What can an ex-NFL player with violent tendencies, a high school soccer player with impulse control problems, a 40 year old house wife with depression, and a military veteran with dementia all have in common? A past head injury.
The long term effects of head injuries are getting more attention now through research, advocacy groups, and even a blockbuster movie: Concussion.
It goes by many names: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), concussion, subconcussive blow, closed head injury, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), being knocked out, or a simple, seemingly insignificant knock to the head. The brain is a rather fragile organ. This is why it is encased in a hard skull and cushioned by fluid. It is just as vulnerable (if not more) to injury from a hard hit as any other part of your body. Unfortunately, unlike your leg you cannot see bruises on your brain surface, or even damage in an MRI from many head injuries.
So who is at risk for a brain injury? Those most at risk include military personnel, athletes, extreme sports enthusiasts, anyone participating in an activity where a helmet is recommended, and non athletes who have suffered a blow to the head from a fall or whiplash from a car accident.
You can suffer a brain injury at any age, and it’s effects can be lifelong.
You can minimize risk by limiting participation in contact sports and activities in which helmets are recommended. However, as a rock climber and football fan myself, I think it is unrealistic to expect everyone to stop participating in these activities which bring so many rewards. Especially considering anyone can suffer a brain injury from a simple fall. While you can reduce your risk, you can never completely eliminate it. Fortunately, you can reduce the effects and repair the damage with simple nutritional factors.
The good news is that it is never too late to help your brain repair. Foods and whole food supplements like DHA and EPA fats from fish oils, and B complex vitamins from liver help repair your brain.
What can you do right now? Educate yourself. The more you learn about this issue the better you can protect yourself and your family. Dr. Powell has a free talk on Natural Remedies for head injury Wednesday, April 26th at 6pm 21 Fairfax St. Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 (inside Portals). Or schedule an appointment to get started now on a brain repair protocol.