Is there anything I can do to prevent or decrease my chances of developing a neurological disorder?

Is there anything I can do to prevent or decrease my chances of developing a neurological disorder?

Les Weiner (Former Chair of the Department of Neurology, University of Southern California) gives expert video advice on: How do neurologists repair nerve damage of the brain?; Why are some spinal cord injuries more serious than others?; Is there anything I can do to prevent or decrease my chances of developing a neurological disorder? and more...

Well, I think since the number one neurologic disorder is stroke; you certainly can. The causes of stroke are hypertension, diabetes, smoking and arteriosclerosis. All of those are preventable. So you can control those with diet, medicine and exercise. The best way to prevent you from having a stroke is to do those things. So, high cholesterol; you need to watch your diet, you may need to have some medication, etc. It has to be checked. Hypertension is more difficult, because people don't know they have hypertension, but it has to be checked periodically and it has to be controlled. And diabetes - the same way, and smoking is a major cause of stroke. So not smoking is very good. Now, is there a way to prevent getting MS? We don't know of any. Is there a way to prevent getting Alzheimer's - well, we know that the more you do with your brain, you can delay the onset; but it doesn't mean you're not going to get it. Parkinson's, we have no way to know how to prevent its onset. Peripheral nerves, if you're exposed to toxins, if you're diabetic, if you have thyroid problems - those things can be controlled and your peripheral nerves can be dealt with.