My friend Kathy forwarded an email to me a few weeks ago on the topic of recognizing signs of stroke. It's often hard to recognize when a stroke is occurring until it's too late. If stroke symptoms are caught early, something can be done to help. Clot-busting drugs can be given IF it is within the first three hours after the clot blocks the artery. Naturopaths have found good results with cayenne: if the stroke victim is conscious, drinking a teaspoon of cayenne in a cup of water may solve the problem as as he's being transported to the hospital.
The warning signs are S T R -- a mnemonic device from the first three letters of the word stroke.
S -- ask the person to smile.
T -- ask the person to talk, to speak a simple sentence such as "It's sunny today."
R -- ask the person to raise both arms.
If the person has trouble doing any one of these, call 911 or head straight to the hospital. Quick thinking to obtain early treatment may prevent paralysis or save a person's ability to speak, or even save a life.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
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Comment from an almost-nurse.
ReplyDeleteIf you use the cayenne, make sure to tell the physician, nurse and paramedic when you do get to the hospital, if it does help then it may interact with some of the drugs given for a stroke.
Another comment. Even if the stroke victim is conscious, their throat may be partially paralyzed and if they're given anything to drink or eat, it's highly likely they could choke. Water is one of the hardest things for someone with a swallowing problem to swallow and thin liquids like that pose the greatest risk.
-Heidi
Added to my list, in addition to STR, is ask them to stick out their tongue. If tongue is crooked, goes to one side or the other, is a sign of stroke.
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