By Ian Hebeisen Over the years, my mom has undergone various treatments to battle her brain injury. She tried everything from physical therapy to vocational rehab to help reclaim her life, each aiding to some degree. Yet throughout her...
By Kelly Harrigan Traumatic brain injuries profoundly affect an individual’s ability to perform many cognitive skills, particularly those relating to emotional lability, attention, planning, judgment, and decision making. It is difficult for an affected individual to comprehend these difficulties,...
By Ian Hebeisen My mom recently described what she called “a ripple effect” resulting from her traumatic brain injury. Upon sustaining the TBI, it began affecting her life in ripples, starting at home and spreading outward. It affected life...
By Ian Hebeisen My mom first sustained her traumatic brain injury over seven years ago, leading to frequent fatigue. She’d come home from work and flop down into a chair, trying to regain enough energy to get through dinner....
by Anne Adkinson The term “caregiver” in the brain injury community can be complex and varied. Unpaid family and friend caregivers can be a key to recovery and living well for survivors of head injury. However, calling yourself a...
By Ian Hebeisen Mindfulness comes in many shapes and forms. It doesn’t have to be hardcore meditation for a solid hour once a day – that’s simply not realistic for everybody. For some people it might be a simple...
By Ian Hebeisen Over seven years ago, my mom received a traumatic brain injury from a car accident. As a result, she sustained nerve damage that often leads to painful contortions in her arms and legs. At first, we...
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief The approaching holidays can be a season of overwhelming activities, exhaustion, and burn-out for many of us. Whether it’s shopping for gifts, planning dinners with family, or traveling to loved-ones’ homes for get-togethers, the experiences...
by James Heuer A traumatic brain injury affects not only the person suffering from it, but their entire family and friends. Typically, a caregiver can be a spouse, child, relative, or close friend. Stressing the importance of seeking support...
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 5 oz (100g) chicken, cooked, shredded or chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 apple, peeled, deseeded, chopped ¼ cup (40g) raisins ¼ cup (30g) walnuts, chopped 1 tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tbsp. natural...
By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. “Vestibular information is integrated with proprioceptive and other sensory inputs to generate our sense of motion,” say authors of a recent study published in a 2021 issue of Current Opinion in Physiology (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cophys.2020.12.001). This explains why patients with vestibular sensory loss or other vestibular impairments find “everyday activities like walking” to […]
by James A. Heuer, PA Proprioception, simplified, is disturbed balance. Proprioception is how a person knows the position of the body, the location of their legs or arms, and how their head is held. It is the awareness of where the body is, and it is learned throughout a person’s lifespan. As muscles strengthen, they […]
By Kristen Brown Owning your place and space in the world takes a powerful mindset. Whether it’s navigating terrain physically or navigating situations mentally and emotionally, you will always find opportunities to see and feel where you’re at in the moment. One simple way to bring more awareness to your body, mind, and spirit is […]
By Ed Roth Letitia Frye will be the first to tell you she doesn’t sugar coat anything. But she did try to hide a few things, namely the ocular and physical limitations her brain injury caused her at work and home. West Coast-born, East-Coast raised, Letitia doesn’t have a 9-5 desk job or a typical […]
By Ian Hebeisen 20 years ago, Mike Lang returned home to find his house empty – not unusual, since he knew his wife Kelly and their two daughters were at a ballet rehearsal. Upon checking the answering machine, however, Mike learned that they never made it to their destination. “The message was from our friend […]
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]
By Mohammed Elamir, MD, FACP, Aviv Clinics Physician When 14-year-old Linden Perry came to Aviv Clinics, we asked about her expectations of our program. “I just want to be me,” she answered. It’s a response we hear frequently at Aviv Clinics, where our unique, comprehensive medical program helps people improve their brain function. Whether they […]
by Dr. Kassie Kaas, DC Proprioception, also referred to as kinesthesia, is defined as your ability to sense your movement or body position. That internal awareness helps you determine if you are standing, seated, in motion, or experiencing a gravitational force even with your eyes closed. Millions of special receptors located in joints, tendons, skin […]
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 7 oz. (300g) chicken breast 2 cloves garlic, crushed scant ½ cup (100g) rice 2 tbsp. coconut oil ½ red onion, chopped 1 red pepper, diced ⅜ cup (100g) sweetcorn, drained ½ cup (100g) red kidney beans, drained 1 tomato, peeled, chopped 1 avocado, stone removed, flesh diced […]
