Maybe you are in perfect Health to bother about this. But then, you may have an opportunity to save a family member, friend or stranger.

During a outdoor dinner at a seaside resort near Chennai, a friend stumbled and took a little fall – she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food – while she appeared a bit shaken up, Lakshmi (name changed) went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Her husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital – (at 6:00 pm, Lakshmi passed away). She had suffered a stroke at the dinner- had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Lakshmi would be alive today.

It only takes a minute to read this:

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough. There is nothing more life saving than getting the patient to the hospital in the FIRST ONE HOUR! The Golden Hour it is now known as to Doctors and emergency attendants alike!

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the “3? steps. Read and Learn!

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:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE. 2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. 3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today). If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call emergency immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. 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.

BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE, and you could save their lives.

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Q Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short/long term) ?
A. Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.

Q Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?
A. No

Q What are the chances of lean people developing heart complications? Are they at less risk?
A. Obese people are at a higher risk. Lean people also develop heart attacks, but primarily because of genetic predisposition.

Q Is it true that after open-heart surgery, patients lose memory-recall to some extent?
A. No. Especially after bypass grafting on a beating heart, incidence of neurological problems have come down significantly.

Q Are Asthma patients more prone to heart disease?
A. No

Q How would you define junk food?
A. Fried food like Kentucky, McDonalds, Samosas, and even Masala Dosas.

Q You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food ?
A. Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

Q Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?
A. No

Q Is there any cure for chronic palpitations?
A. The patient should be investigated and if there is a cause for palpitation like an electrical abnormality of the heart, this can be rectified by a procedure called radio-frequency-ablation.

Q How would you rate the health facilities currently available in India?
A. There are institutions, which are as good or even better than the one in the US and Europe. However, they are exceptions. In general, the qualities of health-care available to the masses are poor.

Q If there is a small hole in the heart, what are the possible ways of curing it? Is operation the only solution?
A. Small holes in children less than 6 months of age usually closes. But the decision not to operate should be taken by the specialists who are experts in treating children with heart problems.

Q Are emotions really controlled by heart?
A. No. The heart is just a slave of the brain and it is the brain, which controls the emotions.

Q If a person does not do any physical exercise, he is bound to have shortness of breath on exertion; say climbing stairs. Is this an indication of heart disease?
A. No. But if one has difficulty in breathing on mild exertion, it is better to go for a heart check-up.

Q Can a person help himself during a heart attack?
A. Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary-care-unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.

Q Do, in any way, low white-blood-cells and low hemoglobin-count lead to heart problems?
A. No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.

Q Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule, we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?
A. Certainly. Avoid sitting continuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.

Q Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?
A. Yes. A strong relationship is there since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.

Q Do bypass surgeries reduce the risk of future heart attacks ?
A. It significantly reduces the risk of heart attack.

Q What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?
A. Diet, exercise, drugs on time. Control Cholesterol, BP and weight.

Q Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?
A. No.

Q Can you brief us about angina attack? How major it is?
A. Angina is the pain, which comes on exertion and goes away with rest and medication. One has to be investigated in detail to plan treatment.

Q What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?
A. There are hundreds of drugs and your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem. But my suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet to reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyle.

Q Does dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?
A. No

Q If there is about 85 percent blockage in the arteries, can the person be treated without surgery? If not, what other remedies and the power of your heart muscles
A. It depends on collateral or natural bypass, the quality of other arteries and the power of your heart muscles. It’s impossible to give an opinion without seeing the angiography film.

Q There is a feeling that bypass is unnecessarily being performed in some cases. When is bypass really needed?
A. When you have blockages affecting major arteries, bypass is the best option. I am sure, conscientious doctors will not perform an operation when it is not required.

Q Is it true that mechanical valves can fail any moment?
A. No. If you take medication to prevent clot formation and maintain the INR at accepted levels, the valve cannot get blocked. However, like any mechanical gadget, it can fail and fortunately, such incidences are extremely low.

Q Can you brief me on pulmonary stenosys problems? What are the complications involved and what care needs to be taken?
A. In this condition, the pulmonary valve is narrower at birth and putting a balloon across the valve and dilating it can easily correct it.

Q Why is it the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?
A. Nature protects women till the age of 45.

Q How can one keep the heart in a good condition?
A. Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise every day, do not smoke and, go for a health checkup if you are past the age of 30 for at least once in two years. And WORK VERY HARD.

***Courtesy : PERSONNEL TODAY, a journal of National Institute of Personnel Management

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