Mark Twain has been attributed the quote, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”
About 800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year, and about 90 percent of those are ischemic strokes. Ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain stops. This usually results from a “clot” blocking blood flow in a blood vessel. As your brain requires about 20 percent of the blood flow from the heart to…
Many other cultures, especially non-Western, have a much lower prevalence of back pain and spinal arthritis. What’s more surprising is that the peoples of these cultures often do a tremendous amount of bending and lifting. So, how is this possible?
Brain and spine operations are typically performed with patients asleep. While these surgeries are intricately executed by surgeons with highly specialized training, the nervous structures commonly are manipulated. Techniques for examining the nervous system are limited in the asleep patient. To ensure temporary or permanent damage does not occur, intraoperative monitoring (IOM) is commonly performed.…
The D.A.R.E. program, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, was started by the LA Police Department Chief of Police, Daryl Gates, in the early 1980’s. It blossomed from a tiny local program to a massive national campaign practicing in 75 percent of American schools. The message was simple, “Just Say No.” Unfortunately, at its peak, D.A.R.E was…
Malignant brain tumors are an incurable disease. However, over the last decade, advances in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) have led to tailored treatments and increased survival.
20 percent of American adults are cigarette smokers. Of these individuals, about 80 percent smoke daily. Cigarette smoke has been found to contain over 4,700 chemical substances with the most notable being nicotine. Nicotine in cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, oral tobacco and even nicotine patches all contain carcinogenic substances such as hydrocarbons and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA).…
Our brain is a very complex organ. The average brain weighs about three pounds and is about 15 centimeters long. The cortex of the brain is the most superficial layer and in many ways is the most important part. Most of the brain cells start in the cortex and then extend through the deeper layers…
Pain in the low back region and upper legs can be caused by a few different joints. Depending on the symptoms, the pain could be from spine arthritis or hip arthritis. It’s important to accurately diagnosis the source of pain as the treatments can be different.
Does laser spine surgery work? No. But you can continue reading the remainder of this blog if you wish to know why.