Dealing with a stroke.
The Conventional Approach
How would you know if someone you were in the presence of were suffering a stroke? How would you react in this type of emergency situation? What could you do to assist the victim of a suspected stroke until emergency medical assistance arrives?
To answer these questions, you first need some background knowledge about strokes.
A stroke also known as a cerebrovascular accident or CVA, is a condition, which occurs when blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood to the brain rupture and part of the brain does not receive the blood flow it requires. The nerve cells deprived of oxygen in the affected area of the brain are then unable to function causing them to die within minutes. The traumatic effects of a stroke are often permanent, because brain cells are not replaced.
Here are the most common signs and symptoms to look for related to strokes.
-The victim of a stroke commonly experiences weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body.
-The victim may express that their vision has blurred or decreased, especially in one eye.
-The victim may have problems speaking or understanding.
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-The victim may complain of having a severe, sudden and unexplainable headache.
-The brain may be affected by a lack of oxygen causing the victim deviation of the eyes. Therefore the pupils would become unequal in size and non-reactive to light.
First aid for a victim suffering from a stroke is limited to supportive care until medical assistance arrives. Yet, do not underestimate this role. Caring for the victim with a calming presence and collecting important medical data to pass onto emergency medical personnel is very important. You can do this by taking mental notes of the above signs and symptoms and by following the steps below.
-Call 911 to alert emergency medical services immediately.
-If you are trained in CPR, check and monitor the victim’s airway, breathing, and circulation using your CPR and First Aid training skills.
-Lay the victim down with their head and shoulders slightly elevated. This will reduce blood pressure on the brain.
-If the victim is unresponsive but breathing place them on their left side with their chin extended. This serves as two purposes. It will assist in keeping the victim’s airway open and allow vomit and secretions to drain from their mouth.
-Never give a suspected stroke victim anything to eat or drink. Their throat may be paralyzed restricting them from the ability to swallow.
-Encourage the victim not to move and reassure them help is on the way to care for them.
TIA’s or Transient Ischemic Attacks are often referred to as “mini-strokes”, because the signs and symptoms are much the same. CVA’s, are closely associated and have similar symptoms, the difference is that the symptoms of a TIA are short lived. Victim’s symptoms normally last from a few minutes to a few hours, followed by a return to normal neurological function of the brain. Victims of a TIA should consider this a warning sign of a potential stroke since approximately one-third of TIA cases are followed by a CVA two to five years after their first TIA.
If you have any of the signs and symptoms of a TIA you should report it to your physician immediately. Your health care provider can help you to understand the possible causes of experiencing a TIA and can assist in changing diet, living a healthier life style and in some cases prescribe medication.
The common condition of high blood pressure can lead to many dangerous medical conditions including a stroke. One out of every four adults in the United States suffers from high blood pressure.
Just because a person feels well doesn’t mean his or her blood pressure is normal. In most cases, individuals with high blood pressure have no symptoms to warn them they have this condition. Having your blood pressure monitored often can alert you early on to this medical condition. High blood pressure is not something that can be controlled by staying calm or relaxed. It is a physical rather than emotional condition that can be treated by routine changes in diet, unhealthy habits and medication though it cannot be cured in most cases.
Using less salt in the foods you eat, losing weight, getting more exercise and stopping smoking can help lower your blood pressure in many cases.
If your doctor prescribes a medication for high blood pressure, take your pills everyday to keep your pressure down and possibly avoid having a stroke.
One last health related tip…
If you have not completed a First Aid and CPR training course, be sure to seek emergency medical attention in any type of emergency situation. Improper care can sometimes be more harmful than helpful. A few basic courses in CPR and first aid are recommended for preparation before a medical emergency exists. These training classes are neither time consuming or costly. Community groups all across the country provide this type of training and these training courses only require a few hours of your time. You could help save a life. Think about it!
NOTE: I cannot verify the efficacy of this but there is so much we do not know about Oriental medicine, it can't hurt.
An alternative from the Orient.
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When stroke strikes, the capillaries in the brain will gradually burst. When a stroke occurs, stay calm. No matter where the victim is, do not move him/her, because, if moved, the capillaries will burst.
Help the victim to sit up where he is to prevent him from falling over again, and then the bloodletting can begin. If you have in your home an injection syringe, that would be the best, otherwise, a sewing needle or a straight pin will do. Place the needle/pin over fire to sterilize it (use a match or candle), and then use it to prick the tip of all 10 fingers. There are no specific acupuncture points,
just prick about one mm from the fingernail. Prick till blood comes out. If blood does not start to drip, then squeeze with your fingers. When all 10 digits are
bleeding, wait a few minutes, then the victim will regain consciousness.
If the victim's mouth is crooked, then pull on his ears until they are red. Then prick each ear lobe twice until two drops of blood comes from each ear lobe. After a few minutes the victim should regain consciousness.
- Wait till the victim regains his/her normal state without any abnormal symptoms then take him to the hospital, otherwise, if he/she was taken in the ambulance in a hurry to the hospital, the bumpy trip can cause capillaries in his/her brain to burst.
I learned about letting blood to save life from Chinese traditional doctor Ha Bu-Ting who lives in Sun-Juke. Furthermore, I had practical experience with it. Therefore I can say this method is 100% effective.
In 1979, I was teaching in Fung-Gaap College in Tai-Chung. One afternoon I was teaching class when another teacher came running to my classroom and said in panting, "Mr. Liu, come quick, our supervisor has had a stroke!" I immediately went to the 3rd floor. When I saw our supervisor, Mr.Chen Fu-Tien, his colour was off, his speech was slurred, his mouth was crooked-all the symptoms of a
stroke. I immediately asked one of the practicum students to go to the pharmacy
outside the school to buy a syringe, which I used to prick Mr. Chen's 10 fingers tips. When all 10 fingers were bleeding (each with a pea-sized drop of blood), after a few minutes, Mr. Chen's face regained its colour and his eyes' spirit returned, too. But his mouth was still crooked. So I pulled on his ears to fill them
with blood. When his ears became red, I pricked his right earlobe twice to let out 2 drops of blood. When both earlobes had two drops of blood each, a miracle happened. Within 3-5 minutes the shape of his mouth returned to normal and his speech became clear.
We let him rest for a while and have a cup of hot tea, then we helped him go down the stairs, drove him to Wei-Wah Hospital. He rested one night and was released the next day to return to school to teach. Everything worked normally. There were no ill after-effects. On the other hand, the usual stroke victim usually
suffers irreparable bursting of the brain capillaries on the way to the hospital.
As a result, few victims ever recover. Therefore stroke is the no. 2 cause of death.
”The lucky ones” will stay alive, but can remain paralysed for life.
It is such a horrible thing to happen in one's life. If we can all remember this bloodletting method and start the life-saving process immediately, in a short time, the victim will be revived and regain normality.
