Catch da Flava - Concussions

For our March 29th episode of Health Talks Radio, we talked about the movie "Concussion".

Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who discovered CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world. He is pushed to the fullest as he becomes a neuropathologist defending himself in court. A jack of all trades you could say, as he falls for his roommate who later on in the movie becomes his wife. In discussing youth health and how it ties into the movie, it is about football and the human brain. It is not hard to see why it important to make sure your body is safe before getting ready to go on the field and take on a tremendous amount of physical contact. We had a panel discussion and some of the things that were mentioned was that the N.F.L. was really selfish in this movie, allowing the players who could tell that something was wrong to continue to play even though things were not perfect at home. Could you imagine having constant migraines, headaches, lost sleep, not wanting to even close your eyes because you were afraid to sleep? The mental issues that surfaced rapidly when its not addressed is crucial. Our youth need to know how important it is always follow up with your doctor while participating in these types of sports.

The last thing anyone would want is a youth to be stressed out to the point where they feel like they can't talk to anybody about what they're going through and do something extreme like commit suicide. Even while some players suffered from mental illness, the coaches still forced them to play. One player passed out literally in a game, but the coach benched him only for a little while & then put him back in! That raises the question of whether we should still encourage our youth to play football? If a coach is willing to do that to a grown man, imagine our youth. The doctors are protected by the N.F.L. so even when they realized the truth was being hidden by this new mysterious disease, there was no point in you seeking justice. Some of us should re-evaluate football and our youth as a whole.

Our panel admire the fact that his boss had his back from beginning to end. Dr, Bennet's boss believed in him and had a high level of respect which is exactly why he stuck around, exemplifying great leadership.

By: Travis Acheampong

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