by Chris Blank AP Posted on May 1, 2014 at 8:21 PM Updated today at 11:21 PM JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri residents with epilepsy that is not relieved by other treatments could use a cannabis extract under legislation given final approval Thursday after a state senator's passionate speech about his son. Sen. Eric Schmitt said families in Missouri are moving their entire lives to get treatment for their children and that they should be able to get it in their home state. The lawmaker's 9-year-old son, Stephen, has intractable epilepsy and watched Thursday's debate from the Senate chamber with family. "The sense of urgency is real for families that are making those decisions," said Schmitt, a Republican from St. Louis County. Legislation passed by the Missouri Legislature would allow use of a "hemp extract" containing little of the chemical that causes marijuana users to feel high and larger amounts of a chemical called cannabidiol, or CBD. Patients or their parents would need a registration card that would be issued by the state health department to Missouri residents. CBD oil only would be available after a neurologist has determined a patient's epilepsy isn't responding to at least three treatment … Continue reading →

Published: Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 6:03 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 6:05 p.m. Gadsden Regional Medical Center has received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for the treatment of stroke patients. Get With The Guidelines-Stroke helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines, with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Gadsden Regional earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies. Gadsden Regional received certification last summer by the Joint Commission as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center. According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Here is the original post: GRMC recognized for stroke treatment … Continue reading →

Getting treatment for a mini-stroke as soon as it happens can prevent the damage caused by a major stroke. So what are the symptoms to look out for? Mini-stroke sufferer report very different experiences, but most of them describe feeling odd. Symptoms can build up gradually, or happen all at once. There are three key things to check if you or someone near you is feeling ill: Face: is there any sign of facial weakness? Any asymmetry in the smile or eyes? Are the mouth or eyes drooping? Arms: any weakness, numbness or tingling in the arms? Can both arms be raised? Can both hands be felt and used? Speech: is the persons speech affected? Can they understand you, and make themselves understood? If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, phone 999 immediately. The Stroke Association believes that fast action could prevent thousands of strokes every year, and their motto is just that - FAST. See original here: How to spot the warning signs of a mini-stroke … Continue reading →