Stroke is the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States.
It is no wonder that being disabled by a stroke is the chief fear of so many elderly Americans. In China, there is less incidence of stroke than in Western countries, and greater recovery of function after a stroke. This is not because Chinese people are physically different from Americans, but because of differences in diet, lifestyle, and post-stroke treatment. Because there are a number of contributing factors to stroke, because these contributing factors tend to play out over a long period of time, and because the stroke itself can manifest in a number of ways, it can be difficult to assess the exact cause of a stroke. The internal organs most likely to be weakened by these factors are the Kidney and the Spleen, causing deficiencies of Chi, Blood, and Yin.