Knowledge Is Power

Special to The Mississippi Link

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death among African Americans, and more than 100,000 will suffer one this year. But African Americans can get help to reduce their stroke risk through Power To End Stroke, an educational cause campaign of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

“Learning about stroke, the warning signs and risk factors and how to reduce those risks is a powerful step in reducing the occurrence of stroke in the African-American community,” said Eddie Craddieth, cultural health initiatives director, American Heart Association. “Several factors increase your risk of stroke. Some of these you can’t control like age, family health history, race or gender, but you can modify, treat or control most risk factors.”

Some risk factors you can modify are smoking, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption and use of illegal drugs. The American Stroke Association encourages every metro Jackson resident to talk to their doctor about other risk factors and ways to reduce their risk for stroke.

Call the American Stroke Association at 1-888-4-STROKE or visit www.strokeassociation.org /power to:

• Take the stroke pledge to begin the journey to reduce stroke risk.

• Receive free information about African Americans and stroke.

• Find out how to reduce stroke in the community through the Power To End Stroke campaign.

Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership is the national sponsor of Power To End Stroke.