Book Review: “What You Must Know About Strokes: How to Recover from a Stroke and Prevent Another Stroke”
For many people, a stroke marks the end of one life and the beginning of the next — the end of functioning with ease and the beginning of a long struggle. What happens after the initial episode is an unknown, fraught with uncertainty. Fortunately, stroke survivor Laura J. Stevens, MSci, decided to take it upon herself to lay out the roadmap for what comes after a stroke. She worked with coauthor and neurologist Amytis Towfighi MD on What You Must Know About Strokes: How to Recover from a Stroke and Prevent Another Stroke. The book is a comprehensive guide for stroke survivors and their loved ones.
Stevens is candid about her own challenges and recovery, and her story may surprise some readers: as a fit, thin, active, otherwise healthy woman, she did not present the usual risk factors, but her condition prior to the stroke did not free her from a difficult aftermath. In the book, she stresses the importance of understanding the mechanics behind strokes, and the best ways to come back from them. Inspiration in this book — and there is much to be found — comes in the form of tangible information gleaned from expert practitioners. The feel-good message is that the more you know, the better prepared you’ll be, and the better the odds you can reclaim your life.
The book is presented in a practical order, from explaining the nature of strokes and the risk factors, to what happens in the hospital and as the various therapies begin. Stevens clarifies the different kinds of therapies and they work to retrain the brain, making a case for doing everything one can do to regain functions. Then she delves into the myriad ways to practice stroke prevention — including the foods to eat, the foods to avoid, the power of nutrients, and how to shape your lifestyle. Here’s a hint: even if you can’t get out for long, take that walk.
The section on the Anti-Stroke Diet will be immensely helpful to many who want all the information laid out in an easy-to-follow format, from basics to menus. There are plenty of practical tips, such as eating five servings of fruit and vegetables daily. Where some books might head into lengthy explanations of chemistry and resort to scientific terms, Stevens keeps it as plain as she can. Strokes are complicated enough; the cure ought to be simple, she seems to be saying.
The final portion of the book is devoted to life after a stroke, and is written with compassion, empathy, and of course a sense of her own experience. It delves into advice for caregivers — again written with a tremendous sense of humanity as well as the real challenges families and loved ones face. And it talks about the mental health issues that come with stroke — depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and more. Again, the solutions given are both straightforward and comforting. Try more magnesium, seek out CBT therapy, and know you’re not alone. Pain management is discussed frankly: more than half of stroke survivors experience bouts of chronic pain which often goes untreated. It’s all the more frustrating, Towfighi and Stevens point out, when the patient can’t have a discussion with the doctor, and they offer some helpful solutions.
With a smart index of resources and a holistic approach, What You Must Know About Strokes is a welcome, caring book about a difficult subject. Authors Stevens and Towfighi have filled its pages with time-tested methods, medical and therapeutic know-how, and wise advice. It’s a bible of survival with a human perspective, which is what we all need.
