A Few Things To Talk About

Ok, I have a few things for you tonight...

First, if you're one of my many visitors from the UK, be sure to check out Groovybabe's Weight Loss Forum that she started. It's a good place to connect with some people from your area and perhaps find a weight loss or exercise buddy. :)

Next, Peggy sent me an email telling me about a neat website. It's called Healthy Dining Finder. You can search for restaurants according to city, price range, or if they have take out and delivery. If you'd like to see a list of restaurants in alphabetical order, click here. I haven't had time to play around with all of the website, but from what I can tell so far, it looks pretty useful. :)

Ok, the last thing is sort of a public service announcement on a great way to identify someone having a stroke (also sent to me by Peggy). Please take the time to read this, you could save someone's life...

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) 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, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

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 then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness 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 the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE(Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

NOTE: 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. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Remember the “3″ steps, STR … Smile, Talk, Raise… Smile, Talk, Raise… Smile, Talk, Raise.