Show 1413: Stopping Strokes: How to Reduce Your Risk of a Brain Attack

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. We are calling this a brain attack because, like a heart attack, it is preceded by risk factors and may be followed by lasting damage. How can we reduce our risk? This week, we hear a first-hand account of what a stroke feels like, from neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Then we learn from a neurologist, Dr. Matthew Schrag, about the risk factors for such a brain attack. What treatments could be helpful? If you can control your blood pressure, you reduce your chance of a brain attack. Learn what other risk factors deserve attention.