Doctors commonly recommend routine medical care, like medication and counseling, when a person suffers a stroke. However, studies have shown that therapies like yoga, acupressure, and massage treatment can also help those who have experienced a stroke.
Natural remedies also help in stroke recovery by offering a mild and gentle way for the body to heal. They aid in boosting other therapies that are being worked on the body. The best part is that these can be accessed easily from the comfort of your home. Another good reason to opt for these could be that they are inexpensive and could also be obtained from some of the herbs present in your kitchen garden.
Patients who wish to avoid the harmful side effects of strong medications used in treating post-stroke issues often opt for these remedies. No doubt, medicine helps a lot in recovering a stroke survivor, but many other ways help treat them well. Enlisted here are some alternative therapies for strokes:
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient technique pioneered by China. It involves pricking the skin with needles. It is an inexpensive therapy and is often used in treating post-stroke difficulties. It helps recover from post-stroke issues and improves the nervous system by relaxing tense muscles and reducing inflammation.
- Yoga
Yoga is another alternative other than following a healthy diet routine and other methods to speed up your recovery. It facilitates and improves bodily motion. It also helps improve balance and coordination of the various body parts. It will help improve the overall quality and standard of life.
- Vitamins
Vitamin D, Vitamin B3, and Probiotics help treat post-stroke difficulties. But, before taking in some, make sure you consult a verified health care expert. Vitamin D is known to have helped patients see significant improvements in three months. Good cholesterol levels are usually low in stroke patients. So, Vitamin B3 helps boost the level of cholesterol and improve overall health and quality of life.
- Brain-boosting supplements
Blueberries, salmon, and red wine are some of the best supplements for boosting brain function. This help develop neuroplasticity by supporting the formation of new neurons in the brain. Salmons are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and help develop neuroplasticity.
- Technique of Tai-chi
Tai Chi is a Chinese technique involving slow movements and deep breathing. The body works together with the mind to perform movements. Tai chi effectively reduces fall frequency in Neurological diseases like stroke and Parkinson’s.
- Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy helps improve mood and relieves stress. It involves the use of essential oil extracts from plants to treat patients. Massage and bathing are the main two media to execute aromatherapy. It is effective, no doubt but a little bit slow. It helps the patients deal with anxiety, stress, pain, and depression.
- Massage therapy
Massage therapies are extremely helpful in improving movement and motor skills in stroke survivors. It induces the manipulation of body cells and skin to enhance your well-being. Among all the massage techniques, Thai massage is considered the most effective in improving a patient’s mood, sleep patterns, and other day-to-day functions.
- Herbal supplements
Apart from massage and therapy, you can also opt for herbal supplements to improve your neurological functions. These are also called Botanicals. It has been practiced for many years now. However, you should only consider taking doctor-recommended herbal supplements and not rely on your understanding or the ones given to you by a medicine shop.
11. Psychological Practices
Studies have observed that imagining you moving your hands or legs can help in the process of neuron formation in the brain. It will be almost similar to the actual movements of the various body parts. This can be linked to intrinsic motivation. It refers to the willingness of a patient to recover on their own. If the patient is not motivated to recover fully on their own, such as in the case after deep brain stimulation surgery then no therapy, medication, or doctor can help them.
12. Mirror therapy
This is said to be helpful for patients with severe paralysis. This involves hand movements to improve the overall flexibility of the body. This is also called Mirror-box therapy. This belongs to a type of treatment called Graded Motor Imagery. This is also based on the motivation and willingness that a patient has in them to recover.
Conclusion
Having stated above, in some of the alternative therapies for strokes, it can be said that one should not only rely on expensive medicines or make a doctor pay regular visits to them. Rather, they should also make proper use of at least some of these alternative therapy techniques and remedies to recover completely from post-stroke issues faced by their body. If in case of severe symptoms, you can visit Dr. Rajan Shah, the director, and head of neurosurgery and the best neuro surgeon in Mumbai from Nanavati Max Super-speciality Hospital.
