The Healthy Brain or Over Sharing Brain Stuff

I recently attended a seminar on the brain. It was a continuing education credit class for me. The seminar was lead by 2 brain surgeons. There were cookies and fruit passed around while we listened and looked at slides. Note to self and anyone else; unless you look at brain slides all day long, don’t be snacking!

The first doctor loved his slides. He showed surgery from different approaches to the brain: through the sinus and nose, through top of the skull and slicing through the mid skull or base of skull. Since brain surgery is not my usual choice of slide viewing my reaction was a loud internal yuk, yuk, and yuk!

I must have zoned out on the asked question because suddenly the doctor was talking about worms in the brain. Now you understand my reservations on the snacking. Well it appears a person can acquire a worm that goes into your brain from eating uncooked pork. He says sometimes the worm is still living when they remove it from the poor soul’s brain!

Another question about diagnostic testing and surgery brought the remark that he and his ilk do so many brain surgeries they can do it in their sleep. Here is where I am afraid I am over sharing. Like everyone else I would hope my brain surgeon would have his eyes open when operating on my brain even if it is to him/her, child’s play.

Brain Surgeon #2 got up and thank goodness did not have any slides. She started her talk saying summer is trauma season in the brain injury field. More accidents on the brain occur during the summer than a fantastic snow/ski season in the winter.  People are outdoors on bikes, motorcycles, ATVs, diving into water, waterskiing and generally taking too many risks without headgear protection. Many back injuries are also brain injuries. Then there is the matter of alcohol that may or may not induce some risky behavior but does increases bleeding in the brain. Not a good thing.

The brain surgeons say brain health is influenced by lifestyle and diet. They feel the brain is the Rodney Dangerfield of the body, with the heart getting all the glamour!

Take-away to have a healthy brain:

             Healthy Lifestyle, exercise and diet

             Helmets for bikes, motorcycles, and ATVs

             Don’t dive head first into a body of water that you don’t know the depth

             Don’t drink and dive, drive, waterski, or do any activities

             Cook pork thoroughly

             Don’t do Meth. It appears you can literally fry your brain on meth

I hope I didn’t gross out anyone, but the brain is interesting, don’t you think?