The New Year is often accompanied by aspirations of self-improvement. For some that means making better nutrition choices and for others that means getting into shape, moving more – fitness. An oft heard expression involves how long these changes might last before we revert back to the same old – what’s familiar and comfortable. Why… Read more »
Since 2012, medical researchers at Duke University’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center have been studying the utility of what was formerly a major threat to the public as the new treatment modality for one of today’s scariest killers. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common primary brain tumor. Radiation and genetic predisposition are thought to… Read more »
Humans are funny. More often than not, it takes a dive in the wrong direction to make us consider doing something to prevent that fall in the first place. Science seems to follow the same bell curve. As problems or statistics start to rise, researchers (who are human by the way) increase their efforts to… Read more »
Recent media attention has been paid to the serious risk of traumatic brain injury in National Football League players. An upcoming film featuring Will Smith portrays the dramatic revelations of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who researched brain injuries in professional football players and documented evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a debilitating condition with… Read more »
Concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI) prevention is an increasingly prevalent topic, especially with the current rise in incidence. Thankfully, new research is constantly being done to improve safety in the leading causes of TBI including falls, motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and contact sports. Primary prevention strategies include proper safety equipment and fall prevention methods.… Read more »
Pharmacological intervention has traditionally been the first-line treatment for individuals with neurocognitive disorders, but the benefits of medications currently on the market are generally minimal and/or temporary. In recent years, however, numerous scientific studies have shown that various types of behavioral and cognitive interventions may slow the progression of degenerative neurocognitive disorders. For one, the… Read more »
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) cause over 1 million emergency room visits per year in the United States and over 50,000 deaths annually. The number of TBI incidents is increasing and affects all ages. According to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), falls cause 55% of TBI for children under the age of 14 and 81%… Read more »
More than 60 million Americans report that they have experienced some form of insomnia in the past year, and sleepless nights are responsible for a little over 250 million lost days of productivity annually. In seeking solutions to this widespread problem, science has recently shifted its focus toward brain chemistry. According to Ronald C. Kessler,… Read more »
It has taken us over 200 years to discover and prove that gluten, introduced late into the human diet, can – and is – producing disease. Gluten, the protein in wheat, normally associated with gastrointestinal problems, is now clearly linked to dysfunction of the brain along with other systems of the body. It is eye… Read more »
What makes us unique individuals? If we reduce the human equation to our simplest feature, most of us would say our brain, and our ability to think. So it’s no wonder that we are concerned about keeping our brain in tip-top shape throughout our lives! There are six pillars of brain health: healthy diet, mental… Read more »
Every year in the United States, roughly two million individuals sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Approximately 60,000 of these patients die, and the remainder proceed through life with various disabilities. Unfortunately, many of the brain-injured individuals, including a significant number of athletes and soldiers today, live a life of despair and decline in function. TBI… Read more »
Dr. David Perlmutter’s 2013 book Grain Brain has a lot of people questioning previously held beliefs regarding low-fat diets, grains and cholesterol. Much of what Perlmutter has to say about these subjects is completely opposite from what most Americans have been taught for the past 40 years. Regardless of what you may have been told… Read more »
A traumatic head injury is any trauma that injures the scalp, skull, or brain. In recent years, awareness of this often debilitating condition has increased significantly, unfortunately due to the large number of incidents with professional athletes and our service members. Injuries can be large or small in size, but often both significant in their… Read more »
Throughout most of the twentieth century, neuroscientists believed that the brain was a static organ which reached its potential for establishing new pathways during early childhood. With advances in science, this theory has changed. ‘Neuroplasticity’ refers to the brain’s ability to form new pathways throughout life in response to changes in behavior and the environment.… Read more »
Music is an integral part of our human experience. Our brains have processed and learned from the natural musical tones and rhythms around us—nature’s music—for as long as man has walked on this earth. Believing that music is life-giving and that humans are hard-wired to benefit from it, SongShine, a music-based speech and voice therapy… Read more »
There are a few things that women should know about stroke. More women than men suffer from strokes each year — 425,000 compared to 370,000. Strokes kill twice as many women each year as breast cancer. African-American women have more strokes than Caucasian women, and strokes are the number one cause of death for Hispanic… Read more »
If you have ever known someone who had a stroke, you know how devastating the experience can be. There are many side effects of varying degrees that can limit one’s abilities to do the things they love. Strokes can significantly alter one’s lifestyle. And a stroke doesn’t just happen to the person – it happens… Read more »
Since 1999, the Board of Directors of the Desert Healthcare District (DHD) has invested over $1 million in the Stroke Recovery Center to support the development and implementation of patient programs, and promote rehabilitation services for stroke survivors. The Stroke Recovery Center offers a unique program model for stroke rehabilitation. It addresses the physical and… Read more »
Local Experts Offer Tips on Preventing Memory Loss Eisenhower Indian Wells Healthy Living Resource Center is pleased to present Use It or Lose It: How to Maintain Your Brain, a free lecture on Tuesday, October 18th at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower Medical Center. Over 300 people of all ages attended last… Read more »
Tap dancing is regaining popularity as a healthy approach to creating wellness for the heart, mind and body. For older adults, tap dancing is an example of how art programming can positively effect one’s physical being, mental health, and social functioning, regardless of ability. Providing interactive rhythm, tap dancing is a brain- boosting activity which… Read more »