Symptoms of Stroke

• Sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg, typically on one side of the body
• Sudden vision problems in one or both eyes, such as double vision, blurring, dimness, or even loss of sight
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden onset of confusion, having trouble speaking, understanding or walking
• Sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Suffers severe headache suddenly, with no known cause

Know your risk factors
Stroke risk factors are characteristics, traits or lifestyle habits that can increase your chance of getting a stroke. By understanding the risk factors involved, you can change and improve your lifestyle to reduce the risk. These risk factors are controllable. Other risk factors that are heredity or part of the natural process cannot be improved or controlled. Such risk factors are uncontrollable.

Controllable Risk Factors

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
  High blood pressure is the most important risk factor and estimates to be accountable for 70% of stroke cases. Your heart pumps harder than it should, putting strain on your circulatory system. A person with untreated hypertension is 4 times more likely to get stroke than a healthy person.
  
• Diabetes mellitus and heart disease
  People suffering from diabetes usually have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and are overweight. These conditions can lead to stroke and it is no wonder that 2 in 3 people with diabetes die from stroke or heart disease. Coronary heart disease, heart valve disease and some congenital heart defects are also known risk factors.
  
• Artery disease
  The carotid arteries in your neck supply blood to your brain, and when clogged by plaque or blood clot, will lead to stroke. This condition is knwon as carotid artery disease. Peripheral artery disease is the narrowing of blood vessels carrying blood to limb muscles. This disease can lead to carotid artery disease.
  
• Atrial fibrillation
  People with chronic or frequent atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of stroke. This is a heart rhythm disorder whereby the heart upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively. The blood pools and flow is disrupted, forming blood clots. When a clot enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results.
  
• Sickle cell disease
  A genetic or inherited blood disorder where the hemoglobin (carries oxygen in red blood cells) is slightly abnormal. This can restrict blood flow by blocking small blood vessels. Only more severe forms of this disease are associated with stroke.
  
• High blood cholesterol
  High blood cholesterol can lead to a build up of plaque in the artery walls and narrow your arteries. have an increased risk for stroke. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are bad cholesterol and are responsible for clotting arteries. Excess amounts of LDL can lead to stroke.
  
• Poor eating habits
  Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise your bad cholesterol levels, which is a risk factor itself. You may want to read
• Smoking cigarette
  
  Expect Higher Uranium Prices in February (and Later)
  After a six-week stalemate, the spot uranium price indicator renewed its upward climb, as witnessed by the weekly spot uranium price change announced by UxC on January 29th and by Trade Tech’s Nuclear Market Review in the magazine’s month end report on January 31st. Both consulting services increased the uranium price indicator by $3 to US$75/pound U3O8 by month end.TradeTech reported extremely low transaction volume for the first month of 2007. Only one spot transaction was reported – a modest quantify of less than 5,000 pounds U3O8 equivalent. According to Nuclear Market Review editor Treva Klingbiel, “The discretionary nature of about 50 percent of this demand has created an impasse between buyers and sellers. While some
  headache suddenly, with no known cause

Know your risk factors
Stroke risk factors are characteristics, traits or lifestyle habits that can increase your chance of getting a stroke. By understanding the risk factors involved, you can change and improve your lifestyle to reduce the risk. These risk factors are controllable. Other risk factors that are heredity or part of the natural process cannot be improved or controlled. Such risk factors are uncontrollable.

Controllable Risk Factors

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
  High blood pressure is the most important risk factor and estimates to be accountable for 70% of stroke cases. Your heart pumps harder than it should, putting strain on your circulatory system. A person with untreated hypertension is 4 times more likely to get stroke than a healthy person.
  
• Diabetes mellitus and heart disease
  People suffering from diabetes usually have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and are overweight. These conditions can lead to stroke and it is no wonder that 2 in 3 people with diabetes die from stroke or heart disease. Coronary heart disease, heart valve disease and some congenital heart defects are also known risk factors.
  
• Artery disease
  The carotid arteries in your neck supply blood to your brain, and when clogged by plaque or blood clot, will lead to stroke. This condition is knwon as carotid artery disease. Peripheral artery disease is the narrowing of blood vessels carrying blood to limb muscles. This disease can lead to carotid artery disease.
  
• Atrial fibrillation
  People with chronic or frequent atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of stroke. This is a heart rhythm disorder whereby the heart upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively. The blood pools and flow is disrupted, forming blood clots. When a clot enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results.
  
• Sickle cell disease
  A genetic or inherited blood disorder where the hemoglobin (carries oxygen in red blood cells) is slightly abnormal. This can restrict blood flow by blocking small blood vessels. Only more severe forms of this disease are associated with stroke.
  
• High blood cholesterol
  High blood cholesterol can lead to a build up of plaque in the artery walls and narrow your arteries. have an increased risk for stroke. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are bad cholesterol and are responsible for clotting arteries. Excess amounts of LDL can lead to stroke.
  
• Poor eating habits
  Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise your bad cholesterol levels, which is a risk factor itself. You may want to read
• Smoking cigarette
  
  Mortgage Refinance-Don't Get Caught in the Squeeze
  One of the main reasons why foreclosures have skyrocketed in the last several months is the number of borrowers who got caught up in the frenzy of borrowing more than they could afford when the "cows came home." Now they cannot afford the higher paymentsAs more and more ARM's, cash outs, interest only, etc loans come near the transition point borrowers are giving serious consideration to the alternatives to paying higher monthly payments from higher rates.The main reasons borrowers refinance are:1. Debt Consolidation. Maybe the most common because it makes the most sense. Again you are using the cheapest money (a first mortgage rate) to pay off the most expensive (credit cards) and other debts. There is no che
  able.

  Controllable Risk Factors

  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
    High blood pressure is the most important risk factor and estimates to be accountable for 70% of stroke cases. Your heart pumps harder than it should, putting strain on your circulatory system. A person with untreated hypertension is 4 times more likely to get stroke than a healthy person.
    
  • Diabetes mellitus and heart disease
    People suffering from diabetes usually have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and are overweight. These conditions can lead to stroke and it is no wonder that 2 in 3 people with diabetes die from stroke or heart disease. Coronary heart disease, heart valve disease and some congenital heart defects are also known risk factors.
    
  • Artery disease
    The carotid arteries in your neck supply blood to your brain, and when clogged by plaque or blood clot, will lead to stroke. This condition is knwon as carotid artery disease. Peripheral artery disease is the narrowing of blood vessels carrying blood to limb muscles. This disease can lead to carotid artery disease.
    
  • Atrial fibrillation
    People with chronic or frequent atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of stroke. This is a heart rhythm disorder whereby the heart upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively. The blood pools and flow is disrupted, forming blood clots. When a clot enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results.
    
  • Sickle cell disease
    A genetic or inherited blood disorder where the hemoglobin (carries oxygen in red blood cells) is slightly abnormal. This can restrict blood flow by blocking small blood vessels. Only more severe forms of this disease are associated with stroke.
    
  • High blood cholesterol
    High blood cholesterol can lead to a build up of plaque in the artery walls and narrow your arteries. have an increased risk for stroke. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are bad cholesterol and are responsible for clotting arteries. Excess amounts of LDL can lead to stroke.
    
  • Poor eating habits
    Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise your bad cholesterol levels, which is a risk factor itself. You may want to read
  • Smoking cigarette
    
    Spreading Christmas Cheer And Boosting Sales
    Websites like Google and Yahoo do small things such as decorating their home page just a bit with themed characters or decorations to make you take notice. Changing up a website works for these websites because it lets the hundreds of thousands of people who visit each day know that they are appreciated.Using holiday graphics on your website is one of the best things you can do to attract visitors to your site. Because the holidays are a time where a lot of people are online and visiting websites that they may not visit every day, your website needs to make an impact. Holiday graphics will show people that you are really up to date not only with the web site design, but also with the product or services that you sell or off
    ery disease
    The carotid arteries in your neck supply blood to your brain, and when clogged by plaque or blood clot, will lead to stroke. This condition is knwon as carotid artery disease. Peripheral artery disease is the narrowing of blood vessels carrying blood to limb muscles. This disease can lead to carotid artery disease.
    
  • Atrial fibrillation
    People with chronic or frequent atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of stroke. This is a heart rhythm disorder whereby the heart upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively. The blood pools and flow is disrupted, forming blood clots. When a clot enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results.
    
  • Sickle cell disease
    A genetic or inherited blood disorder where the hemoglobin (carries oxygen in red blood cells) is slightly abnormal. This can restrict blood flow by blocking small blood vessels. Only more severe forms of this disease are associated with stroke.
    
  • High blood cholesterol
    High blood cholesterol can lead to a build up of plaque in the artery walls and narrow your arteries. have an increased risk for stroke. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are bad cholesterol and are responsible for clotting arteries. Excess amounts of LDL can lead to stroke.
    
  • Poor eating habits
    Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise your bad cholesterol levels, which is a risk factor itself. You may want to read
  • Smoking cigarette
    
    Don't Sell Grandma's Jewelry at a Yard Sale...Get More Money
    Have some vintage jewelry? There are several ways you can sell collectible or vintage costume jewelry. How much your vintage jewelry is worth depends on several things. First and foremost, you need to know what you have and the condition it is in. Refer to our first article for helpful tips on old jewelry research. You may consider taking your jewelry to a dealer. If so, first you need to find a dealer, preferably one with experience in old jewelry. Look in your local phone book and get on the phone. Investing time by calling ahead and talking to them will give some idea on who you are dealing with and how comfortable you will be. Don't expect appraisals over the phone, a dealer usually needs to see and touch it. Here ar
    er where the hemoglobin (carries oxygen in red blood cells) is slightly abnormal. This can restrict blood flow by blocking small blood vessels. Only more severe forms of this disease are associated with stroke.
    
  • High blood cholesterol
    High blood cholesterol can lead to a build up of plaque in the artery walls and narrow your arteries. have an increased risk for stroke. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are bad cholesterol and are responsible for clotting arteries. Excess amounts of LDL can lead to stroke.
    
  • Poor eating habits
    Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise your bad cholesterol levels, which is a risk factor itself. You may want to read
  • Smoking cigarette
    Smoking damages our cardiovascular system, raises blood pressure and damage blood vessel walls. It has also been found to cause fatty deposits in your arteries. Using oral contraceptives combined with smoking can greatly increase the risk.
    
  • Physical inactivity and obesity
    It is well known that physical inactivity can lead to obesity. The influence of obesity on stroke is significant. Studies have shown that for every 1 point increase in your BMI, your risk of getting stroke increases by 3%. Conditions associated with this risk factor are: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.
    

  Uncontrollable Risk Factors
  

  • Age
    Stroke is common among the elderly, with the risk doubling for each decade of life after 55 years old. 72% of stroke victims are aged 65 and above in 2002.
    
  • Heredity
    If your immediate family (parent, grandparent or sibling) had suffered from stroke, you have a higher risk
    
  • Gender
    Stroke is more common in men (57%) than in women (43%). However, a higher percentage (62%) of stroke death are women. The use of birth control pills and pregnancy are additional stroke risks women faced.
    
  • Prior stroke, mini stroke (TIA) or heart attack
    IF you had a prior stroke or heart attack, your risk is many times more than a normal person. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) is a condition that exhibits stroke-like symptoms with no lasting damage. A person with TIAs is almost 10 times more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age and gender who hasn't.