Head & Brain Injury Advice and Resources

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Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Chronic Fatigue in TBI Patients

In April 2010 Dr. Jessica Schnieders from Rijnstate Hospital in Arnham, The Netherlands, published a study looking at Vitamin D levels and hormone levels in 180 TBI patients (50% of whom had fatigue and 50% of whom did not). She found that 51% of TBI patients were severely fatigued 10 years after their

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Will there ever be a Simple Blood Test for TBI?

Although blood tests exist for many pathological conditions (e.g. heart attacks and mononucleosis), the FDA has never approved a blood test to diagnose neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease or TBI. Although these neurologic conditions are associated with specific protein breakdown products (called biomarkers), they don’t get into the body’s bloodstream

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Researcher urge re-classification of TBI as a Chronic Disease

In the August 2010 issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma two physicians highly familiar with TBI urged the insurance industry and health care system to reclassify TBI as a chronic disease instead of a one-time event. The two physicians issued this recommendation after conducting an exhaustive medical literature review on 25 years worth

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Protein and Calories lessen effects of Severe TBI in the Acute Stage

The U.S. Department of Defense has just announced a finding by the Institute of Medicine regarding nutritional therapy for severe TBI. The IOM study showed that during the first two weeks of treatment for severe TBI, a high calorie, high protein diet can reduce brain inflammation and improve outcomes. The nutritional components which

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Surgeons Heal Damaged Brain Tissue by Restoring Blood Flow

In the April 2011 online issue of the journal Stroke neurosurgeons at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, reported the first ever successful brain bypass surgeries. The neurosurgeons operated on 29 patients (ave. age 41) who had lost grey matter along with cognitive function as a result of reduced flow from cerebrovascular

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In-Home Cognitive Retraining

Following a TBI many persons suffer from cognitive problems, and even when diagnosed as mild these problems can impair daily functioning at work and home since they effect attention, concentration, cognitive processing speed, multi-tasking, short term memory, problem-solving, and decision-making. Unfortunately a significant percentage of TBI survivors with cognitive problems do not have

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Falls Supplanting MVA’s as Leading Cause of Fatal TBI’s

The July 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reviews statistics on fatal TBIs from 2003-2008. During those years the percentage of fatal TBIs from motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) continued to decline while those from falls continued to rise. As of 2008 fatal TBIs from MVAs accounted for 31% of all

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Faith in Higher Power Helps TBI Survivors in Rehab

Brigid Waldron-Perrine, Ph.D., a recent graduate from Wayne State University, and her mentor, Lisa J. Rapport, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Wayne State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, reported in June 2011 that personal faith in a higher power improves the emotional and physical outcome of rehabilitation for TBI patients. Their

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TMS Therapy May Wake Up Comatose TBI Patients

In July 2011 Dr. Theresa Pape announced that by using a series of TMS treatments she had significantly increased alertness in Josh Villa, a father of 3 children left in a deep coma after an auto accident 6 years before. TMS or transcranial magnetic stimulation uses a coil to send harmless magnetic pulses

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