046 – Concussions and the Canadian Food Guide

The Body of Evidence

 
Chris gets surprisingly aggressive (and hairy) during a football match, which leads the boys to discuss concussions. Jacob goes to a hockey game and finds a lot of people who are intimately familiar with mild traumatic brain injuries. How common are they, what’s the treatment for them, and should you let someone with a concussion fall asleep? Perhaps more importantly, would you let your kid play football (or hockey)? Also: a new iteration of the Canadian Food Guide gets rid of food groups; talcum powder strikes back; probiotics make surprising appearances in our food supply if we are to believe Canadians; and a joke few people will get. It’s Skeptics with a-wait, wrong show.
 
Vox pop by Jacob Meza of the So It Is Told podcast.
 
Jingle by Joseph Hackl.
 
Additional music by Seth Donnelly and Kevin MacLeod.
 
Theme music: “Troll of the Mountain Swing” by the Underscore Orkestra.
 
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References
 
*Studies showing that helmet use reduces injuries in sports
 
1. Johnston KM, McCrory P, Mohtadi NG, Meeuwisse W. Evidence-Based review of sport-related concussion: clinical science. Clin J Sport Med 2001; 11:150.
 
2. Sulheim S, Holme I, Ekeland A, Bahr R. Helmet use and risk of head injuries in alpine skiers and snowboarders. JAMA 2006; 295:919.
 
3. Russell K, Christie J, Hagel BE. The effect of helmets on the risk of head and neck injuries among skiers and snowboarders: a meta-analysis. CMAJ 2010; 182:333.
 
4. Hollis SJ, Stevenson MR, McIntosh AS, et al. Incidence, risk, and protective factors of mild traumatic brain injury in a cohort of Australian nonprofessional male rugby players. Am J Sports Med 2009; 37:2328.
 
*Study of cognitive rest in adolescents post concussion
 
Thomas DG, Apps JN, Hoffmann RG, et al. Benefits of strict rest after acute concussion: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics 2015; 135:213.
 
*Study about prognosis post concussion
 
Triebel KL, Martin RC, Novack TA, et al. Treatment consent capacity in patients with traumatic brain injury across a range of injury severity. Neurology 2012; 78:1472.
 
*Studies about CTE 
 
1. Bieniek KF, Ross OA, Cormier KA, et al. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy pathology in a neurodegenerative disorders brain bank. Acta Neuropathol 2015; 130:877.
 
2. Mez J, Daneshvar DH, Kiernan PT, et al. Clinicopathological Evaluation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Players of American Football. JAMA 2017; 318:360.
 
*Study linking NFL and Alzheimer’s
Lehman EJ, Hein MJ, Baron SL, Gersic CM. Neurodegenerative causes of death among retired National Football League players. Neurology 2012; 79:1970.
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