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You Can Prevent a Stroke
Did you know we have 100,000 heartbeats a day? That’s a lot of wear and tear over the years as we age.
Natural aging leads to artery plaque, high blood pressure, and slower and irregular heartbeats. You can do everything right, and time will still pass. You will still age. While you can influence some aspects of aging on your own, some you cannot—at least not without your doctor’s help.
Fortunately, the biology of aging is no longer mysterious. Heart and blood vessel health is knowable, measurable, and manageable.
In You Can Prevent a Stroke, Dr. Joshua Yamamoto and Dr. Kristin Thomas help us understand what we can do, and what we can ask of our doctors, to manage the effects of aging on our circulation so that we do not have a stroke. For years, they have approached patients with the fundamentals learned at The Johns Hopkins Hospital: “Take responsibility for your patient’s health, go in-depth, have an unswerving commitment to solving problems, be thorough, thoughtful, and have attention to detail.”
There is no one-size-fits-all solution or magical cure for anything. But there are principles that can serve as useful guides for everyone and provide an approach to managing the natural processes that affect us all. Some preventative steps include:
Establishing a relationship with a physician Knowing the health of your heart Knowing the health of your arteries Knowing the regularity of your heartbeat Knowing if it’s time to take a medicine to prevent plaque in your arteries, and whether you need a pill to prevent a blood clot
Strokes are usually said to be tragic and random. They are certainly tragic, but they are not random. Strokes can be avoided, and You Can Prevent a Stroke will explain how.
Natural aging leads to artery plaque, high blood pressure, and slower and irregular heartbeats. You can do everything right, and time will still pass. You will still age. While you can influence some aspects of aging on your own, some you cannot—at least not without your doctor’s help.
Fortunately, the biology of aging is no longer mysterious. Heart and blood vessel health is knowable, measurable, and manageable.
In You Can Prevent a Stroke, Dr. Joshua Yamamoto and Dr. Kristin Thomas help us understand what we can do, and what we can ask of our doctors, to manage the effects of aging on our circulation so that we do not have a stroke. For years, they have approached patients with the fundamentals learned at The Johns Hopkins Hospital: “Take responsibility for your patient’s health, go in-depth, have an unswerving commitment to solving problems, be thorough, thoughtful, and have attention to detail.”
There is no one-size-fits-all solution or magical cure for anything. But there are principles that can serve as useful guides for everyone and provide an approach to managing the natural processes that affect us all. Some preventative steps include:
Establishing a relationship with a physician Knowing the health of your heart Knowing the health of your arteries Knowing the regularity of your heartbeat Knowing if it’s time to take a medicine to prevent plaque in your arteries, and whether you need a pill to prevent a blood clot
Strokes are usually said to be tragic and random. They are certainly tragic, but they are not random. Strokes can be avoided, and You Can Prevent a Stroke will explain how.
184 pages, Hardcover
Published July 30, 2019
73 people are currently reading
1459 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 21, 2019
My rating: 4 Atrial Fibrillations
Everyone should read or listen to this.
A concise, quick, informative, important read about strokes.
And it will put you at ease if you worry about your health now or have concerns about the future.
Everyone should read or listen to this.
A concise, quick, informative, important read about strokes.
And it will put you at ease if you worry about your health now or have concerns about the future.
December 8, 2020
I won a copy of You Can Prevent a Stroke in a Goodreads giveaway. This book is a short, highly-readable, and informative book about the link between a healthy brain and a healthy heart. The book is written by Joshua S. Yamamoto, M.D. F.A.C.C. and Kristin E. Thomas, M.D., founders of a non-profit dedicated to caring for dementia patients in the Washington, DC area. The gist of their foundation (following on distinguished careers as cardiologists and medical professionals) is that dementia is a result of brain damage related to strokes, and if you want to avoid dementia you most definitely need to avoid strokes. Strokes, in turn, are a result of bad circulation and poor heart health. Health and fitness are not the same thing, and if readers want to live as long and high-quality a life as their genes and circumstances will allow, then they must be proactive. You Can Prevent a Stroke outlines a strategy, the shorthand for which is the D-HART strategy. It involves a close collaboration with your doctor in which the patient gathers information in four key areas: (1) What's the health of my heart?, (2) What's the health of my arteries, (3) Is my heart beating regularly and fast enough? (N.B.: Most AFib is asymptomatic!), and (4) Is it time for a statin, blood thinner, or other medicine geared to prevent plaque buildup in my arteries and/or to prevent a blood clot that, when loosened, could readily trigger a stroke?
I learned a great deal from this book. While reading it, a dear colleague died from complications related to their AFib. While the book provided no comfort in the loss of that individual, it did a great deal to help me understand her illness, a procedure she had just had (an ablation), and related factors. The book's constant reminder that health and fitness are not the same thing was likewise an important message.
Overall, You Can Prevent a Stroke is an important and empowering book. It's greatest strength (i.e., its accessibility, written in plain language) is occasionally its only weakness--that is, at times its tone can come across as a bit patronizing. This is particularly the case in so far as there is no acknowledgment whatsoever that not all readers have access to the level of health care that will result in the best long-term outcomes. Confident that the authors have pretty much seen it all in their medical practice, that one blind spot means that they are really only speaking to a subset of the many who need to hear this book's important message.
I learned a great deal from this book. While reading it, a dear colleague died from complications related to their AFib. While the book provided no comfort in the loss of that individual, it did a great deal to help me understand her illness, a procedure she had just had (an ablation), and related factors. The book's constant reminder that health and fitness are not the same thing was likewise an important message.
Overall, You Can Prevent a Stroke is an important and empowering book. It's greatest strength (i.e., its accessibility, written in plain language) is occasionally its only weakness--that is, at times its tone can come across as a bit patronizing. This is particularly the case in so far as there is no acknowledgment whatsoever that not all readers have access to the level of health care that will result in the best long-term outcomes. Confident that the authors have pretty much seen it all in their medical practice, that one blind spot means that they are really only speaking to a subset of the many who need to hear this book's important message.
January 10, 2020
I thought this book would be useful. Preventing a stroke is good for anyone, right? What is found is a short book that advocates a program to prevent strokes and heart attacks trough a pro-active cooperation with a doctor employing knowledge about the health of the heart, health of arteries, heart rhythm and use of appropriate diagnostic tests and medications. The author asks the reader to recognized that plaque build-up and stiffening of arteries, increases in blood pressure and other circulatory changes are a natural part of the aging process to be recognized and treated but not necessarily characterized as a disease. They advocate tests to determine the health of the circulatory system and medications to manage changes. They draw distinctions between fitness, health and blood work numbers.
Drs. Yamato and Thomas present interesting information that can help the reader manage his or her own health. I feel better educated about the effects of aging on the circulatory system but am not convinced that I should start making specific recommendations to my internist.
I won a free copy of this book without an obligation to post a review.
Drs. Yamato and Thomas present interesting information that can help the reader manage his or her own health. I feel better educated about the effects of aging on the circulatory system but am not convinced that I should start making specific recommendations to my internist.
I won a free copy of this book without an obligation to post a review.
January 29, 2021
As shocking as the title is, it's a new look at an old problem. It really can be as simple as listening to your doctor and following instructions. If you can remember HART, you can prevent a stroke. What does it stand for? H- heart health, A- artery health, R- the rhythm of your heart and T- time to take a pill. Aging is where the problems start. How you handle aging makes a difference. Your doctor, testing and exercising are how you can prevent a stroke.
This book is easy to understand and very well written. With their knowledge and humor, the doctors make this a pleasant read. It's a better way to share the information patients need. This book should be required reading for every human. It would save many more lives. Do add this to the TBR pile. You won't regret it.
I didn't find any issues.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because it shares information in a better way than a lecture. The author provided me with a copy of the book but I chose to review it.
This book is easy to understand and very well written. With their knowledge and humor, the doctors make this a pleasant read. It's a better way to share the information patients need. This book should be required reading for every human. It would save many more lives. Do add this to the TBR pile. You won't regret it.
I didn't find any issues.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because it shares information in a better way than a lecture. The author provided me with a copy of the book but I chose to review it.
October 18, 2019
Why do these books scare me more than actual horror/mystery/thriller books?! Maybe because it forces me to face what is going on in my health, the scary reality of what I am doing to my body, and what could happen if I don't make serious healthy choices and changes.
An interesting read. Much shorter than I thought but that's what makes it good. It's informative and to the point and just enough to read and remember and reference for later.
Recommend.
Thanks to author Joshua Yamamoto for my free copy of this book won via giveaway. I read. I reviewed..honestly and voluntarily.
An interesting read. Much shorter than I thought but that's what makes it good. It's informative and to the point and just enough to read and remember and reference for later.
Recommend.
Thanks to author Joshua Yamamoto for my free copy of this book won via giveaway. I read. I reviewed..honestly and voluntarily.
September 14, 2019
Great information in easy to understand terms. I am well read on the subject - at least I thought so. This book explained things that I think many doctors haven't been trained to understand. I consider this a must read for everyone. It's never too early to think about brain and heart health! I actually brought the book with me to my last doctor's appointment so we could talk about statins in relation to how the book describes their usage. My doctor was impressed!!
February 5, 2022
A friend had a mild stroke so I was motivated to get this book on my Kindle app for a very low price. It was worth reading and actually quite reassuring. I will take my medications and feel like I am doing the right thing. I can discuss the various tests with my doctor but am not inclined to push for anything more. Baby aspirin? I think it is worth taking although he was not totally clear on this. I need to keep moving. Can't help the effects of aging however.
September 13, 2019
The information is provided in clear, concise and easy to understand ways. My husband had a stroke two years ago and we wanted to read and see if we could have possibly prevented. There is one test that I absolutely wish he had done -- an ultrasound of his carotid arteries! Recommended reading for anyone who wonders and/or has concerns.
November 23, 2023
There aren’t many quality books on stroke prevention and recovery. Even though this one came too late, I found it very helpful in understanding how strokes occur and what can be done to prevent them in the future. The fact that so much is age related was a huge eye-opener. Highly recommend.
April 2, 2024
Must read!
This is an excellent, well written book on stroke prevention that connects the dots with cardiovascular disease processes. It’s clear and concise information on prevention. Very informative.
This is an excellent, well written book on stroke prevention that connects the dots with cardiovascular disease processes. It’s clear and concise information on prevention. Very informative.
October 30, 2022
Very simple and useful book.
February 4, 2023
life changing
This book gives you a better perspective on heart disease and strokes. Shows you how to prevent them. Easy to read. Short read.
This book gives you a better perspective on heart disease and strokes. Shows you how to prevent them. Easy to read. Short read.
December 14, 2023
Excellent information in very understandable and actionable terms. A must read.
January 7, 2025
found the discussion on warfarin lacking in terms of cost / coverage / affordability for patients vs xarelto or eliquis
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews