Natural
Help for Concussions
What
is a concussion?
A
concussion is an injury to the brain that results in temporary loss of normal
brain function. The CDC estimates that
1.6 million to 3.8 million concussions occur each year. They also report estimates of 300,000
sport-related concussions occur annually.
The following are
concussion symptoms:
·
Prolonged headache
·
Vision disturbances
·
Dizziness
·
Nausea or vomiting
·
Impaired balance
·
Confusion
·
Memory loss
·
Ringing ears
·
Difficulty
concentrating
·
Sensitivity to
light
·
Loss of smell or
taste
Many
times you will hear concussions called mild traumatic brain injuries or MTBIs. MTBIs can lead to changes in vascular
regulation and other neuro-metabolic processes that lead to chronic
consequences, most notably “second impact syndrome”.
At
the time a concussion happens, excitatory neurotransmitters (like histamine)
are released which result in cellular membrane (Blood brain barrier or BBB)
disruption and ionic (sodium/potassium etc.) imbalances. Increasing amounts of energy are required in
an attempt to correct these ionic imbalances.
This then increases glucose metabolism (which can then lead to a
secondary hypoglycemia). This combined with decreased cerebral blood
flow, results in increased energy demands and decreased availability of
nutrients.
There is no such thing as
a "minor concussion."
A
second concussion soon after the first one, however, does not have to be very
strong for its effects to be deadly or permanently disabling (second impact
syndrome). Repetitive head trauma from participation in
contact sports such as boxing, football and ice hockey can lead to a permanent
decrease in brain function, including:
·
Early Alzheimer's disease
·
Movement disorders such as parkinsonism
·
Emotional disturbances
(Taken from www.mayoclinic.org)
Post concussive syndrome
Symptoms can include:
·
Memory
and concentration problems
·
Mood
swings
·
Personality
changes
·
Headache
·
Fatigue
·
Dizziness
·
Insomnia
·
Excessive
drowsiness
PCS currently has no standard treatment. (Taken from www. neurosurgery.ucla.edu) However, the
treatment for PCS currently in the United States may be medications for
headache, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, and pain; electrical stimulation or
acupuncture for nerve blocks, and rehabilitation for physical/cognitive
symptoms. (Taken from www.brainconcussion.net) However, these do very little, if anything,
to help the brain actually heal.
Standard
Medical Treatment
The
standard treatment for concussion is rest. (Taken from www.aans.org)
As you will soon see, this not only is this not a great situation, it
can actually be detrimental. There are
several treatment guidelines used to monitor (not treat) concussions and currently,
there is no consensus within the sports medicine community as to which set of
guidelines is the most appropriate. Some
of these guidelines were derived almost 30 years ago.
Inflammation
and the Brain
The body’s tissue is primarily
comprised of various proteins linked together.
This includes the brain and the delicate tissue surrounding it. Whenever there is tissue injury, these
proteins are the broken and become “foreign”, so to speak. These foreign proteins are extremely
inflammatory and can take quite a bit of time to be broken down by the
body. Especially if the circulation to
the area is decreased to begin with; like with a concussion. When
the brain is aggravated by any source-emotional stress, infections, trauma, stroke, poisons,
or nutritional deficiencies-inflammation spurs the release of pro-inflammatory
chemicals called cytokines. For each
individual the inflammatory response can be unique. Individual, personalized understanding of
inflammation and its contributions to the physiology of mood disorders is a
critical, but often a neglected component of integrative therapies for
depression secondary to a concussion. An increasing body of evidence implicates both brain
inflammation and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Brain inflammation is also being implicated
as a factor in autism and autism spectrum disorders. As you can see, simply
resting after a concussion can lead to this inflammatory process in the brain
to go unregulated and can go from a small brush fire to a forest fire, so to
speak, very quickly.
How is
lymphatic circulation involved?
Scientists have recently
discovered that the brain has its own lymphatic system comprised of nerve cells
called glia. They have termed this the “glymphatic”
system. In essentially all
neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, protein waste
accumulates and eventually suffocates and kills the neuronal network of the
brain. If the glymphatic system fails to
cleanse the brain as it is meant to, either as a consequence of normal aging,
or in response to brain injury, waste may begin to accumulate in the brain (see
proteolytic enzymes below). The
glymphatic system then drains into the actual lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is the
garbage truck of the body; taking bacteria, used protein, and other foreign metabolites
to the liver to be excreted. If the
lymphatic system isn’t working efficiently, the body can become what people
call “toxic”. The cerebrospinal fluid,
or CSF, has an intimate relationship with the lymphatic system and when the
lymphatics are “sluggish”, the brain will not be able to detoxify itself
easily. Swedish-type massage can help
the body’s lymphatic circulation, but the best way to help is through regular
chiropractic care. Doctors skilled in
Applied Kinesiology methods have ways to work directly with the
lymphatic system to insure it is functioning optimally.
Cranial-Respiratory
motion
Physiologic motion of the
skull, made up of 8 bones, is very important in normal health. Many people, including some doctors, perceive
that the primary purpose of the skull is to protect the brain and provide a
place for the eyes and ears. While this
is correct, there is much more to understanding the cranium and its association
with the nervous system. Within the
cranium there are “tension membranes” filled with cerebrospinal fluid and
anchored to the cranial bones. These
tension membranes provide support to the brain, cushioning it within the
cerebrospinal fluid. There is a dynamic
integration of these membranes within the minute movement of the eight bones of
the skull, known as the cranial respiratory system.
There are many reasons why
proper motion of the skull can be disturbed.
Disruption of this subtle cranial motion, as a result of head injuries,
can reduce the circulation around the injured area. This can dramatically increase healing
time. Utilizing applied kinesiology
methods allows doctors to assess the movement of the cranial-respiratory system
and determine where the imbalance lies.
Cerebrospinal fluid is
controlled and distributed to the nervous system by the gentle pulsing action
of this cranial respiratory system. Scientists
have known that CSF plays an important role cleansing brain tissue carrying
away waste products and carrying nutrients to brain tissue through a process
known as diffusion. CSF is in direct
communication with the lymphatic system and consequently, the rest of the body.
The
problem with “giving it time”
As you can
plainly see, simply giving a concussion time to heal may not be the best
idea. “Giving it time” implies that the
body’s ability to heal is optimal to begin with. This is not always the case. Prior health imbalances, including prior
injuries, have a cumulative effect on the body and in essence, can inhibit the
body from healing efficiently. No wonder
some people, especially athletes, are never the same after head injuries.
As of the writing of this post,
the NFL is seeking to dismiss more than 140 consolidated concussion lawsuits
that include more than 3,300 former players. If an estimated 300,000 sports-related head injuries
occur every year, the amount of athletes in general, especially professional, that
are dealing with PCS has to be staggering.
What
you can do
We can all learn great lessons
by observing animals in their natural environment. If an animal is injured, what does it
do? It finds a hole or some other place
to hide until it feels better. It does
nothing. So, conventional treatment of
rest is right on. However, neurological
injuries can take large amounts of time to truly heal; if ever.
Let’s look at the word
inflammation again. Inflammation is a
chemical process. What are the only
chemicals we are (generally) putting into our body? Food and drink, right? Food and drink can be anti-inflammatory or
extremely inflammatory. There are many “anti-inflammatory”
diets out there and they all have great aspects. The big things to avoid are food additives
like MSG, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners. White sugar, for a person who has just had a
concussion can be VERY detrimental. NO SUGAR…period. Sugar, for any injury, but especially a brain
injury is extremely inflammatory.
Nutritional supplements can
help immensely. Here is a list of Dr.
Todd’s top nutrients for MTBIs.
·
proteolytic enzymes like trypsin and alpha
chymotrypsin.
o
These enzyme “chew up” foreign proteins and
allow them to be excreted. These enzymes
can literally cut healing time by 50%. I
have seen it first-hand.
·
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD).
o
This has a high level of anti-oxidant activity
and is highly effective at reducing high levels of inflammation in a short
period of time, especially in the brain and spinal cord.
·
L-Glutathione and N-Acetyl L-Cysteine
o
Some of the most powerful antioxidants known
·
Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, and selenium
o
These are all basic anti-oxidants and work on a
multitude of levels in the body.
·
B complex vitamins
o
These are crucial. The brain uses more energy than any other
organ in the body and the B complex vitamins are used in every energy pathway
the body has. However, please see the
prior blog post below in relation to choosing B vitamins.
There is help for not only
concussions, but also post-concussive syndrome.
The key is to find a doctor that is skilled in analysis of the body as
it functions day to day. He or she should
not only be skilled in basic neurology, but also how the nervous system
functions as a whole. Be sure that they
are well versed in nutritional therapy as it happens in a clinical setting. Optimally, the doctor of choice should be
someone who can understand and analyze ALL of this...at the same time. Search out doctors skilled in the art of
applied kinesiology.
Concussions are not to be
taken lightly. Being proactive can have
life-changing results.