Stroke-Free for Life : The Complete Guide to Stroke Prevention and Treatment

Stroke. The word, like the disease, seems sudden and violent. To most, especially those who have witnessed its effects, the disease seems to come out of nowhere, attacking healthy people without warning and leaving them devastated -- paralyzed, helpless, disoriented...and worse.

In recent years, much has been written about ways to predict and prevent other leading causes of death and disability, cancer and heart disease, for example. But when it comes to our nation's number one disabler and number three killer, our lack of insight into its causes has left us feeling helpless, even fatalistic: we've simply been unable to predict or prevent it...until now.

In Stroke-Free for Life: The Complete Guide to Stroke Prevention and Treatment, renowned neurologist David Wiebers, M.D., offers a simple yet comprehensive self-test that allows you to determine your risk of stroke, including questions concerning lifestyle, medications, neurologic and cardiac history, family history, and other medical concerns. This groundbreaking risk-assessment tool has never been available before -- not even to doctors. Dr. Wiebers then lays out a comprehensive, yet personalized, prevention program based on your risk profile.

Decades of research conducted by Dr. Wiebers and a team of specialists at Mayo Clinic help make this book the first of its kind -- packed with accessible, crucial information not available anywhere else.

Dr. Wiebers explores the anatomy of the "brain attack" and defines the ABCs of stroke. He provides a vital list of stroke warning signs, lifesaving advice about selecting a hospital before a stroke occurs, and an overview of treatment options -- including dramatic new emergency treatments that can prevent brain damage from stroke if administered immediately. In addition, Stroke-Free for Life offers a guide to coping with stroke, from dealing with insurance to choosing and working with doctors, therapists, and hospitals.

Written by one of the world's foremost stroke experts, Stroke-Free for Life will help you to take control of your medical destiny by beginning to prevent stroke today. It's the one book your family needs to help assure a life free from stroke.

David Wiebers, M.D., is professor of neurology and chair of the Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, one of the leading stroke centers in the world. He also directs the Mayo Stroke Center, which manages clinical epidemiological studies involving stroke. He writes and lectures widely on stroke-related topics and has authored four medical textbooks. He also serves as chair of the board of directors of the Humane Society of the United States.