Home

HOME

PTO

Lunch Menu and Prices

Classrooms

Day Care
Faculty and Staff
Special Events

St. Francis Parish

Contact Us

Library

St. Francis Alumni

School Forms
Student Council
Talent Show
Spirit Wear
What's Happening
                     CAR POOL

What's New

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit Counter

 

         


Health                                                            Mrs. Joy  pejoy@comcast.net

 

I’m  on a mission to raise women’s awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. It and other cardiovascular diseases kill nearly 500,000 women each year. That’s more than the next six causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. This year I lost two friends to heart disease and both thought they had the flu when they actually where having heart failure.

The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable. Go Red For Women gives you the power to prevent it by significantly reducing your risks. Red is the color for women and heart disease, and wearing red shows your commitment to this movement for the future health of all American women. Take positive action now by joining Go Red For Women. Make red your color and help save women’s lives.

1.       Join Go Red For Women, wear red and get your red dress pin.

2.       Know the numbers your heart really counts on.

3.       Take action.

4.       Share the power with the important women in your life.

Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death emergencies -- every second counts. If you see or have any of the listed symptoms, immediately call 9-1-1. Not all these signs occur in every heart attack or stroke. Sometimes they go away and return. If some occur, get help fast! Today heart attack and stroke victims can benefit from new medications and treatments unavailable to patients in years past. For example, clot-busting drugs can stop some heart attacks and strokes in progress, reducing disability and saving lives. But to be effective, these drugs must be given relatively quickly after heart attack or stroke symptoms first appear. So again, don't delay -- get help right away!

 

 

 

Heart Attack Warning Signs
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense -- the "movie heart attack," where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:

  • Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.   
  • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.   
  • Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.  
  • Other signs: These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness 

If you or someone you're with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don't wait longer than a few minutes (no more than 5) before calling for help. Call 9-1-1... Get to a hospital right away.

Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive -- up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. The staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too.

If you can't access the emergency medical services (EMS), have someone drive you to the hospital right away. If you're the one having symptoms, don't drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option. 

 

For more information go to http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/index.htm, http://www.americanheart.org., and GO RED for HEART DISEASE!

 

These are the warning signs listed on the American Stroke Association web page.

Stroke is a medical emergency. Know these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second counts:

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

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
 
Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.

Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke

victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize

the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize

a stroke by asking three simple questions:


*Ask the individual to SMILE.

*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (ie. It is

sunny out today)

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks,

call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.


After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could

identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems,

researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

©2002 St. Francis of Assisi School.

Send mail to Webmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 01/07/08