Top News

A neurologist has shared three seemingly simple habits he avoids at all costs due to their potential to lead to a stroke. A stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is cut off, leading to cell death.

The NHS states: "It can affect things like speech and movement, and take a long time to recover. A stroke needs urgent medical help in hospital because it can be life-threatening." It also warns that the main symptoms of a stroke can come on "suddenly".

These can include facial weakness, arm weakness and slurred speech. The NHS adds: "The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST. This stands for: face, arms, speech and time to call 999."

Dr Baibing Chen is a double board certified neurologist, physician-scientist and biostatistician who utilises social media to advocate for "brain health".

In a recent video shared to TikTok, which has so far been viewed more than five million times, he discussed three common habits he doesn't do to ensure his brain remains healthy.

Speaking directly to the camera, he began: "Here are three things I don't do as a neurologist because I've seen strokes happen this way."

The neurologist went on: "Number one is I don't drink energy drinks. I personally stick to simple coffee in the morning because many energy drinks pack very high caffeine content, sometimes pushing or exceeding the recommended daily limit for most adults.

"Then you add other stimulants like guarana, which is another source of caffeine, and taurine, which can amplify effects. This combination can disrupt how blood vessels regulate themselves and can increase the risk of dangerous heart rhythms - and irregular rhythms can form clots and those clots can travel to the brain and cause a stroke.

"Besides strokes, I've also seen excessive vitamin B in these drinks leading to nerve damage over time."

The second issue on his list involves a common error people may unintentionally make when they're exercising.

The doctor explained: "I don't do a one rep max, or lift heavy weights, while holding my breath. This is what we call 'a heavy lift stroke'; when people lift heavy weights while holding their breath and perform a valsalva manoeuvre.

"This can then spike systolic blood pressure to extreme levels, sometimes over 400, and that is a massive surge of force on the blood vessels in the brain - and I have seen this trigger brain bleeds."

Gym lovers and novices alike can still lift weights though - they just need to be safe when doing so.

He added: "There are safer ways to build strength with controlled breathing, exhaling during exertion, and using submaximal weights with higher reps; can get you strong without that extreme pressure spike."

Finally, Dr Baibing Chen - who posts online using the name Dr Bing - discussed the potential risks that may come with some yoga posts.

Dr Bing explained: "Yoga, overall, is fantastic for health but some poses that force the neck into extreme hyper extension or hyper flexion can be risky.

"Rare cases, which we have seen, these can lead to dissection - which is a tear in the vessel wall - and that can cause a stroke. So, staying mindful of your neck position and avoiding extreme strain is very important in yoga."