Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion Protocol
Take concussions or suspected concussions seriously. If not taken care of they can have serious long term consequences. Here are suggestions but should not be used in place of medical evaluation/treatment.
Week 1: Goals: Increase blood volume to brain, reduce free radical activity (inflammation), repair cell membranes. No excitotoxins (fake sugars, aspartame/sorbitol, etc MSG) or alcohol. No/Limit sugar.
In the first 4-6 days do not stop inflammation, no Ibuprofen/Advil/Motrin, Turmeric, Fish oils, etc. Inflammation is part of the healing process and we don’t want any blood thinning.
Brain Rest- no physical activity, reading, computer, smart phone, etc. We don’t want your brain to work at all. Sleep/rest as much as possible. Book tapes OK. Avoid bright lights, LEDs, screens.
Reduce calories to fewer than 1,500 calories/day (do not do this with kids). Reduce carbohydrates/grains, no sugars.
Homeopathics: Aconitum napellus (1M) 3-5 pellets a day or up to 3x a day for shock and trauma. Take up to one week.
Arnica Montana 200c or 1M if bruising, neck strain, muscle soreness, etc. Take 3-5 pellets up to 3x/day for one week.
Supplements from Apex Energetics, available at our office, Adult doses (kids do ½ to ⅓ dose):
Day 1-3: Neuro O2 to increase blood flow (1 cap, two to three times a day with food).
Day 3: Add NueroPTX (1 cap two or three times a day)
Day 4: If OK with NeuroPTX, give Trizomal Glutathione (1 tsp 2x/day)
Day 5: Continue protocol
Day 6: Add essential fatty acids (Fish Oil, 2,000mg, like Brain DHA from Apex) to begin to re-build the cell membranes, also eat medium chain fatty acids (coconut oil/MCT oil).
Day 7: Continue protocol
Week 2: Goals: Save brain cells, retrieve and activate neural pathways. Still no screens, movies, phones, reading until end of second week. Sleep and rest as much as possible. Mild exercise like walking on flat surfaces should be OK.
Discontinue homeopathics
Monitor patient for balance, eye speed, and cognition. Symptoms of head pain, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, headache, and brain fog.
Day 8: Add Magnesium Glycinate (300-500mg/day, helps with sleep so before bed is a good time to dose it, but also add some in the morning), continue protocol of Neuro 02, Nuero PTX, Fish Oil,
Day 9/10/11/12/13: add in mild eye exercises for vestibular system (google it), continue until Day 14
Week 3: There should be no more headaches, eye pain, fatigue, blurry vision, disorientation, but if there is, continue resting and stay on protocol.
Can return to full activity but with no impact.
Stay on treatment plan for 6 weeks. No body contact sports for 4-6 weeks. If everything is fully recovered by 4-6 weeks patient is discharged to resume regular sports/activities.
If another head injury occurs within 3 months, the patient shall not play contact sports again for a year to ensure proper brain healing.
Concussions can take up to a year to heal. They can also injure your pituitary gland if there was whiplash, which can cause thyroid problems. If you have persistent fatigue or notice weight gain, hair loss, constipation, etc ask us or your doctor to order thyroid tests.
Also, persistent head symptoms may be a result of neck injury/imbalance or cranial bone imbalance. Call our office for a chiropractic or cranial appointment.
TIME: It is hard to gauge healing time exactly so the above recommendations are general. Please use below chart to monitor and error on the side of caution and rest until this checklist is clear.
To order from Apex Energetics specifically, Please go to Apex Online Store at https://www.myhcpstore.com/ and for HCP enter HeatherHuntDC
HYPERBARIC OXYGEN is really helpful too and we have a hyperbaric oxygen tank at Jacobson Chiropractic.
Adapted from Dr. Brandon Brock, DC. Dr. Brock is my colleague and mentor who specializes in Functional Neurology and traumatic brain injury.
