The term stroke (apoplexy) is applied to acute severe manifestations of cerebrovascular disease. It leads to both physical and mental crippling. WHO defined stroke as "rapidly developed clinical signs of focal disturbance of cerebral function; lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death, with no apparent cause other than vascular origin."

Causes and Symptoms

The disturbance of cerebral function may be due to three morphological abnormalities, i.e., stenosis, occlusion or rupture of the arteries.

Dysfunction of the brain manifests itself by various neurological signs and symptoms that are related to extent and site of the area involved and to the underlying causes. These include coma, hemiplegia, paraplegia, monoplegia, multiple paralysis, speech disturbances, nerve paresis, sensory impairment, etc. Of these, hemiplegic constitutes the main somato neurological disorder in about 90 per cent of patients.

Stroke includes a number of syndromes with differing etiologies, epidemiology, prognosis and treatment. These include subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral thrombosis or embolism and occlusion of pre-cerebral arteries, transient cerebral ischemia (of more than 24 hours).

Risk Factors

Stroke does not occur at random but risk factors such as hypertension, cardiac abnormalities, diabetes, elevated blood lipids, obesity, smoking, blood clotting and viscosity etc proceed by several years.

Diet

The diet should be well balanced, with special emphasis on B vitamins and vitamin C because they are needed for general health of the blood vessels. Vitamin E helps to prevent clots, reducing the need for oxygen. Reduction of over weight by sensible dieting is of the utmost importance. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables and complete proteins should be emphasized. All nutrients should meet the demands of stress and should lower blood cholesterol.

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The number one killer within the United States is heart disease. Nearly 40% of deaths within the United States are caused by heart disease. This disease is a serious one, and it can lead to stroke, heart attacks, and of course (sudden) death. Heart problems can be passed on within families for generations - some times more visible and some times less known. Heart problems can be treated in many different ways, but the best option is still to prevent them altogether. Thankfully, there is a really way to keep your heart healthy and strong: with Running

Runners tend to experience a lot more physical abuse than other types of athletes, but that sounds worse than it really is. For the purpose of this article we will concentrate on the heart related issues of running. If you know of heart problems within your family it is essential to keep your heart's health on the top of your mind at all times. Time and again, research has proven that the only way to keep your heart in good shape is to exercise frequently, avoid things like heavy drinking and smoking and of course to eat heart-healthy foods. Sometimes it also makes sense to take low dose Aspirin for better blood flow and to take cholesterol lowering medications (talk to your doctor).

But what foods are really considered heart-healthy? Here are some to chew on: whole grains; fruit; beans; vegetables; fatty fish (fresh salmon is a good one - lots of Omega3); walnuts; flax seed; red wine; avocado; olive oil; and other nuts such as almonds. All of these things are considered heart healthy and should be eaten on a regular basis.

Of course, the other way to keep your heart health is to maintain a healthy weight and to exercise frequently. Thus, none of the foods mentioned above should be eaten in excessive portions. If you find that you are lacking energy, feeling sluggish, or simply not feeling at the top of your running game, then you may want to take a closer look at your diet. Running frequently for at least 30-60 minutes 3-5 times a week trains your heart and builds up a strong heart that can keep going. If your heart is weak, start with walking and then slowly add running to the mix. It is extremely important to consult with your primary care physician to make sure he knows what you are up to.

Making a few simple adjustments to your diet can really change the way you live and run. Taking care of your runner's body is a chore, but it is one that will be well worth it in the end. You may condition your body, work on your muscles, and try to increase your mileage....but do not neglect your heart!

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Good evening readers, I hope you all had a great weekend. Today I am going to talk about some breaking news in the emergency medical dispatch field. Many EMS systems across the nation are starting to implement a new dispatch protocol. Now when patients experiencing chest pain call 911, they will be instructed to self-administer aspirin prior to the arrival of the ambulance. The long time standard has been that dispatchers would advise all patients to take nothing by mouth while they wait for paramedics to arrive. This is a big step in a new direction for our nations EMD systems. Studies by the Nation Academies of Emergency Dispatch have shown that the new aspirin protocol will decrease scene times and possibly improve the outcome for patients experiencing cardiac episodes.

The dispatchers will not instruct patients to take the aspirin if they are a minor, disoriented, have a known allergy or have a known bleeding disorder.

This protocol is already in place in Kern County, California. I personally have responded to several incidents where patients have taken the aspirin before my arrival. So far it appears that the protocol is effective. I have yet to run into any issues.

If this turns out to be a success, then I think we will start to see more "prior to arrival" interventions being implemented. I'm glad to see more being done in an effort to decrease the amount of cardiac related deaths.



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