Conventional TBI/Concussion Treatment Lacks Power To Heal
The traditional medical community is limited in their ability to help survivors recover and regain cognitive function after traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion. While they excel in keeping people alive after the injury, their current mainstream medical treatments for TBI and concussions haven’t changed much in the past 20 years. These treatments primarily deal with the initial injury and to rehabilitate lost functional abilities, but lack the power to prevent ongoing damage and stimulate neurogenesis and repair.
New TBI/Concussion Therapies Are Emerging
Thankfully, cutting-edge treatments are showing early potential to regenerate and restore brain function. Many of these treatments, such as hyperbaric oxygen, stem cell therapy, hypothermic therapy, photobiomodulation, vestibular therapy, and neurovascular coupling, are considered “experimental” or “new” by the medical establishment, as they are still gathering more formal, large-scale research data that is the standard process of becoming more widely accepted.
Importance of a Recovery Plan
Due to the newness of these methods, research, and tools, they are not widely used or supported by the medical establishment. Therefore, third-party insurance companies rarely cover these treatments, and personal medical expenses can be significant when engaging in a recovery program that uses new modalities. It is essential to have a guided plan created by a doctor specialized in concussion care, as such a plan is not available from most neurologists who only push medications. A guided plan can help survivors and their loved ones to navigate the complex world of TBI/concussion recovery and ensure that they receive the treatments that will best help them heal.
Eventually, as scientific evidence of their efficacy and clinical potential is gathered, these treatments will likely be more widely accepted by the medical establishment. Until then, however, it seems that survivors and their loved ones are left to find recovery on their own.
Quick Rant On Why Some Neurologists Suck
Almost worse than the standard medical treatments themselves lacking power, the neurologists and practitioners themselves lack power. Because their research, clinics, hospitals, etc are all funded and supported by the pharmaceutical industry (or because the practitioners themselves work for a big hospital chain), many are only allowed to prescribe and suggest certain FDA-approved treatments.
For example, when Brittny and got engaged I started going with her to her neurologist appointments. Brittny was told that her brain’s potential had plateaued and that all she could do was manage the pain with medication. I asked what else we could do to find recovery – that we would do anything, try any safe experimental or new treatment if it had even the slightest potential to heal her brain. In response, the genius doctor said that there wasn’t anything we could do apart from pain management via heavy medication. Fast-forward about a year later when Brittny went back, she told her neurologist about her experience at Cognitive FX, Plasticity Brain Centers, and the Mind Eye Institute. The neurologist replied with “oh yeah, a few of my other patients have had success there too.”
Did you catch that?
This neurologist, who we plead with to give us more resources – even experimental ones, knew about these treatment centers but didn’t tell us.
As I’ve talked with more TBI survivors, I’ve learned that this is fairly common. That neurologists are not able to share resources with their patients from fear of being fired or losing their license. So they do the best they can in a broken system.
That’s why we’re doing this. That’s why we’re sharing our story of injury and recovery. Because if your neurologist isn’t going to help you heal, then who is? It’s not right that brain injured people aren’t given the resources they need to recover. Therefore, we are doing our best to share resources and be true “Brain Advocates.”
