Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Reduces Depression and Suicide Risk

(PRWEB) June 07, 2013

In a landmark study published in the Journal Neuropsychopharmacology, Susana G. Torres-Platas analyzed the brains of suicide victims and concludes: "The presence of hypertrophic astrocytes in BA24 white matter is consistent with reports suggesting white matter alterations in depression, and provides further support to the neuroinflammatory theory of depression." *

Suicide is a serious problem for U.S. military personnel who have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI). According to an article published May 15, 2013 in JAMA Psychiatry, "Risks of suicidal thoughts in soldiers rises with the number of TBIs they experience - both in the short term and over a person's lifetime." **The standard treatment protocol Neurological Wellness Center physicians employ for individuals who have experienced TBI and have no overt physical symptoms is just four perispinal injections of 25 mg etanercept over 16 day period coupled with oral minocycline 100 mg 2X daily for 50 days. "This treatment interrupts a self-perpetuating cycle of inflammation that can persist for years after the injury," Rolando Hernandez M.D. neurosurgeon for Neurological Wellness Center. This dosage of Enbrel is quite low compared to the recommended dose for moderate rheumatic psoriasis. This dose of minocycline is the same as that commonly used to treat adolescent acne. "The short term perispinal Enbrel (PSE) treatment we employ can be a real lifesaver for individuals with TBI who are suffering with severe depression. Why the U.S. military, NFL and others are failing to utilize PSE as a routine standard treatment of TBI is a mystery to me," said Dr. Hernandez.

"Perispinal Enbrel as a TBI treatment has many attributes. (1) The therapeutic window is wide. A person who's injury occurred a decade ago or even longer may still benefit. (2) The treatment is short term, involving just two to eight injections over a period of eight to forty days, yet the benefits are long lasting. (3) The dosage of Enbrel needed to achieve these results is quite low compared to the FDA recommendations for moderate plaque psoriasis. The FDA protocol for moderate plaque psoriasis calls for 24 injections, totaling 1200 mg of Enbrel over a three month period, followed by weekly injections for life. Whereas a person with moderate to severe TBI would need a maximum of 8 injections totaling 200 mg of Enbrel in this period and would be unlikely to need even a single booster injection. (4) The recovery, improvements can begin to occur in minutes and can build with subsequent injections over a four to eight week period," stated Dr. Hernandez.

In order for injections of Enbrel to be effective, they must be administered to the soft fatty tissue in the back of the neck between cervical vertebrae C-5 and C-6. This simple subcutaneous injection, performed with a fine gauge inch needle, is referred to as a perispinal injection. Neurological Wellness Center offers a complete two-hour course on Alzheimer's treatment, stroke treatment and traumatic brain injury treatment covering all aspects of perispinal injection technique at their Neurological Wellness Center in Managua, Nicaragua.

For many, flying to the Neurological Wellness Center in Nicaragua to receive this personalized training is an enormous expense and inconvenience. To overcome this problem, Neurological Wellness Center, under the direction of Augusto Ramirez, M.D., created Perispinal Enbrel Step-By-Step Instructional Video and accompanying e-book. This 24-minute video and 37-page e-book are now available online at http://www.neurological-recovery-guide.com.

Augusto Ramirez, M.D., Director of Neurological Wellness Center, a private medical group in Managua, Nicaragua, authorized this press release.

The drug Enbrel is available now. Enbrel received FDA approval in 1998. Its safety profile is well understood. Enbrel is a highly advertised, commonly prescribed drug manufactured by Immunex for Amgen / Pfizer. Over 400,000 Americans self inject Enbrel each week, mostly as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Enbrel is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Dr. Augusto believes many of the impairments people with TBI or stroke experience are due to a self-perpetuating cascade of inflammation that was initiated by the brain injury. This perispinal injection allows Enbrel to enter the brain by lymph drainage assisted by gravity. Fortunately for the millions of people now afflicted with Alzheimers, stroke and TBI, a video is now available online detailing in step-by-step fashion how to administer a perispinal injection of Enbrel, said Dr. Rolando Hernandez M.D.

To enroll in a hands-on instructional course on perispinal injections, visit http://www.reversealzheimersnow.com. To purchase an instructional video and e-book on administering perispinal injections, visit http://www.neurological-recovery-guide.com

*nature.com/npp/journal/v36/n13/abs/npp2011154a.html **archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1688032

Go here to read the rest:
Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Reduces Depression and Suicide Risk