Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Aftermaths – Dementia, Parkinson’s and Encephalopathy

This is the first in a series of articles. I recently attended a conference on Brain Injury and Neurodegeneration taught by Dr. Dan Murphy. Much of his information is extremely relevant to what is happening in America today, especially with regard to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. So watch this space for additional articles.

The first topic I would like to address is brain injury. That may seem like it doesn’t apply to you, but rest assured brain injury is ubiquitous in America today. Typical sources of trauma include:

1. Sports injuries – whether with a concussion or without. Some of the sports with the highest incidence of brain trauma include football and soccer.
2. Car accidents with whiplash injuries. In the U.S., these are the primary cause of traumatic brain injury. {Amen, Daniel MD, Making a Good Brain Great, Harmony Books, 2005, p. 28}
3. Clear-cut accidents where you bump your head – either from a fall, on a kitchen cabinet or on the car door. The kind of injury most of us just brush off.

The reason I took the class is that I had a serious concussion about 20 years ago and am now experiencing some effects from it.

So, first of all, what causes traumatic brain injury? Remember, the brain is very soft, gelatinous tissue housed in a very hard skull. When you experience a blow to the head, or a whiplash type event, your brain slams “against the walls, ridges and sharp bony edges in the skull, ripping small blood vessels, causing multiple minute bleeds and over time many areas of tiny scars.” {Ibid. p. 25}

Furthermore, brain injuries are additive. A person may not initially have symptoms when they injure a certain part of the brain, because the brain has built-in reserves. “The next brain injury, even if it seems minor, may wipe out the reserves, causing major problems.” {Ibid. pp 25-26} Therefore, it is important to build your nutrient reserves to protect your brain. I will cover that topic in my next article.

According to the Rand Corporation, the top four degenerative diseases that will bankrupt the U.S. health care system are dementia, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. They all have a common denominator – INFLAMMATION! Watch this space for further discussion of how you need to change your lifestyle and your nutrient intake to reverse the adverse effects of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.).

Additionally, a very important tool to affect brain function is chiropractic adjustments.  A recent in-depth study of the effects of chiropractic adjustment validates the effect adjusting has on brain function. {Ogura, T, et al, Division of Cyclotron Nuclear Medicine, Tohoku University (Graduate School of Medicine), Sendai Japan, published in Alternative Therapies Health Medicine Nov-Dec 2011; Vol 17; No. 6; pp.12-17}.  There have been a variety of studies from Winsor (1921) through Korr (1979) that have claimed that compromised spinal function causes increased sympathetic tone, which is linked to immune system dysfunction, pain, vascular compromise with subsequent additional neurological dysfunction and reduced systemic health. This study, using the most advanced technology currently available, supports this model. What can we deduce from this? Regular chiropractic adjustments maintain the flexibility of the spine, reduce pain and inflammation – including in the brain. The overall result: improved mental and organ function and improved quality of life.

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