Stroke

A stroke occurs when the supply of blood to the brain is either interrupted or reduced. When this happens, the brain does not get enough oxygen or nutrients, and brain cells start to die.

In the U.S., approximately 40 percent of people who die from stroke are male, with 60 percent of deaths occurring in females.

According to the American Heart Association(AHA), compared with Caucasian people, African-Americans have nearly twice the risk of a first-time stroke and a much higher risk of death from stroke.

Types

There are three main types of stroke:

• Ischemic stroke: This is the most common type of stroke. A blood clot prevents blood and oxygen from reaching the brain.
• Hemorrhagic stroke: This occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and normally occur as a result of aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
• Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs): Also referred to as a mini-stroke, these occur after blood flow fails to reach part of the brain. Normal blood flow resumes after a short amount of time, and symptoms cease.

Some Risk Factors for Stroke:

• High blood pressure
• Atrial fibrillation
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Obesity
• Carotid or coronary artery disease

中风

中风又称“脑卒中”，是一组以脑部缺血及出血性损伤症状为主要临床表现的疾病，具有高病死率和致残率的特点，主要分为出血性脑中风和缺血性脑中风两大类。

中医认为，中风是在气血内虚的基础上，因劳倦、忧思恼怒、嗜食厚味、及烟酒等诱因，引起脏腑阴阳失调，气血逆乱，上冲犯脑，导致脑脉痹阻或血溢脑脉之外，出现以突然昏仆、半身不遂、口舌歪斜、语言不清、偏身麻木的症状，好发于中老年人的一种常见病。

如何辨别中风先兆？

其实中风先兆是有很多症状的，目前普遍推崇的方法叫做FAST。F（face脸）：指患者说话时口舌歪斜；A（arm手）：将双手举起，观察手有没有力量；S（speech说话）：说话时口齿不清；T（time时间）：如果出现上述的一个或者多个症状，应立刻拨打急救电话，抓紧“黄金时间”送院急救。

中医如何治疗中风？

中风突然发作时，应立刻送院急救，待情况稳定出院后，即可开始中医治疗。中医主要运用针灸和内服中药来治疗中风。中风分为急性期，康复期，和后遗症期，各个时期皆可运用针灸和中药治疗，唯治疗中风应越早越好，把握治疗黄金期，能够恢复得较快。

针灸如何治疗中风？

针灸手法包括头针疗法、火针疗法、醒脑开窍针刺法等等都是常用于治疗中风的针刺疗法，经多位医家所运用得到较好的疗效。针灸在特定的穴位上刺激以达到通经活络、调神导气等作用，促使偏瘫的肢体能够恢复，减少中风后遗症的症状。在中风急性期，针灸起到醒脑开窍的作用，让患者能够在最短的时间内稳定并清醒，康复期和后遗症期则尽量促使神经、肌肉恢复功能，并预防再次中风。