Strokes can happen to anyone at any age. But the good news is that 80% of strokes are preventable. And as you might expect, the ways to prevent a stroke are the same measures it is recommended everyone take to live a long, healthy life. This includes eating a healthy, plant forward diet, exercising daily, losing weight (if needed), giving up smoking, reducing your blood sugar and cholesterol and managing your blood pressure.
From an East Asian Medicine (EAM) perspective, a stroke is not merely a failure of cerebral circulation but also a disturbance in the body’s dynamic balance of yin and yang energies. In EAM, stroke is associated with deficiencies, fire, internal wind, phlegm obstruction and stagnation of qi and blood. Identifying the specific disharmony pattern is vital because EAM treatments aim to address these underlying imbalances, which allows for treatment of the symptoms, as well as prevention of a recurrence. Each treatment is tailored to the patient’s unique pattern of disharmony, emphasizing a holistic approach to recovery.
To completely address and assist a stroke patient in their recovery, the diagnosis must first be uncovered. Here is a breakdown of how EAM determines which pattern is present in stroke patients.
1. Deficiency – This internal risk factor arises due to yin deficiency of the liver and kidney meridians. As the human body ages, liver and kidney yin decreases. Although natural aging is unavoidable, we can cultivate healthy habits to help conserve the liver and kidney yin, such as going to bed before 11 PM, limiting stress and over-exertion, both mentally and physically, and eating foods that nourish the body’s yin (dark leafy greens, vegetables, fruits and eggs).
2. Stagnation / Blood Stasis – Qi stagnation can result from either qi deficiency or stress. Stagnation then causes blood stasis, which affects the meridians and joints, creating stiffness and pain in the extremities. This symptom is commonly experienced by stroke patients. By exercising, staying active and doing activities which relieve stress, qi stagnation can improve. Having adequate rest and a well-balanced diet can also help to alleviate stagnation.
3. Fire / Heat – Yin deficiency results in the production of heat that damages the yin, further aggravating yin deficiency in the body. Late night sleep and prolonged extremes of emotions, such as anger, frustration and stress, bring about fire in the heart and liver meridians. If left untreated, this pathogenic fire will deplete yin to an extent of generating liver yang and subsequently liver wind, which predisposes one to stroke. Some simple ways to mitigate the level of heat in the body include getting adequate rest each night, maintaining a positive mindset and eating foods that regularly clear excess heat, like fruits and vegetables.
4. Phlegm – Phlegm is also a pathogenic factor produced in the body and causes many diseases. Eating irregularly or ingesting excess dairy products or excessive intake of rich, fatty and sweet food weakens the spleen and leads to the production of phlegm, which predisposes the body to obesity. In EAM theory, phlegm causes numbness in the extremities, mental fogginess, slurred speech or aphasia and a swollen tongue with a sticky coating. Extreme physical work, including excessive exercise and sports, also weakens the spleen and can lead to spleen deficiency, which in turn causes phlegm.
5. Wind – Wind must not be taken literally as what we feel in the natural environment. In EAM, there is external wind and internal wind. Wind causes the sudden loss of self-awareness in an acute stroke attack and its subsequent hemiplegia. Liver yang is formed as a result of severe liver and kidney yin deficiency. This liver yang will subsequently induce liver wind (internal wind), which is a causative agent of stroke, coma, mental clouding and paralysis. Internal and external wind can interact because the second can shape the first. To quell the formation of internal wind, it is important to recognize there are different types of internal wind, which must be differentiated and dealt with accordingly in clinical practice. The most pertinent categories of differentiation of internal wind theory are heat, phlegm and qi deficiency.
When a stroke occurs, it is imperative that the patient seek conventional medical care as quickly as possible. Every second counts because nearly 2 million brain cells die for every minute that a stroke remains untreated. But following a stroke, EAM can be very beneficial in the recovery of the patient. Acupuncture and cupping are two of the most commonly used and studied complementary modalities that help stroke victims recover more quickly. It should be noted that treatments should be carried out as frequently as three times per week during the first three months after experiencing a stroke. This is because the recovery function of the brain from damage is most active during this period.
Cupping is often used for stroke rehabilitation and the modality has shown positive effects on hemiplegic shoulder pain and high upper-limb strength after stroke, as well as aphasia and intractable hiccups post-stroke. The vacuum produced from cupping causes a localized expansion of the tissue. This facilitates profound vasodilation to increase circulation and blood flow to painful constricted areas. Increased circulation improves oxygen supply and cell metabolism, which reduces inflammatory substances.
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of post-stroke symptoms, including functional recovery in general motor function, cognition, speech problems, dysphagia, shoulder pain, urinary incontinence, constipation, depression, fatigue and as a preventive intervention for future strokes. Acupuncture stimulates the nervous system and causes the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, promoting physical and emotional well-being. Besides being used for post-stroke rehabilitation, acupuncture has also been shown to have a neuroprotective effect, especially when combined with electro-acupuncture, highlighting its role as a preventive strategy.
There are also many herbal formulas that can be beneficial to patients who have suffered from a stroke. The herbal formulas can address all the different patterns that stroke victims present with, even though they may have to be given in increments to address each pattern individually. This is also where monitoring diet comes into play. The thermodynamics of the foods that are eaten can play heavily into the healing of a post-stroke patient.
A stroke can be devastating for both the patient and the family members alike. Therefore, it is important to receive the best possible care and complementary treatments during rehabilitation to assist with regaining a better quality of life. By combining East Asian Medicine therapies and expertise with immediate allopathic intervention, a stroke patient should expect improved outcomes and a faster recovery.