Tag Archives: Brain

General Safety Issues

WHY WE LOSE OUR TEMPER!

First, let me thank Carol Fredrickson, CEO and Founder of Violence Free.  She and her partner are workplace violence experts who conduct seminars, workshops, and more, on Managing Angry Clients, Customers, Employees, and Patients.  People have benefitted since 1993 from her powerful messages.  Carol extended permission to me to pass on some valuable information on the understanding of anger and the part our brains play under stress.  With increasing workplace violence and violence in schools, much of the following is her insight explaining why our brains take completely over in times of stress or anger.  

Have you ever experienced so much anger, stress, or frustration that you become very emotional when someone triggers your “hot buttons?”  According to Ms. Fredrickson, the cerebral cortex is the thinking part of the brain where logic and judgment reside; the emotional center of the brain is the limbic system, which is more primitive than the cerebral cortex.  She then introduces us to the amygdala, a part of the limbic system of the brain, which acts like a fire alarm for our brain.  It reacts only to previously stored patterns.  

The reason this is so fascinating to me is that a few years ago, I had what Ms. Fredrickson calls an “amygdala hijacking” – where I had no cognitive thought such as judging, evaluating, or thinking a situation through, without regard for consequence.  I was attending a town hall meeting concerning our hospital (where I had previously worked, in administration).  The person doing all the talking was continually belittling things that I found offensive, until I exploded into stepping onto my “soapbox” to let him know how insulting the things he was saying were to many people.  I was on a roll until my head began to feel as though it were going to split wide open, so I stopped talking. A physician friend took me to the clinic adjoining the hospital, where my blood pressure was at stroke level.  

According to Carol, again, here is what the “hijack” looks like within the brain – and what it looks like on the outside:

  •          The person is usually out of control and will say or do things they later regret. (However, I didn’t regret what I said.)
  •          This state lasts an average of 20 minutes.
  •          Although the adrenaline clears the body fairly quickly, longer lasting hormones and their impact can last several hours or even a couple  of  days.   (In  my case, just talking to another doctor and nurse calmed me down, and I was able to go home.)

The lesson I learned from this experience was to stay away from situations that are that upsetting.  We know it is impossible to stay away from stress and conflict in the workplace.  This lesson, though, does teach us that when someone is having one of these “hijacks”, the person must be allowed to vent and then wait until their thoughts move from the emotional area to the thinking area of the brain before we try to reason with them.  Self-awareness of our own responses to anger will help us manage our own, and can be the key to de-escalating anger in others. 

Sometimes our brain makes us act like a bully, but if we know what our hot buttons are, and understand not to trigger someone else’s temper, we can manage to work with others in a better manner.  There are stressful situations that everyone works under, but allowing them to reach a boiling point, resulting in violence, must be prevented at all costs.  If you are aware of conflicts in the workplace, consult your supervisor.  Leaders cannot fix things if they don’t know about them. 

Thank you again, Carol Fredrickson, for the advice on understanding what can cause us to do things we shouldn’t, in public, at home, or work, by letting our tempers fly.  More good tips on safety and reducing liability can be found at the website, http://www.violence-free.com.

General Safety Issues

HOW ARE YOUR REFLEXES?

I was with a group of friends this week, and while driving in some pretty heavy traffic, a car suddenly whizzed by us at a high rate of speed, and was so close to us that my friend and I who were in the back seat gasped at the same time!   Our driver assured us that she saw the car coming, but the two of us experienced a type of “panicked” reflex at that exact moment. 

Reflexes are involuntary or automatic reactions that our bodies do in response to something that we aren’t even thinking about.  We are born with “hard-wired” reflexes.  Most are located in the spine, but some are in the motor centers of the brain.  These reflexes work to keep our bodies safe from injuries.   Have you ever felt that you were about to fall, when you started twisting your body and putting your hands out to regain your balance?   What if you were carrying something valuable, and you had to choose whether to drop it as you are falling, or hold on to it?  Your brain’s conscious motor centers will take control, and you can modify the reflex action and keep your grip on the object you are carrying. However, you are still probably going to fall. 

Babies have a vast amount of reflexes.   They stretch, grip your finger, yawn, suck, and blink their eyes, which are all involuntary actions.  When you tickle the bottom of their feet, see how they straighten them out, and then curl them up again.  They throw their arms up in the air swiftly when they are moved certain ways.  A physical therapist once told me to observe how a baby, cat or dog will stretch naturally, while we adults don’t, unless we think about it.  

If someone throws something at you at work, how quickly do you react?  If your concentration is broken by a sudden action of a co-worker, are you ready to respond?  Jobs that are high-stress, or ones that cause physical or mental fatigue can cause us to sometimes have a delayed reaction.  If you get too close to a power tool, though, your reflexes tell you to pull away pretty pronto!  We should keep ourselves fit and alert for our job duties.  There is no room for substance or alcohol abuse in the workplace; either would cause us to have slower reaction time, in addition to breaking the safety rules of our employer.  

Our reflexes must work well when we are behind the wheel of a vehicle.  Statistics show that texting while driving is as dangerous as driving a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  While you are looking at that smart phone screen, you are losing valuable time to react to a car or truck that may suddenly stop or pull out in front of you.  What if a child runs in front of you and you are so busy making a call or texting that you are unable to stop in time?  There are too many risks that aren’t worth taking, and you should never depend on your reflex time to save the day! 

Some people are born with faster reflexes than others.  Electrical impulses actually travel more quickly through the nerves.  Practice can speed up nerve conditioning – this is the key to reaction time, whether in athletics, learning skills, or work.  With much practice, a movement almost mimics a reflex, according to experts.  Also, our reflexes may slow with age.  These also vary from person to person, in regard to reflex and reaction time.  You can either slow down, or reverse  the effects of aging by staying physically active.  Remember, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it!” 

Source: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School

General Safety Issues, Head Protection

UNDERSTANDING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

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The human brain is the most complex organ in the human body, producing every thought, action, memory, feeling, and experience.  As there are constantly connecting and changing nerve cells, memories are stored in the brain, habits are learned, and personalities shaped.  Our brain structure is shaped partly by genes but mainly by experience.  How it ages depends on both genes and lifestyle.  The brain needs to be properly exercised and fed the right diet, just as the rest of our body requires. 

During our lifetime, things happen that can have a lasting effect on our bodies.  Persons may suffer head injuries due to a car accident, a hard fall, blows to the head to athletes. Military personnel suffer TBI’s as a result of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) and other horrors of war. 

About 1.7 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries in the United States annually.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says traumatic brain injuries kill about 52,000 Americans every year, and result in 275,000 hospitalizations.  A bump, blow, or jolt to the head may be severe enough to disrupt normal brain function.  The CDC also reports that falls are the Number 1 leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, but road traffic injuries are second, and result in the highest percentage of deaths – 31.8%. 

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) is commonly referred to as a concussion.  There may be a brief loss of consciousness or disorientation, ranging up to 30 minutes. Damage may not be visible on an MRI or CAT scan.  Symptoms of MTBI are headache, lightheadedness, dizziness, confusion, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, fatigue.  MTBI can have long-term effects.  

Severe Traumatic Brain Injury results in loss of consciousness for over 30 minutes, or amnesia.  The same symptoms of MTBI are included, along with others, such as vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, slurred speech, and  loss of coordination. 

Our military personnel are furnished helmets for head protection.  Athletes also wear helmets to protect from head and neck injury.  These helmets should be of good quality. Motorcyclists should always wear their helmets, as well as bicyclists.

It makes sense that when personal protective equipment is furnished for employees, company supervisors should be sure that their employees are in compliance.  ANSI Hard hats should have a rigid external shell that resists and deflects blows to the head.  Inside that shell is a suspension system that acts as a shock absorber.  Hardhats are constructed with partial or full brims.  The full brim protects from spills, splashes and drips.  Many hardhats can accommodate faceshields, earmuffs, and other accessories needed to make the job easier and safer.  Knowing all this, statistics show that often workers who suffer impact injuries to the head are not wearing head protection at the time of injury.   

Wearing all types of Personal Protective Equipment is the responsibility of each employee.  It has been purchased for good reason, just as it is called: Personal and Protective.  Every one should use their head, and wear that helmet or hardhat!

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

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For the 10th consecutive year, the National Museum of Health and Medicine will host a Brain Awareness Week program for middle school students. BAW will occur the week of March 16 (Monday) through March 22 (Sunday), 2009. The program consists of presentations and hands-on activities. Schools may choose one of the two 2-hour sessions offered each day. Each session will start with a 20-30 minute session that will feature a lecturer who will provide introductory information on the brain and its functions. Following the session, students are divided into small groups and sent to visit each station as a group. Students will spend 15 to 20 minutes at each station. The presentations are the same for each session since a new set of students show up at each session. NMHM and the partners try to make the lectures and stations educational, as well as a lot of fun for both the students and the presenters. BAW is usually very exciting and lots of fun for everyone.

This is an international effort to advance public awareness about the benefits of brain research.  Scientists step out of their labs to participate in introducing youngsters to the world of neuroscience.  This endeavor was organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and is joined by government agencies, professional groups, National Institutes of Health, service groups, hospitals and Universities.

Programs to be presented during this week are:

  • “Night of the Living Brain”, by the NINDS. Students learn the need for sleep, and are later tested on their knowledge of sleep disorders.
  • “Complexity of the Brain”, by the National Institute on Aging, which provides students with ways to maintain healthy brains throughout life.
  • “Simulated Party”, where students attend a “simulated party” to learn about the physical and societal harms of alcohol and drug abuse.  After discussing the risks, “party-goers” try to navigate an obstacle course or hit balloons while wearing Fatal Vision prism goggles that simulate impaired visual and motor performance, resulting from excessive drug or alcohol abuse. This session is presented by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
  • “The Drunken Brain”, The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s multi-sensory exhibit, which displays bright-colored lights and pulsating, eerie sounds.  A neuroscientist explains why movement, sensory perception, and balance are compromised, and which brain circuits are involved in alcohol dependence and alcoholism.
  • The National Institute of Mental Health presents “Wonders of the Brain”.  Young scientists from the NIMH Intramural Research Division explain how the mind plays tricks with images it sees.

There are many summer programs such as the Georgia State University’s “Brain Camp”, where middle school students and their Institute on Neuroscience (ION) for high school students get to work in a lab, and The University of Minnesota’s Department of Neuroscience, which hosts a summer workshop for middle school teachers and disperses fact sheets at the State Fair, and visits K-12 classes.

Students who are fortunate to live in cities where this program is given would be very lucky to get to participate.  There will always be a demand for scientists to research and discover ways to prevent brain disorders that cause heartbreak for families of those who suffer them.
Think about it: one of our little “brainiacs” may just be the genius that figures out how to prevent us from certain diseases.  Take advantage of the opportunities that are out there for our future scientists.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)