Providing focus, clarity, and peace to teenagers and their families.  Improving communication, attitude, self esteem, and outlook. Professional, Christian-based therapy.

Betty Eastman, LCSW
200 City Hall Ave

Suite E
Poquoson, VA 23662

757 - 868 - 0072

You have probably heard about Phineas Gage.  Back in the latter half of the 1840's, this fellow worked as a foreman for a railway contractor; he was in charge of setting up the bed for the railroad in a place in Vermont.  His life abruptly changed in September 1848 when an explosive charge he was preparing blew up accidentally, driving a tamping iron right through his head.

 

But his story does not end there.  You see, just like in the movies, that accident did not end Phineas Gage's life.  After a few months, he had fully recovered and began to live a normal life.  To this day, Gage is perhaps the most notable survivor of a brain injury. But when people close to Gage and medical experts back in the day took a closer look at the man, they claimed that survivor Gage was no longer the Gage they knew.  His friends and colleagues have observed that after the accident, Gage had become restless, contemptuous, extremely obscene and detached.

 

Today, when people talk about Phineas Gage, there is a good chance that the issue at hand is about the link between the condition of the brain and a person's personality and overall health.  Gage became the first comprehensive and living test subject for doctors and psychiatrists at the time.  Somehow, his experience taught the world so much about the functions of the brain and the importance of taking good care of its health.

 

Indeed, the brain is the most important organ in the body.  It controls all the other parts of the body and it is the seat of one's thoughts and even personality.  But with so much power, it is surprising to note that the brain is also one of the most vulnerable parts of the human anatomy.  As it is composed entirely of fat, you brain is susceptible to the attacks of certain molecules known as free radicles.  These molecules bring about oxidation, a process which destroys cell membranes in your brain and other parts of your body.

 

If you do not want to experience degeneration in your mental abilities and your personality in general, then you better take care of your brain.  While it is true that aging, oxidation and accidents like the on that Phineas Gage had can threaten your brain, there are ways in which you can maintain and even improve its condition.