Concussion Part 1 of 2
I got my 7th concussion a week ago Saturday. (The short story: I hit myself in the head with my open trap bar.) That's a lot of brain injuries. And given my history, I am not playing around when it comes to treatment, rest, and recovery.
TBI (traumatic brain injury) is something that is not incredibly well-understood by the general population (or even lots of healthcare providers), but it's beginning to get more needed attention. I hope you realize that I am a student for life, so I'm always learning and love to share the tidbits I have gathered.
Maybe this is one of those emails you save for a rainy day that (ideally) never comes. Or maybe you send it to a friend who recently had a TBI. But I hope you find a bit of useful info here given that I've not just studied concussions, but lived through a significant number of them as a patient myself.
The basics: a concussion is considered a mild injury to the brain, but effects can be pretty serious. It happens when the brain gets rattled around in the skull - usually by a hit to the head, whiplash injury, or something similar. Healing takes time. How much? It depends. I'm 10 days out and nowhere near done healing despite a significant amount of healing practices and treatments.
I'm choosing not to include research in this email because it's an email and not a research article, I'm still recovering and taking my own advice (which you're about to read), and because if you want to dive deeper, you certainly can find more info on all of the below information without my input. I'm choosing going to share the things that have worked for me and what I recommend to my patients.
Non-negotiables: These are ALL necessary, in my professional and personal opinion. And the sooner you do all of these things, the better.
Rest is key. There is no "working through" when you get tired after a brain injury. In addition to it prolonging the recovery period, it's also just not practical. Brain fog, confusion, and something I'll call time-warping tends to creep in and make continuing to push through fatigue quite improbable and nearly impossible. When you feel like you need to stop, just stop.
Omega-3s are absolutely necessary and hugely beneficial. I read research years ago saying 3-4g of DHA per day was incredibly beneficial after a concussion and I've had patients follow that regimen for at least a month or until they're symptom-free. If you aren't familiar with dosing of fish oil, 3-4g is right around a shit ton. A capsule of fish oil typically contains EPA and DHA. EPA thins the blood a bit more, so while you need some, you likely don't want a ton of that. I have personally been taking OmegaGenics Neuro 1000 from Metagenics (you can get that here) because it's got higher DHA within less capsules, and it also doesn't taste like crap (if you burp up your fish oil, it sucks and I'd recommend a different brand).
A practitioner I spoke with last week actually said he recommends 3-4g 3x/day, and I figured it was worth a shot to increase to this level and see what a difference it might make. I have taken at least 2 capsules 3-4x/day.
From a logistical standpoint, I started out with the regular fish oil I was taking and then switched to the higher DHA as soon as I was injured. I don't keep the high DHA stuff on hand.
A note on vegans and vegetarians: your brain health is your responsibility and it is entirely up to you if you opt to utilize vegan options (which are typically algae-based), but I have found through research and experience that these are vastly inferior options.
Hydration is incredibly important. I drink at least half of my body weight in ounces of water and additionally am having copious amounts of herbal tea and a variety of the Four Sigmatic mushroom tea blends throughout the day.
Alcohol is an absolute no. The only exception to this would be the minuscule amount of alcohol contained within fermented beverages like kombucha (and I don't mean things like the Flying Embers or June Shine hard kombucha). Fermented foods can be incredible for brain and gut health, but filtered alcohol is not going to do your brain any favors.
Quality supplementation matters. I already mentioned my fish oil above; I also am taking Pure Encapsulations Daily Stress Formula (available here) and Apex Energetics Neuro-PTX (available here) daily. I never recommend OTC supplements or purchasing supplements on Amazon due to quality control issues.
You NEED to see a chiropractor. I literally saw three separate chiropractors last week: Dr. Smith, Dr. Dane, and Dr. Scott. Dr. Dane specifically specializes in neurological conditions - she has her Diplomate in Neurology - and I will talk more about treatment with her in a bit. But all three chiropractors adjusted me. There's a huge neurophysiological response to getting adjusted that goes well beyond the impressive biomechanical advantage of getting adjusted. I did not want to miss out on that post-concussion.
Cranial therapy is another non-negotiable. You may get cranial adjusting done by a chiropractor or CST (CranioSacral Therapy) done by a practitioner. There are differences and benefits to both cranial adjusting and CST. Releasing neural tension and supporting the cranium's soft and hard tissues is imperative to optimal healing. I saw Dr. O'Neill and felt significantly better after treatment.
Okay, I have lots more to say about this, but compiling this has taken me three attempts. I intended to send it yesterday morning. (See the first bullet point about rest if you want to understand why.) So for now, I will bid you adieu and will follow up with my additional supportive care techniques in another email. And in keeping with respect for my brain's healing, I'm not going to give myself a timeline of when that will be.
xox
Lindsay