Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Mild injury Mild traumatic brain injuries usually require no treatment other than rest and over-the-counter pain relievers to treat a headache. However, a person with a mild traumatic brain injury usually needs to be monitored closely at home for any persistent, worsening or new symptoms. He or she also may have follow-up doctor appointments. The doctor will indicate when a return to work, school or recreational activities is appropriate. It's best to avoid physical or thinking (cognitive) activities that make things worse until symptoms have resolved. Most people return to normal routines gradually. Emergency care for moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries focuses on making sure the person has an adequate oxygen and blood supply, maintaining blood pressure, and preventing any further injury to the head or neck. People with severe injuries may also have other injuries that need to be addressed. Additional treatments in the emergency room or intensive care unit of a hospital will focus on minimizing secondary damage due to inflammation, bleeding or reduced oxygen supply to the brain. Medications to limit secondary damage to the brain immediately after an injury may include: Anti-seizure drugs. People who've had a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury are at … Continue reading →

Leon O'Neill developed leukaemia when he was just four years old He had years of treatment but the cancer returned in February 2013 After a bone marrow transplant he spent weeks in isolation in hospital Just after returning home, he picked up the glandular fever virus Leon was given urgent treatment but suffered a devastating reaction His brain was starved of oxygen and he is now in a vegetative state His parents Caroline and Shaun have been warned that he will not recover By Emma Innes Published: 06:52 EST, 5 June 2014 | Updated: 07:07 EST, 5 June 2014 232 shares 16 View comments A 10-year-old boy who twice fought cancer suffered irreparable brain damage when he reacted to drugs prescribed for glandular fever. Leon ONeill is now in a vegetative state, with doctors warning his devastated parents he will not recover. Caroline Bottrell and Shaun O'Neill are today desperately trying to raise enough money to modify their house, so they can bring their son home from hospital. Leon was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was just four and had three years of chemotherapy before going into remission. See more here: Leon O'Neill left brain damaged after reaction to glandular … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 5-Jun-2014 Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair Putnam Valley, NY. (June 5, 2014) Scientists in Taiwan have found that intravenous injections of stem cells derived from human exfoliated deciduous tooth pulp (SHED) have a protective effect against brain damage from heat stroke in mice. Their finding was safe and effective and so may be a candidate for successfully treating human patients by preventing the neurological damage caused by heat stroke. The study is published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation and is currently freely available on-line as an unedited early e-pub at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/content-CT1100Tseng. "Heat stroke deaths are increasing worldwide and heat stroke-induced brain injury is the third largest cause of mortality after cardiovascular disease and traumatic brain injury," said study lead author Dr. Ying-Chu Lin of the Kaohsiung Medical University School of Dentistry, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. "Heat stroke is characterized by hyperthermia, systemic inflammatory response, multiple organ failure and brain dysfunction." To investigate the beneficial and potentially therapeutic effects afforded by the protective activities of self-renewing stem cells derived from human exfoliated deciduous teeth, the scientists transplanted SHED into mice that had suffered experimental heat stroke. According to … Continue reading →

The brain is the most important organ you have, so keep it safe. Breaking news logo With June being Brain Injury Awareness Month, the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region spoke about the importance of keeping your brain safe. The society we live in where we have access to transportation such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, certainly collisions take place where not only the brain can be impacted but certainly the overall body as well, even resulting in fatalities, said Murray Wotherspoon, education and prevention co-ordinator in the area of brain injury prevention. The challenge around a brain injury is the brain doesnt heal itself like many other parts of the body. He explained that preventing the injury from happening is one of the primary ways to maintain long-term brain health. In the past there wasnt a lot of awareness about traumatic brain injuries and concussions while playing sports. A concussion could be described as perhaps a shake-up of the brain, Wotherspoon said. It can be caused by a blow to the head or body and even though you dont see a large hole in the brain or a bump, the chemistry of the brain has been dramatically altered. In respect to … Continue reading →

Now that hes getting help for his drug addiction, John Jacobs is confident he wont go back to prison. The 27-year-old Putnam County resident spent a year locked up for pawning stolen electronics to support his addiction. He was released in January and has been at a long-term residential treatment facility through Prestera Center since then. Im happy, Im clean, Jacobs said. Any other time in the past I just got clean for other people Now I just dont want to get high. A kitchen worker at the FireSide Grille in Hurricane, Jacobs gets Medicaid, which pays for his substance abuse treatment. I was fortunate to get on Medicaid because I was getting [treatment] for free for three months through the [Veterans Administration] and then I got to pay for the rest of it, Jacobs said. I work, but I pay for child support and stuff so I dont make enough to do that. Under the Affordable Care Act, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin used federal money to expand West Virginias Medicaid program. As of last week, more than 120,000 West Virginians had signed up under the expanded program. That number includes ex-inmates with drug addictions like Jacobs. State officials believe … Continue reading →

[ Watch the Video: Untangling The Brain Circuits In Mental Illness ] Alan McStravick for redorbit.com Your Universe online Just over a year ago, the White House announced a new initiative aimed at gaining a broader understanding of how the human brain works. The BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative will present new and novel ways to treat, prevent and cure brain disorders like Alzheimers, schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury. A year on and we are now learning that scientists and physicians at UC San Francisco are advancing on their work, focusing on gaining understanding and developing treatment for some of the more common and debilitating psychiatric disorders. First up on the list are certain anxiety disorders and major depression. This course of study was one of the first research projects launched after the announcement of BRAIN. It is believed their work will pioneer neural stimulation which will help the brain to unlearn the patterns of these disorders that lead to them becoming more and more debilitating to the sufferer. The UCSF research is being funded via the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as part of that agencys new program, SUBNETS (Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging … Continue reading →

With the focus on concussions in young athletes intensifying across the nation, the White House on Wednesday unveiled a raft of initiatives aimed at preventing mild traumatic brain injury and improving its diagnosis and treatment in children. Readying for a White House event Thursday focusing on youth sports and brain safety, officials announced a fresh commitment of $65 million in private funds to boost clinical and scientific work. In addition to $30 million from the NCAA and a new pledge of $25 million from the NFL for separate endeavors, a $10-million gift to UCLA from Hollywood executive and New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch will help get a national tracking system for concussions off the ground. "Hopefully, 20 years from today, athletes won't be discovering the head injuries that football players now are discovering they may have gotten when they were playing in high school and college," said Tisch, whose son plays high school football and whose daughter plays lacrosse. "This is kind of a new frontier." Tisch's donation will sustain and expand a university program that since 2012 has treated 600 young patients with brain injuries and studied the after-effects of concussions in middle school, high school and college … Continue reading →

Vienna, VA (PRWEB) May 29, 2014 The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is an invited participant at todays White House Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit, where President Obama will announce new public and private initiatives to improve prevention, identification, and management of youth sports concussions. Greg OShanick, M.D., former chairman of the board and medical director emeritus of BIAA, will represent the organization and discuss BIAAs efforts surrounding youth sport concussion interventions. Dr. OShanick has treated patients with brain injuries for more than 30 years and has served on the faculties of three different medical schools in addition to his work with BIAA and in private practice. With a generous grant from SAP, the world leader in enterprise software solutions, BIAA is developing an app that will give parents, teachers, coaches, and allied health professionals a platform to communicate with one another. The app will also provide tools to help parents and students know when it is safe to return to school after concussion. Teamwork does not end on the playing field, Dr. OShanick said during a meeting on BIAAs work on youth sport concussions. When it comes to concussion, student athletes need a full circle of … Continue reading →

AP President Barack Obama applauds Victoria Bellucci, a 2014 graduate of Huntingtown High Shool in Huntingtown, Md., who suffered five concussions playing soccer, Thursday, May 29, 2014, in the East Room of the White House. Related: Pascrell hears his idea pitched by Obama at brain injury summit WASHINGTON Saying he wants kids to play sports but play safely, President Barack Obama called Thursday for more and better research into the effects and treatment of concussions in youth athletes. The issue is one of growing concern for parents who spend weekends driving their kids from one game to another. But without direct authority over youth sports leagues, Obama's ability to address the issue meaningfully is limited to calling for research and trying to jumpstart a national conversation to teach parents, coaches and young athletes about concussions the goal of a summit he hosted at the White House. He also said a new attitude is needed where players who have been hit don't feel wimpy for sitting out a game or two. "We have to change a culture that says you suck it up," Obama said, adding that he probably suffered mild concussions as a young football player. He noted that concussions … Continue reading →

From the Political State blog on NorthJersey.com For more than a decade, Rep. Bill Pascrell has been leading a drive to get more government resources behind dealing with brain injuries. On Thursday, President Obama called for the same thing, and mentioned Pascrell and two other members of Congress at the start of his remarks. Among the initiatives Obama highlighted at a special White House summit on brain injuries in student athletes is an effort to coordinate research and develop standards that Pascrell sought in a bill that passed the House in 2010 but died in the Senate. Thats right out of the CONTACT Act, Pascrell, D-Paterson, said in a phone interview after attending the program. The president has bought into it. Related: Obama says sports concussions need more attention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will work with medical experts to develop guidelines for diagnosing and managing mild traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, in children and teens. That effort was part of a bill dubbed the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act of 2010 that Pascrell authored. Funding for the program, to be run by a program focused on brain injuries at UCLA, will include a $10 million donation … Continue reading →