local health brief

Traumatic Brain Injuries Can Be Prevented

A concussion is an acute injury or wound to the brain that can occur from sports injuries, automobile accidents and more. The symptoms include headaches, brain fog, inability to concentrate, vision issues, sound sensitivity and ringing in the ears. If concussions are not resolved, they become chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can create disability lasting for years with constant headaches, focus and concentration issues, inability to hold a job, depression and even suicide.

The brain is suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and when the skull receives a hard blow, the soft, delicate brain bounces against the inside of the skull and is bruised. This causes inflammation, swelling and hemorrhage to the brain tissue, much like a bruise to the skin, but the brain does not have skin to protect it. Because the skull cannot expand, the pressure on the brain cells cuts off their blood supply as swelling increases. If that pressure persists long enough, some of the cells will die, resulting in TBI.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an extremely safe and effective medical treatment administered in a chamber in which the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen under pressure. Dr. Daphne Denham, the nation’s premier expert in using (HBOT) to treat and help heal acute concussions, has treated more than 500 concussion patients with a 98 percent resolution rate. Her work shows that (HBOT) should be started as soon as possible after the concussion, and preferably within the first 10 days, while the average number of HBOT treatments needed is four.

Denham enumerates the most important benefits of HBOT: it reduces the swelling very quickly, much faster than steroids that are typically used; it oxygenates the cells and keeps them alive until the swelling is gone and the circulation is back; and it stimulates an eightfold production of stem cells.

Dr. Roger Hunter is the owner of Nirvana Hyperbaric Institute, located at 146 Medical Park Rd., Ste. 110, in Mooresville. For more information or a free consultation, call 704-471-4100 or visit www.NirvanaHBO.com.