So I’ve recently heard about a guy’s uncle suffering from a stroke years ago, getting half of his body paralyzed. When the flow of blood through the arteries is blocked, or the walls of the arteries/ blood vessels are weakened, it results in a stroke. The doctors said that the main cause for the stroke was eating too much junk food and sweets…
The word ” stroke” is the layterm for cerebral vascular accident (CVA). Cerebral means brain, and vascular means blood flow.
But it couldn’t be as simple as that.
I have a nagging suspicion… Although many American’s have a shoddy diet, we tend receive adequate nutrition so that we aren’t malnourished. So the cause of his stoke may have something more to do with the American sedentary lifestyle.
Just think of a body of water. Running water stays fresh. But still water tends to go bad, growing algae and gunk until it becomes a cesspool. The same concept can be applied to our Human body.
If we stop moving, our cardiovascular system takes a hit. Without exercise, the cardiovascular system isn’t given the right stimuli to encourage growth and development. That means that blood vessels and arteries may fall into disrepair.
Just like if the roads in a city aren’t taken care of, then the internals workings of the city can be severely affected. The affect of potholes and broken roads adds up as each car (blood) slows down passing it, until you get traffic jams, road rage because of the jams, and overall slowing of all the processes that goes on in the city.
Similarly, the human body’s cardiovascular system becomes weak and less developed when we are sedentary. That means that the reaction to fixing a stroke is slower (if a person gets a blocked artery, the body can grow a new passage for the blood) and there are fewer blood vessels/arteries for the blood to divert to if there is a jam (stroke).
But exercise may be the perfect solution to preventing this disaster.
Exercise forces blood throughout the cardiovascular system, knocking out plaques that may start to grow and cause blockages. Also, exercise stimulates the growth of new blood vessels throughout the body.
