, or even a week, before stroke. However, in other people, the onset of stroke will be immediate with no prior warning signs.
“The thing to know about a stroke is that it’s critical that you go to the emergency room within an hour,” Dr Berg elucidated. “They can give you certain medications that will dissolve the clot.”
Nevertheless, Dr Berg emphasised that prevention surpasses cure, advising: “More importantly, to prevent a stroke, you want to consume enough Vitamin E as tocotrienols.”
He further advised taking magnesium.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, each 100 mg/day increment in magnesium intake was associated with a two percent reduction in overall stroke risk. Correspondingly, a Cambridge University Press and Assessment meta-study found that a diet abundant in Vitamin E could slash stroke risk by an impressive 17%, contrasting those with minimal Vitamin E intake.
Vitamin E, available through supplements, is naturally present in foods like vegetable oils, nuts, seeds (including almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds), fruits and vegetables (notably avocados, mangoes, kiwi fruit, spinach, broccoli, and red bell peppers), plus fortified cereals and fruit juices. Foods teeming with magnesium encompass leafy green vegetables, avocado, various nuts and seeds, alongside dark chocolate.