Identify Stroke Email - Three Simple Questions

So simple - - this literally saved Susie's life - -

Some angel sent it to Suzie's friend and they did just what it said to do. Suzie failed all three so 911 was called. Even though she had normal blood pressure readings and did not appear to be a stroke as she could converse to some extent with the Paramedics they took her to the hospital right away. Thank God for the sense to remember the 3 steps!

Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer 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:

1. Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. Ask him/her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
    (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE. It could save their lives.
 

有時候中風的徵兆很難辨識，不幸的是，常因為注意疏失往往造成了無法挽回的災禍。中風患者常因旁邊的人沒有適時發現中風的徵兆，延誤救治而使患者腦部受損。

1. 要求病患展示笑容。
2. 要求病患兩隻手都舉起來。
3. 要求病患說出一句簡單完整的話。

如果病患無法做到這『三個問題』，就立即打119電話求救，並且告訴隨車的救護人員
這是中風的徵兆。

有了這個發現後，一些非醫療單位的義工團員也能因為面部、手臂及語言的虛弱狀況來
判斷中風的徵兆了。研究人員在二月份的美國中風協會年度會議中，展示了這個結論
並鼓勵大眾將這個『三個問題』的方法學習起來。廣泛的傳遞並且應用這種詢問測試
中風徵兆的方法，可以達成迅速診斷治療中風患者還能避免患者的腦部受損。
 

Certainly, the core information in the email is worth heeding. Knowing how to conduct this simple test could indeed save a person's life. The aforementioned report explains that if bystanders can relay results of this test to an emergency dispatcher, it could speed treatment to stroke patients. Time is crucial in treating stroke.

America's National Stroke Association lists the following as common symptoms of stroke:
 

• Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Given this list of symptoms, it is easy to see how the simple three-question test could help identify a stroke.

While the central information in the email is true, it appears that someone has seen fit to embellish the story by adding a description of an alleged incident in which the diagnostic test was used to good effect. However, there is no way of telling if "Susie" and "Sherry" are real people or just fictional characters designed to emphasize the information and add a folksy element to the message. Interestingly, the sentence, "A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved" is lifted verbatim from a hoax email that outlines a dubious "cough CPR" procedure for heart attack victims. Notably, earlier versions of the email did not include the "Susie and Sherry" story.

In any case, such embellishments are completely unnecessary and detract from the underlying message. A problem with email forwards is that the core information tends to become garbled or diluted as various individuals decide to add to or modify the message as it travels through cyberspace. For example, the current version implies that stumbling is potentially a key element in diagnosing a stroke. However, there is nothing about stumbling mentioned in the Stroke Association report. Although the NSA does identify loss of balance and difficulty walking as potential stroke symptoms, stumbling alone is hardly a valid indicator of an impending stroke.

This unfortunate tendency for messages to mutate as they travel means that it may not always be a good idea to pass on even those rare email forwards that contain factual and verifiable information. However, if you do decide to forward this email, I would suggest that you first remove the superfluous information it contains. I think it would also be a good idea to add a link to the original source so that recipients can check the information for themselves. The link to the American Stroke Association report is included below:
http://strokeconference.americanheart.org/portal/strokeconference/sc/release22003

Write-up by Brett M.Christensen
http://www.hoax-slayer.com