Unpacking Fatigue
By JoAnne Silver Jones I’m an expert on fatigue. Living with TBI for 12 years, I know fatigues ebbs and flows, what mitigates and what exacerbates its intensity. I have an intimate understanding of the terrain of my fatigue...
Headache
Never Give Up Hope
Article and photos by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief In June 2009, Kate D’Orazio flew to Mississippi to visit her husband, who was at Air Force Reserves training. After an evening of dining out and celebrating their time together, her husband...
Your Atlas: Bearing the Weight of Your World
by Kelly Harrigan Can your Atlas vertebra bear the weight of your world? Atlas was the handsome mythological gentleman who was slotted to bear the weight of the world upon his broad shoulders. Forever. Just like this myth, the...
Determining the Cause of Your Post-Traumatic Headache
by Kellie Pokrifka Headache is the most common symptom following a brain injury. In those with moderate to severe brain injury, over half of the population will suffer from headache. Interestingly, rates are even higher in populations of those...
Surviving Your Headache
by James A. Heuer, PA Our law firm helps numerous individuals who have been injured in car crashes or involved in a slip and fall resulting in a head injury. I meet with all of our clients, and I...
Whiplash and Post-Concussion Headaches
by Erik Reis, DC, DACNB, CBIS For a majority of the population, daily headaches, neck pain, and migraines are merely a theoretical event that comes up in conversations with family and friends. But for the nearly 21.2% of the...
Headaches & The Jaw: Vagus Nerve & Trigeminal Nerve
by Sharik Peck, PT Persistent debilitating headaches are a frequent complaint from those who have experienced a brain injury or concussion. The fastest way to turn off a headache is by balancing the brain. What does that mean? First,...
From Pageantry to Advocacy
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief When Brooke Mills competed in her teen first pageant, she had no idea that she would eventually use pageantry as a platform to raise awareness about the devastating effects of concussions. About a year after...
Post Concussive Migraines
Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Headaches and migraines are one of the most common complaints following a concussion or TBI (traumatic brain injury). In fact, migraines are a common symptom even five years after concussions. Migraines are...
Alternative Therapies for Post-Traumatic Headache
by Kellie Pokrifka Many of us with post-traumatic headache are willing to try just about anything to ease our pain. The problem is that we just do not know where to start. To help reduce the burden of this...
BLOG
Yoga: Camel Pose
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for recovery after brain injury. 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 […]
Where Am I At?
by Michael Hennes, DC, DACNB, Where am I? This seems like a simple question. In fact, if you’re reading this you probably know exactly where you are, or at least you think you do. You may know the place you’re in but your brain may not know where you are in that place. Deep. I’m […]
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 first dusting of snow. With changing seasons comes holidays, family gatherings, and other situations that may […]
The Emotional Toll of Traumatic Brain Injury
By JoAnne Silver Jones with Hilary Jacobs Hendel One and a half million people in the United States suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. Attention tends to focus on regaining physical health and brain recovery to the extent possible, including speech, mobility, sight, hearing, and often emotional lability. Having lived with a TBI […]
How to Communicate with Your Doctors
By Michael Hennes DC, DACNB Our brains thrive on assimilating new information and figuring out what to do next. In fact, the brain’s job is to sift through all of the information we get in a moment and make a decision. Some of these decisions we’re aware of; we think about making them. Is this […]
Communication and TBI
by James A. Heuer, PA One of the most crucial devices in life, communication is by definition “the capacity to exchange or discuss ideas, to dialogue, to converse with the aim of understanding between different parties.” The importance of it is engraved in day to day work, education, relationships, conversations, and leisure activities. It is […]
Healing Takes Time. Listen to Your Brain.
By Lynn Garthwaite 9-3-09. 1507 hours: “4828! Officer down!”. Chuck Gollop didn’t hear those words. It was the voice of his partner speaking to the dispatcher, requesting an ambulance and back-up as Sergeant Gollop laid unconscious on the pavement, partially underneath his police-issued motorcycle. “This was truly the day that changed my life more than […]
Amazonite to Improve Communication and Connection
By Kristen Brown Communication can get challenging when our energy is off. Pulling together a thought, composing an email or text, managing your body language and facial expressions – they can all send the wrong message if we are stressed, burnt out, injured, ill, or simply overworked. One powerful crystal can help you communicate more […]
Hands Up for “Heavy Metal Headbang”
By Ian Hebeisen Traumatic Brain Injuries can occur in an instant. For some, it strikes at home from a fall, while others sustain a TBI from a sporting related accident. For Melissa Meszaros, it happened on the way to a Judas Priest concert. A tenured entertainment industry publicist, creator of the comic book publicity firm […]
