There are several terms to describe strokes including brain attack and cerebrovascular accident. The cause of a stroke is not enough blood getting to part of you brain just the same as in a heart attack.

Your brain needs a constant flow of blood to function properly and when this is interrupted permanent damage can occur quite quickly unless the flow is restarted. You can have either an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

Like the heart your brain cannot repair dead areas so the immediate aim of stroke treatment is to reduce the damage. After a stroke your brain needs to make new pathways round the dead area and stroke rehabilitation is the best method.

Types of Stroke

Ischemic is medical speak for not enough blood. In an ischaemic stroke a clot blocks either the brains’ blood vessel or it is too narrow and not enough blood can flow. Blood cannot reach parts of the brain and the cells soon start to die.

Most strokes are ischemic in nature and the risk factors include blood vessel disease, smoking, hypertension and heart arrhythmias particularly atrial fibrillation.

Hemorrhagic is medical jargon for, if you like too much blood. Usually, hemorrhagic strokes are caused by a burst blood vessel leaking blood and damaging the immediate area. Roughly 25% of strokes are hemorrhagic and affect all ages from baby to pensioner.

Once again high blood pressure is a risk factor, along with aneurysms that burst and blood clotting disorders.

Treatment of stroke

The initial treatment of stroke aims to minmise brain damage and if possible restore blood flow. That’s why it’s essential to get to hospital quickly so diagnosis and treatment can start as soon as possible.

In the early stages after a stroke, which means the first few weeks, your initial problems may start to improve quite quickly. This is down to malfunctioning brain cells at the edge of the dead area recovering. This is great but can be a false dawn as for most people several months of rehab are looming.

For better recovery you need months of rehabilitation involving physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and writing and reading practice if necessary.

In the past it was considered impossible for the brain to bypass damaged areas. This is incorrect and it is now recognised that with the correct stimulation the brain can bypass damaged areas and make new pathways for information to flow.

A steady flow of information to your brain and you responding to it is the way to get the best possible results for stroke rehabilitation. The whole thrust of rehabilitation is to boost your recovery and help the brain make new pathways. Much work is necessary but the results are usually worth it.

 

Dyslexia is a neurological disorder that affects the way the brain processes signals from the eyes and ears. The primary dyslexia symptoms cluster around the ability to read, spell and deal with the symbols used to put words and ideas on paper. Dyslexia affects possibly 1 out of every 10 people.

 

 

There are different theories about what causes dyslexia. The two most prominent theories are an underdeveloped medulla (part of the brain) and defects in the developmental migration of brain cells.

 

 

During the developmental processes that a fetus goes through before birth, brain cells must migrate from where they are formed to where they are supposed to end up. Sometimes they get side-tracked and end up in other nearby places. This difference in placement appears to contribute to dyslexia.

 

 

With the medullar theory of what causes dyslexia, specialists treat the problem with exercises designed to stimulate and promote further development of the medulla. With the cells migration theory specialists treat dyslexia by training dyslexics to use their brains differently to get to the same results.

 

 

Probably 90-95% of adult dyslexics do not know that they have dyslexia. It is important to be able to recognize the primary dyslexia symptoms to see if you or someone you know may actually be a dyslexic in need of training as to how to deal with it.

 

 

Once identified and diagnosed, dyslexia can be overcome. There is a positive side to it that has been called “the gift of dyslexia”. Many famous people are dyslexic, including entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, actor Tom Cruise and hundreds of others.

 

 

To be able to use the “gift of dyslexia” you must first overcome the limiting problems it brings. The first step is to get a full professional test to determine if you are dyslexic or not and, if so, what exact dyslexia symptoms do you have, since everyone is different.

 

 

Fortunately, there is now excellent adult dyslexia testing available online for less than the cost of dinner for two at a medium-priced restaurant!

 

 

Disclaimer: This posting is based on information freely available in the popular press and medical journals that deal with dyslexia. Nothing herein is intended to be or should be construed to be medical advice. For medical advice the reader should consult with his or her physician or other medical specialist.

 

Many states, Texas and Florida chief among them, have promoted the development of defensive driving courses. States have incentivised the private sector to develop these tuition based training facilities, by offering what amounts to moving violation credits. In many jurisdictions, this means you can have that speeding ticket wiped out in exchange for going to school. Some of these institutions even offer to let your learn over the internet instead of spending your Saturday sitting in a classroom. Like Texas defensive driving courses.

Ticket income is a major cash cow for most states. To give a share of this up in exchange for education indicates the schools really work. There has been mounting pressure for more and better driver education for two primary reasons. The death rate from automobile accidents has gotten out of control … especially in the under 25 age group. These deaths and the accompanying collision costs, are putting a big dent in insurance companies profitability as well as their ability to provide affordable insurance.

Whether you got your drivers license last week or 40 years ago it’s impossible to ignore the risks we some drivers take. Not only with their lives but also sometimes with ours. It’s pretty natural to spot a dangerous driver. So, it is also likely you can tell right from wrong on the road. What we all need to focus on more, is that small patch of our brain cells that links knowing with doing.

The key to achievement in any pursuit, is to adopt an attitude of pride. Are you proud of your driving skills? Like many other things in life, defensive driving is a matter of your attitude.

Driving a car is one of life’s ultimate freedoms. You can go virtually anywhere. Speed is exhilarating even under the speed limit. The rush of freedom emotions can cause drivers… especially younger ones… to lose track of their environment. It’s important to remember there are a lot of other people out there on the road with you.

Do you want to stay health and out of a wheelchair or alive for that matter. Then realize that a certain percentage of the drivers who you share the road with are dangerous. This simple awareness, can convert you into a defensive driver immediately.

We hope you get a good grasp of this simple and effective tool of pride in what you do. If you do than you will become an excellent driver quickly and stay one for the rest of your days.

There is a definite relationship between how well you drive and how long you live. There is also a specific correlation to how high your insurance premiums are. If you can live longer and pay less then you’re a winner and a great example to your fellow drivers.