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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Raising Awareness of Utah's Third Leading Cause of Death

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Monday, October 29, 2012   

SALT LAKE CITY - Utahns are being reminded that time is of the essence on this World Stroke Day. Justin Bell, government relations director with the American Heart Association, says a stroke is a vascular event that causes brain damage, which can become worse with each passing second.

"It can either be a blood clot or a blood hemorrhage and when it shows up, you have a very time-sensitive window to try to take care of it. So, it's important that you act quickly."

Risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, tobacco use, high cholesterol and obesity. But genetics also play a role. Writer Mike Medberry says he had none of those health problems when he was hiking in the Idaho back country with friends and suffered a stroke at age 44 – but his father had had one at 54.

"When you have a stroke, your brain swells up: that creates more damage than a lot of the impacts of the actual stroke. And they can go away when the brain shrinks down. So, I couldn't speak, I couldn't really think, I couldn't walk for about a week, and then, it began to get better."

Medberry wrote a book about the stroke and his recovery, just out this week, and says he'll be making some stops in Utah for readings this winter.

Since time is so critical when it comes to stroke, explains Bell, people should remember the acronym 'FAST.'

"If you check out someone's Face, Arms or Speech and they're altered in any way - speech is slurred, or you see part of their face drooping a little bit, or they're not able to move one of their arms in the same way as the other and they seem disoriented - then, the last letter of the acronym, 'T,' is for 'Time.' That means time is of the essence, and you want to call 911 immediately."

In terms of stroke prevention, Medberry would add some pointers to the basic list about staying active, eating a healthy diet and not smoking. Staying hydrated is one of them.

"I expect that the other thing that people would gather from this book is that the best thing you can do is drink a lot of water and, I think this is an important thing, eat one small [low-dose] aspirin every day."

Medberry's book is "On the Dark Side of the Moon: A Journey to Recovery," published by Caxton Press.

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in Utah, and the state has developed the Utah Stroke System, a network of hospitals that are "stroke receiving facilities," so patients can be diagnosed and treated quickly.

More information is at www.strokeassociation.org. More about the Utah Stroke System is at health.utah.gov.



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