Charles Adams
06-29-2006, 09:11 AM
The information contained in this post has been confirmed to be FACTUAL. Please read all the way through for more information or visit this link: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3008841
NOTE:It is embarassing to receive an e-mail that sounds urgent and forward it on to friends and family only to find out it is a hoax. You can verify the validity of forwarded e-mail messages by checking websites such as http://www.hoax-slayer.com
Remember these three Letters:
S.T.R.
RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF A STROKE
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness often spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe 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:
S: Ask the individual to SMILE.
T: Ask them to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE coherently (i.e. "It is sunny out today)
R: Ask them to RAISE BOTH ARMS.If the person has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Another sign of a stroke is this: Ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is crooked, if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.
===============
According to information available on the American Heart Association's website, the three questions outlined in this message are a medically viable method for a layperson to ascertain if a person is presenting with stroke symptoms.
The procedure was originally outlined in a report to the American Stroke Association's 28th International Stroke Conference. The report states that a bystander may be able to spot someone having a stroke by giving the person a simple, quick test to see if they can smile, raise both arms and keep them up, and speak a simple sentence coherently...
Certainly, the core information in this message is worth heeding. Knowing how to conduct this simple test could indeed save a person's life. The aforementioned report explains that if bystanders can relay results of this test to an emergency dispatcher, it could speed treatment to stroke patients. Time is crucial in treating stroke.
America's National Stroke Association lists the following as common symptoms of stroke:
* Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
* Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
* Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
* Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Given this list of symptoms, it is easy to see how the simple three-question test could help identify a stroke. However, there is an important point that needs to be considered. WHILE THE CENTRAL INFORMATION IN THIS MESSAGE IS TRUE, THE ABSENCE OF THESE SYMPTOMS DOES NOT NECESSARILY INDICATE THAT A PERSON IS NOT HAVING A STROKE. It could be extremely dangerous to reach the conclusion that a person did not require medical attention just because he or she could successfully carry out the three steps outlined in the test. A site visitor relates the following real life experience, which graphically illustrates this potential danger:
My mother-in-law suffered a stroke this morning. I had just told her last week about the three simple tests for identifying someone who might be having a stroke (which I received via e-mail). She was having difficulty walking and had a little numbness on one side of her face but she was able to smile, lift her hands above her head and speak in coherent sentences. Thus, she concluded that she was not having a stroke and delayed seeing her doctor. The three simple tests certainly could help a bystander identify someone who might be having a stroke but the absence of these symptoms doesn't mean that a person is NOT having a stroke. I feel just awful that she delayed treatment because of what I told her and that she missed the window of opportunity to receive the thrombolytic (clot-busting) therapy. The damage is already done.
The unfortunate tendency for forwarded e-mail messages to mutate as they travel means that it may not always be a good idea to pass on even those rare email forwards that contain factual and verifiable information. Also, as explained above, the misuse of such information due to false assumptions or lack of understanding can have dangerous repercussions. If you do decide to forward this information, I would suggest that you first remove any superfluous information it contains. Secondly, include a warning about the danger of not seeking medical attention just because a person can successfully perform the three steps. Thirdly, I think it would also be a good idea to add a link to the original source so that recipients can check the information for themselves.
The link to the American Stroke Association report is included below:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3008841
NOTE:It is embarassing to receive an e-mail that sounds urgent and forward it on to friends and family only to find out it is a hoax. You can verify the validity of forwarded e-mail messages by checking websites such as http://www.hoax-slayer.com
Remember these three Letters:
S.T.R.
RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF A STROKE
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness often spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe 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:
S: Ask the individual to SMILE.
T: Ask them to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE coherently (i.e. "It is sunny out today)
R: Ask them to RAISE BOTH ARMS.If the person has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Another sign of a stroke is this: Ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is crooked, if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.
===============
According to information available on the American Heart Association's website, the three questions outlined in this message are a medically viable method for a layperson to ascertain if a person is presenting with stroke symptoms.
The procedure was originally outlined in a report to the American Stroke Association's 28th International Stroke Conference. The report states that a bystander may be able to spot someone having a stroke by giving the person a simple, quick test to see if they can smile, raise both arms and keep them up, and speak a simple sentence coherently...
Certainly, the core information in this message is worth heeding. Knowing how to conduct this simple test could indeed save a person's life. The aforementioned report explains that if bystanders can relay results of this test to an emergency dispatcher, it could speed treatment to stroke patients. Time is crucial in treating stroke.
America's National Stroke Association lists the following as common symptoms of stroke:
* Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
* Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
* Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
* Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Given this list of symptoms, it is easy to see how the simple three-question test could help identify a stroke. However, there is an important point that needs to be considered. WHILE THE CENTRAL INFORMATION IN THIS MESSAGE IS TRUE, THE ABSENCE OF THESE SYMPTOMS DOES NOT NECESSARILY INDICATE THAT A PERSON IS NOT HAVING A STROKE. It could be extremely dangerous to reach the conclusion that a person did not require medical attention just because he or she could successfully carry out the three steps outlined in the test. A site visitor relates the following real life experience, which graphically illustrates this potential danger:
My mother-in-law suffered a stroke this morning. I had just told her last week about the three simple tests for identifying someone who might be having a stroke (which I received via e-mail). She was having difficulty walking and had a little numbness on one side of her face but she was able to smile, lift her hands above her head and speak in coherent sentences. Thus, she concluded that she was not having a stroke and delayed seeing her doctor. The three simple tests certainly could help a bystander identify someone who might be having a stroke but the absence of these symptoms doesn't mean that a person is NOT having a stroke. I feel just awful that she delayed treatment because of what I told her and that she missed the window of opportunity to receive the thrombolytic (clot-busting) therapy. The damage is already done.
The unfortunate tendency for forwarded e-mail messages to mutate as they travel means that it may not always be a good idea to pass on even those rare email forwards that contain factual and verifiable information. Also, as explained above, the misuse of such information due to false assumptions or lack of understanding can have dangerous repercussions. If you do decide to forward this information, I would suggest that you first remove any superfluous information it contains. Secondly, include a warning about the danger of not seeking medical attention just because a person can successfully perform the three steps. Thirdly, I think it would also be a good idea to add a link to the original source so that recipients can check the information for themselves.
The link to the American Stroke Association report is included below:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3008841