Nervous System Problems Head Injuries Your skull does a good job of protecting your brain most of the time, but, if your head is unprotected, a hard blow can still cause harm. --Your skull could crack. --Your brain could move inside your skull. --Your brain may become bruised.

Concussion - a condition caused by a sudden movement of the brain inside the skull CauseEffect * a hard blow to your head causes a sudden movement of your brain inside your skull 1. loss of consciousness for a short time 2. memory loss 3. headache 4. blurred vision CONCUSSION These symptoms will go away after a while. -- More serious head injuries could cause lasting damage to your brain or even death.

Preventing Head Injuries To prevent head injuries, wear a helmet when doing an activity in which you could hit your head or get hit in the head. --skating, skateboarding, bicycling, football, hockey, baseball, or softball

Spine Injuries Injuries to your spine can cause lasting damage to your spinal cord. --Your body is not able to make new nerve cells to replace any nerve cells that may die or become damaged. Some spine injuries can cause death. Be careful when swimming or diving --Be sure the water is deep enough so that you will not hit your head, neck, or back on the bottom of the pool, lake, river, etc. when you jump in.

Car Accidents The leading cause of head and spine injuries as well as the leading cause of death of children. --To prevent injuries from a car accident, you should always wear a seatbelt and, if possible, sit in the back seat.

Eyes The bones around your eyes, your ability to blink, and your eyelashes help protect your eyes. --Your tears wash away some things that may get into your eyes. Always wear safety goggles to protect your eyes when doing experiments or some other activity that might cause something to splash or fly into your eye. If you get something in your eye, DO NOT rub it! --You could damage your eye. When you are outside in the sun, wear sunglasses with UV protection and a hat or cap with a brim to protect your eyes. --NEVER look directly at the sun.

Protecting Your Ears Avoid loud sounds. --keep the volume of your t.v. and music down Wear a helmet when you play baseball or softball. Do no clean your ears with small objects such as q-tips. -- You could damage your ears.

Say "NO" to Drugs Drugs affect the way a person thinks, acts, and feels. Prescription drugs (medicine from a doctor) help you feel better and are safe when used correctly. --NEVER give someone else some of the medicine that your doctor prescribed for you, because it could harm that person. Alcohol is a drug. --It slows the brain, vision, and thinking. --You should never drink and drive, because an accident may occur. --Drinking alcohol may make you unable to walk steadily, feel dizzy or sleepy, or be unable to think, speak, or see clearly. DO NOT feel pressured to do drugs. --Stay strong!