Mateja de Leonni Stanonik, M.D. publishes Blog with easy-to-understand articles on long-term brain health

Dr. Mateja de Leonni, neurologist at the VitaMedica Institute in Tucson, AZ, has published a Blog with easy-to-understand information about the many neurological and health issues that often affect (and are particularly burdensome) the aging population in their so-called golden years.

The Blog is available at https://DrMatejaDeLeonniStanonik.com/

In her Blog, Dr. de Leonni Stanonik will focus on her particular research interests that include:
• Vascular Dementia
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Parkinson’s
• Stroke
• Migraines, and
• Epilepsy
• Alzheimer's

Dr. de Leonni Stanonik explains that “in today’s busy neurology practices, medical doctors and their staff rarely have the time to answer all questions that the patients have. The patients (and/or their parents) start searching on the internet. One should not act based solely on information found on the internet, but instead review the issues with the medical doctor who has the patient’s medical history and has personally examined the patient. Also, when patients research online, they find highly complex answers that are very difficult to understand for a layperson, or even contradictory information. I hope to fill that information gap with explanatory articles that anybody can understand.”

For example, many people hear and talk about a “stroke” and the difficult path to recover. A stroke happens where there is diminished blood flow to the brain, usually resulting in cell death. The two main types of strokes are “ischemic” (lack of blood flow), and “hemorrhagic” (involving bleeding). Both prevent the brain from functioning properly.

It is crucial to know the symptoms of a stroke, which include sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech; trouble seeing in one or both eyes; as well as trouble walking, loss of balance, or lack of coordination and dizziness.
As with many critical conditions, the “first hour” that emergency personnel often mention, is most important in such a case. Stroke patients have a much greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage if they get to the hospital quickly and receive treatment.

For example, the commonly used early treatment for an ischemic stroke is a “tissue plasminogen activator” (tPA) which breaks up the blood clots that block blood flow to the brain.

The question that neurologists like Dr. de Leonni Stanonik most often hear is “Can I recover fully from the stroke?” She explains that “the short answer is yes, stroke can be cured or remedied, but recovery will be in stages after the initial treatment to restore normal blood flow to the brain and prevent further damage. Then the patient must follow further treatment and rehabilitation to address the secondary effects of the stroke.”

Dr. de Leonni Stanonik cautions patients to review medical issues with their medical doctor and not to act on information they find randomly on the internet. Her blog is available at https://DrMatejaDeLeonniStanonik.com/