Drain Bamage

Hello out there!  I considered not writing today because I have a migraine headache specially designed for me by Satan.  However, two things changed my mind.  First, I have made a solemn vow to write and keep up this blog on a daily basis until my attention wanders or I am in any danger of improving my writing skills.  Second, I read a news article that just begged to be discussed.  So, I put my big girl panties on as well as my anti-glare glasses and I sat down to stare wide eyed at the brightest computer screen ever invented.  Fortunately, after taking a migraine pill and two nausea pills I am still capable of seeing tiny black dots floating around and big flashes of white light when I blink so I know that I haven't died.  That's always welcome news. I am also totally unable to retain inside my head what I have just written down, so today's post may wander off anywhere.  You will never get back the time you spend reading this, I just thought it was fair to tell you.

Today I have had the good fortune to run across an NBC News Health report. This report is titled Head injuries clearly linked to brain damage. I am frankly stunned. Just imagine, if you run headfirst into a brick wall, they will now be able to clearly link the resulting brain damage to you having just dashed your head against a brick wall. I'm not even kidding. The article states “knocks on the head have long been suspected of causing long-term brain damage in professional sports.” This report goes on to tell us “It was only common wisdom and rumor until a few years ago... research shows that the repeated concussions can cause permanent brain damage”. Well, now it is no longer a rumor. It isn't an old wives tale, it is a scientifically proven fact. There are probably charts involved. Unfortunately, there is bad news for those of us who want to keep our brains undamaged. Brain expert Dr. Bert Vargas of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona says “I don't think anyone has truly been able to work out the exact process through which that (damage) happens”. Well that's just peachy. Now I don't know what to do. The above quote was by a educated man; a doctor who works at the Mayo Clinic and neither he or his colleagues can conclusively figure out the link between bashing one's head into something solid and brain damage. They don't understand the process. Well, that is just fantastic, because now this article has given me a direct warning about my brain. They have warned me against head injuries and concussions, but no one knows why. That seems to be the extent of their knowledge on the subject. Well, Doctor Man, I am just a average citizen. I did not go to medical school. Do you know what I did with my college time? I got an English degree, and probably only because they felt sorry for me. So with no medical knowledge of my own, I am left with the burden of this information and I have no idea what to do with it. I don't know if I should, maybe help them out a little bit, you know, see what kind of research I can come up with. Maybe these scientists simply gave us this information so they won't be held responsible for anything in the future. Remember how mom used to say “Fine, go swimming before 30 minutes is up. Fine, eat and swim. But when you get a stomach cramp, don't come running to me, I don't want to hear it!” Now, mom had no idea why you would get a stomach cramp if you only waited 24 minutes, but she warned you. Perhaps that is what the scientists are doing. They are warning us: don't injure your head, and by all means avoid concussions. If we don't pay attention to these findings and we fail to take the advice of these wise mother-scientists, we will get brain damage. They don't know how or why, but they told us. The rest is up to us, they've done all they can do.