A New Indicator for Stroke

Stroke is the secondmost deadly killer in the world, lagging only radical cardiac arrest. It is a type of disease that occurs without warning, tied to high blood pressure. Take your blood pressure regularly, if you can. And work to keep your blood pressure down.

Interestingly, reading and blogging does not seem to be harmful to you although watching TV is in fact likely to raise your blood pressure and contribute to cardiological conditions. Do whatever you can to keep your blood pressure down. Eat well, exercise, whatever.

But if you see someone and you suspect that they're undergoing a stroke - remember to think FAST.

• Face - ask them to smile.
• Arms - Ask them to raise their arms.
• Speak - ask them to say a sentence.
• Tongue - Ask them to stick out their tongue.

This is my version of the acronym. I found that many stroke survivors cannot control their tongue and that lack of control can go all the way back to the very moment the incident occurred. So it's a great indicator for predicting stroke and for stroke recovery.

The previous version was FAS-T , Face, Arms, Sentence - Try all three. But this version is better, because sometimes people just don't want to smile - strokes can hurt. Alot. They have been described as a splitting headache. Hard to smile, if you're having a splitting headache. But if your Tongue goes to one side helplessly, or they can't control the tongue properly - they are very likely having a stroke.

Once you know they're having a stroke, call the ambulance. If Healthcare reform passes, then you won't have to worry about declaring bankruptcy after the call. Just call the ambulance. The doctors can diagnose whether or not an intervention can save lives. Make sure you tell them you think the victim is having a stroke, they know that they have only five minutes, maybe at most 15 minutes - before the only therapy available (a certain drug ) can be effective.

So. Remember. Think FAST.