Mini Stroke The official name for a mini stroke is quite a mouthful - a Transient Ischemic Attack. This occurs if a blood vessel supplying an area of the brain becomes blocked with a particle, frequently a platelet of cholesterol. Depending on where that platelet becomes lodged, and so depending on which area of the brain becomes starved of nutrients and oxygen, the injury might be very significant or only go unnoticed. Unnoticed by the patient's conscious mind, but maybe injury is still being done, At the very least, mini strokes or TIA's are a warning that your blood contains harmful substances, usually fat or cholesterol. A TIA is a 'call to action'; a warning that you had better work on your diet, get more exercise and go see your doctor right away. Medication will disperse the plaque or platelets that are already there in your blood and a healthy diet and more exercise will prevent more from forming. Blood clots are another cause of (mini) strokes. Blood clots usually form in other regions of the body, but flow fairly freely through the large arteries until they arrive at the fine blood vessels in the brain, which they cannot pass through. They get lodged in the entrance causing a blockage. Long-haul flights are often held responsible for deep vein thrombosis or the creation of blood clots, frequently in the legs. These clots then find their way to the brain where they may kill or cause immense, frequently permanent, injury. Or they could result in a mini stroke that goes unnoticed. It is all down to chance where is gets lodged. it is thought that any kind of stroke causes damage even if that injury is not easily perceived, since different areas of the brain control different parts or organs of the body. If a blockage happens in the part that controls the liver, it might stop working to some level and you might not notice for quite a while. It is a very wise thing to be able to recognize the symptoms of a mini stroke. However, this is simpler said than done. lots of mini strokes happen at night, whilst you are asleep. They do also happen during the day naturally and the indications may be tingling in one part of the body. Or you may have the opposite effect, a numbness. Many sufferers say that they experienced blurred sight. These symptoms might just last a few minutes. Often these indications are blamed on other factors such as tiredness, too much TV, too much computer, sitting in one position too long or just not having had sufficient exercise that day. And these could well be the causes of the sensation, which makes it very problematic to know.
There are more obvious signs as well such as dizziness or confusion; not being comprehend what people are saying to you; not being able to speak or speaking in a slurred voice. Any of these signs should be reported to a doctor immediately so that corrective action may be taken to avoid a worse stroke occurring in the next few days. Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with natural cures for prostate cancer. If you want to know more go to What is the Treatment for Prostate Cancer?