COVID UPDATE: 66% of the population has received two doses of vaccine. 77% have received at least one dose and 30% have received their third dose according to the CDC. But while we hear that the number of positive cases are on the rise especially here in Philadelphia, the important parameters of hospitalizations and deaths are on the decline and not keeping pace with the increase of positive cases.
So while the number of positive cases are up, hospitalizations and death are down.
Knowing These 9 Concussion Symptoms Could Save Your Brain: Symptoms of concussion can be obvious and show up immediately, or they can be subtler, not appearing for days—or weeks—later. Here are the concussion symptoms to know, so you can spot them in yourself, or in others.
Recent research shows that even a single concussion (and certainly several) can have long term consequences like structural brain damage that can lead to depression and anxiety as well as chronic headaches, balance issues, and difficulties with attention or concentration. They're also strikingly common. In a recent poll of more than 3,000 men and women, 23% said they'd suffered at least one concussion during their lives.
Knowing These 9 Concussion Symptoms Could Save Your Brain:
1. You were knocked out: If you were out for the count, you're concussed. If you're by your lonesome and you come-to without even realizing you were knocked out, but are disoriented and don't remember how you got on the ground, that also means you're concussed. "Interestingly, being knocked out doesn't mean you have a more severe concussion than if you weren't knocked unconscious," says Chris Hummel, clinical associate professor in Ithaca College's Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences.
2. You Have A Headache that will Not Quit: Clocking your head is bound to hurt. If you have a concussion, however, that headache won't go away and it will likely feel different from those you've had in the past, says neurologist Barry Kosofsky, MD, PhD, of New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine. "It's like a pressure headache that is nearly constant. It may get worse when you lie down and a little better when you stand up," he says. "It also is inducible by increased blood flow to the brain. So doing mental or physical activities that bring more blood into the brain will cause pain."
3. Your Dizzy, Off Balance and feel as though you are going to Vomit. Being dizzy or off balance is a common symptom of concussion, so much so that balance testing is a common assessment tool for diagnosing the injury as well as for evaluating recovery. If your head is spinning and you're stumbling around, those are red flags signaling concussion, says Hummel. But even subtle symptoms like feeling unsteady on your feet can indicate a brain injury. In some cases you may also feel sick to your stomach or vomit after you've hit your head—both of which are symptoms of a concussion.
4. Your Foggy and Confused: Feeling foggy, confused, or mentally slow are all signs of concussion, says Dr. Podell. It can be profound, such as not knowing which way is home, or more subtle problems with processing information. Having trouble remembering things, being unable to concentrate or pay attention, or having more trouble than usual organizing your daily tasks, solving problems, or making decisions are all signs that you've injured your brain.
5. The World is Fuzzy and/or bright Lights Hurt: If you're having trouble focusing—literally with your eyes—you're likely concussed. Double or blurry vision is a symptom, as is light sensitivity. "If all the sudden the world seems too bright and light is really bothering you, that's a sign of concussion," says Hummel.
6. Feeling Anxious, Irritable and Not Yourself: Feeling anxious is a common symptom of depression, as are other personality changes like irritability. But depending on your circumstances, these can be trickier to pick up in yourself. You just had a traumatic incident that probably hurt like heck and scared you, so sure you're maybe not yourself. But don't brush it off. Pay attention if others point out any personality changes, says Hummel. "Someone who knows you well can pick out subtle changes in your personality like you're usually pretty happy go lucky, but now you're more quiet and withdrawn that can signal a brain injury," he says
7. Feeling Lethargic: It takes a lot of energy to heal an injured brain. It's very common to feel drowsy, listless, and downright lethargic. Along those lines, keeping someone awake after a concussion is no longer recommended. "Physical and cognitive rest during the first 24 to 48 hours is essential for proper concussion healing," says Hummel. He recommends that you find someone to stay with you if you live alone for the first 24 hours after the injury. This is in case you develop symptoms of a life-threatening hematoma, such as loss of consciousness, inability to be awakened, as well as worsening severe headache.
8. Your Sleep Cycle Is Off: A cruel irony of concussion is that though you may feel totally wiped out, you also may find that you can't sleep well at night. Research shows that up to 90% of people who have had a concussion suffer with sleep disturbances such as insomnia
9. You Think You Have A Concussion: Trust your instincts and don't second-guess yourself when it comes to your brain, says Hummel. "If you've hit your head hard and feel off and it crosses your mind that you could have a concussion, chances are pretty good that you do. Go get yourself checked out to be safe."
8 Weird Things Linked to Memory Loss Later in Life: Science suggests that what's good for your body is also good for your mind: Exercise, a balanced diet, and maintaining a healthy weight all seem to be good for the brain, and may even reduce buildup of proteins related to Alzheimer's disease.
But there are lots of other factors that can affect your risk of dementia or age-related memory loss. Some are obvious (like genetics). Others are less so. Here are a few that might surprise you.
Herpes:
Scientists made the surprising discovery that the herpes virus may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. In a study of nearly 1,000 human brains, published in the journal Neuron, researchers found that the brains of people who died of Alzheimer's disease had up to twice the levels of herpes simplex virus 6 and 7 compared to those who died of other causes. These two types of herpes are extremely common and are known to cause the childhood rash roseola. According to the researchers' findings, these viruses seemed to interact with genes also linked to Alzheimer's disease.
In another recent study, published in Neurotherapeutics, scientists found that people with herpes simplex 1—the type of herpes that causes cold sores—were three times as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life, compared to people without. Taking antiviral drugs to treat herpes symptoms seemed to reduce their risk, however, suggesting that these medications may be protective against dementia, as well.
Air pollution: Older women who live in areas with high levels of pollution (specifically fine particulate matter, which consists of extremely small particles that can be inhaled deep in the lungs) are 92% more likely to develop dementia than women living in cleaner-air climates, according to a 2017 study. The link was strongest in women who had the APOE4 gene, a genetic variation that increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease. If these results hold true in the general population, the study authors say, air pollution could be responsible for about 21% of dementia cases.
"When we breathe in these tiny particles, it can trigger inflammation throughout the body," says Richard Isaacson, MD, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center (who was not involved in the study). "And for certain people, inflammation seems to be a way of pressing the fast-forward button on the progression of Alzheimer's disease."
Poor sleep: You know that missing out on a good night's sleep can lead to brain fog the next day, but research also suggests that disturbed sleep over time may be linked to a buildup of Alzheimer's-related brain proteins.
Scientists believe that exercise loosens up amyloid proteins in the brain that have been linked to Alzheimer's disease, but that good quality sleep is required to actually dispose of them, says Dr. Isaacson. "Sleep is absolutely essential for taking out the garbage and keeping your brain healthy over time," he says.
Poor sense of smell: How well a person can recognize familiar odors may soon be an important clue to predicting the development of dementia. A 2016 study published in Annals of Neurology found that volunteers who had more trouble identifying scents like menthol, clove, strawberry, and lemon seemed to be at an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
"When someone can't distinguish between different smells, it may absolutely be a signal that Alzheimer's disease is brewing," says Dr. Isaacson. (It can also be a sign of Parkinson's disease and other neurological problems, he adds.) Experts say a scratch-and-sniff test could be an inexpensive, noninvasive way to pinpoint people who might benefit from early treatment or prevention strategies.
Your eating pattern: When Dr. Isaacson's patients ask what they can do to reduce their risk of dementia, he recommends eating an early dinner—and then nothing until breakfast the next morning. "Fasting for a minimum of 12 hours, as well as eating fewer calories overall, may be a way to promote brain health as we age," he says.
Restricting your eating overnight can trigger the body to burn ketone bodies—a type of brain-healthy fat—rather than carbohydrates, he explains. "It helps you fuel the brain with something that's not only more efficient from an energy-burning standpoint, but that may have an anti-aging effect as well."
Concussions: For people with a family history of Alzheimer's, a blow to the head might accelerate the cognitive and brain changes associated with the disease. In a recent study in the journal Brain, young to middle-aged adults who'd had at least one concussion and had genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's had less gray matter in parts of the brain associated with dementia, compared to other study participants.
Those same participants also performed worse on a simple recall test, suggesting that these brain changes could have real consequences on memory functioning. Researchers hope they may be able to use these findings to identify people at risk for Alzheimer's disease at an earlier age.
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Loneliness: Research shows that older adults who report feeling socially isolated may be at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease. In a 2016 study from JAMA Psychiatry, senior citizens whose brain scans showed the development of amyloid protein clusters were 7.5 times more likely to be classified as lonely than those whose scans were negative.
Experts aren't sure which comes first—if dementia symptoms cause people to feel left out or withdraw from social activities, or if feeling lonely actually promotes the development of dementia—but they suspect the relationship may go both ways.
High blood pressure: You know that high blood pressure is bad for your body and your brain, so the results of a recent study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia may catch you off-guard: When hypertension develops in old age, it appears to actually reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. "As we get more frail, having a reserve of blood pressure may actually be protective," Dr. Isaacson explains.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about high blood pressure earlier in life, though. The research is clear that for young and middle-aged adults, untreated hypertension appears to increase the risk of developing dementia later in life. "Knowing your numbers when it comes to blood pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index—and talking with your doctor about how you can optimize those numbers—is still one of the most important things you can do," says Dr. Isaacson.
Until next time, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy.
James A Vito, D.M.D.