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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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20-Dec-2022
The human brain has remained a wonder and fascination of mine for as long as I can remember. As a sports neurologist, I am passionate about helping patients of all abilities – athletic, academic, and vocational – tap into and harness the brain's incredible power to aid them in performing at peak levels. Because my field of medicine also addresses the needs of patients experiencing ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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2-Dec-2022
Article Link: Migraine statistics 2022 (singlecare.com) Migraines are a common type of headache that can cause intense, pulsating pain. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, migraines affect more than 39 million Americans and women are three times more likely to get migraines than men. With such a large number of people affected, it is not surprising that migraines can have a big impact ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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29-Nov-2022
The entire article can be read here: ‘They were in tears’: Unruly fans force California high schools to take action (msn.com) For a week after she was the victim of a racist taunt during a girls soccer regional championship game in March, Ciara Wilson barely left her house. The soccer field had long been her haven. Now, as video of the heckling went viral, the Buchanan High School ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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21-Nov-2022
Article Link: Neurologists on the Sidelines: The Sports Neurotrauma Consul... : Neurology Today (lww.com) Neurologists who work as consultants to sports teams discuss the training they receive, their challenges in obtaining liability insurance, and the pressures that come with having to make treatment decisions on the sidelines under high-pressure conditions. When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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20-Oct-2022
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is returning to NFL action for Week 7, having passed the concussion protocol following a head and neck injury in Week 4. Dr. Vernon Williams, who has worked with the Los Angeles Rams as team neurologist, tells Newsweek about the recovery that a player needs to go through after suffering a concussion and why it is "risky" to return to full-contact ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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18-Oct-2022
Article Link: ‘Klay understands his body’: Thompson still working through injury aftermath (sfchronicle.com) After the triumphant return from a 941-day hiatus, after the memorable playoff performances, after the Champagne-popping at yet another championship parade, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson struggled to do the comparably simple: play pickup basketball. In authoring one ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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10-Oct-2022
Article Link: Sideline Doctors Face Scrutiny After Hits to a Star Quarterback - The New York Times (nytimes.com) The sidelines at N.F.L. games are better staffed than many emergency rooms. There are orthopedists, neurotrauma specialists, athletic trainers and even an “emergency airway intubation” specialist. In the press box, medical experts scan the field to spot any potential head ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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3-Oct-2022
Want to reach your full potential with any skill and in any field of human endeavor? Practice, practice, practice. Whether considering sports, musical instruments, or academic lessons in the classroom, most people believe that getting better at anything requires practice. The overwhelming majority of people are aware of the concepts of practicing to train a craft or practicing to train your ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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21-Sep-2022
A migraine can be painful and draining. Your head throbs on one side, you can’t tolerate lights or sounds and you may have nausea. It can be bad enough to keep you in bed for hours — or even days. People with migraines are familiar with these symptoms. But a bad headache isn’t always a migraine. In fact, the condition is still widely misunderstood. And if you do have migraines, ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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19-Sep-2022
Chronic pain, in and of itself, is considered an often intractable condition that millions of Americans suffer from every year. Chronic pain generally refers to persistent pain experienced by a person for 3 months or longer. It is often debilitating, frustrating, and depression-inducing for the person suffering it. So, when "treatments" come along that have the potential to provide ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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1-Sep-2022
Especially for students in America, the culmination of Labor Day Weekend usually marks the unofficial end of summer, even if the calendar says we have until late September before the fall season begins. With school likely back in session for most students in the United States, parents everywhere may be faced with groggy, sleepy-eyed kiddos whose morning wake-up calls were probably much later ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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18-Aug-2022
Considering the significant concerns around use of narcotics for pain management, finding an alternative for back pain — especially for chronic pain — is always a welcome development. With spinal cord stimulation, that promise comes with plenty of history. “This is a technology that's been in use since the 1960s, with FDA approval since the early 90s, so we've had time to ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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17-Aug-2022
Thoracic outlet syndrome is a condition that was brought into the national spotlight by high-profile professional athletes who suffered from its initial debilitating effects. Whether it’s a basketball player unable to accurately shoot a jumper or a pitcher unable to spot a fastball, thoracic outlet syndrome, or TOS, can wreak havoc on both the body and mind. While TOS may initially appear to ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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3-Aug-2022
The concept of stress – essentially defined as the body’s reaction when under pressure or threat – has long been studied and known to impact overall health. The difficulty in determining how much stress is too much on a body and a brain resides mainly in an individual's circumstances – their age, socioeconomic status, genetics, psychosocial resources like healthy ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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1-Aug-2022
Crossword puzzles alone won’t give your brain what it needs for optimal health across the lifespan. Today, an Internet search of "brain training" will yield results that almost entirely include websites, apps, or subscriptions for stationary activities such as crosswords, Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, or the latest rage – Wordle – an online and social media-based word game. ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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6-Jul-2022
A lack of quality sleep has a negative impact on performance. After an Opening Day delay, the 2022 Major League Baseball Season is now in full swing, to the delight of many. I recently came across the jam-packed travel schedule for most MLB teams. Doing so has caused this sports neurologist to consider again the significant implications of an inconsistent sleep schedule on neurological and ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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13-Jun-2022
You know that exercise is good for you, but many people don’t realize just how important physical activity is for the brain. Exercise triggers hormones and other changes in your brain that affect mood, thinking speed, mental sharpness, and even athletic performance. Some of these effects happen almost immediately during your workout and within hours afterward, while other benefits are ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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13-Jun-2022
No matter your age, there is plenty YOU can do to protect your brain health – across your lifespan. My passion and sub-specialty as a sports neurologist have led me down some fantastic and exciting paths when it comes to helping people harness the brain's power to help them achieve optimal performance – whether it's on a sports field, in a classroom, or a boardroom. Yet my ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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6-Jun-2022
Is cannabis a good choice for treating chronic pain? That’s a question shared by doctors, researchers, and people living with chronic pain. But it’s a surprisingly difficult one to answer. A recent review of cannabis products in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine looked at the existing body of knowledge related to this question. And the answer? We just don’t have enough ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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1-Jun-2022
How can attentional focus improve athletic performance? It’s that time of year again – when many people choose a stronger focus on exercise or physical fitness as their New Year’s resolution. In terms of overall body and neurological health, I wholeheartedly endorse such athletic performance goals. However, as many of us have also likely experienced, keeping New Year’s ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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29-Apr-2022
Cognitive “clutter” is real, but there are simple ways to help keep your brain space neat and tidy. Especially as we age, a “cluttered” brain can lead to unnecessary cognitive decline. For some people, a busy memory scape can increase creativity. But for most, all that brain noise comes at a cost and can propagate forgetfulness and other cognitive disorders the older we ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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31-Mar-2022
Anyone who’s dealt with a migraine attack can tell you that they would do almost anything never to experience that kind of pain again. But despite how common they are, people have many misconceptions about the condition and how drastically it can impact someone’s life. We’ve partnered with migraine-specific telehealth provider Cove to bring you the top things people with migraine ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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14-Mar-2022
Anyone who's had a migraine knows that sickening stomach feeling that can cause you to stay in bed for hours because you're too nauseous to move. Migraines can be more than just an inconvenience, they can be seriously debilitating and lay you up for days. "Migraine is a common health condition, affecting around 1 in every 5 women and around 1 in every 15 men. They usually begin in ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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20-Feb-2022
Inflammation is a way your body protects itself from infection and foreign invaders, but not all inflammation is good. Inflammation is defined by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine as "the body's immune system's response to an irritant. The irritant might be a germ, but it could also be a foreign object, such as a splinter in your ...
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Posted By Vernon B. Williams, MD
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16-Feb-2022
The world was deeply saddened by the news of Bob Saget’s death last month. The actor and comedian was found unresponsive at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, and the cause of death wasn’t immediately clear. However, Saget’s recent autopsy report has revealed something shocking: he experienced severe skull fractures, indicating his death was caused by head trauma. “They have ...
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