Coping With Its Effects

LYING in a hospital bed with paralyzed limbs, Gilbert asked his doctor: “Will I ever regain use of my arm and my leg?” Gilbert heard the challenging response: “The harder you work, the more you will get back, and the quicker you will do it.” He replied: “I’m ready!” Physical therapy coupled with a positive outlook led him, at age 65, from a wheelchair to a walker, then to a cane and back to work.

“Most of today’s poststroke rehabilitation supports the notion that if one area of the brain is damaged, other centers can assume the role of the injured tissue. One purpose of therapy is to both bring out the potential of these uninvolved centers and provide the stimulation to permit the brain to reorganize and adapt,” state researchers Weiner, Lee, and Bell. However, recovery is determined by other factors too, such as the site and the severity of the stroke, the general health of the individual, the quality of medical care, and the support of others.

 

STROKE–ITS CAUSES

THE brain is the most delicate organ of the body,” states neurologist Dr. Vladimir Hachinski, of the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. At only 2 percent of the body’s total weight, the brain contains more than ten billion nerve cells, which are in constant communication to produce our every thought, movement, and sensation. Dependent on oxygen and glucose for energy, the brain receives a steady supply via an intricate system of arteries.

However, when any limited part of the brain is deprived of oxygen for even a few seconds, delicate neuron functions are impaired. If this persists for longer than a few minutes, brain damage results, as brain cells begin to die along with the functions they control. This condition is called ischemia, a lack of oxygen mainly caused by artery blockage. Further damage is inflicted on brain tissue as oxygen starvation triggers a deadly cascade of chemical reactions. The result is a stroke. A stroke also occurs when blood vessels rupture, flooding the brain with blood, which cuts off connecting pathways. This disrupts chemical and electrical flows to the muscles and causes injury to brain tissue.

 

YOGA: JUST AN EXERCISE OR SOMETHING ELSE

HAVING a slim and healthy body is very much on people’s minds today. This has caused many to turn to gymnasiums and health clubs for help. For the same reason, thousands of people in the Western world have turned to the Eastern art of yoga.

People suffering from stress, depression, and frustration have also turned to yoga for solace and solutions. Particularly since the 1960′s, the decade of hippies and flower children, has interest in Eastern religions and their mystic practices spread throughout the West. Transcendental meditation, a close adjunct of yoga, has been popularized by film stars and rock musicians. In view of the growing interest in yoga, we might ask: ‘Is yoga simply an exercise routine that will give the practitioner a healthy, slim body and some peace of mind? Can yoga be practiced without any religious overtones? Is yoga suitable for Christians?’

 

WHY TAKE A WALK?

MILLIONS of people seem to think that if they can’t join a spa and spend a lot of time working out, they might as well forget about health benefits from exercise. Yet, that isn’t true. Dr. Russell Pate of the University of South Carolina says: “I think we have to officially sanction the idea that a nice, comfortable walk around the block after dinner is a very desirable thing to do.”

But will a walk really do you that much good? Does walking have health benefits that are truly significant?

Walking Is Good Medicine

Greek physician Hippocrates viewed walking as “man’s best medicine.” In fact, there is an adage that says, “I have two doctors, my left leg and my right.” Is walking really that healthful?

 

STRESS CAN BE MANAGED

“There will always be stress in life, and really what we have to look at is our reaction to it rather than trying to make the stress go away.”—Leon Chaitow, noted health writer.

THE Bible foretold that in “the last days,” there would be “critical times hard to deal with.” Evidence clearly shows that we are living in that time, for people are—true to the prophecy—”self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride.”—2 Timothy 3:1-5.

 

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