Brains are the best. They do a lot for us. More than we can think about, and more than we know.
But what happens when the brain gets injured? Maybe it’s a car accident, or a fall at work, or a slip on an icy sidewalk.
I’ve seen patients’ lives completely change after a head injury.
They can’t work, they have trouble looking after their families, and the things you and I might take for granted (like tying your shoes, enjoying a family outing, reading a novel, or making a healthy meal) seem impossible for them.
Brain Injuries can be hard to recover from, without the right support. I recently spent a weekend at a naturopathic conference all about brain health, and ways to heal the brain naturally. This article will highlight the strategies specific to healing traumatic brain injuries.
Natural Therapies to Heal Your Brain Injury
Several of the speakers brought up the brain-altering effects of electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) and radiation. We’re exposed to this in the form of cellular, wifi, and Bluetooth all the time. The top recommendation that I heard all weekend long was
1. REDUCE EXPOSURE TO EMFs.
- Turn your wifi off at night.
- Put your phones and gadgets on airplane mode when you sleep.
- Under no circumstances should you have devices transmitting information in your bedroom while you’re sleeping.
- Don’t bring your cell phone up to your head.
- Hardwire your internet, instead of using wifi.
- Anytime a gadget talks wirelessly to another gadget your poor brain is being exposed to damaging EMFs.
- Scrap the smart TV.
- Put Alexa back in the box.
- Wire in the speakers instead of using Bluetooth ones.
- Don’t use cordless phones.
- Go old school. Let’s make corded phones cool again. 😉
You may be thinking that all of those things are highly inconvenient and you just can’t imagine not having those things around you. Seriously? Your brain is injured, you can’t tie your shoes, and you’re worried about convenience? Are you 7 years old? Most of us can remember a time before gadgets ruled our life. Invite those simpler memories back in.
2. INCREASE YOUR BRAIN NUTRITIONAL RESERVES:
It takes an incredible amount of energy to heal your brain tissue. It’s an organ that doesn’t really get a break. The recommendations below are general and not individual therapeutic guidelines. Please visit a Naturopathic Doctor to see what nutrients and dosing would be right for you.
- Vitamin D – supports immune function, hormone balancing.
- Alpha Lipoic Acid – heals blood-brain barrier.
- Taurine – creates synapse (nerve cell connection).
- Melatonin – ideally in a liposomal melatonin. This is taken 2-3 hours before sleep, is a powerful antioxidant, and heals the blood-brain barrier.
- Magnesium threonate – calms the nervous system and drives healing nutrients to the brain.
- Riboflavin (B2).
- DHA (fish oil) – supports fatty nerve cell lining (myelin).
- EPA – decreases inflammation in the neck and body.
- Curcumin Longvita – anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant.
- CoQ10 – brain food!
- >>> keep on all supplements for 3 months after the brain is better
3. DECREASE BRAIN INFLAMMATION THROUGH PROPER DIET
- Avoid MSG. There are several food additives that have sneaky names but are still MSG. Check it.
- Consume no gluten or dairy for 12 weeks. This is because molecules in these foods stimulate the brain in unhealthy ways.
- Protect the digestive tract with probiotics, fermented foods, and bitters.
- Limit calcium supplements until the brain is healed.
- Consume free-range, organic eggs. They provide choline which is important for brain structure.
- Drink no coffee – just organic green tea – 3 cups per day. (Supplements also available.)
- Morning smoothie: wild blueberries, organic pomegranate juice in a glass bottle with grass-fed WHEY protein powder.
- The brain is VERY susceptible to toxins so choosing organic is vital.
4. SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP:
- Othromolecular nutrients through injectable vitamins and minerals. At our office, we do a Myers Cocktail.
- Hyper Baric Oxygen
- DNA testing to see if there is a genetic abnormality preventing natural anti-inflammatories in the body.
- Irlen Lenses (here) and get a filter for your computer screen.
- Physical Trainer. You need to do aerobic, cardio exercise at 70-80% of your maximum heart rate (220-age), for 40 minutes 6-7 x per week. Start at 10 minutes and increase 2 minutes per session until at 40 mins. One speaker iterated (and reiterated) that this is NON-NEGOTIABLE. You need to increase your circulation to drive those nutrients brain-ward.
- Brain Training – BRAIN HQ. Get the paid version (the free one is useless) and do 20 minutes per day.
- Audiovisual equipment – by MIND ALIVE.
- Acupuncture. Specific points on the scalp can drive blood blow and nutrients to this precious organ.
It seems like a lot, doesn’t it? Well… as mentioned at the beginning of this article. The brain does a lot for us and it needs a lot in return. If you’re looking for more info, here is a podcast on this topic.
Help others out by commenting below, What has worked for you or people you know when it came to healing a brain injury? Thank you in advance.
To your healthy, thriving, delightful life (and brain),
