This interesting topic deserves your attention.              Strokes can be very difficult to diagnose initially when they first occur, especially mild ones.  If an individual is acting neurologically abnormal, their mental state is confused or they are experiencing the following: *** 1.  Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body 2.  Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding 3.  Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes 4.  Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination 5.  Sudden, severe headache with no known cause Call 9-1-1 immediately if you experience symptoms!*** ***(Taken from The American Stroke Association website)*** Visit their website for more information: American Stroke Association Commentary:       A dear friend of mine sent me an e-mail concerning this very important topic.  In this e-mail there were 3 simple tests that one could do to assess symptoms 1,2,and 4 above. They are as follows:       1.  Ask them to smile       2.  Ask them to hold both arms above their head       3.  Ask them to repeat a sentence Any one of these signs found to be abnormal, call 911.  I might add that you could also assess their vision as well.  Severe headache is a symptom that you can't assess on someone, but it is a very important one.  The bottom line is do not ignore these symptoms or signs in anyone.  Doc