High blood pressure (hypertension) can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms develop. Left uncontrolled, you may wind up with a disability, a poor quality of life or even a fatal heart attack. Fortunately, with treatment and lifestyle changes, you can control your high blood pressure to reduce your risk of life-threatening complications. The Brain depends on a nourishing blood supply to work properly and survive. But high blood pressure can cause several problems

A stroke occurs when there’s bleeding into your brain or when normal blood flow to your brain is blocked. Within minutes of being deprived of essential nutrients, brain cells start dying — a process that may continue over the next several hours. Seek immediate medical assistance immediately. A stroke is a true emergency. The sooner treatment is given, the more likely it is that damage can be minimized. Every moment counts. In the event of a possible stroke, use FAST to help r

Ballroom dance like the stars. Dancing is a brain-power activity. How so? Learning new moves activates brain motor centers that form new neural connections. Dancing also calms the brain's stress response. When you look forward, also look around. Walking down the street, don't just keep your eyes forward. Scan to the left and to the right. These actions can activate rarely used parts of the brain. That in turn can spur brain cell growth and new neural connections. Listen for d

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a type of irregular heartbeat, often caused when the two upper chambers of the heart beat unpredictably and sometimes rapidly. These irregular heartbeats can cause blood to collect in the heart and potentially form a clot, which can travel to a person’s brain and cause a stroke. It is the leading risk factor for stroke. If a clot leaves the heart and travels to the brain, it can cause a stroke by blocking the flow of blood through cerebral arteries

The interruption of blood flow occurs in areas of the brain that do not control vital bodily functions such as speech or movement. For this reason, while they’re happening, silent strokes present either no symptoms or symptoms that go unnoticed or largely ignored. Moreover, even though silent strokes present no major immediate symptoms, if they occur continuously over time, their effects can be cumulative, leading to memory problems and dementia and a much higher risk for a m