Hello and welcome to
Health for a Lifetime.
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I'm Don Mackintosh, your host.
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Today we're joined
with Dr. Phillip Mills
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from Wichita, Kansas.
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Welcome, Doctor.
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I understand that
you are a physiatrist.
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What exactly does that mean?
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A physiatrist is
someone who is a specialist in
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physical medicine
and rehabilitation.
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We take care of such problems
as head injuries, which we'll be
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talking about today, strokes,
spinal cord problems, as well
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as muscular skeletal
problems, and pain problems.
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You take care of a lot of things
but probably the most important
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thing is our head.
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We entitled this one, Protecting
Your Most Valuable Asset,
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this segment.
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Why is the head so valuable?
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If you look at physiology,
everything in the body
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is designed around the head.
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For example; the
skull gives it protection.
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The legs give it mobility.
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The stomach gives it nutrition.
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Everything is designed to
give information or some help
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to the brain.
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My eyes give it information.
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My ears give it information.
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The mouth gives it communication
to the outside world.
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We're just walking brains.
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Well... you might say that and
the neurophysiologists certainly
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believe that.
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But if you look at
humans through the centuries
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you find that the society of
the time always use the highest
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technology to
illustrate the brain.
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For example; the Roman
era, the highest technology
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of the time was the aqueducts
and so they compared the brain
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to an aqueduct.
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The brain has aqueducts.
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We call them various names -
aqueduct of Sylvius - so that
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comparisons still
comes down to this day.
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In the early 1900's the highest
technology of the time was the
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telephone relay stations.
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So they compared
the brain to a very
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super telephone switchboard.
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Then if you have today
the highest technology appears
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to be the computer.
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Often times people
compare the brain to a computer
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I think a Mackintosh computer,
I mean my name is Mackintosh!
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That would be a good comparison.
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Actually, the brain
isn't a telephone switchboard
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but it does have some
switchboard functions.
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It's not a computer,
although it does have some
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computer functions.
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Most people have no idea but
just to move the arm like this
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requires not only the biceps,
for example, to bring my arm
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and flex my elbow, as I'm
doing here, but it also requires
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not only the biceps
tightening but also the triceps,
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the opposite muscle and some
other muscles to tighten as well
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so that you have this very
smooth function because the
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cerebellum and the
computer portion of the brain
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is figuring out where everything
is, how tight it needs to be,
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and the movements
that can be made in a
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fluid, coordinated fashion.
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It must be fascinating
to study about the brain
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and figure out what's going
on with someone as they come in
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when they're injured.
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It's probably not
always easy but...
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What are the types
of things that we do
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to damage the brain?
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How is it that
people are injured?
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The brain is quite well
protected but even with the
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protection that God gave it
with the skull it can be damaged
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in several ways.
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For example, in ancient times
people would fall from horses.
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Today with our high speed
society, with motorcycles,
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automobiles, all terrain
vehicles, all these give us
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many, many ways to injure
the brain as well as the warfare
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that he's done.
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That also exposes
the brain to great risks.
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Anything else in
every day experience that
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damages the brain?
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The thing that comes
to my mind is football.
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The sports that people engage
in... when I was growing up
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we played sports.
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I had no idea of the
danger that sports could have.
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Football is one, boxing
is another that can cause
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brain injury.
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The biggest activity
that threatens the brain
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that people do, of
course, is the use of alcohol.
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Any other injuries that you
see to the brain that you treat?
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You've talked about blunt
trauma injuries, anything else?
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Let me just divide up the
ways that the brain is injured.
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We have blunt trauma and
that is generally where the head
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hits something.
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Where in an automobile accident
and the head might hit the
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windshield at high speed.
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Or if you're on a motorcycle
and your head hits the concrete
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at high speed.
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That is called a blunt trauma.
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You not only have the injury
right there at the sight of the
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trauma, but interestingly
enough, since the brain is
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consistency of
Jell-O, the brain will jiggle.
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Let's say you hit your
head against the dash board,
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the brain, like this Jell-O,
smashes up against the skull
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and then it bounces
back and hits the other side
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of the skull.
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This is called a
coup contrecoup injury.
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The contrecoup injury can
also be quite substantial.
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So the rebound place?
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Yes, and then you have
the twisting types of motion,
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the torsion types of motion,
that can tear little blood
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vessels and so
there is bleeding inside.
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In fact we now understand that
the original injury is generally
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not the worst type
of injury to the brain.
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It's the injuries that
occur after the original injury
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because of swelling and
other types of problems.
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The second kind of injury
is the penetrating wound injury
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where you're shot in the head.
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We had a patient that had
been in a jail and apparently
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he had made some
fellow- inmates very angry
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They took an awl and they
hammered it through his brain
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and then moved
it back and forth.
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We call that pithing -
pithing the brain like in some
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experiments in biology.
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They pith the frog
in the spinal cord.
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How did that man do?
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That doesn't sound like
something you'd want done.
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That is not something you would
like to have happen to you.
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He didn't survive.
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Sometimes they do
survive those types of injuries.
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If they can survive in a
penetrating wound injury,
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if they can survive the original
injury, often times those types
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of injuries may be less damaging
because they are very specific
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areas that they damage,
gunshot wound for example,
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maybe less than a
more global kind of injury.
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The worst kind of head injuries
that you can get are those
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that involve loss of
oxygen because they encompass
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the entire brain, every cell.
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So that can be a real problem
with carbon monoxide poisoning
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those sorts of
insults to the brain.
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What's the first thing
that needs to be done if you've
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had a severe head injury?
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What should happen first?
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Immediately, of course,
you need medical attention.
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The types of things that
the brain does for the body
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easily, automatically, you don't
think about, breathing, and the
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heart rate, all these
types of automatic activities
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may be lost.
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The person needs to be
immediately in a hospital
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that is skilled in
taking care of people with acute
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brain injuries.
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You think about this,
what God built into our brains
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takes many, many
skilled professionals to do
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for the person.
00:10:05.94\00:10:07.72
He may not be able to breath
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so that you have to have
artificial support systems,
00:10:09.25\00:10:12.60
he's not able to empty
his bladder and so that has to
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be dealt with.
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So you have this whole team
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that is working to save his
life and this our little brain
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that God made is working
all automatically doing those
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functions for us and we
don't even think about it.
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So when the brain gets hit
you talked about that coup and
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contrecoup, what happens?
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Does it swell up inside?
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What goes on?
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The first problem that has to be
dealt with by the neurosurgeon
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and the acute trauma
team is that swelling.
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Because the brain is solid,
there's no give to it, this
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swelling has no place to
go except there's a large hole
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at the very bottom of the brain
and it's called, interestingly
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enough, large
hole: foramen - hole,
00:11:05.76\00:11:08.15
magnum - large.
00:11:08.18\00:11:09.85
The problem is it begins to
squish the brain tissue down
00:11:09.89\00:11:16.18
through that hole.
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Now at the very bottom of
your brain that is your life
00:11:17.19\00:11:21.71
support system, that's
your breathing, that's your
00:11:21.74\00:11:26.23
blood pressure, some of the
mechanisms, there's just a lot
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of mechanisms there on
these vegetative levels.
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Because of that you're at
risk of dying if something
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immediately isn't done.
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This has to be monitored.
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Surgery may need to be done.
00:11:49.87\00:11:51.70
They actually relieve
the pressure if possible.
00:11:51.74\00:11:54.75
They give various medications
to relieve the pressure.
00:11:54.79\00:11:57.19
That's all on an emergent basis.
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I would like to say something
about these vegetative functions
00:11:59.52\00:12:03.83
here at the very
base of the brain.
00:12:03.87\00:12:05.67
It's fortunate that's where
those vegetative functions are
00:12:05.71\00:12:09.61
because they get the first
supply of oxygen, the first
00:12:09.64\00:12:13.46
supply of blood as it
comes out of the heart there at
00:12:13.50\00:12:17.28
the base of the brain.
00:12:17.32\00:12:18.35
This area of the brain, the
forebrain, gets the very last
00:12:18.39\00:12:24.47
part of this blood as
it goes through the head.
00:12:24.50\00:12:27.83
If these vegetative functions
were here in the forebrain
00:12:27.86\00:12:32.98
then if a person smoked, or used
alcohol at all, it would kill
00:12:33.01\00:12:41.97
them immediately.
00:12:42.00\00:12:43.41
But they still get enough oxygen
and supplies because they're
00:12:43.45\00:12:47.55
located here at the base
and a person can still function.
00:12:47.58\00:12:51.70
So God created it in a
way that protects us if we did
00:12:51.74\00:12:55.82
happen to get injured.
00:12:55.86\00:12:57.48
Yes.
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When a person then that brain
is swollen I'm sure it takes
00:12:58.73\00:13:05.80
quite a bit of time for
that swelling to go down.
00:13:05.84\00:13:08.22
How long does it
take for it to go down?
00:13:08.26\00:13:09.59
Well, it depends, it may take
even several weeks or it may,
00:13:09.63\00:13:14.00
depending on how severe it
is, it may go down more rapidly.
00:13:14.03\00:13:18.80
But really, at that point,
as a person becomes stabilized,
00:13:18.84\00:13:23.58
then a whole
different type of treatment
00:13:23.61\00:13:26.64
needs to be instituted.
00:13:26.68\00:13:28.26
And that's really
my area of specialty.
00:13:28.29\00:13:30.23
This is fascinating.
00:13:30.27\00:13:32.59
When we come back
we want to talk more
00:13:32.63\00:13:34.79
about this area of specialty.
00:13:34.83\00:13:36.45
If your watching or just
joining us, we're talking about
00:13:36.49\00:13:39.61
head injuries.
00:13:39.65\00:13:40.62
We're talking about what happens
when someone has a head injury,
00:13:40.63\00:13:42.77
what needs to be done, how
to relate to those who have had
00:13:42.81\00:13:45.45
head injuries.
00:13:45.49\00:13:47.25
When we come back we
hope that you join us.
00:13:47.29\00:13:49.42
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Welcome back.
00:15:14.31\00:15:15.96
We've been talking
with Dr. Phillip Mills from
00:15:16.00\00:15:19.14
Wichita, Kansas.
00:15:19.17\00:15:20.59
He is a specialist in rehab
medicine or physical medicine,
00:15:20.62\00:15:24.62
dealing with those
that have had strokes
00:15:24.65\00:15:26.77
and brain injuries of any kind.
00:15:26.80\00:15:29.91
Today we're talking
about head injuries.
00:15:29.94\00:15:32.08
Is there any hope for those
that have had head injuries?
00:15:32.11\00:15:36.31
What happens when they start
to recover from a head injury?
00:15:36.34\00:15:39.08
The head injury has a
certain way of healing.
00:15:39.11\00:15:43.72
At least
typically a way of healing.
00:15:43.75\00:15:46.53
After you've stabilized them
in the intensive care and they
00:15:46.56\00:15:49.90
are able to breath
again and are able to have
00:15:49.93\00:15:53.96
automatic functions
return, then you transfer them
00:15:53.99\00:16:00.37
at an appropriate time
to a rehabilitation center.
00:16:00.40\00:16:04.16
We give them
intensive rehabilitation.
00:16:04.19\00:16:07.11
Now there are certain steps in
the recovery that we look for.
00:16:07.14\00:16:11.00
The first step is
the agitation phase.
00:16:11.03\00:16:15.20
The person begins to thrash
around and they are rolling
00:16:15.23\00:16:18.47
and moving their arms.
00:16:18.50\00:16:20.23
We look very closely at this
stage because a person can't
00:16:20.26\00:16:24.18
maybe talk to us but we see that
every aspect of their body is
00:16:24.21\00:16:29.49
moving.
00:16:29.52\00:16:30.49
Their arms are moving.
00:16:30.50\00:16:31.47
Each leg is moving
and that's a good sign.
00:16:31.48\00:16:33.99
If you get the agitation
phase the earlier you get it
00:16:34.02\00:16:37.45
the better it is.
00:16:37.48\00:16:39.25
Sometimes we'll watch and
they'll be agitated but they'll
00:16:39.28\00:16:42.25
only move one side.
00:16:42.28\00:16:43.82
Bad sign?
00:16:43.85\00:16:44.89
Well, it's not a bad sign,
but it means that they may have
00:16:44.92\00:16:47.69
a problem on one
side, a hemi paresis.
00:16:47.72\00:16:51.53
We may find that they move
their arms but not their legs
00:16:51.56\00:16:55.48
and then we have to look and
see if they've also sustained
00:16:55.51\00:16:57.64
a spinal cord injury.
00:16:57.67\00:16:58.71
So we look at that.
00:16:58.75\00:16:59.72
But if they're
moving all extremities
00:16:59.75\00:17:02.43
we're relatively happy.
00:17:02.47\00:17:04.35
Now they may not at this
point have any memory of what's
00:17:04.38\00:17:09.49
going on, usually would
not, but early recovery is
00:17:09.53\00:17:13.67
beginning to occur.
00:17:13.70\00:17:14.93
Then as we have further healing,
the swelling is decreasing, and
00:17:14.96\00:17:22.28
brain function is beginning
to be restored, they may have
00:17:22.32\00:17:26.47
windows of memory.
00:17:26.51\00:17:28.41
Let's go back to that
thrashing thing for a minute.
00:17:28.45\00:17:30.61
What do you do?
00:17:30.65\00:17:31.62
I suppose if I had a family
member and someone was going
00:17:31.63\00:17:34.31
through that right now in
my family, I would be very
00:17:34.35\00:17:37.06
worried if they
were thrashing around.
00:17:37.09\00:17:38.92
What do you do, tie them up?
00:17:38.95\00:17:40.65
Do you talk to the family?
00:17:40.68\00:17:42.34
What happens there?
00:17:42.38\00:17:43.44
We used to tie them up but
today we have many better ways
00:17:43.48\00:17:50.82
to treat them.
00:17:50.86\00:17:51.83
Sometimes we used to give
them medications to sedate them.
00:17:51.84\00:17:56.36
But we've found better ways.
00:17:56.40\00:17:58.23
In a good rehab center what
you do is place them in a safe
00:17:58.27\00:18:02.30
place so they can move
around and not be injured.
00:18:02.33\00:18:05.21
There are special beds.
00:18:05.24\00:18:06.21
In fact before we had some of
the beds we have now, we would
00:18:06.22\00:18:11.19
simply put a big mattress
that would cover the entire room
00:18:11.22\00:18:16.33
floor and then they could
move around and it was safe.
00:18:16.37\00:18:20.09
They would not be harming
themselves or someone else.
00:18:20.13\00:18:23.82
So you want them
to be able to move.
00:18:23.86\00:18:27.11
They don't know exactly what's
going on, they're confused,
00:18:27.15\00:18:31.66
they're not sure what the lights
mean, who these people are
00:18:31.69\00:18:36.17
around them, and so we can
understand their confusion.
00:18:36.20\00:18:39.01
But then they will
have windows of recognition.
00:18:39.05\00:18:42.89
It's very important for family
members to understand some
00:18:42.93\00:18:46.50
of the stages of head injury.
00:18:46.53\00:18:47.96
So you talk with them and
you explain it all to them?
00:18:48.00\00:18:50.52
Well, let me give you a sample.
00:18:50.55\00:18:53.12
The wife may be present and you
ask the patient what his name is
00:18:53.15\00:18:59.24
and the patient
will give you their name.
00:18:59.27\00:19:02.19
And then you'll say,
"Who is that, is their anybody
00:19:02.22\00:19:04.43
next to you?"
00:19:04.46\00:19:05.66
They will look and they will
see maybe there is somebody.
00:19:05.69\00:19:09.25
Then you say, "Who is that?"
00:19:09.29\00:19:10.66
They may be alert
enough to know they should know
00:19:10.69\00:19:13.90
but they're not
certain who it is or
00:19:13.93\00:19:16.85
they can't get the name out.
00:19:16.88\00:19:18.23
And they may have a
problem we call perseveration.
00:19:18.27\00:19:21.43
That is once a thought has
gone through their brain it just
00:19:21.46\00:19:24.72
keeps going over
and over in their brain.
00:19:24.76\00:19:27.81
They just said their
name so they say their name
00:19:27.84\00:19:31.34
for their wife's name.
00:19:31.37\00:19:32.67
That just keeps coming
out for two or three times.
00:19:32.71\00:19:35.95
Often times a wife or mother
can't understand why the husband
00:19:35.99\00:19:43.66
is not able to say who she is.
00:19:43.69\00:19:45.81
And she may think he is just
joking, he may not realize this
00:19:45.84\00:19:51.55
is an important question, or
they may be just quite offended.
00:19:51.58\00:19:57.25
It's very important for the
family members to understand
00:19:57.28\00:20:01.13
these are just part
of the healing process.
00:20:01.16\00:20:04.10
The patient isn't trying not to
say the name but at that point
00:20:04.13\00:20:08.19
may not be capable of it.
00:20:08.22\00:20:09.91
With the rehabilitation program
you begin to show them pictures
00:20:09.95\00:20:14.66
of the family members and
try to bring the memory of past
00:20:14.69\00:20:18.60
events, important people,
and important dates back into
00:20:18.63\00:20:22.50
their focus.
00:20:22.53\00:20:23.71
Try to repeat today's date
until finally they know where
00:20:23.75\00:20:28.20
they are, who they
are, and what the date is.
00:20:28.23\00:20:32.05
There is various techniques
that we gently try to move the
00:20:32.09\00:20:37.60
patient through these various
stages of brain recovery.
00:20:37.63\00:20:40.68
Can you do too much for
someone who's coming out
00:20:40.72\00:20:43.99
of a head injury?
00:20:44.02\00:20:44.99
Yes.
00:20:45.00\00:20:45.97
Once again the family members
need to work closely with the
00:20:45.98\00:20:49.67
team and the team will let
the family members know what
00:20:49.70\00:20:53.30
should or should not be
done to assist the patient.
00:20:53.34\00:20:56.60
I noticed when you gave
the example you said that the
00:20:56.63\00:20:59.64
wife is there and the
husband had the head injury.
00:20:59.68\00:21:03.20
Who has the most head
injuries, males or females?
00:21:03.23\00:21:06.68
It's a sexist type disease,
actually virtually 90% of males
00:21:06.72\00:21:14.43
will have a head injury
some time in their life.
00:21:14.47\00:21:16.87
It may be a minor injury
but any time a person looses
00:21:16.90\00:21:20.39
consciousness
they've had a head injury.
00:21:20.43\00:21:23.20
I don't know if you've had
a head injury, have you ever
00:21:23.23\00:21:25.96
lost consciousness?
00:21:26.00\00:21:26.97
I don't know if I want to
admit to that! - laughter -
00:21:26.98\00:21:29.79
Do you mean just
loosing consciousness,
00:21:29.83\00:21:32.29
being knocked out?
00:21:32.33\00:21:33.63
Being knocked out is
having a head injury?
00:21:33.66\00:21:35.06
Yes.
00:21:35.10\00:21:36.07
Well, I believe
I've had one then.
00:21:36.08\00:21:38.64
You would be with the
vast majority of males.
00:21:38.67\00:21:42.04
Have you had one?
00:21:42.08\00:21:43.79
Yes, I've had actually
quite a severe head injury.
00:21:43.83\00:21:47.07
I was amnesic for three hours
and that was the result of a
00:21:47.10\00:21:51.67
bicycle accident.
00:21:51.70\00:21:53.42
That was when I
was about 10 years old.
00:21:53.46\00:21:54.98
But if you ask this
question to a group of females
00:21:55.01\00:21:59.17
there will just be a few
that have had head injuries.
00:21:59.20\00:22:05.10
It is not because males have
softer skulls, it is because
00:22:05.13\00:22:11.00
they take greater risks.
00:22:11.03\00:22:12.44
What other behaviors are fairly
typical of someone that's had
00:22:12.48\00:22:16.51
a head injury?
00:22:16.55\00:22:17.80
I guess a part of that question
is are there some things we
00:22:17.83\00:22:23.04
should give people that
have had a head injury a break?
00:22:23.07\00:22:25.42
In other words,
they act a certain way
00:22:25.46\00:22:27.06
because this happened?
00:22:27.10\00:22:28.07
I'm not talking about
just getting knocked out once
00:22:28.08\00:22:30.27
or having a bicycle
injury, I'm talking about
00:22:30.30\00:22:32.06
significant head injury.
00:22:32.09\00:22:33.62
I think you ought to
give me a break, if I have
00:22:33.66\00:22:35.44
problems remembering, it's
not my fault, it's just this
00:22:35.48\00:22:38.02
head injury! - laughter -
00:22:38.06\00:22:39.86
That's what I mean.
00:22:39.89\00:22:40.86
I'm trying to get to that point.
00:22:40.87\00:22:41.84
You know some people
would blame everything on this
00:22:41.85\00:22:43.40
but what really is the problem?
00:22:43.44\00:22:46.78
Can we hold them
accountable for certain things
00:22:46.82\00:22:51.01
with a head injury?
00:22:51.05\00:22:52.84
We have to see the
flow of the improvement.
00:22:52.88\00:22:57.60
They go through these various
stages and now you're asking
00:22:57.64\00:23:00.87
long term.
00:23:00.90\00:23:02.56
Most people with head injuries
have very little sequela.
00:23:02.60\00:23:07.72
I used to hate
to take care of...
00:23:07.76\00:23:09.37
What's sequela?
00:23:09.41\00:23:10.89
Sequela - long term,
real substantial deficits.
00:23:10.92\00:23:15.46
It's a very small percentage
of head injuries that have
00:23:15.49\00:23:20.10
large deficits.
00:23:20.14\00:23:24.04
I used to be very depressed
taking care of head injured
00:23:24.08\00:23:27.59
patients until I had a
chance to see these patients
00:23:27.62\00:23:30.70
one, two, three, four
years out and see how well
00:23:30.74\00:23:34.39
they did returning to
their occupations many times.
00:23:34.43\00:23:39.08
Now some of these
patients are the most rewarding
00:23:39.11\00:23:43.73
patients that you have.
00:23:43.77\00:23:45.10
But typically, the long
term effects of a head injury
00:23:45.13\00:23:51.92
are a magnification of
the underlying personality.
00:23:51.95\00:23:58.70
If they were quiet,
they would be more quiet.
00:23:58.74\00:24:01.25
If they were boisterous,
maybe they're more boisterous.
00:24:01.29\00:24:05.64
It tends to magnify the problem.
00:24:05.68\00:24:09.25
But one area that is very,
very common, they tend to be
00:24:09.29\00:24:14.36
irritable.
00:24:14.40\00:24:16.04
We can understand this.
00:24:16.08\00:24:18.61
It's easy to explain.
00:24:18.65\00:24:21.11
If I'm over-tired, if I am
trying to do too many things,
00:24:21.15\00:24:26.92
it's not difficult
for me to be irritable.
00:24:26.95\00:24:31.03
I have to fight irritability.
00:24:31.07\00:24:32.14
Well, that's not because
of the mild injury that I had.
00:24:32.17\00:24:36.28
That's just the
way human nature is.
00:24:36.32\00:24:38.83
But in a head injury, if
it takes everything they can
00:24:38.86\00:24:45.04
just to do their day-to-day
tasks, now you have loud sounds
00:24:45.07\00:24:51.27
and many other things, it is
as if they're handling a little
00:24:51.30\00:24:56.76
extra stress like we would
handle a great deal of stress.
00:24:56.79\00:25:01.08
We have to understand there's
a certain measure of patience
00:25:01.11\00:25:04.34
that we should
give a person like this.
00:25:04.37\00:25:07.50
This is fascinating!
00:25:07.53\00:25:10.85
Is there any other behaviors
that we would look for in
00:25:10.88\00:25:13.77
someone that has
had a head injury?
00:25:13.80\00:25:15.74
There is
something very interesting.
00:25:15.77\00:25:17.28
If you watch a patient,
particularly the males, as they
00:25:17.31\00:25:21.92
begin to become aware of their
surroundings, very low level of
00:25:21.95\00:25:26.57
function, they may be
quite sexually inappropriate.
00:25:26.60\00:25:29.43
What that has taught me, it
doesn't take much brain function
00:25:29.46\00:25:33.10
to be sexually inappropriate.
00:25:33.13\00:25:36.11
So it's a low brain function?
00:25:36.14\00:25:37.76
Yes.
00:25:37.79\00:25:39.42
The highest activity of
the brain is not at that level.
00:25:39.45\00:25:44.19
As they get more brain function
that area begins to diminish.
00:25:44.22\00:25:51.98
Hopefully they get
over that fairly soon.
00:25:52.01\00:25:55.13
Well, let's move from the
low brain function and talk more
00:25:55.16\00:25:57.80
about high brain function.
00:25:57.83\00:25:58.80
How can we avoid
having a head injury?
00:25:58.81\00:26:01.55
What types of things do
you see, what kind of things
00:26:01.58\00:26:03.84
should we avoid?
00:26:03.88\00:26:05.14
Well, our lifestyle,
particularly recreationally
00:26:05.18\00:26:08.88
is a problem - motorcycles,
boxing, and football - these
00:26:08.92\00:26:14.39
are dangerous.
00:26:14.43\00:26:15.40
Bicycles are particularly
dangerous for young people,
00:26:15.41\00:26:19.13
children I'm talking about.
00:26:19.17\00:26:21.48
A person should not do any
of these activities without
00:26:21.51\00:26:25.37
wearing helmets.
00:26:25.40\00:26:26.93
If I would have had a
helmet on when I was riding my
00:26:26.96\00:26:29.93
bicycle I would not
have sustained a head injury.
00:26:29.97\00:26:33.81
So I am very much in
favor of helmets and helmet laws
00:26:33.84\00:26:37.65
for motorcycles.
00:26:37.69\00:26:39.03
Anything other
underlying those or behaviors?
00:26:39.06\00:26:42.79
Yes, the single most important
risk in head injury is alcohol.
00:26:42.82\00:26:49.60
Sometimes I'll be talking to
a patient and I'll ask them how
00:26:49.63\00:26:53.31
much they drink.
00:26:53.34\00:26:54.31
And they will say,
"Well, I drink socially. "
00:26:54.32\00:26:56.62
There is no such
thing as social drinking.
00:26:56.66\00:26:59.26
Drinking is an
anti-social behavior.
00:26:59.30\00:27:02.90
If you want to avoid head
injury don't drink and drive.
00:27:02.93\00:27:09.42
Some of the more recent studies
have shown that you shouldn't
00:27:09.46\00:27:12.39
drink and ride a boat.
00:27:12.42\00:27:14.51
There are other studies that
show that you shouldn't drink
00:27:14.54\00:27:18.04
and walk.
00:27:18.07\00:27:19.04
In other words,
don't drink and drink.
00:27:19.05\00:27:21.40
What's the percentage
of head injuries that are
00:27:21.43\00:27:25.17
related to alcohol?
00:27:25.21\00:27:26.26
80 percent of the injuries to
the head are caused by alcohol.
00:27:26.30\00:27:31.84
80 percent, so that's
a very significant that
00:27:31.87\00:27:34.85
underlies
everything it looks like.
00:27:34.88\00:27:36.71
Thank you so much for joining
us, Dr. Mills, for taking time
00:27:36.74\00:27:39.82
out of your very busy practice
and away from your family.
00:27:39.86\00:27:42.90
We're thankful that
you've joined us today on
00:27:42.94\00:27:45.11
Health for a Lifetime.
00:27:45.15\00:27:46.12
We hope that as a result
of today's program you'll be
00:27:46.13\00:27:50.13
involved in behaviors
that protect your most
00:27:50.17\00:27:52.98
valuable asset.
00:27:53.01\00:27:54.34
And thanks again for joining
us for Health for a Lifetime.
00:27:54.37\00:27:59.65