Stroke facts - II

Let me hit you with the bad news first: Stroke kills, stroke destroys, stroke debilitates. Stroke is the third most common cause of death in the United States, and the number-one cause of serious disability. One year after the most common kind of stroke, approximately 30 percent of those afflicted will have died, and another 30 percent will have a moderate to severe disability.

Now for some good news: Of those who experience the most common type of stroke, approximately 40 percent are left with only a mild or no disability one year later. And each year more people survive and recover from stroke as medical research continues to advance effective treatment. Today, recovery with improvement is the rule rather than the exception.

Stroke is sometimes called a brain attack. I wish this label would catch on, because I think that people might then understand that stroke is an emergency — like a heart attack — and call 911 right away! A heart attack threatens your heart; a stroke threatens your brain. In truth, most stroke is like a heart attack: It’s a problem with blood vessels, and time is really important.

However, heart attack is a little easier to recognize. First of all, the pain tells you something is wrong — and it is usually near your heart. Most strokes are painless, and the symptoms, a paralyzed arm or leg for instance, are not obviously related to the brain.

Clearly, the more you know about stroke — its symptoms, causes, risks, treatment, and prevention — the better your chances of living a full and productive life with or, better yet, without stroke. And the first lesson is to learn what stroke is and how and why stroke occurs.

stroke hits women harder than men says studys...

Anorexia Nervosa

Like the phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, anorexia nervosa has two domains: what’s outside for everyone to see and what’s inside, hidden not only from others but often even from the sufferer herself.

The visible behaviors and outcomes of anorexia are often shocking, except to people with the disorder. You can easily get lost in the focus on what’s visible on the outside. But as you discover in this chapter, these behaviors are driven by an invisible engine of internal distress — and an astonishing level of determination to overcome that distress through thinness.

If you have anorexia, you may feel that you’re solving what’s distressing in your life with your thinness and ability to control what you eat. Consider that, in fact, the genius of your anorexia is that it takes all that internal distress and turns it into one simple external issue: the daily challenge of avoiding fat and staying thin. Anorexia gives you a feeling of control when you otherwise feel helpless in life, and it makes you feel worthwhile when you so often doubt your worth.

 more about anorexia nervosa...

Stroke - facts

Stroke is nothing if not fast. Each year, as many as 750,000 people in the United States suffer a sudden and unexpected attack of the brain. When part of the brain is deprived of oxygen — which is what is happening when stroke hits — it doesn’t take long for the catastrophe to make itself evident. A minute or less.

Whether it’s a sudden inability to speak, the crash of a dish from a hand that can no longer grasp, or loss of consciousness, a brain attack strikes its victims quickly and powerfully and without warning. Or does it? Although your stroke may occur in a lightning flash, it has most likely been years in the making, with conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes possibly serving as warning signs that the brain is in danger. Basically, as these conditions cause wear and tear on your blood vessels, your risks increase of suffering either a blockage or rupture of a brain artery. And — suddenly — you’re in stroke mode.

So how does it happen? It starts with the brain.

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The immune system

The immune system: Your body’s frontline defender

The immune system — which is a complex network of glands, tissues, and circulating cells — is your body’s frontline defense in the fight against infection by viruses, bacteria, and other bad guys. When confronted with an infection, the immune system gears up to neutralize the foreign invader and make you healthy again.

In order for your immune system to do its job properly, it has to be able to distinguish between the good guys (the cells, tissues, and organs that make up your body) and the bad guys (any foreign invader, such as a virus or bacteria that doesn’t share your genes). And get this: The immune system is so powerful that it would reject a pregnant woman’s developing fetus (which shares only some of her genes) if the hormones of pregnancy didn’t suppress her immune system.

more about the immune system...