{"id":2175,"date":"2011-01-15T17:10:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-15T17:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2011\/01\/special-report-how-did-giffords-survive-the-brain-injury.html"},"modified":"2016-09-21T09:15:51","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T13:15:51","slug":"special-report-how-did-giffords-survive-the-brain-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2175","title":{"rendered":"Special Report: How Did Giffords Survive The Brain Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/TTDYddNK4aI\/AAAAAAAAC3k\/GNmZGNRHqAM\/s1600\/gabrielle-giffords-brain-damage-0110.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"><\/a><span style=\"-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/TTDYddNK4aI\/AAAAAAAAC3k\/GNmZGNRHqAM\/s1600\/gabrielle-giffords-brain-damage-0110.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" height=\"293\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/TTDYddNK4aI\/AAAAAAAAC3k\/GNmZGNRHqAM\/s320\/gabrielle-giffords-brain-damage-0110.jpg?resize=320%2C293\" width=\"320\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<p>The tragedy in Tucson Arizona over the weekend has shocked our nation. Our thoughts and prayers go our to Congresswoman Giffords and her family.&nbsp;<span style=\"-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;\">It seems like a complete miracle that she survived at all, given that this warped individual shot her through the head at point blank range.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><b>How can it be that she could survive at all? <\/b><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>I believe it comes down to the fact that there is a remarkable amount of redundancy in your brain. In other words, many areas of your brain multi-task in many ways. Functions like speaking, reading, walking, or eating don&#8217;t happen in a single area. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It&#8217;s not like a computer, with computer chips that perform specific functions. The functions of the brain are distributed over many regions, and even single brain cells can perform many different types of tasks in different situations. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>This is key, because it means that if you lose one area of your brain, the other &#8220;backup&#8221; regions can take over. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In the case of the horrific shooting of Congresswoman Giffords, her chance of improving is increased by the fact that the bullet did not cross brain hemispheres, and did not slice open any major cerebral arteries. Even better news is that she seems to be responsive, and able to respond to &#8220;commands&#8221;. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Even with the redundancy and &#8220;parallel processing&#8221; capability of the brain, I think we all expect there to be some functions that are compromised, given the extent of the insult. That said, I hope and pray the miracle of her recovery will continue throughout a long and productive life. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com\/2011\/01\/10\/gupta-how-giffords-survived-bullet-to-the-brain\/?hpt=T2\">Gupta: What helped Giffords survive brain shot \u2013 The Chart &#8211; CNN.com Blogs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For more information: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.willclower.com\/\"> Click here to visit Will Clower&#8217;s website. <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The tragedy in Tucson Arizona over the weekend has shocked our nation. Our thoughts and prayers go our to Congresswoman Giffords and her family.&nbsp;It seems like a complete miracle that &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494],"tags":[345],"class_list":["post-2175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-brain"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-z5","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2171,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2171","url_meta":{"origin":2175,"position":0},"title":"Interview: Inside the mind of Jared Loughner","author":"Will Clower","date":"January 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Interview Link:\u00a0http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wyjsc70Mdp4What happens in a brain like this? How can we prevent it?How is it that a person like Gabrielle Giffords suffer a gunshot through the head ... and not only survive, but recover the movement of her limbs?This interview explores both neuroscience and brain pychology.For more information: Click here\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2727,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2727","url_meta":{"origin":2175,"position":1},"title":"Brain Power","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Your brain is the biggest energy hog in your body, and for good reason. This 2-3 pound convoluted, gyrating, fat-filled lump contains roughly 100 billion brain cells. Each of these are linked up with up to 10,000 connections each.By the way:It's true. There are more possible interconnecting pathways in your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7766,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=7766","url_meta":{"origin":2175,"position":2},"title":"Train Your Brain: Try Something New","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 12, 2019","format":"image","excerpt":"All month we will explore the brain. Specifically, we'll walk you through the methods for training your brain to be stronger, smarter, and faster! Research demonstrates what we probably already knew. Learning new things is a process that exercises your brain, and makes it healthier. The same thing is true\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dart Board with the words Train Your Brain on the bullseye","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Train-Your-Brain-Sticky-Note-on-Dart-Board.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Train-Your-Brain-Sticky-Note-on-Dart-Board.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Train-Your-Brain-Sticky-Note-on-Dart-Board.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Train-Your-Brain-Sticky-Note-on-Dart-Board.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Train-Your-Brain-Sticky-Note-on-Dart-Board.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8405,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=8405","url_meta":{"origin":2175,"position":3},"title":"Brain Boosters","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 10, 2020","format":"image","excerpt":"Research demonstrates that learning new things and having new experiences can aid in preventing memory loss and keep the brain alert in the process. Engaging in novel activities is like taking your brain tissue to the gym. This encourages more connections to be formed and strengthened. The outcome is that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"brain getting plugged in","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Schematic-w-Brain-Plugged-in-scaled-e1620616865239.jpg?fit=1200%2C378&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Schematic-w-Brain-Plugged-in-scaled-e1620616865239.jpg?fit=1200%2C378&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Schematic-w-Brain-Plugged-in-scaled-e1620616865239.jpg?fit=1200%2C378&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Schematic-w-Brain-Plugged-in-scaled-e1620616865239.jpg?fit=1200%2C378&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Schematic-w-Brain-Plugged-in-scaled-e1620616865239.jpg?fit=1200%2C378&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7764,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=7764","url_meta":{"origin":2175,"position":4},"title":"Train Your Brain In August: With exercise","author":"Will Clower","date":"July 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"All month we will explore the brain. 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