World Federation of Neurology Impresses Importance of Brain Health Through Global Public Initiative

LONDON, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Federation of Neurology (WFN) is leading the charge on advocating for brain health awareness, through the launch of its Brain Health Initiative (BHI), a program created to reduce the immense global burden of brain diseases and disorders. Neurological diseases are the second leading cause of death globally and make up 10 percent of the total global burden of disease. Through the BHI, major organizations, institutions, neurologists, patients and caregivers can come together to support a global need for brain health awareness.

"The Brain Health Initiative is intimately aligned with the mission of the World Federation of Neurology to foster brain health and quality neurology worldwide," said WFN President Prof. William Carroll. "We feel that it is essential for the interested public to be able to connect with the Federation and its constituent members in order to advocate and lobby for access to quality brain health and the means to obtain and maintain it. We hope that this campaign will inform the public, enabling them to do so. It serves as a call for advocacy around the world to increase the awareness and availability of quality brain health."

The program comprises five individual units. Each unit consists of a professionally produced video and supporting written materials to help. As a whole, the BHI impresses the critical importance of brain health, which affects every aspect of human life, and provides actionable tips on how to fight to improve brain health.

Another goal of the BHI is to help align worldwide organizations on the importance of brain health as a public initiative. Vital efforts by the World Health Organization, American Academy of Neurology, and European Academy of Neurology are already underway. WFN's mission is to extend these efforts throughout the world through programs such as the BHI, World Brain Day and the World Congress of Neurology.

"We are doing this on behalf of neurology, to define the importance of brain health not only to neurologists but also to institutions, politicians, and most of all, patients and caregivers," said Prof. Wolfgang Grisold, WFN Secretary-General.

The Brain Health Initiative covers the following five topics:

1. Unit 1: Introduction to Brain Health — Brain health is a critical aspect of overall health. It underlies an individual's ability to communicate, make decisions, solve problems and live a healthy life. Because the brain controls so much of daily function, it is arguably the single most valuable organ in the human body.
2. Unit 2: What Happens When Brains Are Not Healthy — When the brain is not healthy, the human body and lifespan is impacted. The brain controls our thoughts, speech, memory and emotions and determines our personality, judgment and sociability. It controls the movement of our bodies, including the complicated systems we rely on to breathe, digest, circulate blood, fight infection and more.
3. Unit 3: What to Know About Non-Communicable Neurological Diseases — Non-communicable neurological diseases are not contagious and often characterized by prolonged courses, suboptimal prevention possibilities and incomplete cures. They affect multiple parts of the body and include stroke, migraine and Alzheimer's disease, among others.
4. Unit 4: The Global Impact of Brain Diseases and Disorders — The impact of brain disease and disorders affects society at every level. This series seeks to understand the breadth of how these conditions impact economies by looking at access to care and treatment, the inequity of the burden of brain disease and the importance of advocating for brain disease awareness.
5. Unit 5: The Vital Roles of the Neurologist and Advocacy — Brain health advocacy is the intrinsic and altruistic action of those committed to both preventing brain disease and improving the outcomes of those living with brain disease by working to implement important and beneficial changes in health systems. When it comes to changing the way society approaches brain health as whole, neurologists play a critical role.

The Brain Health Initiative is available for free and without registration to learn about individual health and the larger systems that impact the brain and overall health around the globe. Find out more at https://wfneurology.org/brain-health-initiative.

About the World Federation of Neurology
The World Federation of Neurology represents 122 neurological member societies around the globe to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide by promoting neurological education and training with an emphasis on under-resourced areas of the world. WFN supports the spread of research and clinical information in the pursuit of improvements in the field of neurology. With support from member organizations around the globe, WFN unites the world to allow patients greater access to brain health. Learn more about the World Federation of Neurology at https://wfneurology.org/.

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