Traumatic brain injury (TBI): what is it and do I fall into this category?
What is a TBI?
Many are familiar with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) being caused by a bump, blow, jolt to the head or body. We have seen over thousands of patients and have come to classify a TBI as a complex process that leads to the disruption of brain function. There are two phases of a TBI, phase 1: the actual insult or injury and phase 2: the secondary injury also known as the inflammatory stage where the release of cytokines disrupt the natural chemistry of the brain. Symptoms from the secondary injury can occur days, weeks, months, and even years after the injury, especially from compounded TBI over the years. We get many questions on what we classify as a TBI, and have seen a variety of brain injuries that affect the neurochemistry and create a disruption in the neurosteroids and hormones.
Categories of traumatic brain injury include…
Physical Head Injury
Car accident
Motorcycle accident
Blow to head
Blunt head trauma
Assault
Sports/Repetitive Impact Injury
Football
Gymnastics
Water polo
Rugby
Surfing
Motocross
MMA
Boxing
Skiing
Horseback riding
Military
Blast trauma
Repetitive gun fire
Work
Construction work (operating equipment, falling debris, toxic chemicals)
Firefighter
Stuntman/women
Traumatic Stress
Childhood trauma
Life trauma
Work
Traumatic birth
Chemical trauma
Medications – (finasteride, antibiotics)
Autoimmune conditions
Viral infections
Digestive issues such as Irritable bowel disease, Chron’s disease, Celiac
Other
X-ray
Head trauma has been found to be a major cause of psychiatric illnesses, but very few people recognize this. It’s usually in hindsight we hear patients recognize the compounded TBI’s they have endured and link it back to the gradual decline of their overall wellbeing.
Symptoms we see:
Anxiety
Depression
Disturbed sleep
Change in moods
Short temper
Anger
Sensitivities
Brain fog
Loss in confidence
Loss in motivation
Headaches
Difficulty concentrating
Social anxiety
Overactive nervous system (paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity)
Inability to handle stress
Our goal is to target the inflammatory cytokines IL-6, NfKB, with high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrient to protect tissue damage preventing inflammatory responses in the first place. We also focus on optimization of the neurosteroids in the brain in order to support a neuro-permissive environment.
How do we address TBI?
Comprehensive blood panel – neurosteroids, sex hormones, thyroid, stress response and organ functioning
Interpret findings based on patterns we see
Review current symptoms and goals
Create individualize protocol for 12 months
Reassess quarterly to address response to protocol and review any changes
If you have any questions about traumatic brain injury or our approach, please fill out an inquiry on our contact page and we would be happy to get in touch to assist in any way.