Prick your fingers with a needle? Be careful with tips like this!

You see it again and again on Facebook: this little picture with a needle and a red thread. These include the claim that a needle can save a life in the event of a stroke.

This supposed (ruin) life hack appeared in autumn 2017 and was published on various blogs. Now it is being shared more frequently again, so we'll show you again what's behind it.

First of all, let's clarify, what is a stroke? A stroke is a sudden circulatory disorder in the brain, which leads to a local lack of oxygen and nutrients (glucose), which then causes brain tissue to die. Around 80-85% of strokes are so-called ischemic infarctions, in which a blood vessel is suddenly completely blocked.

(Screenshot: Facebook)
(Screenshot: Facebook)

Any stroke is a life-threatening situation and requires immediate medical attention. Treatment always aims to restore blood circulation and keep the damage to the brain as small as possible; only medical professionals can do this.

Symptoms of a stroke (from flexikon.doccheck ):

  1. Vision problems
  2. Speech disorders
  3. Paralysis and numbness
  4. Headache
  5. Dizziness and unsteady gait
  6. especially in women: body aches, nausea, hiccups

How can I detect a stroke in a few seconds? With the FAST test!

F – A – S – T stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time.

The test is now also part of the basic training of rescue personnel in Germany. Most strokes can be detected within a few seconds.

  • F ace: Ask the person to smile.
    Is the face distorted on one side? This indicates hemiplegia.
  • Arms : Ask the person to stretch their arms forward while turning their palms up.
    When paralyzed, both arms cannot be raised, sink or rotate.
  • Speech : Have the person repeat a simple sentence.
    If she is unable to do this or her voice sounds slurred, there is probably a speech disorder.
  • T ime: Dial 112 immediately and describe the symptoms.

First aid: every second counts!

The sooner a stroke patient receives professional help, the more brain tissue can be saved. Valuable seconds can be saved by taking appropriate first aid measures If possible, note the time when stroke symptoms first appeared. This is important for the rescue service and further therapy options.

Alert rescue and provide first aid in the event of a stroke:

  • Immediately dial the emergency number 112 (Austria: 144), point out the suspicion of a stroke , answer the control center's questions and wait until they end the call.
  • Observe the person affected, do not leave them alone, calm them down and talk to them.
  • If necessary, loosen tight clothing and remove dentures.
  • Do not give anything to eat or drink as swallowing could be disturbed!
  • If the person concerned is conscious, lie still with their upper body elevated by around 30 degrees, for example with a pillow on their back.
  • If vomiting or loss of consciousness: Put the person affected in a stable side position and check their pulse and breathing again and again.
  • Inform the emergency doctor or the arriving rescue service of the symptoms observed and the patient's previous illnesses. If possible, also provide a list of the medications the person concerned is taking and the time the first stroke symptoms appeared https://www.schlaganfall-hilfe.de/notfall

Now what about the needles?

This article reports that you should stick needles into your fingertips until blood comes out. Or you should massage your ears and pierce them with a needle and then wait several minutes before going to the hospital or calling for a doctor.

THIS CAN BE LIFE-THREATENING FOR THE PATIENT BECAUSE EVERY SECOND COUNTS!!!

Less the needles, but the wait is immensely dangerous. In addition, there are no sufficient studies on the acute treatment of strokes using acupuncture, because that is what we are talking about here.

Even the Carstens Foundation, which is very interested in alternative medicine, comes to the following conclusion when it comes to acupuncture and stroke:

“The phenomenon of “publication bias” appears to be particularly pronounced in the acupuncture treatment of stroke.
The majority of published studies have significant scientific weaknesses that severely limit the significance of most studies.
For these two reasons, the data on acupuncture treatment of stroke is nowhere near as good as the pure numerical comparison of positive and negative results would suggest.
The WHO also made this mistake. There is currently no solid evidence that acupuncture is useful in the rehabilitative treatment of stroke.
It remains to be seen whether acupuncture treatment that begins as soon as possible after the stroke is successful; there are too few studies on this. The question of side effects of acupuncture certainly plays a minor role in stroke treatment. It is largely unexplained.”

(carstens-stiftung.de)

So an urgent note: if you suspect a stroke, always do the FAST test, call emergency services and carry out the recommended initial measures. Normally there is no time left for needles in fingertips and that is perhaps a good thing. Because when it comes to a stroke, the following always applies: every second counts!

This article is from 2017 and was written by Anke.


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