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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1988)
PAGE 14 ST" ICJ T f IC Paralysis, impaired speech, vision and memory are some of the effects; but there are II lift IV 11m factors yu and yur doctor can control to prevent a major attack. A half million Americans have strokes each year, and about 150,000 of them die. Only cancer and heart disease kill more people. Doctors aren't sure just why, but the mortality rate from stroke is falling; from 88.8 per 100,000 of the population in 1950, to 33.8 in 1984, with a particularly noticeable decline (5.7 annually) since 1973. Such statistics may well indicate that there has been an improvement in medical care coupled with an increase in public awareness of the risk factors for stroke that can be controlled. Stroke usually occurs when a vessel bringing blood to the brain either bursts or is blocked by a blood clot. Nerve cells in the affected area, deprived of oxygen and nutrients, can die within minutes. That's why stroke can be so disabling: the parts of the body controlled by these nerve cells cease to function. Damage can include paralysis of one side of the body, impaired speech or understanding, impaired visual perception, behavioral changes, and impaired memory or movement. Two types of stroke account for 70 to 80 of all occur rences: cerebral thrombosis, in which a blood clot clogs an artery already partly blocked by deposits of fat and cholesterol; and cerebral embolism, caused when a clot is formed elsewhere and travels to the brain. But two other types of stroke caused by hemorrhaging, are much more likely to be fatal. Cerebral hemorrhage, the cause of about 10 of all strokes, occurs when an artery inside the brain bursts. The other type of hemorrhage is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, the cause of about 7 of strokes. This kind of hemorrhage is caused when a vessel on the brains' surface ruptures, bleeding into the space between the brain and the skull. (Senator Joseph Biden Jr. recently suffered a special type of subarachnoid hemor rhage, when a "berry" aneurysm, a ballooning of an artery wall, began to leak). There are warning signs that a stroke is imminent: sudden weakness or numbness in an arm, leg, side of the face, or one entire side of the body, trouble in speaking or understanding speech, impaired vision (especially in only one eye), and dizziness. In fact, about one in 10 major strokes is preceded by a "ministroke" or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Days, weeks even months before a major stroke, temporary clogging of a cerebral artery can induce stroke symptoms usually for periods of less than five minutes, but sometimes for up to 24 hours. However, brief, a TIA is frequently a sign of worse to come. But prompt medical attention may prevent further attacks or a major stroke, depending on the underlying cause and so may paying attention to risk factors. FACTORS YOU AND YOUR DOCTOR CAN CONTROL SMOKING - A report published this past February based on the Framingham Heart Study's 26 year follow up of over 4,000 subjects, 459, of whom were victims of stroke, concluded that independent of other factors, "the risk of stroke increased as the number of cigarettes smoked increased". Happily, the study also showed that simply by quitting, even long-term smokers can reduce this risk to the same level as non-smokers within five years. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE - This, the biggest risk factor for stroke, maybe lowered through diet, exercise and weight control. Limiting alcohol intake may also help. Drugs may be necessary. HEART DISEASE - People with heart disease have more than double the risk for stroke compared to those with healthy hearts. DIABETES - This increases the risk of stroke, particu larly in women. Diabetics also often suffer from high blood pressure, another risk factor for stroke. FACTORS BEYOND YOUR CONTROL THAT AFFECTS THE RISK OF STROKE: HEREDITY - A family history of stroke increases the changes of stroke and should make your particularly watchful. AGE - Risk for stroke more than doubles with each decade after the age of 55. SEX - Men are about 30 more likely than women to have a stroke, with the greatest difference in people1 " under 65. CAROL TERP.RNC , COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE UNDER THE INFLUENCE, WHO'S COOL? Anyone who says "I drink, but I don't do drugs" is wrong. Alcohol is a dangerous drug. You can get hooked on it. You can even die from an overdose. A , bottle of beer, a glass of wine or a shot of whiskey, it's all the same thing: alcohol. Some people will tell you that drinking is cool (ever see someone drunk? Did they look cool?). When a person gets drunk, the first thing that happens is they lose their "cool", also called their sense of judgement. They often say or do anything that pops into their head, even if it hurts someone else or makes them look stupid. Doctors call this kind of "cool" inhibition, your parents might call it politeness; whatever you call it, it's the first thing to go when you drbk, and if you keep drinking, it gets worse. Drink more alcohol and you start to lose control of your body, the way you walk, talk, see and think. The more you drink, the worse it gets, until you get sick, pass out or even die, and that is not cool. Alcohol abuse means "drinking to get drunk" and, unfortunately, that's how most young people drink. More than one out of five teenagers call themselves heavy drinkers, which means they get drunk at least once a week. It may seem like a "grown-up" thing to do, but did you know that nearly one-third of adults don't touch alcohol at all? More and more adults are making the ; choice to drink seldom or never. People who can't control their drinking are called alcoholics and their disease is called alcoholism. It happens to nearly two out of every ten children, causing them to lose interest in school, friends, family and hobbies. . They start using alcohol to feel good, but it gets to the point where they need alcohol just to feel normal. Without it, they can barely get by. The more you drink, the worse it gets, until you get sick, pass out or even die, and that isnotcooL" Even people who aren't alcoholics pay a price for drinking too much: a hangover. You wake up with a terrible headache, you're dizzy and you want to throw up (and sometimes do). What's so cool about that? Respectfully Submitted, Margaret Provost Alcohol PreventionEducation Counselor
