Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/27952
4A – Daily News – Monday, March 28, 2011 Vitality & health DECATUR, Ga. (MCT) —Because she had a histo- ry of migraines, when Lisa Satchfield complained of numbness in her left arm and a pinched neck, her pri- mary-care doctor did not recommend an emergency room visit. Hours later, Satchfield's 9-year-old son and 10- year-old daughter found their mother lying on the floor, barely able to speak the words "stroke, call 911" and with no feeling in her left arm and leg, she said. By the time she arrived at a local Irvine, Calif., hos- pital, a CT scan revealed that a stroke had occurred six hours before, too late to receive a shot of recombi- nant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), the only prescription treatment to reduce the chance of dis- ability from stroke. It must be injected within four and a half hours of stroke onset to be effective. Strokes happen to peo- ple of all ages, and even mild ones can cause seri- ous disabilities. These two often-over- looked facts underscore the importance for everyone to recognize stroke symptoms quickly and get prompt medical attention — ideal- ly within 60 minutes — when stroke is suspected, experts said. Put simply, a stroke results from a stop in blood flow to the brain, causing cells in that part of the brain to die due to lack of oxygen and nutrients. RECOGNIZE SYMPTOMS For potential victims, that means identifying stroke onset symptoms in yourself or another person quickly, Sacco said. Typical signs include problems with speaking; double vision or vision loss resembling a dark curtain clos- ing over your eye; difficulty walking; and/or arm, leg or face weakness, numbness or tin- gling. However, identifying that you or someone else is undergoing a stroke can be difficult because the more common ischemic type usually is painless and symptoms like limb numbness or speaking problems can be mis- taken for the onset of a migraine headache, Frankel said. "It's just human nature to think I'll sleep it off," he said. Take immediate action if you experience stroke-like symptoms that are different from migraines you've had before, and if unsure, call 911, Sacco said. "If it turns out to be a migraine, great, but don't wait for the symptoms to resolve." Ischemic strokes, the vast majority or about 80 per- cent, are triggered by a blood clot blocking a blood vessel or artery. About 20 percent of strokes are clas- sified as hemorrhagic and result from a broken blood vessel in the brain itself. For most stroke victims, those "brain attacks" can lead to temporary or per- manent disabilities throughout the body from speech, cognitive and emo- tional difficulties, to pain and paralysis. But about 17 percent of the 795,000 strokes that happen annually in the U.S. are deadly, making stroke the nation's third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer, according to the American Heart Associa- tion. Satchfield's left arm remains unusable, but a brace on her left ankle has allowed her to regain enough mobility to com- plete five half-marathons. Her disability cost her job as a hospital senior accounting manager and meant going from full to less than half-time custody of her children. "I was a type-A person- ality, go-go-go, and I loved my job and being with my kids," said Satchfield, now 47 years old, who still Strokes: what you should know to stay safe speaks haltingly three years later. "I was just divorced and planning to buy a house. I thought, my life is going good." Three-quarters of all strokes happen to people age 65 and over, but one fourth occur in younger people, even children. Hos- pitalizations for people aged 5 to 45 who suffered ischemic stroke, the most common type, rose sharply between 1994 and 2007, recent CDC research found. "It's quite troubling to see so many people in their 30s and 40s in the prime of their lives, having strokes," said Dr. Michael R. Frankel, an Emory Univer- sity neurologist. Frankel is also director of the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center at Atlanta's Grady Hospital. "It's not the way I was taught in medical school _ that stroke was a disease of the aged," he said. Many experts suspect America's obesity epidem- ic is one reason why younger people are having strokes, said Dr. Pooja Khatri, director of acute stroke at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center in Ohio. The five biggest risk factors for stroke are the same as for a heart attack _ smoking, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, she said. A minority of strokes, however, happen to seem- ingly healthy people. Some evidence suggests younger people who have ischemic strokes are more likely to have mild ones, one third of which still can lead to life-changing dis- ability. Intravenous rtPA is routinely given only to moderate or serious stroke victims, but Khatri said she recently completed a study which suggests that if rtPA is also found to be effective for mild strokes, it could prevent disability in thou- sands of stroke victims and save more than $200 mil- lion in annual disability costs. The only FDA- approved medication to reduce permanent disabili- ty from ischemic stroke, rtPA breaks up clots, allow- ing blood flow to be restored to the brain, and reduces or eliminates dis- ability in at least 30 percent of patients who receive it. Doctors have been reluctant to administer the drug to mild stroke victims because some patients may improve without treatment and rtPA has a potentially deadly side effect of brain hemorrhage in as many as 6 percent of cases, Khatri said. But small case studies suggest that hemorrhage risk decreases to less than 3 percent for mild stroke patients, she said. fitness (MCT) — An inactive lifestyle, watching TV and eating Pray it ain't so: too many fatty foods are all to blame for many Americans being overweight and obese. We may have to add religion to that list. A study finds that young adults who regularly attend reli- gious activities may be more prone to obesity by middle age than their nonreligious peers. Jell-O salad? We're looking in your direction. The study included 2,433 younger men and women who were part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study and were followed for 18 years. Reli- gious participation ranged from high (once a week or more), medium (regularly but not weekly), low (rarely) and none. Young adults age 20 to 32 who were on the high end of religious involvement were 50 percent more likely to be obese by the time they hit middle age compared with those in the "none" category. This was true even after researchers adjusted for sex, age, race, education, income and the par- ticipants' body mass index at the start of the study. During the second year of the study researchers discov- ered that those in the high participation category tended to be female, black, and have a higher BMI. The study, presented this week at the American Heart Assn.'s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism/Cardio- vascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2011 Scien- tific Sessions in Atlanta, offered no explanation for why reli- gious activity might be linked with obesity in middle age. However, other studies have shown that being involved with religion may be linked with lower mortality rates. Nutrition Quiz: Chips (MCT) — We've got the munchies this week, so The Quiz is all about the nutri- tional value, or lack thereof, of chips. This analysis comes from the nutritionists at www.healthcastle.com, people you definitely don't want to be standing next to at a party. 1. There was a five-way tie for the most caloric chips, all weighing in at 160 calories for 1 ounce. Which of these is not among the five worst offenders? a) Terra Krinkle Cut Sweet Potato Chips with sea salt b) Miss Vicki's Sea Salt Potato Chips c) Pringles (original) 2. How many more calo- ries per ounce do Pringles (originals) contain than Eden Brown Rice Chips? a) 20 b) 10 c) same amount 3. Unlike other compara- ble potato chips, Pringles WE STAND BEHIND YOUR RETURN. GUARANTEED. contain more ingredients, such as rice flour and wheat starch. One of these three food additives is in Pringles. Pick which. a) maltodextrin b) xanthan gum c) carnauba wax 4. Which chip contains the highest level of sodium per ounce? Chips a) Fritos Original Corn b) Ruffles Original Pota- to Chips c) Genisoy Soy Crisps 5. Pringles Light chips weigh in at only 70 calories per ounce and 0 fat, primar- ily due to the use of the fat substitute Olestra. Which is not a possible side effect for consuming Olestra? a) abdominal cramping b) loose stools c) gout flareup ©2010 HRB Tax Group, Inc. 1315 Solano St, Corning, CA 96021 530-824-7999 120 Bell Mill Road, Red Bluff, CA 96080 530-527-7515 Mon-Fri 9 am to 7 pm Asian Massage $ 30 min. massage reg. $40 GRAND OPENING 5.00 off 1 hr. massage reg. $60 $10.00 off Offer good thru April 30th 333 S. Main St. Suite G Red Bluff • 530-710-5940 ANSWERS: 1: c; 2: c (both have 150 calories); 3: a; 4: c (Genisoy, 270 mg sodium; Fritos, 170 mg; Ruffles, 160 mg); 5: c