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Even when a traumatic brain injury (or TBI) is handled in the most ideal approaches, such as immediate care in a neurosurgical emergency ward, there are often a set of subsequent conditions and complications that can remain with a patient throughout the remainder of their life. Some of the problems can come directly from the injury itself, but can also be more directly related to issues that developed immediately after the injury too. For instance, pooling of blood and intracranial pressures can lead to the death of brain tissue that brings about a bevy of disorders afterward.

The most common complications are related to behavioral, emotional, and cognitive issues. While the most severe will include the patient remaining in what is known as a “persistent vegetative state” or a minimally conscious one, there are lesser but still serious issues like:

• Tremors;
• Ataxia;
• Post-traumatic seizures and Epilepsy;
• Development of Parkinson’s Disease;
• Impairment of the senses including loss of sight, hearing, or smell;
• Changes in hormonal balance that can lead to problems with the pituitary gland;
• Development of Diabetes;
• Memory loss;
• Damage to cognitive skills such as processing speed, distractibility, problems with multi-tasking and problem-solving;
• Inability to process speech; and
• A large assortment of emotional and behavioral changes of a dramatic kind.

The last on the list tends to be one of the most prevalent issues, and can often lead to a TBI patient being diagnosed with secondary conditions such as depression, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), substance abuse issues, and more. These problems, it is believed, are due to damages sustained in specific regions of the patient’s brain. For instance, a patient who has received temporal lobe damage is one prone to development of aggression disorders in the post-recovery period. On the other hand, it is the frontal lobe region that tends to create problems with childlike behavioral issues or a tendency for “dis-inhibition” to develop in the patient.

Subsequently, there is now a great deal of overall support available to the patient and any family or caregivers who are working to recover from the injury. Not only will someone who has sustained any sort of TBI require rehabilitative care, but the damages may have created radical shifts within their families too. A parent may now need more care and understanding than was ever anticipated, especially if they have developed subsequent cognitive or personality issues. This is the reason that entire families are on the receiving end of as much support and assistance as possible after someone sustains TBI.

If you are exercising or if you work in a hot environment, heat injuries can be over looked easily which is an extreme health risk to the person involved.

There are many ways to categorize heat injuries but we will discuss them in 3 major heat induced classes:

Heat cramps are crippling contractions of muscles, usually following exercise.

These usually happen to people who are not acclimatized to the specific environment. There is no research to say what causes them specifically but some have shown a depletion of electrolytes is responsible. Thankfully these craps usually subside once the person is completely acclimatized to the environment.

Heat exhaustion is a more serious injury which results from dehydration and a lack of electrolytes.

The person affected might feel dizzy, light-headed, fatigued, or develop a headache. If heat exhaustion is in fact suspected, the person should be moved to a cool place and allowed to sip fluids to replace those that have been lost.

Heat stroke is a serious injury that is life threatening. This occurs when the person body is unable to regulate their core temperature. If their core temperature is greater than 104f, it can cause irreversible injuries to vital organs and possible cause death if not treated immediately. Even people who are well hydrated can be affected by heat stroke. Headaches, vomiting, loss of consciousness, confusion, and light-headedness are a few symptoms to watch out for.

There are many drugs and influential drinks which can promote dehydration and should be avoided in hot environments.

If you suspect someone is suffering from a heat related injury, it is important to get help immediately.

Antioxidants are usually referred to a group of chemicals that are naturally found in vegetables, plants and fruits. They can also be synthesized in our body. Antioxidants are essential for the prevention of the human diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

They also have anti-aging effect and they fight against the free radicals that are associated with aging related diseases. This disease includes Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Anti-oxidant suppresses the formation of free radicals thereby protecting the body from various diseases. Antioxidants are responsible for the proper functioning of the immune system.

The immune cells produce certain free radicals for normal defense function, if the number of free radicals increases beyond the fixed level it affects the immune system to a greater extent. When these conditions prevail antioxidants fight against the free radicals and promote the immunity. They also play a main role in cellular metabolism, gene activation, signal transduction and transcription.

Antioxidants also control the cholesterol level and remove the bad cholesterol content from the human body. Some of the examples of dietary antioxidants are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, chlorophyll, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Some of the chemicals along with the antioxidant activity produced in a human body are uric acid, amino acids and high density lipo proteins.

The rich sources of natural antioxidants are fruits, vegetables, tea, nuts, herbs and whole grain cereals. Some of the fruits that have high antioxidants are apple, blackberry, blueberry and grapes. Some of the vegetables that have powerful antioxidants in excess are carrot, tomato, potato, garlic and beans. Green tea, black tea, ginger and herbal tea are the other important sources of antioxidants.