1
00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:10,400
I'm stepping away from our usual
topics today to share something 

2
00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,960
deeply personal. 
Six years ago, I had a major 

3
00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:20,240
stroke that changed my life. 
This past December, I presented 

4
00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:25,440
to my Rotary Club the surprising
signs of how I recover and what 

5
00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,120
I'm doing to prevent it from 
happening again. 

6
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,320
Because of the incredible 
response to that talk, I 

7
00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:37,120
launched a new series, Elton's 
Stroke Story, which follows my 

8
00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:42,920
journey over the last six years.
I'm playing that original story 

9
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,440
from that Rotary meeting for you
today. 

10
00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,360
Because I care about this 
community and you and your 

11
00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,200
family's well-being, I invite 
you to follow my journey. 

12
00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:58,000
It can be found on most 
podcasting services and YouTube.

13
00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,440
Once again, it's called Elton's 
Stroke story. 

14
00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,680
I hope you find today's episode 
interesting as well as 

15
00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:14,400
informative. 
I'm Elton Sherwin. 

16
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:20,120
This is a story about the stroke
that changed my life and what 

17
00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,720
I've learned since. 
This podcast can be summarized 

18
00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,320
into two key messages. 
The first, if you think you 

19
00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:32,240
might be having a stroke, go 
immediately to the ER Don't 

20
00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,400
wait, even if your symptoms go 
away. 

21
00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:41,080
Go to the ER immediately. 
And secondly, get your bad 

22
00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:49,520
cholesterol, your LDL below 70. 
Here is my story. 3 months 

23
00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,720
before my stroke, I had been 
given a clean bill of health. 

24
00:01:54,440 --> 00:02:00,040
My total cholesterol was labeled
194, normal and desirable. 

25
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:06,480
My LDL was 123. 
It turns out that what is normal

26
00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:13,520
for Americans is neither healthy
nor desirable. 3 months after my

27
00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:18,600
clean bill of health, on the 
morning of December 4th, 2019, 

28
00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,880
shortly after 7 AMI had a stroke
that left the right side of my 

29
00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:28,440
body partially paralyzed. 
My daughter quickly drove me to 

30
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,480
the Stanford ER and by 8:00 AM, 
less than an hour after my 

31
00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:37,320
stroke, I had been given an 
injection of TPAA clot busting 

32
00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,800
enzyme. 
How did I know that I was having

33
00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,840
a stroke? 
Well, my balance was off, my 

34
00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,720
face was drooping, my arms, my 
hand and my leg were all weak, 

35
00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:53,800
and my speech was slurred. 
You should be checked out even 

36
00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,920
if you have a single one of 
these warning signs. 

37
00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:03,560
Problems with balance, vision, 
face droop, arm weakness or 

38
00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:07,480
slurred speech. 
I recently found a video taken 

39
00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,680
two weeks after my stroke of me 
unable to catch a blue tennis 

40
00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,880
ball thrown 4 inches into the 
air. 

41
00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:20,720
This video was a sobering 
reminder of how close I came to 

42
00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,640
being permanently disabled. 
Every time I visit the Stanford 

43
00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:29,440
Neurology Clinic, I see people 
who did not go to the ER. 

44
00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:33,240
They didn't have time to be 
checked from their busy 

45
00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:37,200
schedule, they didn't want to 
bother anyone, or they wanted to

46
00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,840
wait to see if the symptoms 
would go away by themselves. 

47
00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:47,400
Even if your symptoms stop, you 
should still go to the ERASAP. 

48
00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,600
Intermittent symptoms can be 
precursors to a full stroke. 

49
00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:57,920
You don't want to wait. 
A stroke can leave you unable to

50
00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,920
speak, unable to work. 
Your spouse might have to quit 

51
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,520
their job. 
Care expenses can exceed 

52
00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:07,880
$100,000 a year. 
Time matters. 

53
00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,480
Time is brain. 
You want to get to the ER and be

54
00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,080
assessed by a medical 
professional as quickly as 

55
00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,200
possible. 
Don't drive yourself, call 911. 

56
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:23,120
Don't go to urgent care. 
Most urgent care facilities will

57
00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,960
just send you to the ER if you 
think you might be having a 

58
00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,240
stroke. 
You get to cut in line when you 

59
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,520
pull up to the curb at the ER, 
roll down the window and scream.

60
00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,800
I'm having a stroke, right? 
Think my colleague is having a 

61
00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,840
stroke? 
They should see you immediately,

62
00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,320
and if they don't, keep 
repeating it. 

63
00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:49,480
Brain cells die during a stroke.
Every minute counts. 

64
00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:55,040
Don't let your memories or your 
smile or your ability to walk or

65
00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:00,200
your ability to talk or the 
ability to use your hands slip 

66
00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:05,040
away because you're too polite. 
A medical professional should 

67
00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:09,760
immediately give you a quick 
stroke assessment, usually 

68
00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:14,120
checking your smile, your eyes, 
your speech, your grip, your 

69
00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,200
balance and your face, and then 
send you for a scan. 

70
00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,760
And if there's a blood clot in 
your brain, as there are in 

71
00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:28,760
about 90% of strokes, you 
typically will be injected with 

72
00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:35,000
a clot busting drug. 47 minutes 
after my stroke I was given TPA.

73
00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:38,520
I was still in the scanner. 
Minutes really matter. 

74
00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:44,360
Now, if you're having a brain 
bleed or ATIA or something else,

75
00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,320
it will play out a bit 
differently. 

76
00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,960
My wife's observation? 
I could see your smile 

77
00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:55,200
returning, your face droop 
disappearing as the TPA 

78
00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,400
dissolved the clot. 
It was that fast, it was that 

79
00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,920
miraculous. 
But only if you get to the ER 

80
00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:06,600
quickly. 
Most people wait far, far too 

81
00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,400
long. 
Two days later, I went home in a

82
00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:13,120
wheelchair and a Walker. 
During the first week, I went to

83
00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:17,280
my daughter's graduation in a 
wheelchair and I started 

84
00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:20,960
therapy. 
The first year I had a mix of 

85
00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:25,400
over 40 sessions of speech, 
occupational and physical 

86
00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,800
therapy at Sequoia Hospital and 
Diablo W Physical therapy. 

87
00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:34,560
My function continued to improve
over 4 years. 

88
00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:40,480
Not as fast as the first 90 days
or six months, but I was able to

89
00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:46,280
regain my ability to walk, to 
drive, to swim, and a bicycle. 

90
00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:51,520
I continued producing podcasts 
for four years. 

91
00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:57,880
I did not know that I could cut 
my risk of a repeat stroke just 

92
00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:02,000
by eating more fruit, more 
vegetables and less salt. 

93
00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,400
The book How Not to Die changed 
my life. 

94
00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,760
I learned that 90% of strokes 
and heart attacks are 

95
00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,000
preventable. 
And I learned about the many 

96
00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:18,480
easy things that I could do to 
avoid a stroke, dementia, heart 

97
00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:23,960
attack, diabetes and cancer. 
Today I eat a very different 

98
00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,560
diet. 
More diverse, more exciting 

99
00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:32,360
diet, more plant centered. 
Today my blood looks very 

100
00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,440
different. 
My LDL, my bad cholesterol is at

101
00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:39,640
55. 
Pre stroke it was at 123. 

102
00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:45,160
Optimal is below 70. 
I would like to live for another

103
00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,880
few decades and because I would 
like you to be a part of that 

104
00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,440
journey, I encourage you to do 
three things. 

105
00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:56,720
Get your LDL below 70. 
Get How Not to Die or the audio 

106
00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:01,640
book and listen to just three 
chapters, the chapters on heart 

107
00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:06,240
disease, breast cancer and 
prostate cancer and share this 

108
00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:11,160
story with those that you love. 
Two more things that you can do 

109
00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:15,000
to lower your cholesterol and 
help prevent heart attacks, 

110
00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,600
strokes, and dementia. 
One are statin pills, Lipitor, 

111
00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:23,280
Crestor, etcetera. 
They're cheap and the other is 

112
00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,840
you can improve your diet and 
they're surprisingly easy 

113
00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,520
changes that can add years to 
your life. 

114
00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:34,840
More fruits, more berries, more 
greens, nuts, beans, veggies and

115
00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:41,919
whole grains and less salt, less
processed meat, saturated fat, 

116
00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:47,400
butter, eggs, sugar, fast food. 
And John, some additional ways 

117
00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:52,560
you can lower your cholesterol 
are the new PCSK 9 inhibitors. 

118
00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:55,640
These are the cholesterol 
lowering shots that can be 

119
00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:57,680
expensive, but they're very 
effective. 

120
00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:05,280
GLP 1 weight loss drugs that are
so much in the news or bariatric

121
00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,880
surgery. 
My recommendation, and I'm not a

122
00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:12,760
medical professional, but my 
recommendation if your LDL is 

123
00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:18,560
above 70, modify your diet, be 
tested every 90 days until you 

124
00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:22,760
get it down below 70. 
And if your LDL stays above 70, 

125
00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:24,840
talk with your doctor about a 
statin. 

126
00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:30,480
And if a diet and statin doesn't
get you below 70, consider the 

127
00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:36,440
PCSK nine shots or the GLP 1 
weight loss or the bariatric 

128
00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,560
surgery. 
I was shocked when I saw images 

129
00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:45,720
of veins with plaque buildup in 
brains of people who ate high 

130
00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:50,280
fat diets like I did. 
When I saw the images I stopped 

131
00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:54,600
eating deep fried food. 
I went cold Turkey one day, saw 

132
00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,680
the pictures and I stopped 
eating deep fried foods. 

133
00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:02,920
Within weeks of changing my 
diet, I noticed I was less 

134
00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,520
anxious and I had better 
reaction time. 

135
00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:11,280
Perhaps it was all in my mind. 
Now I focus on three numbers 

136
00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:16,160
during my annual physical 
keeping my blood sugar, my A1C, 

137
00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:23,240
the 90 day blood sugar average 
below 5.7, my LDL cholesterol, 

138
00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:29,560
bad cholesterol under 70, and my
blood pressure below 170 for 

139
00:10:29,560 --> 00:10:32,760
optimal help because I want to 
attend my grandchildren's 

140
00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,960
weddings. 
So there are a number of proven 

141
00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,720
programs out there that can 
prevent you having to spend a 

142
00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,800
lifetime on drugs or have 
surgery. 

143
00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,720
I was never told many people 
don't know about these options. 

144
00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,640
One of the most famous is the 
Cleveland Clinic's Heart Disease

145
00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:55,640
Reversal program, $1200 not paid
by insurance. 

146
00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,800
I would certainly check it out 
before I had elective heart 

147
00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,880
surgery. 
Then right here in Marin County 

148
00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:06,200
Doctor Ornish's program for 
reversing heart disease. 

149
00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:10,600
That program you can take online
insurance does many insurance 

150
00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:16,000
programs do pay for it and it 
has better outcomes than drugs 

151
00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:22,040
or surgery in many instances. 
Two programs that I did discover

152
00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:26,960
and they did change my life. 
One from better health BETR 

153
00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:30,960
health Blue Shields, the 
Medicare supplement paid for it.

154
00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:33,640
I lost 30 lbs. 
My wife and I did it together 

155
00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:38,080
and Doctor Michael Gregor's book
how not to die. 

156
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,840
It was life changing. 
A one page meal plan. 

157
00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,280
Their green light foods, their 
yellow light foods and their red

158
00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,600
light foods. 
There's an app free, no in app 

159
00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,760
purchases. 
Takes a minute a day, maybe 2. 

160
00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,680
The app is called The Daily 
Dozen. 

161
00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,520
It tracks the 12 foods you 
should eat every day. 

162
00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:04,000
The Daily Dozen free in the 
Google and iPhone app stores. 

163
00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:08,600
If you or a family member has 
heart disease, hypertension, 

164
00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,840
diabetes, cancer or brain 
disease, read the corresponding 

165
00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,880
chapter and How Not to die. 
And if you have a family member 

166
00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:21,200
who suffers from depression or 
schizophrenia, please listen to 

167
00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:26,920
the new Zoe podcast. 
That's Zoe and it's called How 

168
00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:32,160
food can improve your mood. 
It's it was an eye opening 

169
00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,840
podcast for me. 
It's never too late to change. 

170
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:39,840
I think the evidence shows that 
for the vast majority of 

171
00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,880
American adults, people that 
have grown up on the American 

172
00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:52,120
diet, optimal health requires 
blood sugar A1C under 5.7, LDL 

173
00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:55,760
under 70, and blood pressure 
below 170. 

174
00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:59,840
Many medical professionals are 
comfortable with higher numbers.

175
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,320
Work with your doctor. 
I'm not a medical professional 

176
00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:08,120
but had a stroke and I've 
learned a lot of things since 

177
00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,760
then. 
Take action Doctor Michael 

178
00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:16,320
Gregor's book, It's apartment 
and the Red Light Green Light 

179
00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:21,160
Foods is the easiest with its 
focus on improvement and not 

180
00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,040
perfection. 
And it's free. 

181
00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,480
Better Health is a more 
structured program. 

182
00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:30,360
Insurance may cover it, and it's
a great way to switch from 

183
00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:35,120
processed foods to lifelong, 
healthier eating and to lose 

184
00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,520
weight along the way. 
For people with heart disease, 

185
00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:43,280
the $1200 One Day program at the
Cleveland Clinic or the Ornish 

186
00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:47,560
online program are both 
structured and very demanding, 

187
00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:51,440
but they have a long track 
record of saving lives. 

188
00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,040
Both the Cleveland Clinic and 
the Ornish program have brought 

189
00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:57,360
people back from the brink of 
death. 

190
00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,880
Several of these programs have 
also helped with high blood 

191
00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:05,920
pressure, diabetes, some 
dementias, and some cancers. 

192
00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,720
And if none of these work for 
you, there are other options, 

193
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,760
including drugs and surgery. 
Work with your doctor. 

194
00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:17,560
You can do this. 
I'm not affiliated with any of 

195
00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:21,160
these organizations, nor have I 
been paid to mention them. 

196
00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,440
I would like to live another few
decades and because I would like

197
00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,960
you to be part of that journey, 
I encourage you to take action 

198
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:36,600
if your numbers are high. 
You don't want to wake up 1 

199
00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:41,960
morning unable to use half of 
your body or unable to talk or 

200
00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:46,600
unable to read. 
So take out your phone right now

201
00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:51,880
and look up the results of your 
last blood test and if your LDL 

202
00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:56,560
is above 70, install the Daily 
Dozen app on your phone. 

203
00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:01,840
Read 3 chapters and How Not to 
Die and Change Your diet and 

204
00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,040
then in 90 days get tested 
again. 

205
00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,920
And if your LDL is still above 
70, make an appointment with 

206
00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:14,640
your doctor and develop plan to 
get your LDL down below 70. 

207
00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:20,960
And remember, I'm not a medical 
professional. 

208
00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,440
This advice may not be 
appropriate for everyone. 

209
00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:27,000
As always, work with your 
doctor. 

210
00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:31,680
This is Elton Sherwin, thanks 
for making this podcast part of 

211
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:33,960
your day. 
I invite you to follow my 

212
00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,600
journey. 
It can be found on most 

213
00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:42,480
podcasting services and YouTube.
Once again, it's called Elton's 

214
00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:46,040
stroke story. 
Please subscribe and recommend 

215
00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,360
us to your friends and family. 
Join us next time. 

216
00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,680
Meanwhile, stay safe and stay 
healthy.