Detecting a Stroke

A Stroke is also called a Cerebro-Vascular Accident, or C.V.A. It happens when a blot clot that has formed somewhere in the body (usually in the legs) travels to the brain and clogs an artery, causing the tissue around it to die from oxygen loss.
A stroke usually happens suddenly and sometimes has little to no visible symptoms.
It is said that once someone has a stroke, there is a 3 hour window where, if medical attention is received within that time period, then the negative effects of a stroke can usually be completely reversed. But how can you get someone medical attention if you don't realize that they've had a stroke? Sometimes someone will fall down because they've had a stroke, but will seem to be otherwise fine.
So how can you check to see if someone has had a stroke? The easiest way is to remember the first three letters of the word "stroke": S.T.R.
The "S" stands for SMILE. Ask the person to smile.
The "T" stands for TALK. Ask the person to say a simple but coherent sentence, such as "It is very sunny today."
The "R" stands for RAISE. Ask the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
Another technique is to ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue looks crooked or is not centered in the mouth, then they may have had a stroke, and paramedics must be called immediately.
All these seemingly simple tasks require the brain to send signals to different small muscles in the face & mouth, and require larger coordination in the arms. A person whose brain has been affected by a stroke will find these movements difficult to perform correctly.
Moreover, if you forget these techniques but are worried that someone has just had a stroke, simply ask them to perform any movements that require a little bit of hand-eye coordination. That would be better than nothing. So be on the lookout!

Nutritional Facts Debate

Should restaurants post nutritional facts?
In a SHAPE magazine poll, readers said:
83% said YES
17% said NO
The "YES" respondents' views were that we all have the right to know what our food contains so we can make healthy eating decisions.
The "NO" respondents' views said that, if you're eating fast food, you should already know that you're eating fatty & high-caloric foods, and you shouldn't need a sign to tell you what you already know.
So, what do you, my readers, think? Do you think restaurants should be required to post nutritional facts in the store, readily available for public viewing? Let me know!
Also, if you would like to vote & make your voice heard on other topics like this, you may go to www.shape.com/readerdebate for other polls.
And, just FYI, I know Burger King (at least the Kenwood, OH location) posts nutritional facts right by the counter, although it seems to be a fairly recent development. But as someone who keeps a daily food journal, I prefer knowing exactly how many calories I'm ingesting, even at Burger King!
(poll opinions from SHAPE magazine, March 2009, Volume 28, #7)

Begin Each Day As If On Purpose

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with...a high spirit." (author unknown)
As someone who becomes frustrated when I miss a workout or don't get something done I wanted to, this quote is very inspiring. This reminds me that I don't have to beat myself up over a missed workout or think less of myself. I can push those absurdities from my mind and realize that tomorrow is a new day, with new possibilities. Now, I may have to live with the consequences of the previous day, but I do not have to repeat the choices.
I also love the thought of beginning each new day with a high spirit. It's a blank slate, so why not begin it with high hopes?
This quote reminds me of what actor Will Smith's character said in the movie Hitch: "Begin each day as if it were on purpose."

God's "Unreasonable" Faith

Jesus said "seek first the kingdom of God." These are the most revolutionary words that human ears have ever heard! Putting God's kingdom as our top priority in life is so counter-intuitive to our human natures, that we must practice this daily. We think "but I must make enough money to pay my bills"; "I must have enough food to eat and clothes to wear." Our human natures say our greatest concern should be taking care of ourselves. But God says differently.
Jesus reversed the order by telling us to get the right relationship with God first, always maintaining it as the primary concern of our lives, and never to be concerned about taking care of the other things of life.
"Do not worry about your life....But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:25-33)
Of course Jesus was not teaching that we should care about nothing and take no thought for anything. We would be foolish to do so, and the Lord has given us brains to use. But Jesus does say that it is absolutely unreasonable for us to be anxious, worrying about how we will live. He taught that His disciple must make his relationship with God the dominating focus of his life, and to be cautiously carefree about everything else in comparison to that. He is simply saying that the greatest concern of life is to place our relationship with God absolutely first, and everything else second.
The Holy Spirit must bring us into this harmony, and we must be open to His moving inside us, daily practicing keeping our relationship with the Lord as our utmost priority in life; trusting in God to provide for all our needs as we do so. And He will.
(idea from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest)

Oregano Fights Inflammation

When the herb Oregano is added to foods like pizza & spaghetti, it gives the food a distinct Italian taste.
But Oregano does more than that. German and Swiss scientists discovered that this herb also contains substances that help ease inflammation in the body.
So if you like Italian foods, you're also guarding against inflammation in your body!
(source: natural awakenings, january 2009)

Season & Sniff

A new study suggests that when we season our food with strong-scented flavors, sniff before taking a bite, then chew well, we will eat less and thus lose weight.
Participants in this study were overweight & obese individuals who were asked to sprinkle a variety of flavoring crystals (savory & sweet) on neutral-tasting foods before eating them. A control group used crystals with no flavor.
After a 6 month period, those using the flavored crystals lost an average of 30.5 pounds, whereas the control group lost an average of just 2 pounds.
The researchers theorize that flavorful food enhances our senses of smell & taste, helping us eat less & feel full sooner, ultimately losing weight.
(source: The Endocrine Society, 2008)

The Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains is the nation's most visited National Park, with 8-10 million people visiting each year. It was first founded in 1934 and will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
The Smokies are an ancient mountain range and classified as a temperate rain forest. Hardwood trees such as hickory, hemlock, birch, buckeye, tulip popular, magnolia & sugar maples, grow throughout the forest in the lower elevations. The American Chestnut tree, the most beloved tree of the early inhabitants, was killed off by a blight in the 1920's.
Conifer pine trees such as the Red Spruce & Fraser Fir grow on higher elevations, although most of the Fraser Firs were killed by a bug infestation in the 1960's. You can still see many of the dead trees still standing on Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smokies. Thus the Red Spruce is the dominant pine species now.
The Smokies are full of wildlife. About 1,500 black bears live in the park, as do deer, elk, wild boar, bobcats, coyote, the red & gray fox, river otters, and smaller animals like salamanders, snakes, and butterflies. There are 30 different known species of salamanders in the Park. That's more than anywhere else in the world! The Park is home to 66 species of mammals, over 240 species of birds, 43 species of amphibians, 60 species of fish, & 40 species of reptiles.
Scientists even suggest that there are species of these smaller animals that haven't even been discovered yet!
The Smokies is a moderate climate, meaning mild winters & hot, humid summers.
Topographical elevations range from a mere 800 feet to over 6,600 feet at the summit of the tallest mountain!
The earliest known people to inhabit the Smokies were the prehistoric Paleo Indians. In the 1800's a large amount of European settlers came from Scotland, Ireland & Germany. When these first white settlers came, they found themselves in the land of the Cherokee Indians. Unfortunately in the 1830's, most of the Cherokee were forcibly removed from the region in the tragedy known today as the "Trail of Tears". These Cherokee were relocated to Oklahoma, but there is still a large Cherokee reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina, where many work, reside, and keep their culture alive.
More white settlers came to the area in the early 20th century as loggers. They used the lumber for building houses, barns, and fences for their livestock.
The settlers lived off the land by pasturing livestock, farming, and hunting.
Logging became a booming industry in the 20th century, and the National Park was established in 1934 to save & protect the primeval forests that remained from logging. So much forest had been cut down that by the time the Park was established, only 20% of the forest remained. That 20% has been protected ever since, and comprises more than a million acres of forest.
Once the land became the National Park, residents were not allowed to live within Park boundaries, and more than 1,200 land-owners were forced to leave their homes & land and move somewhere outside Park borders.
The culture of these artisans still exists today. In Gatlinburg, Tennessee, there is a tourist destination called the "Smoky Mountains Arts & Craft Trail Loop", which is a group of shops & stores located on a loop road. The artisans that run the shops make their goods by hand, preserving the ancient culture of the Appalachian people.
In the Smokies, you will find country home-cooking (biscuits & gravy, grits, flapjacks, sausage & bacon), bluegrass & gospel music, and many churches, chapels, & pioneer cemeteries, indicating how important faith in God was and is to the mountain people. You will also find numerous arts & crafts shops, from woodworking, to knitting, painting, pottery, homemade clothing, soaps & candles, and leather goods.
The "Bush's Baked Beans" Company (with their "secret recipe") is located nearby, and the "English Mountain" bottled water company resides near the actual English Mountain, an Appalachian foothill.
The Cherokee Indians call the Smokies "Shaconage", meaning "the place of the blue smoke". Anyone who witnesses the surreal beauty of the Smoky Mountains will agree that it is a beautiful, ancient place; full of mystery, culture, and faith.
-some information from the GSM National Park Service Official Website & Wikipedia