In Shakespeare's time, they called it "swooning." In modern-day vernacular, many refer to it as "blacking out." It's known as "syncope" in medical terminology.

But no matter what you call it, fainting - a brief loss of consciousness because of a reduction of blood flow to the brain - is a problem associated with many disorders, some serious, most not.Accompanied by a loss of motor tone and a drop in blood pressure, a faint usually lasts only a few seconds - or a few minutes, at most - and usually occurs as the result of a strong emotional episode or physical pain.

There are preliminary signs that frequently accompany a faint; feeling dizzy, lightheaded, giddy or apprehensive for a few seconds before blacking out are common.

Other signals for the onset of a fainting spell include an ashen face, cold sweat and nausea.

In most cases, fainting does not indicate an underlying illness, although there are a number of diseases that might cause a faint by reducing the blood supply to the brain.

For example, serious disturbances in the heart's rhythm - seen especially in the elderly - often produce a pattern of fainting.

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President Bush fainted after a jogging session last year. An examination by his physicians revealed that he had a form of hyperthyroidism called Graves' disease that can lead to irregular heart rhythm, fatigue and, in this case, fainting.

In much less serious medical circumstances, fear, the sight of blood, hunger, fatigue and high humidity are other factors that can lead to a faint.

Ironically, it is the person's fall to a reclining position - placing the heart and brain on the same level - that is the most effective form of recovery from a faint by increasing the flow of blood to the brain. Raising the legs of a person slightly also will help increase the blood flow.

If the person is seated when the faint occurs it would be best to help him or her find a place to lie down.

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