Get it Into Your Head!

The Striking Connection Between Head Injury and Alzheimer's

Francis Vale

When I was a little tyke, apparently I had the habit of banging my head against the floor if I didn’t get what I wanted. My wife and family contend that my perverse, pedo-petulant whacking explains much about me to this day. Humph. But what is now becoming understood, though, is that head injuries resulting in moderate or severe concussion during your lifetime may significantly increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Says neuroscientist Douglas H. Smith of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, "Brain trauma may be the strongest environmental cause [of Alzheimer's disease] out there." (Here is an example of one such study, http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/55/8/1158)

Now that 60 is the new 40, and people enjoy ever increasingly active lives well into their late senior years, this head trauma news should not slow you down one bit. It’s just one more reason, no matter what your age, to wear good protective headgear. But it’s not enough to strap a Sergeant Schultz Special on your lockenkopf and hit the slopes.  In a 2003 study by pediatricians in Falmouth, Massachusetts, they found that only 4% of adolescents and kids had bicycle helmets that fit properly. (See http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/112/2/320.) And poor fitting helmets increase the risk of head injury. Everybody should take the time to learn how to properly fit a helmet. 

[Some helmet-fitting problems are more obvious than others, like on this wonderfully hapless lady]

A great source of information of all kinds, including how to purchase and fit a helmet, is the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (http://www.helmets.org). It even includes a section on what all you baldies out there should look for when helmet shopping, presuming you don’t mind having your meticulous comb-over mussed up. Another very good source of helmet information is the Snell Memorial Foundation, http://www.smf.org. Snell also maintains a list of all helmets certified to meet specific safety standards set forth by the organization.

It could be argued we are all grinning idiots when it comes to correct cranium fitting, but that’s too simplistic.  The Falmouth study argues for advanced auto-fitting gear that self-adapts to your head, which, unfortunately, is just not there yet. Although Salomon offers a helmet with “My Perfect Fit Auto Fit liner”, an anatomical, high-grade memory foam that conforms automatically to your head. In general, though, the thicker the crushable foam the better.

Meanwhile, as we wait for helmet protection technology to catch up to the 21st century, other folks figure that anywhere your head is at, you also want tunes and a phone.  Bluetooth, a short range wireless technology, is now finding its way into your helmet, like the new BMW System V motorcycle helmets, which are a boon for 2-up riders to talk to each other, although this trend may unhappily redefine the term backseat driver. Merrily adding to rider distraction is that you can also connect to your Bluetooth mobile phone with these helmets, although getting the bad news from your broker while negotiating a 75 MPH curve and your kneepads scraping may not be totally opportune.

BMW System V Motorcycle Helmet

But don’t feel left out if your bike relies only on pedal power. Bluetooth accessories, like the ActiveBLU Wireless headset attachment, turn your bicycle helmet into a serene mobile office, even when pedaling at insane speeds up to 40 MPH. Motorola has also teamed up with Burton Snowboards to produce Bluetooth-enabled jackets, helmets and beanies for audibly careening down the slopes.

Burton Bluetooth Beanie

Now, last I checked, some states have bans on drivers from using cell phones in their cars as they tend to neglect what they are doing and rather inconveniently plow into you. So I guess I am unsure on the concept of “safety” helmets that distract you with a phone call while barreling down the road, slope, or bike path at molar munging speeds. This may be where that wonderful word “oxymoron” comes in.

In any event, know that you know why you absolutely must wear a helmet while participating in any kind of activity that can result with you upside down on your head, just do me a favor: Please don’t tell the panicked paramedics you simply had to take that call.

This articlre originally appeared in Eons.