Subject: Good safety tip about strokes
>
>During a BBQ a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured
>everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just
>tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and
>got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid
>went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband
>called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital
>- (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ -
>had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would
>be with us today.
>
>It only takes a minute to read this-
>
>Recognizing a Stroke
>
>----- A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3
>hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the
>trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient
>within 3 hours which is tough.
>
>RECOGNIZING A STROKE
>
>Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn!
>
>Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,
>the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain
>damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
>
>Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
>questions:
>
>1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.
>
>2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
>
>3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is
>sunny out today) If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call
>for help/rush to hospital and describe the symptoms to attendees.
>
>After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify
>facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the
>general public to learn the three questions. They presented their
>conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last
>February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and
>treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.