Traumatic Brain Injuries and Substance Abuse

Traumatic Brain Injuries and Substance Abuse
Medical practitioners commonly acknowledge that substance
abuse plays a part in many cases of traumatic brain injury.
A victim may have engaged in recreational drug use or
alcohol abuse before the injury, the brain injury event may
have been caused by intoxication, and problems with
substance abuse can arise in victims of traumatic brain
injury after they are discharged from medical facilities.
What role does substance abuse play in traumatic brain
injury? What can you do if a loved one suffering from
traumatic brain injury is also struggling with drug or
alcohol abuse?

Who Is At Risk For Traumatic Brain Injury?

Alcohol abuse plays a major role in traumatic brain injury,
with many incidents occurring in relation to automobile
crashes or heavy equipment used while under the influence.
The medical community recognizes that young males are the
most likely to suffer from alcohol-related TBI. These
incidents may be isolated, but many fall within a context
of broader substance abuse: for example, a longitudinal
study at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio has found
that nearly 60 percent of their patient sample had prior
histories of drug and alcohol abuse.

Those with prior histories of serious substance abuse can
have an even harder time while hospitalized than those with
no prior history. This is due to the fact that many
patients are both recovering from their brain injuries and
dealing with the frustrating physical and emotional effects
of detoxification. The presence of drug or alcohol abuse
can also complicate diagnoses, as many of the symptoms of
overdose (respiratory depression, lethargy, confusion,
apathy, and disorientation) are similar to those of
traumatic brain injury. Thus, TBI is sometimes overlooked,
leading to complications and ongoing symptoms related to
insufficient care.

After Discharge: Substance Abuse A Risk For TBI Patients

The struggles with substance abuse do not necessarily end
when a traumatic brain injury patient is released from the
hospital and discharged to his or her home and community.
In fact, they are sometimes just beginning: the difficulty
of adjusting to personality changes, emotional upheaval,
inability to work, memory and cognitive deficits and other
effects of TBI can cause extreme stress and lead a
brain-injured patient to indulge in drugs or alcohol to
numb the pain. The brain injury victim may be unable to
report his or her own substance abuse problem due to memory
problems or speech disorders related to his or her TBI;
similarly, they may already exhibit external symptoms some
would associate with intoxication and may feel that it
doesn't matter if they actually indulge in those substances
since their physical symptoms already make them seem as if
they do.

What Can Families Do About Substance Abuse and Traumatic
Brain Injury?

Families can play a large role in both recognizing and
intervening in substance abuse in a traumatic brain injury
survivor. Since families usually take on a caretaker role
after a brain injured victim is discharged from intensive
medical care, they are often the first to recognize that
their family member has a substance abuse problem. Families
can help inform health care providers of these issues,
encourage their loved one to seek rehabilitation, and
refuse to enable the addictive behaviors of a traumatic
brain injury victim with a substance abuse problem. They
can also provide a supportive atmosphere that is drug-free
and oriented towards rehabilitation and high function.
However, substance abuse can have an enormous negative
impact on family members who suffer emotionally as their
loved one slides into dangerous habits. It is essential
that families of traumatic brain injury survivors with
associated substance abuse issues seek out their own
support, either through a professional counselor or a local
Al-Anon group, in order to cope with the ravages of
substance abuse.

Some families may wish to hire an experienced brain injury
attorney to help them address not only medical care for
substance abuse treatment, but the myriad of other issues
related to traumatic brain injury. TBI is stressful on
families and individuals; a savvy brain injury lawyer can
help navigate the system, obtain necessary services, and
even seek financial compensation for expenses such as lost
wages, future medical care, medication and hospital costs,
and pain and suffering.

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From Healthy to Fatty in a Month: what to do to not gain weight over the Holidays

From Healthy to Fatty in a Month: what to do to not gain weight over the Holidays
It is common knowledge that many Americans overeat during
the Holiday season and gain 10 pounds on average between
Thanksgiving and Christmas. When the Holiday season comes,
all resolutions to eat healthy go out the window. We do not
care; we overeat and stuff ourselves because we have a good
excuse: it is the Holidays! We almost take it for granted
and accept it that we will gain weight over the Holidays.
Yet, we promise ourselves that we will be good starting
January 1st. The problem is that the majority of our good
New Year's resolutions of eating healthy or following a
diet do not last more than a few weeks, barely enough time
to perhaps lose a quarter of the weight gained over the
Holidays. So, every year, unfortunately, the American
population gets fatter and fatter.

Do you know what ten extra pounds of fat look like on your
body? It is the rough equivalent of 10 one-pound jars of
peanut butter covering your body in the most undesirable
areas. 10 jars: that's a lot! And, they may be difficult to
lose later or may never be lost.

This year can be different though. You need to understand
that you do not have to gain weight during the Holiday
season. This year, you can make a different choice. You can
decide not to fall in the Holiday trap and not gain any
weight at all. Here are a few ideas about how to not gain
weight over the Holidays.

If you go to a party and eat and drink a little too much,
make sure you hit the gym first thing the next morning and
be extra careful with what you eat that day. Drink a lot of
water and avoid carbohydrates, especially in the evening if
you can! For example, make sure you get a great workout on
Christmas Day.

Work out often during the Holidays, every day if possible,
or if you never work out, start working out in December
instead of January 1st when it is too late! If your
schedule gets so packed during the Holidays that you do not
have much time to work out; then, do your best to take long
walks in between meals with your family members and friends.

Schedule Holiday parties or dinners apart from each other
if possible. At a minimum, take a day off of overeating
every other day so that your body can recover and not gain
weight.

Use the time during Holiday gatherings with family and
friends to connect with the people you love instead of
connecting with food. We often overeat at parties because
we are bored or we don't know what to do so we eat and
drink to give ourselves something to do even if we are
stuffed and already fully satisfied. Instead, make an
effort to socialize and connect with the people around you.

During the Holidays, our hosts have spent so much time and
energy preparing delicious food for us that they always
want us to eat a lot and offer us a second helping. Of
course, they do it out of kindness because they want
everyone to enjoy the food they prepare and do not want any
leftovers. However, do not feel obligated to accept their
offer because you feel you would let your host down or make
her unhappy if you refused the extra food. Think about
yourself and about what this unnecessary food will do to
your waist line or your thighs. And if you are the host, do
not be pushy with second servings for your guests and
yourself too!

Remember the Holiday is a time of joy, connection, and love
and definitely not a time to be on a diet. So, appreciate
the delicious food served over the Holidays! Take your time
when you eat and enjoy each bite. But, be sure to only eat
one serving; you can always save the leftovers and eat more
of this delicious food later at another meal. Servings are
so huge in the U.S. that a second helping is really not
necessary. Not being able to resist and taking multiple
servings can lead to significant overeating and weight gain
during the Holiday season. Also, stay away from buffets if
you can. Or if you can't, again only have one plate for the
main course and one for the dessert.

Think twice about what you eat during the Holidays. Each
bite you take can end up as extra fat on your belly or
thighs. Remember that not only you want to look your best
on New Year's Ev but also for starting the New Year. You
definitely do not want 10 extra pounds to drag around!

During this Holiday season, do something different, give
yourself the gift of self-love and health by not overeating
so that when January 1st comes around, you do not have to
eat healthy and run to the gym because you gained so much
weight over the Holidays but only because you love yourself
and it is your desire to be healthy and fit! You deserve to
give yourself this gift! You are worth it. Happy Holidays!

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By Marylin Stompler, Author of Fat No More, Release the
Subconscious Blocks that Prevent your Weight Loss -
International Speaker and Life Coach, President and CEO,
Fat No More Corporation, http://www.fatnomore.com . To
receive your FREE eBook Fat No More Secrets, Ten Key
M.E.S.S. Blocks that Could Prevent your Weight Loss, visit
http://www.fatnomoresecrets.com .

The 7 most common mistakes made when exercising

The 7 most common mistakes made when exercising
As a North London Personal Trainer I spend around 1000
hours a year training my clients and have discovered that 7
reoccurring mistakes are made on a frequent basis. Just by
taking note and correcting these 7 issues will dramatically
improve your results and prevent injury.

1. Learn to breathe

Breathing correctly is vital when exercising. Deep breaths
provide more oxygen to the body and in turn provide you
with the ability to work harder; they also prevent you from
becoming dizzy or light headed. Breaths should be taken
deeply and from the pit of the stomach or diaphragm. Get
into a good habit of breathing out during the hardest part
of the exercise and in during the easiest. For example,
when performing a push up breathe in on the way down and
out on the way up. Never hold your breath, even when
stretching!

2. Take your time

This is one of the most common mistakes I see and the
harder the exercise becomes the more tempted you are to
rush through it. Muscles need time to work and be
stimulated, unless you are training for speed. A good test
is to ask yourself whether you would be able to pause at
any part during the exercise movement, if not then you are
moving too fast. Chances are no matter how slow you think
you are moving, you are probably moving too fast. A squat
should take around 5 seconds, 2 seconds down, pause for a
second and 2 seconds up.

3. Think technique

Concentrating on your technique and good form will ensure
that you target the correct muscles and don't develop bad
habits. Bad technique is a sure fire way to get injured, if
your technique starts to fail then stop the exercise. The
last thing you want to do is develop a motor pattern for an
incorrect movement. Start off with the correct movement and
concentrate on that movement the whole time, think about
what muscles are working and how it feels.

4. Tighten your core

If you want to develop 6 pack abs, a strong core and
prevent injury then you must switch on your core. By switch
on I mean brace your stomach as if you were about to take a
punch ' pull your navel in towards your spine and squeeze.
Performing this action not only protects your spine but
also gives your stomach muscles a thorough workout. If you
switch on your core during every exercise the chances are
you won't need to do many individual core exercises to
develop your stomach. The fact is that your core is working
hard during most exercises (providing you are not lazy and
using machines) and so the need for targeted stomach muscle
exercises should be at a minimum.

5. Reduce your rest periods

I don't believe in long cardio sessions, in fact research
has shown that they don't work anyway. If you want to get a
good cardio workout then reduce the rest periods between
your exercises. I see too many people at gyms idly standing
around talking or reading magazines. To get the most out of
your workouts reduce your resting times and increase the
intensity. I like to put 2 or 3 exercises back to back with
no rest periods to really get the heart rate up and lungs
working.

6. Warm up the correct movement patterns

Starting your exercise programme without a warm is just
asking for trouble. Not only do warm ups prepare your body
physically but also prepare you mentally. The warm up
should replicate the movements that you will be performing
in the actual workout. If you are going to be pressing
things over your head then make sure you push your arms up
and down overhead a few times first. If you are going to be
doing heavy squats then some body weight squats first will
prepare you for this.

7. Stretch only the tight muscles

Everybody is designed differently and we all have some
muscles that are tight and others that are more flexible.
It is pointless performing a stretching routine that
focuses on your most flexible areas; you should leave these
alone and work on you most inflexible muscles. In order to
neutralise your posture and improve your range of movement
you should only stretch the areas that really need it.

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Greg is a health and fitness professional based in
Hampstead, North London. He achieves fantastic results for
his clients by using his indepth knowledge and the most up
to date techniques.
http://www.gbpersonaltraining.com