Meet the Experts

Dr. Sergio Jaramillo

Neurologist with Baptist Health Neuroscience Center

Videos

Long Term Alcohol

Long term alcohol in the prefrontal cortex effects on this part of the brain can change a person's behavior, affirms Doctor Sergio Jaramillo, Neurologist at Baptist Health Neuroscience Center. He also explains, in a digital imaging, that when people can feel comfortable with the alcohol effects, they tend to do things that they normally would not do if they didnâ€™t have alcohol in their bodies. Cerebellum is another organ that can be very sensitive to the long-term effects of alcohol. Alcoholics can have very poor balance, so they tend to stagger and keep their legs farther apart, Doctor Jaramillo explains.

Edible Drugs

Edible drugs are becoming very popular because they're easy to get and to consume, according to Doctor Sergio Jaramillo, Neurologist at Baptist Health Neuroscience Center. The specialist adds the effects of these drugs are really dose dependent. “It depends on what's the concentration in each one of these edibles, and how we as individuals sort of metabolize and get affected by the different doses of these drugs," he says.

Second Hand Smoker

Any advice that physicians give to their patients is proven and scientifically based, says Doctor Sergio Jaramillo, Neurologist at Baptist Health Neuroscience Center. There's just loads of evidence of the primary and the secondary effects of smoking. It's very clear, according to him, the link between smoking and the carcinogenic effect or the risk of developing many types of cancer. Doctor Jaramillo explains, in a digital imaging, how every organ can be affected by harmful chemicals, because, if a person is inhaling not just oxygen but smoking nicotine and other chemicals from cigarettes, he gets sort of absorbed into his bloodstream and from the lungs. That blood gets pumped to the rest of his body.

The Habit Of Smoking

Most people that have smoking as a habit start at an early age and it is not only a physiological dependence but they link it to certain situations in life, says Doctor Sergio Jaramillo, Neurologist at Baptist Health Neuroscience Center. The doctor adds people who have the habit of smoking almost use a crutch because it makes them kind of comfortable in that. About the Vaping cigarettes, the specialist explains there are different things that people put in these and depending on what chemical is in there the effect is determined. “It's a fad," he says.

Brain & Nicotine

Brain imaging studies suggest people who smoke regularly from a young age tend to reduce activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. They perform less on tasks, also memory and attention are affected compared to people who don't smoke. Doctor Sergio Jaramillo, Neurologist at Baptist Health Neuroscience Center agrees and adds that the prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain that gives people their personalities, helps them make decisions and inhibits certain behaviors. “It's a kind of filter of the brain. The nicotine can affect this part of the brain," he affirms.

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