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...
Life Lessons
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...
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...
Lessons: July and August
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief At the moment I am writing this, the world is slowly beginning to shift back to a sense of normalcy. As vaccination efforts are in full-swing, and folks are able to start seeing friends and...
Life Lessons Learned From a TBI
by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief I first became a Citizen’s Advocate with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance (MNBIA) during the 2016 Legislative session. All the noise and stimulation at the Capitol was a little overwhelming for me at first, but...
The Inauguration of my Life with Traumatic Brain Injury
by JoAnne Silver Jones Inaugurations are times that mark a significant change or achievement, a changing of the guard or the opening of a new structure. For me, the first inauguration of President Obama has bifurcated my life. I...
Life Lessons Learned From a TBI
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Contact. It seems so simple, yet it's so critical to our daily lives. Even introverts and people with agoraphobia still need contact whether in-person, over the phone, or on a Zoom call. Those of us...
From the Editor
By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief As I sat down to write this issue's "From the Editor" section, I took some time to reflect back on my own journey, and how my memory was so severely impacted by my injury. In...
The Memory of an Ego: Transforming Memory and Identity with TBI
by Sam Black Memory is something that I did not give much thought to in my “before the accident” life. I relied on it in my career as a social worker. I cherished it in my pastime of creating...
The Real Reason 2020 Wasn’t So Memorable
By Ed Roth “I’ve learned two important lessons in life. I can’t recall the first one, but the second one is that I need to start writing stuff down.” – Anonymous Your memory used to be like a steel...
BLOG
Eye-Ear Connection Plays Major Role in Proprioception
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 […]
Proprioception and TBI
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 […]
Smoky Quartz for Balancing and Grounding
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 […]
This Professional Speaker & Auctioneer Couldn’t Talk Her Way Out of Brain Injury Symptoms
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 […]
Our Children are Our Legacy: Ensuring a Daughter’s Success
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 […]
Joy 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 […]
From Concussion to Competition
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 […]
Proprioception: a Mind-Body Connection
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 […]
Mexican Fried Rice
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 […]
