Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

May 30, 2013 Michael Harper for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online A new study from Tel Aviv University has found that THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, can protect the brain from cognitive damage, especially following injury. Medical marijuana has been found to be beneficial in treating pain, insomnia and lack of appetite, but this study has found that THC also helps the brain protect itself before and after an injury. Professor Yosef Sarne at Tel Aviv Universitys Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine discovered this as he was performing experiments to discover the biological makeup of marijuana and tested his hypothesis on lab mice. His results are published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research. According to Professor Sarne, only a very small dose of THC is needed to protect the brain from long term cognitive damage brought on by injury, seizures, or even damage from toxic drugs. Without this barrier of protection, brains are susceptible to cognitive defects and neurological damage. This isnt the first time THC has been found to protect brain cells. Previous research observed that, when administered 30 minutes before or after a brain injury, … Continue reading →

May 30, 2013 hough marijuana is a well-known recreational drug, extensive scientific research has been conducted on the therapeutic properties of marijuana in the last decade. Medical cannabis is often used by sufferers of chronic ailments, including cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder, to combat pain, insomnia, lack of appetite, and other symptoms. Now Prof. Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University's Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine says that the drug has neuroprotective qualities as well. He has found that extremely low doses of THC -- the psychoactive component of marijuana -- protects the brain from long-term cognitive damage in the wake of injury from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), seizures, or toxic drugs. Brain damage can have consequences ranging from mild cognitive deficits to severe neurological damage. Previous studies focused on injecting high doses of THC within a very short time frame -- approximately 30 minutes -- before or after injury. Prof. Sarne's current research, published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research, demonstrates that even extremely low doses of THC -- around 1,000 to 10,000 times less than that in a conventional marijuana cigarette -- administered over a wide … Continue reading →

Public release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University Though marijuana is a well-known recreational drug, extensive scientific research has been conducted on the therapeutic properties of marijuana in the last decade. Medical cannabis is often used by sufferers of chronic ailments, including cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder, to combat pain, insomnia, lack of appetite, and other symptoms. Now Prof. Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University's Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine says that the drug has neuroprotective qualities as well. He has found that extremely low doses of THC the psychoactive component of marijuana protects the brain from long-term cognitive damage in the wake of injury from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), seizures, or toxic drugs. Brain damage can have consequences ranging from mild cognitive deficits to severe neurological damage. Previous studies focused on injecting high doses of THC within a very short time frame approximately 30 minutes before or after injury. Prof. Sarne's current research, published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research, demonstrates that even extremely low doses of THC around 1,000 to 10,000 times … Continue reading →

POCATELLO, Idaho - Traumatic brain injury experts from around the state met with Sen. Mike Crapo at ISUs Traumatic Brain Injury Summit on Tuesday to discuss the rising number of TBIs and the even more hard-hitting issue of finding funding to treat it. Crapo, R-Idaho, is calling on the Obama administration to step up the attention given to people across the nation who are suffering from TBI. We are here for a special and important issue and that is the issue of traumatic brain injuries, Crapo said. According to the Institute of Rural Health spokesman Russ Spearman, federal funding only measures up to $8 million in grants for TBI programs spread across 21 states. Even though we have been through some very difficult economic times, the fact that there is no state money for TBIs is problematic, Spearman said. Idaho State University Associate Vice President and Executive Dean for the Division of Health Sciences Linda Hatzenbuehler said her school is the top institute in the nation for TBI research and development. Even so, the university is still seeing an empty wallet when it comes to receiving any sort of funding from the state for furthering TBI studies. Also in attendance … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) May 29, 2013 Neurological Recovery Guide and Neurological Wellness Center have been facilitating recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) since 2010. U.S. service persons, their spouses or caregivers will be greeted at the airport, chauffeured in our limousine to our Neurological Wellness Center for evaluation, treatment and caregiver training. Service persons who are unable to travel to our Neurological Wellness Center can email their United States Uniformed Services Privilege and Identification Card and receive our Perispinal Enbrel Step by Step Instructional Guide and 24 minute video at no charge. This presently retails for $100. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious problem in the United States according to this article in the Huffington Post. 1.7 million Americans will experience a TBI in 2013. 3.1 million Americans live with life long disability as a result of TBI. According to the Brain Injury Association 30.5% of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. have TBI as a contributing factor. This novel treatment involves a simple subcutaneous injection of the common anti-inflammatory drug Enbrel into the back of the neck between the cervical vertebrae C-5 and C-6. An observational study published in the October 2012 issue of CNS Drugs* followed five persons with … Continue reading →

TWIN FALLS Matt Smith couldnt breathe. He couldnt open his eyes. And his brain was beginning to swell. Time was running out and an ambulance would not be able to get to him. Smith had just fallen about 15 feet from an area known as Broken Bridge near Auger Falls, landing on his head, crushing part of his skull and breaking his femur. Three days later, he awoke in a Boise hospital, confused and was covered in tubes and monitors. As his brother walked in the room and started explaining what happened, Smith began pulling out the tubes that kept him alive. Smith told his brother he wanted to leave the hospital. He said, No, man. You almost died, Smith said. Smith underwent brain surgery, and had 30 staples from ear to ear across the top of his forehead. Five weeks later, Smith is up walking and talking, nearly back to his old self. Ive always been kind of a fast talking, lets get it done kind of guy, he said. Now, hes a little slower, but the father and business owner is still getting things done. Originally posted here: Man Recovers from Brain Injury after Accident at Auger Falls … Continue reading →

today's news related articles F ew things are more tied to Wisconsins culture than football. From the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field and the swaying bleachers at Camp Randall in Madison to the high schools, colleges, parks and backyards where the game is played all across the state, football is a part of life here in the Badger State. But now the sport stands at a crossroads. The profound effects of concussions and traumatic brain injuries have many questioning the future and the viability of Americas most popular sport. Enter the Head Health Initiative, a four-year, $60 million collaboration between the National Football League and General Electric. The initiative aims to increase the accuracy and speed of traumatic brain injury diagnosis, accelerate concussion research, develop a new game plan for treatment and ultimately, improve the safety for athletes. Perhaps its fitting then, given the states immense football culture, that the Head Health Initiative will be based in Wisconsin. GE Healthcares global headquarters for Magnetic Resonance (MR) in Waukesha will be the primary development site for the partnership with the NFL. There, plans to produce a state-of-the- art MR brain scanner will be put into action. Here in Waukesha, we focus … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON (NBC) - The skull's left corner is gone, leaving a jagged, diagonal edge drenched in red. The eyes are black and frantic. All of it resembles the Iraqi man who, in his final minute alive, stared up at Maj. Jeff Hall. For five years, that face tortured Hall, once a sharp Army leader later shoved to his own ragged edge. Not long ago, a woman handed Hall a blank mask, brushes and paints. She asked him to see what may emerge on the surface. "That image, seared into my mind, began leaking out of me," said Hall, one of hundreds of active-duty troops who have created masks as part of an art therapy program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. "I almost needed to regurgitate it.To be honest, it helped me let it go." Many more masks, some resembling Hall'sviolent creation, some depicting abstract demons, adorn walls at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICOE) on the Walter Reed campus. They reveal scars once carried and cloaked inside the minds of men and women back from war troops diagnosed with mild brain injuries and secondary psychological issues, including post-combat stress. Hall, 43, who titled his mask "The Shock … Continue reading →

ARLINGTON, Va., May 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- South Arlington chiropractor Dr. Wendy Jacobs announced that she is now treating patients for concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Jacobs recently attended the Annual Professional Football Chiropractic Seminar in Indianapolis. The South Arlington chiropractor uses chiropractic adjustments to address neurological damage following traumatic brain injuries. She also uses the Erchonia Laser to help reduce the brain inflammation following a concussive injury. Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia residents who have sustained a concussion may now receive chiropractic treatment from South Arlington chiropractor Dr. Wendy Jacobs. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that affects the nervous system, causing problems that include memory impairment, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and problems with balance and coordination. According to Dr. Jacobs, prompt treatment for a concussion injury is essential to a safe recovery. "Mild concussions are increasingly common injuries sustained while playing contact sports," said Dr. Jacobs. "They can also occur during a car accident. While most concussive traumas are mild, prompt treatment is still important to reduce brain swelling, manage pain, and support the body's natural recovery process." According to Dr. Jacobs, a combination of chiropractic care and laser therapy can help manage pain and … Continue reading →

Prototype spots swelling and bleeding in a pilot studybut the novel technique employed is relatively unproven. A helmet that sends a magnetic field through the wearers head might someday offer a quick way to reveal whether the brain is swelling or bleeding as the result of an injury. In a prototype of the helmet, a small halo-like coil generates a magnetic field above a persons head; another coil, just above the ears, detects the magnetic field induced in the volunteers brain. Because liquid such as blood affects the magnetic fields phase, the team behind the device was able to distinguish eight brain-injured patients from 46 healthy volunteers in a pilot study, they report in the journal PLOS One. The device does not allow researchers to create an image of the brain damage as is possible with computerized tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), state-of-the-art techniques used in major hospitals. But it might one day offer those in more remote settings a simple, cheap method of deciding whether a patient needs to travel for advanced medical care (see Imaging Method Reveals Hidden Brain Injuries). It might also point to a way of using a helmet to detect brain injury … Continue reading →