Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Brain Attack


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What Is A Stroke?

The National Stroke Association
explains:

A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.

The article also states: "Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of adult disability." And, "Up to 80% of strokes are preventable."


It is widely reported that the primary causes of stroke are obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and excess alcohol consumption

A story in the Health section of the New York Times is illuminating. It reads:

"Stroke is becoming more common in young people. More young people and adults in their 30s and 40s are being hospitalized for stroke, even as stroke rates are dropping in older people."

And, according to Wikipedia -- Some young people engage in risky behaviors that affect their health and therefore the majority of health problems are psychosocial. Many young people experience multiple problems. These behaviours are established as a young person and go on to become the lifestyles of adults leading to chronic health problems.

Young people have specific health problems and developmental needs that differ from those of children or adults: The causes of ill-health in adolescents are mostly psychosocial rather biological. Young people often engage in health risk behaviours that reflect the processes of adolescent development: experimentation and exploration, including using drugs and alcohol, sexual behaviour, and other risk taking that affect their physical and mental health.

A Fact Sheet about stroke is available for download at:

http://www.stroke.org/site/DocServer/STROKE_101_Fact_Sheet.pdf?docID=4541

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Off to work now... revising and rewriting my old unpublished crap... what a book this upcoming self-publishing endeavor will be... if I ever get it finished.

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Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices.
--Laurence J. Peter (1919 - 1988)

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