Anxiety about driving is a new symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among combat veterans, according to a recent story in The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/us/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-may-cause-erratic-driving.html?_r=1&ref=veteransaffairsdepartment Unfortunately, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan conjure up memories of their tours when…
New Jersey Prepares For First Season Of Skiing, Snowboarding Helmet Law
New Jersey retailers in ski areas are busy stocking up on helmets, all because of a new state law. http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/index.ssf/2011/12/new_jersey_ski_helmet_law_take.html The Garden State this spring, in April, became the first state to pass legislation that requires juvenile skiers and snowboarders to…
Being A Fat Alcoholic Puts You At Extra Risk For Brain Injury
Being overweight may lead to some brain injury in alcoholics, acording to a study released Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times wrote that “the trifecta of alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking and a high body may be linked with alcohol-related brain injuries.” http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-brain-20100907,0,7994320.story…
Columbia University Stops Brain Research Over Tainted Injections
It’s a pretty shocking situation. Respected Columbia University shut down research at its brain-imaging center after federal investigators discovered that the nationally renowned facility had given patients drugs with dangerous impurities. The New York Times did a Page One story Saturday on the Food…
New NFL Concussion Doctors Sacked By Congressional Committee
By all the press accounts, it looks like the new co-chairmen of the NFL’s committee on head injuries fumbled their first appearance at a Congressional hearing on football and concussions Monday. One would have thought that Dr. Richard Ellenbogen and…
New NFL Rules to Prevent Concussion
During their meeting in Orlando this week, and following much embarrassing publicity last year, National Football League officials made some key changes in their safety rules. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/25/sports/AP-FBN-NFL-Meetings.html?_r=1 Some of the rules passed Wednesday are aimed at protecting “defenseless” players, as…
Missouri May Pass Student Concussion Law
Missouri is the latest state to be weighing legislation that would keep young athletes off the field if they appear to have sustained a concussion. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/healthfitness/story/EB4F233FBE11B772862576E9006F382D?OpenDocument The proposed law mandates that athletes can only return to play after they are…
Insightful Profile On Brain Collector Chris Nowinski
Business Week/Bloomberg has done a fascinating story on a man with a quest: Chris Nowinski, a researcher who is creating what he calls the first U.S. brain bank dedicated to the study of head trauma. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-10/nfl-brain-collector-shows-violence-in-slices-of-gray-matter.html Nowinski, co-founder of the…
N.J. Introduces New Regulations To Protect All Student Athletes From Concussions
The New Jersey entity that regulates high school athletics in state Monday introduced a set of rules that mandate that athletes who sustain head injuries must undergo a series of tests before being able to return to the field to…
Report on New Jersey Hands Free Law – Two Years Post
New Jersey’s ban on motorists using hand-held cellphones is almost two years old, and so far there have been 3,610 crashed that involving cell phones, which led to 1,548 injuries and 13 deaths. http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/nj-ignores-law-banning-cell-phone-use-while-driving During the same time span since…