Life is cyclical.
You’re BMOC in fifth grade. King of the elementary school.
Then you’re in sixth grade. Eight graders are putting you in the garbage can.
The cycle continues throughout life.
There are studies that say for a lot of people 50 to 70 is the best time in their lives. And a lot of people refer to the Golden Years between 65 and 80.
And then comes the looming specter of dementia.
In some ways it’s about playing the odds. We do things that either increase or decrease our risks.
Physical activity is a key factor for brain health. A Mediterranean diet has been related to lower risk of dementia. So has proper sleep and not smoking.
But there are some things out of our control. And one of those is suffering a concussion as a result of someone else’s negligence.
Just one concussion (also called a minor traumatic brain injury (MTBI)) doubles your risk of dementia. This is what we know from a study conducted by doctors at the UCSF Medical school and the VA. It appeared in JAMA’s Neurology publication.
This increased risk of dementia is just one of the things that makes even one concussion such a big deal.