STROKES - BE AWARE OF THE SIGNS

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Strokes - what are they?

There is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion about strokes and it is worth knowing the signs and what to do about them. In very simple terms a stoke occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted or even reduced. They can be caused by burst blood vessels, blood clots, embolism (bubbles) or physical trauma.
What happens when an area of the brain gets staved of oxygen is that it begins to die - there may be pain, loss of motor control but the long and short of it is that the brain begins to die. If you can restore the blood supply inside about 3 hours the chances of a full recovery are very good.

Surprising Fact About Strokes

Most people associate stroke with the elderly but there are a considerable number of young people experience them as well. It can be caused by something like sicklecell, head trauma etc.
In the last 10 years the incidence of stroke in the age group 15-44 years has trippled - we are not sure why but it may be related to high blood pressure and diabetes but the poor level of funding for Stroke reasearch has not yet permitted the necessary research to be done.

Act Fast - Save Lives

The more of these symptoms you have the more likely you or the person affected is having or has had a stroke.
  • numbness, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body (signs of this may be a drooping arm, leg or lower eyelid, or a dribbling mouth)
  • slurred speech or difficulty finding words or understanding speech
  • sudden blurred vision or loss of sight
  • confusion or unsteadiness
  • a severe headache

What are the signs

  • Facial weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or an eye drooped?

  • Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms?

  • Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?

  • Time To Call 999

Children and Strokes

We have worked with several children as young as 2 years old who have had strokes - mainly due to sickle cell.
Sickle cell affects the way that blood can flow around the blood system due to irregular shape red blood cells. Check out Sickle Cell

Stroke Material

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Strokes and Young Adults

Strokes often affect people in their late teenage years and early to mid 20s - these are the victims who form a hidden sub culture as most people thing that strokes only affect the elderly.

Reduce The Risk of Stroke by 42%

High blood levels of vitamin C could cut stroke risk by as much as 42 percent and reduce your odds of developing type 2 diabetes by a whopping 62 percent.

That's exactly what happened in two recent studies involving middle-aged and older adults. As blood levels of C went up, risks went down. Researchers suspect that the vitamin's strong antioxidant qualities may be the reason for its protective effects. And there's no better way to raise your blood levels of C than to start filling your body with C-rich winter foods like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and oranges.

Strokes

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paulbarton

My name is Paul Barton and I live in the UK but work all over the world. My driving passion is my family and my personal goals. I believe that the population... more »

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