Just about everybody has bumped their head at least once in their life. A number of these bumps on the head, especially those resulting from more obvious head injury, are more serious than most of us imagine. What is a concussion? When should head trauma receive more attention? Given the recent reports about long term effects of head injuries in athletes, and the risks of head traumas for sports and accidents, let's learn a little bit more. After all, each of us has a head. Today's guest neuro psychiatrist, Dr. Jon Lieff, has been treating head injuries for decades, he even founded several programs for treating patients with head injuries. And interestingly, he's also the author of a book called, The Secret Language of Cells, a fascinating and very accessible description of how the cells in our body talk to each other in health and in illness.

Key Takeaways:

• Here is no exact definition of a concussion - we do not have the imaging devices accurate enough to see the tiny breaks in neurons and axons and it is based on the symptoms as a judgment call by the doctor.
• Studying brain injury is still individual and still difficult.
• Some people are more resilient to head injuries over others. For example, young women and girls are particularly vulnerable for head injuries.

"Younger kids should avoid hitting their head. They’re more sensitive to it. They’re not going to notice it as much, and there is very good information that multiple hits are far worse than one or the occasional." — Dr. Jon Lieff

Connect with Dr. Jon Lieff:

Professional Bio: https://jonlieffmd.com/about

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonlieffmd

Website: https://jonlieffmd.com/

Book: https://jonlieffmd.com/book/the-secret-language-of-cells

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlieffmd/

Additional Resources: https://jonlieffmd.com/resources

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Twitter: @CritiSpeak

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

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