As many of our mediators and arbitrators are nearing or already into Middle Age, this may be of interest. Blood Clots and Strokes now have a fourth indicator, the tongue.

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ...she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ.

If a neurologist can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours, chances are good he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke. The trick is to recognize, diagnose, and then get the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

Recognizing a Stroke

Sometimes symptoms are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness might spell disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking the suspected victim to do three simple tasks:

*Ask the individual to SMILE.

*Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE coherently (i.e. I enjoy Chicken Soup).

*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, particularly after falling, call your emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

The fourth 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his or her tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked' or if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

Knowing these four indicators may help you save a life.