A stroke is known to occur whenever there is any hindrance in the blood flow to any part of the brain. If left untreated, it can cause the brain cells to die. The popular myths that are believed regarding it are stated below.
Stroke affects the heartStroke does not affect the heart, but it does affect the brain. The brain is affected when the blood flow is interrupted, usually when a clot breaks free from the heart and reaches to the brain through the bloodstream. Upon reaching the brain, the clot blocks an artery, which then affects the brain. During this type of difficulty, the heart beats abnormally, which can be treated by taking blood thinners such as warfarin.Older people suffer more strokesYes, strokes are common in older people, but they can strike people of all ages, which includes infants too. About 25 percent of strokes hit people over 65 years of age. Scientific tests show that after crossing the age of 35 years, the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years. Strokes in young people are often associated with sickle cell disease, aneurysms or abuse of drugs.Strokes cannot be preventedScience and technology have advanced so much that now we can prevent strokes. There are various risk factors for stroke which can be avoided. The factors are uncontrolled high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and excessive smoking. Therapies and major changes in lifestyle, including weight loss, can greatly reduce the risk of stroke.There is no need of urgent care for strokeStroke is an alarm for a medical emergency. If it is not taken care of urgently, it can prove fatal. Strokes can be taken care of by using clot busting drugs which can enhance the blood flow in the body.Pain is the first symptom of stroke
Pain can arise from various reasons. Most strokes cause little or no pain at all. It is a myth that strokes cause the worst headache a person can experience, but it is not such in reality. The pain may occur because of subarachnoid hermorrhage, a condition of bleeding between the brain and the thin tissues surrounding the brain.
Sleeping off the symptoms can help in avoiding a strokeSome people think that if they sleep, the symptoms of stroke will go away and the risk will reduce. But in reality it is not so. Stroke may be because of interruption in the blood flow. If you sleep, the blood flow is not going to improve in any way, instead you will only squander the valuable time and increase the risk to your life.There is no need to continue medication once you feel better after the strokeMany people think that they can stop medication once they start feeling better after the stroke. But, strokes are usually associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other problems. If the medication is not taken, the chances of having a stroke again increases.Stroke is not hereditaryStrokes may not only attack because of high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high triglyceride, they may also occur because of hereditary cells. Just like any disease can transfer from parents to offspring, similarly, strokes can also be hereditary. The risk of having a stroke increases if parents, grandparents or a sibling had a stroke.Recovery from stroke is quickStroke is a medical emergency, which if not taken care of can prove fatal. Recovering from stroke cannot be quick. Sometimes, it takes years to recover completely from a stroke. Dr. Beuerlein says that recovering from a stroke continues for the rest of one’s life. It is also important for the stroke patients to take extra caution to control the risk factors that caused the stroke so that there is no recurrence of the stroke.Mini strokes need not be treatedStroke is a medical emergency, there is no need of categorizing it as mini or major. Mini strokes produce the same symptoms which are produced by a major stroke. The only difference is that the symptoms fade quickly in a mini stroke. Just to be on the safe side, every stroke should be treated as soon as possible.Strokes are very rarePeople think that strokes are very rare. Surveys show that stroke is the third major cause of death in the US. About 160,000 people lose their lives to stroke every year. Stroke is also the cause of preventable disability. Stats show that over 5 percent of the people above the age of 65 years have had some form of stroke.
