Concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, is a progressive degenerative disease found in those who have been subjected to multiple concussions and other forms of head injury. It is being found in professional athletes, i.e.: those who play football, hockey, wrestling and other contact sports.

With autopsy, there has been evidence found in many athletes since 2008. In the eleven professional football players who received autopsies, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy was discovered in each case. Studies have shown that with repetitive blows, the brain significantly alters permanently.

For those suffering from CTE, they will show symptoms of dementia, memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression. These symptoms can appear quite soon following injuries or may not appear until decades later. Behaviors may be similar to those who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. It is a build-up of an abnormal protein call tau which clumps in and around the brain disrupting its function.

Some initial symptoms are: attention deterioration, disorientation, dizziness, headaches, slowed muscular movements, tremors and vertigo. As the disease progresses, individuals may display erratic behavior and possibly symptoms similar to those of Parkinson's disease. With CTE's further deterioration, overt symptoms of dementia will be evident, along with speech difficulties, gait abnormalities, difficulty swallowing, a drooping eyelid and lack of control of facial muscles.

Concussions therefore, must be taken extremely seriously. Three weeks should be the minimum time for recovery with a graduated level of activity constituting initially of only light activity progressing gradually to more physical contact. Parents and coaches need to be particularly diligent in watching for subtle changes in athlete's behavior following a concussion and especially when there has been more than one concussion. Children playing contact sports are running long-term risks as some concussions are not being diagnosed.

Studies are being done in an attempt to delay the onset of dementia following concussions. Some athletes are now leaving their brains to scientists so more studies can be done to determine how CTE can be prevented.

According to Boston University, the disease was first discovered in boxers as early as the 1920's. Researchers have noted a pattern of suicide and suicidal behavior in CTE victims. Professional football players, especially those playing in the positions of lineman and linebacker, typically receive multiple hits to the head during every game and practice. It is estimated that they could receive as many as 1,000 hits per season.

Researchers are expounding the importance of brain trauma guidelines being developed to protect athletes and those playing youth sports. They further state that brain trauma education should be mandatory for all coaches, athletes and parents.

Repetitive brain trauma, which includes concussive blows to the head has not, until recently, been treated seriously. With recent research, every indication shows that concussions must be treated with extreme caution and importance. It is urged that this must begin today because tomorrow is too late.

How to Keep Your Brain From Aging

Most of what has been discovered about the brain has been learned in the last twenty years. It is known now that cognitive decline as we age does not have to be our future. There are many ways that we can slow down the process and keep our brains healthy and youthful.

There are signs to let you know when your brain is aging: memory loss, mental exhaustion and difficulty multitasking. What can we do about it? We can make personal choices to keep our brains younger in order to avoid what some people call senior moments. The following are some of the many choices we can make:

- Oxygen is very important to our brains. If we live a sedentary lifestyle, we don't get enough oxygen. It is important to get a lot of exercise and fresh air; deep breathe and yawn. Exercise grows brain cells.
- Our brains are comprised mostly of water so it is necessary to keep hydrated. Most people need at least eight glasses of water, tea, juice, etc. every day.
- Proper nutrition is very important for our brains. Protein especially means brain growth and makes our brains more focused. Some of the foods that are important to have in our diets are nuts, eggs, fish, white meat, whole grains, fruits and colorful vegetables. An example of a healthy breakfast is fruit, whole grain and a protein.
- Other healthy foods for the brain are: wheat germ, cauliflower, soybeans, brown rice, turkey, soy products, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, peanut butter, beans and avocados.
- Foods high in antioxidants are especially helpful for keeping a youthful brain. These include carrots, yams, spinach, cranberries, apples, prunes, plums, tomatoes, grapes, strawberries and raspberries. Blueberries are the winner in the antioxidant category.
- Herbs such as garlic, mint, rosemary, thyme and barley are also good for the brain as is green tea.
- It is important to take supplements, or those foods rich in Omega 3's which include fish and flax seed. A general multivitamin supplement is recommended plus vitamin C, the B vitamins and particularly for seniors, vitamins D and E.
- Stress and sleep deprivation take a heavy toll on the brain. Other things are saturated fats and trans fatty acids also. White sugar is poison, not only for your health but for your brain too.
- Smoking is detrimental to the brain as it damages blood vessels and can cause blood clots. And too much caffeine reduces blood flow to the brain.
- Overuse of alcohol detrimentally affects the brain. Hangovers are brain damage.

Education should never stop. Learning is a safeguard against memory loss. It is important to take on mental challenges and do problem solving. Be curious. Ask questions. Unfamiliar activities are the brain's best friend. Be creative and spontaneous. Travel, learn a foreign language, go to a symphony or an opera, especially if you've never gone before. Try your hand at art, sew, build or knit. Do Sudoku and crossword puzzles.

Protect your brain from insults, i.e.: concussions or injuries by making wise choices, i.e.: wearing a helmet and using a seat belt.

But it's also important to take time to relax, have fun and enjoy nature; enjoy close support of family and friends. See the humor in life; worry less and laugh more. By doing so, while you are keeping your brain healthy and youthful, you are also helping yourself along the path of longevity.

Bipolar Disorder - Symptoms and Treatment

Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, causes serious shifts in mood, thinking, behavior and energy, from the highs of mania to the lows of depression. These extremes of moods can last a day, weeks or even months.

These swings are often so intense that they can interfere with the ability to function causing difficulties with work performance, school and relationships. It will often run in families although there is no known cause. The first episode usually occurs in the teenage years or as a young adult. Although there are episodes of mania and depression, there is often more depressive episodes than manic.

There are four types of mood episodes within the bipolar disorder realm. These are mania, hypomania, depression and mixed emotions. With mania, there is high energy, creativity, euphoria, hyperactive behavior, excessive talking, little need for sleep, the feeling of being invincible, unrealistic expectations and ideas, acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences and, having grandiose ideas. Hypomania is similar but to a lesser degree than mania.

With depression, sufferers are irritable, unpredictable, experience mood swings, have feelings of restlessness, require more sleep, may gain weight, be fatigued, feel sad, lack energy, may develop psychotic depression where they lose contact with reality, may have feelings of hopelessness and guilt, or possibly harbor thoughts of suicide and death.

Those with mixed episodes will suffer from depression with agitation, irritability, anxiety, insomnia and racing thoughts. Their high energy and low moods increase their risk of suicide.

Other symptoms of bipolar are that those suffering from the disorder may find their judgment as well as memory, concentration, appetite, sleep, and sex drive may be affected. It has been discovered to be linked to anxiety, substance abuse, migraines and some health problems such as high blood pressure.

Diagnosing bipolar disorder early helps prevent further complications. Treatment is long-term because bipolar is a chronic condition. Treatment must continue even when the person feels better because when treatment is discontinued, episodes will likely resume.

Medication is important in the treatment of bipolar but therapy and self-help strategies play important roles also. Exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, eating well, keeping stress to a minimum and being surrounded by supportive people will help. These lifestyle changes may be necessary as well as keeping medication closely monitored. Treatment is more than relieving symptoms; it is an effort to control future episodes. It is important to learn relaxation techniques, i.e.: meditation and yoga can be helpful in this; joining a support group; making healthy choices, i.e.: avoiding overuse of alcohol and taking the required medication.

Over-the-counter cold medications, caffeine and thyroid medication can sometimes trigger mania. Sleep deprivation may trigger mania as well. Manic episodes are more common during the summer and depressive episodes during other seasons.

Being able to recognize the symptoms of bipolar disorder in yourself or someone close to you will help in getting early diagnosis and treatment to enable you to live a life that is not hampered by episodes of mania or depression.

Frontal Lobe Injuries and Their Resulting Damage

The frontal lobe is often involved in traumatic brain injuries. When the head is struck, the frontal lobes will hit the inside of the skull which can cause considerable damage. This resulting damage can alter life following an injury especially if there has been no rehabilitation.

The frontal lobe is made up of the precentral cortex, prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and the superior mesial and inferior mesial regions. Each area has a particular function. But the frontal lobe, in general, is the brain's emotional center and is responsible for higher functioning. Although this is true, no part of the brain works in isolation.

Frontal lobe injuries can affect motor functions, problem solving, memory, social and sexual behavior. It can also affect language skills, impulse control and make changes to the personality. The damage incurred affects feelings of empathy, sympathy, humor and whether appropriate judgments are made.

Functions of the frontal lobe areas involves the ability to recognize future consequences resulting from current actions, an ability to choose between good and bad actions and to recognize the similarity or differences between things.

The frontal lobe assists in retaining long term memories. When this area has been injured, mental flexibility will be impaired. Talking may increase or decrease dramatically. Also, there may be impaired perceptions, possible loss of taste or smell, potential attention difficulties which will make a person easily distracted. Thinking may be inflexible showing perseveration which is an inability to switch from one line of thinking to another. Those with frontal lobe injuries may also lack motivation, the ability to plan and organize and may have difficulty making decisions. Abstract and complex thinking may also be problematic.

Damages such as these often make holding a job more difficult because of the inability to perform work consistently and because problem solving and motor skills have usually been affected.

The hope of successfully returning to work is through rehabilitation. The multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation is mostly favored which includes specialists from neurology, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and cognitive therapy. Other rehabilitation is developing strategies to overcome deficits. It is important that rehabilitation encourage, motivate and empower.

Rehabilitation involves working on functions that can be restored and learning how to do things differently. Neuro-functional strengths and weaknesses are considered. After strengths are developed, more complex skills can be added. The large brain skills must be retrained or developed before the small skills can be developed. And this must happen before intellectual activity can be worked on and be successful.

When there has been an injury to the frontal lobes, rehabilitation is important and the goal is to help individuals progress to the most independent level of functioning possible.

Alzheimers and the Boomer Generation

Beginning this year, 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn sixty-five. Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive, degenerative disease and generally develops in people over sixty-five years of age but can start earlier. The biggest factor is age which puts the aging baby boomer population at risk.

Other risk factors are a history of Alzheimer's in your family, environmental issues, high blood pressure, poor diet and lack of exercise. It is estimated that one out of every eight boomers will suffer from Alzheimer's in their lifetime. The average life expectancy of the disease is eight years but many can live as long as twenty years.

There are presently five million people living in the United States with Alzheimer's Disease and over 400,000 Canadians over sixty-five years of age diagnosed with the disease. Alzheimer's is devastating not only to the sufferer but to their families as well. As the condition escalates, people can forget where they live, the names of family members and friends and can become lost on their own street. They become isolated by how they think and by what they can't remember.

There is currently no proven way to cure Alzheimer's but there are ways to delay the onset of this vicious disease. Physical exercise can slow down the degeneration of the nervous system. Other things that depend on the healthy well-being of our brains are: adequate fluid intake, a balanced diet, sufficient sleep, a minimum of stress, maintaining a healthy weight and looking after your health.

The plasticity of the brain gives hope. We can all start building better brains by keeping them active. We can do this by continuous learning which stimulates our brain. Once we stop learning, our mental capacity declines, we lose brain power and our brain cells begin to shrink.

We're never too old to learn new things and our brain's capacity for learning is limitless. The more variety of learning we undertake, the less likely we will experience cognitive decline as we age.

The varieties of learning that are beneficial to our brain are many. Music is one excellent learning experience whether we sing, dance or learn to play a musical instrument. Music increases blood flow to the brain, stimulates creativity, improves memory as well as concentration. Reading, writing and math are also great for the brain. Reading improves not only our memory but our brain. Writing in a journal is excellent for improving the brain and the memory. And when solving math calculations, areas on both sides of the brain are activated. Art is also excellent for firing up the brain and allows us to build links between both sides of the brain.

It is important to begin increasing our brain power when we are young, but it is also never too late to start no matter our age. It is possible to grow new brain cells even as we age.

Generation Alheimers: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers http://www.alz-news.org
Alzheimers Society of Canada www.alzheimer.ca
Alzheimers Society of B.C. www.alzheimer.bc.org

Short Term Memory Loss Following a Traumatic Brain Injury

Following a traumatic brain injury, short term memory loss will be affected, especially if it has been a frontal lobe injury. Short term memory is the ability to remember a piece of information in order to complete a task.

Not focusing, thinking of too many things at one time, not paying attention, not listening and becoming distracted all contribute to difficulties with short term memory. The following are some ways to help manage short term memory problems:

- to help with memory, repeat information received, i.e.: a telephone number, a person's name, an address, or remembering what you were planning to do, i.e.: going upstairs to get something, remembering the three things you were going to get at the store;
- make lists and follow them, have a daytimer or use a calendar with squares large enough to write notes on, use a message board or notebook. Try each method then decide which works best for you. These memory assistants will help you to remember appointments, shopping items or your to do list. They will also remind you about things you want to take somewhere or something you want to tell someone. Daytimers or calendars are also excellent for reminders of future commitments;
- be organized, i.e.: put medication in a daily pill container, put things in the same place so you don't have to look for them, i.e.: your slippers or your house and car keys. Also, do things at the same time each day, i.e.: feeding your dog or cat or watering your plants on a certain day each week, possibly every Monday;
- establish habits – once you are used to doing something it will come naturally rather than having to remember it, i.e.: put out all the things you will need for the following morning before you retire for the night so you won't forget things when you are rushing to leave in the morning;
- write everything down. The process of physically writing something down helps to remember it;
- keep things together so you don't have to look all over for things and won't forget something when you are in a hurry, i.e.: gym equipment such as shoes, work-out gear and a towel, school supplies and work items. Cloth or canvas bags are an excellent way to keep things together.

Outside stimulation such as the loud music played at some gyms, the chaos and noise of rush hour traffic and crowds of people can all have an affect on memory. Stress also will play a part. Try to limit this type of sensory input and find opportunities to take a few minutes to close your eyes and relax, or go for a walk in nature to eliminate stress.

Getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night will also help with short term memory loss. Also, attempt to get to bed at the same time each night. To help alleviate memory loss, before going to sleep each night think back over your whole day and maybe even the day before. This practice will help to improve memory. Avoiding alcohol will help with the problem of short term memory loss as well and doing brain exercises such as crossword puzzles can benefit the brain too.

A lot of our memory can be a belief in ourselves and a determination to remember by remaining focused and working towards the goal of improving our short term memory loss. This is especially true following a traumatic brain injury.

What Do You Know About ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder dealing mainly with attention difficulties and hyperactivity. Although often considered to be chiefly a child related issue, adults also have it with many never having been diagnosed.

Symptoms usually become noticeable in a child before they are seven years old. The following are some of these symptoms:

- difficulties with impulse control and antisocial behaviors. Some may act out by exhibiting defiant behavior;
- easily distracted, problems with completing tasks and difficulty in following instructions;
- will have difficulty in focusing, will tend to daydream when they should be doing other things and are easily bored;
- has poor organizational abilities, will often talk non-stop and may be hyper;
forgets important things, sometimes losing them and is often impatient.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder affecting three to five percent of young children and is diagnosed in two to sixteen percent of school aged children. About 4.7 percent of adults live with ADHD. For those children who were diagnosed with ADHD, it will continue into adulthood. However, there are many adults who have ADHD but who have never been diagnosed.

It is believed that genetics is a large factor in ADHD. But issues such as nutrition and social environment may have a bearing as well. Also, it is believed there may be a potential link between smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy, contact with high levels of lead or possible consumption of some food additives such as artificial colors or preservatives.

To help reduce symptoms, treatments may include medication, psychotherapy, educational training or a combination of all three. Some medications can have side effects such as a decrease in appetite, sleeping problems, anxiety, irritability, stomach aches or headaches. Medication does not cure ADHD, it will only help to control the symptoms while it is being taken.

Psychotherapy includes behavioral therapy and assistance with social skills. For adults who have never been diagnosed, this can be extremely challenging but they are also usually more highly motivated because they know that treatment for them will make a big difference. They already know how challenging their lives have been. For some adults, they may also be suffering from anxiety and depression.

When ADHD is being diagnosed, sleeping disorders, tic disorders and behavioral problems may be confused with, or appear with ADHD. Most children diagnosed with ADHD quite often have at least one other developmental or psychiatric problem such as depression or bipolar disorder. For diagnosis in children, they should have at least six attention symptoms or six hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms presenting before the age of seven. These symptoms should be present for at least six months and be severe enough to cause difficulties with school, work and other areas of their life. Diagnosis of adult ADHD is somewhat more involved.

Many of those with ADHD have learned over time to adapt to the problems relating to this disorder.