MNeagle
17th February 2011, 08:10 AM
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When it comes to strokes, nobody is immune – not even children. We were reminded of that earlier this week. On Sunday, while reporting live from the Grammy Awards, it was feared that young television reporter Serene Branson suffered a stroke. The local CBS station later said she had “health-related problems” and a stroke was not at fault.
Stroke awareness is dear to the heart of Dr. Marie Pasinski, a neurologist and author of Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You: Look Radiant from the Inside Out by Empowering Your Mind.
Dr. Pasinski has cared for so many patients who experienced a stroke that could have been avoided if only they had known the early warning signs or knew they were having a stroke and received immediate medical care.
Before a stroke, it’s common for people to have what’s called a TIA, or stroke warning, where they have neurologic symptoms like weakness, or difficulty speaking that lasts five minutes, then goes away, she explains. “What many people don’t realize that even if the symptoms go away, the brain is in trouble, and this is the neurologic emergency. If someone suddenly develops new neurologic symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, they have a very high risk of having a stroke, and they need to get to the emergency room as soon as possible."
Research presented at the 2009 International Stroke Conference showed that only 37 percent of people surveyed knew the five warning signs that warranted an immediate 911 call. The American Academy of Neurology, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the American Stroke Association launched the “Give Me 5 for Stroke” campaign that includes a series of “Walk, Talk, Reach, See, Feel” questions if you are with someone who might be having a stroke.
“As a neurologist, it is heartbreaking for me to see patients living with a neurologic disability that could have been prevented had they only known the symptoms of stroke,” Dr. Pasinski says.
She outlines 5 areas of trouble one should be on the look out for and call 911 if any of these symptoms present themselves:
1. WALK
•Is their balance off?
•Are they dragging one leg?
•Are they veering off to one side?
2. TALK
•Is their speech slurred?
•Are they using the appropriate words? (Do their words make sense?)
•Does one side of their mouth droop down?
3. REACH
•Is one side weak or numb?
•Ask the person to raise both their arms up together. Does one arm begin to fall down?
•Ask the person to squeeze your fingers with each hand. Is one hand weaker than the other?
4. SEE
•Is their vision all or partly lost?
•Is their vision clear?
•Does the person see double?
5. FEEL
•Do they have a severe headache that peaked in severity within seconds?
•Do they normally have headaches? If so, is this headache any different from their usual headache?
•Does this feel like the worst headache of their life?
“In neurology we say time is brain, so the sooner you can get to an emergency room the better,” Dr. Pasinski says.
So, what can we do to prevent strokes? Many things, actually. Dr. Pasinski explains that the most important thing we can do is to keep the arteries that nourish and bring oxygen to the brain healthy and free of atherosclerosis.
“This can be accomplished by eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly. In addition, it is important to stay on top of any medical conditions which impair blood flow to the brain including: hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and, of course, avoid smoking.”
link (http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/young-reporter-serene-bransons-stroke-scare-the-5-major-warning-signs-of-a-stroke-2454709/;_ylt=AkyIukO08aeJPW4_CIHIVB5abqU5)
When it comes to strokes, nobody is immune – not even children. We were reminded of that earlier this week. On Sunday, while reporting live from the Grammy Awards, it was feared that young television reporter Serene Branson suffered a stroke. The local CBS station later said she had “health-related problems” and a stroke was not at fault.
Stroke awareness is dear to the heart of Dr. Marie Pasinski, a neurologist and author of Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You: Look Radiant from the Inside Out by Empowering Your Mind.
Dr. Pasinski has cared for so many patients who experienced a stroke that could have been avoided if only they had known the early warning signs or knew they were having a stroke and received immediate medical care.
Before a stroke, it’s common for people to have what’s called a TIA, or stroke warning, where they have neurologic symptoms like weakness, or difficulty speaking that lasts five minutes, then goes away, she explains. “What many people don’t realize that even if the symptoms go away, the brain is in trouble, and this is the neurologic emergency. If someone suddenly develops new neurologic symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, they have a very high risk of having a stroke, and they need to get to the emergency room as soon as possible."
Research presented at the 2009 International Stroke Conference showed that only 37 percent of people surveyed knew the five warning signs that warranted an immediate 911 call. The American Academy of Neurology, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the American Stroke Association launched the “Give Me 5 for Stroke” campaign that includes a series of “Walk, Talk, Reach, See, Feel” questions if you are with someone who might be having a stroke.
“As a neurologist, it is heartbreaking for me to see patients living with a neurologic disability that could have been prevented had they only known the symptoms of stroke,” Dr. Pasinski says.
She outlines 5 areas of trouble one should be on the look out for and call 911 if any of these symptoms present themselves:
1. WALK
•Is their balance off?
•Are they dragging one leg?
•Are they veering off to one side?
2. TALK
•Is their speech slurred?
•Are they using the appropriate words? (Do their words make sense?)
•Does one side of their mouth droop down?
3. REACH
•Is one side weak or numb?
•Ask the person to raise both their arms up together. Does one arm begin to fall down?
•Ask the person to squeeze your fingers with each hand. Is one hand weaker than the other?
4. SEE
•Is their vision all or partly lost?
•Is their vision clear?
•Does the person see double?
5. FEEL
•Do they have a severe headache that peaked in severity within seconds?
•Do they normally have headaches? If so, is this headache any different from their usual headache?
•Does this feel like the worst headache of their life?
“In neurology we say time is brain, so the sooner you can get to an emergency room the better,” Dr. Pasinski says.
So, what can we do to prevent strokes? Many things, actually. Dr. Pasinski explains that the most important thing we can do is to keep the arteries that nourish and bring oxygen to the brain healthy and free of atherosclerosis.
“This can be accomplished by eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly. In addition, it is important to stay on top of any medical conditions which impair blood flow to the brain including: hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and, of course, avoid smoking.”
link (http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/young-reporter-serene-bransons-stroke-scare-the-5-major-warning-signs-of-a-stroke-2454709/;_ylt=AkyIukO08aeJPW4_CIHIVB5abqU5)