Stroke Key facts in the United States (1)
  • Stroke kills almost 130,000 Americans each year—that’s 1 out of every 19 deaths.
  • On average, one American dies from stroke every 4 minutes.
  • Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke.
  • About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes.
  • About 185,00 strokes--nearly one of four—are in people who have had a previous stroke.
  • About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, when blood flow to the brain is blocked.
  • Stroke costs the United States an estimated $36.5 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications to treat stroke, and missed days of work.
  • Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.

What Happens During a Stroke
Our brain makes up only 2% of our body weight, but it uses 20% of the oxygen we breathe. If something interrupt the flow of blood, brain cells start to die within minutes because they can’t get oxygen. Sudden bleeding in the brain also can cause a stroke if it damages brain cells. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death. If brain cells die or are damaged because of a stroke, symptoms of that damage start to show in the parts of the body controlled by those brain cells.

Symptoms of Stroke 
  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Types of Stroke
  1. Ischemic stroke: Most strokes (85%) are ischemic strokes. If you have an ischemic stroke, the artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the brain becomes blocked. Blood clots often cause the blockages that lead to ischemic strokes.
  2. Hemorrhagic stroke: A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery in the brain leaks blood or ruptures (breaks open). The leaked blood puts too much pressure on brain cells, which damages them. High blood pressure and aneurysms—balloon-like bulges in an artery that can stretch and burst are examples of conditions that can cause a hemorrhagic stroke.
  3. Transient ischemic attack (TIA)(a warning or “mini-stroke”): It is different from the major types of stroke because blood flow to the brain is blocked for only a short time—usually no more than 5 minutes.
There Are Two Types of Hemorrhagic Strokes:
  1. Intracerebral hemorrhage: The most common type of hemorrhagic stroke. It occurs when an artery in the brain bursts, flooding the surrounding tissue with blood.
  2. Subarachnoid hemorrhage: A less common type of hemorrhagic stroke. It refers to bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissues that cover it.

It is Important to Know About TIA
  • A TIA is a warning sign of a future stroke.
  • A TIA is a medical emergency, just like a major stroke.
  • More than a third of people who have a TIA end up having a major stroke within 1 year if they don’t receive treatment, and   10%-15% will have a major stroke within 3 months of a TIA.

Spinal Stroke
Spinal stroke is a rare type of stroke either within the spinal cord or the arteries that supply it. Symptoms, which generally appear within minutes or a few hours of the infarction, may include intermittent sharp or burning back pain, aching pain down through the legs, weakness in the legs, paralysis, loss of deep tendon reflexes, loss of pain and temperature sensation, and incontinence. 
The causes of spinal stroke are atherosclerosis in 33.3%, aortic pathology in 15.8%, degenerative spine disease in 15.8%, cardiac embolism in 3.5%, systemic hypotension in 1.8%, epidural anesthesia in 1.8%, and cryptogenic in 28%. Research show that after 4.5 years 41% can regain full walking ability, 30% are able to walk with aids, 20% are wheelchair bound, and 9% may die.(2)

Quick Treatment Is Critical for Stroke: F.A.S.T.
  • F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke. When you can spot the signs, you'll know that you need to call 911 for help right away. F.A.S.T. is:
  • Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?
  • Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
  • Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?
  • Time to call 911 – If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared.

Stroke Scales
NIH Stroke Scale
The Barthel Index

Acupuncture for Stroke
We take care of stroke after ER initial treatment. Any time to have acupuncture treatment is beneficial for stroke, but the early, the better. Acupuncture is effective for the following post stroke conditions: