From the Editor: Resilience
With the Winter issue comes a little bit of anxiety for me. My injury happened in February of 2014 when I slipped on a patch of black ice. Because I was carrying my five-pound Yorkie at the time, and...
Editor
From the Editor
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief It’s hard to believe we are already quickly approaching winter. The leaves have fallen, there is a chill in the air, and – depending on where you live — you may already have experienced your...
From the Editor
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief As we move into fall, I feel a sense of relief knowing the air will be less humid and sticky. My favorite season, I think fall teaches us a life lesson. Even though the leaves...
From the Editor
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Summertime — a double-edged sword for brain injury survivors. As we welcome summer, we also welcome higher temperatures and humidity — which can wreak havoc on our brain injuries, causing fatigue and other symptoms to...
From the Editor
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief I am so excited about this issue on Mindfulness. It helped not only in my recovery, but in my everyday life. Learning to focus on the present moment — the right-here-and-now — instead of worrying...
From the Editor
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Every year as March approaches, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in Brain Injury Awareness Month at the nation’s capitol. However, with the pandemic, we are once again unable to gather in Washington,...
New Beginnings
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-Chief It’s a new year, a new start, and maybe even a new shift in your mindset. January 1st marks the beginning of a new year, a new chapter of your life, and possibly a new...
Lessons Learned from a TBI
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...
From the Editor
As we are rounding out the year, I felt this is the appropriate time to celebrate caregivers who often go unrecognized for their daily efforts. This issue is packed full of information with the caregiver in mind. As survivors,...
Life Lessons Learned from a TBI
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Connection. Feeling connected, whether through personal contact or virtual, is so important to our mental health and overall wellbeing. The pandemic made connection a bit of a challenge, but most of us learned how to...
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Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity. Contrary to some beliefs, everyone can do yoga — you don’t need to be super flexible, be able to balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is every pose can be modified to accommodate anyone. An important aspect of […]
Resilience After a Brain Injury
By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Recovery after a brain injury can be a long journey. Working hard and hoping to get back to baseline often can be frustrating, and for some, unattainable. With the many doctor visits, exercises, rehab appointments, medications, and supplements, goals can become lost. However, amid recovering from a […]
The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body
By James A. Heuer, PA As a personal injury attorney for over 45 years, I have witnessed many of my clients successfully recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Whether the TBI occurs from a car crash, a slip and fall, or blow to the head, the resiliency of the human body and brain is […]
Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?
By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The term resiliency encompasses “the range of personal protective factors, environmental supports, and resources, as well as self-regulatory processes, engaged in response to adversity,” according to investigators writing about recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) for the publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Indeed, author Mike Norton said it best when he wrote, […]
Stress Away Essential Oil
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 […]
Resiliency and the Courtroom
By Jeff Heller Resiliency is one of the greatest attributes anyone can have. From an early age, parents teach their children, “if you get knocked down, you get back up.” Coaches teach their players, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And one of the cornerstones of the underdog mentality is to “never […]
The Quality of Resilience
by Shauna Hahn Sometime in 2019, in the weekly “Healing and Recovery” therapy group I lead, we discussed the topic of the quality of “resilience.” When it came time for a patient to contribute, he said, “I don’t want to be resilient. I get tired of being resilient all the f**king time.” And I heard […]
Peanut Butter Protein Fluff
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter 2 tsp. stevia Favorite garnish (banana, granola, blueberries) Add the yogurt, nut butter and stevia into a small mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer the mix into a bowl […]
Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors
By Ed Roth Randy Elston is finally living his best life, which may be an odd thing to say about a Marine Corps veteran with three traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Recently named as the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona’s new Adaptive Recreation & Activities Coordinator, Randy’s tours of duty in Iraq left him with a […]