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:
*Ask the individual to SMILE.
*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
After discovering that a group of nonmedical 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.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
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I checked this advice out at Snopes, expecting to find it was yet another hoax or untrue mass e-mailing, but for once a mass e-mailing I got was true. And it might just help someone someday. Snopes said:
"The advice given in this much-circulated e-mail is sound. It was drawn from a report presented in February 2003 at the American Stroke Association's (ASA) 28th International Stroke Conference, and news of it can be found on the ASA web site and the American Heart Association's (AHA) website. In a nutshell, recognizing that a stroke has taken place is something just about anyone can do, and it's a skill worth mastering in light of the importance of getting medical attention for stroke victims at the earliest possible moment."
So, pass it on!
