Always on my Mind: Remedies to Restore Your Memory After a Stroke

It’s been estimated that every year nearly 800,000 Americans experience some kind of stroke, and more than 600,000 of them are first strokes. The three main types of strokes are ischaemic, hemorrhagic, and transient ischaemic attack (TIA), or “mini-stroke”.  Ischaemic is the most common type, caused by a clot or blockage obstructing arterial blood flow to the brain. By comparison, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when there is bleeding in or around the brain.    One can imagine that of a staggering number like 800,000 strokes per year, how much each stroke varies in type and severity, as well as which areas of the brain are affected, such as the brain stem, cerebellum, cerebrum, and limbic system. The days and weeks following an ischaemic stroke typically bring a condition called aphasia, a loss of ability to remember words and phrases. Rehabilitation is possible, but full recovery of memory is not guaranteed. Part of this rehabilitation includes practices you can try at home, such as music therapy, mnemonic devices, and rehearsing and repetition of new information. Medical researchers have noted the efficacy of music therapy for the ways it simultaneously stimulates the language and rhythm centers of the left brain, and the parts...