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...
Survivor
Discovering Mindfulness: Taking a Step Outside the Head
By Ian Hebeisen While working on her Master’s degree, Dr. Mallory Fox studied traumatic brain injuries, sports-related injuries, and concussions. She wrote a paper on CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, in that time. Yet, despite all of her studies,...
Caregivers and Spouses: The Key to Winning Your Personal Injury Case
By Jeffrey M. Heller, Esq. Who knows you best? Your spouse? Your children? Your co-workers? Your friends? When you file a lawsuit against a person or company that hurt you, whoever knows you best will be your star witness...
Taking Care of a Loved One After a Traumatic Brain Injury
By Tyler Bouwens I hadn’t ever conceived being a caregiver would be part of my story until a reckless and likely intoxicated driver hit my wife, Sophia in March of 2015. She spent a month in the hospital recuperating...
Caregiver’s Three A’s for Observing a Brain-Injured Patient
By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D., Executive Research Director: The Mind-Eye Institute Attention to detail is one of the most important duties that a caregiver can undertake in assisting recovery of a patient who has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI)....
Playing the Hand She’s Dealt
By Ellen Fortini Early one morning in November 2010, Aimee Osgood went to get her children up for school when she slipped on her bedroom floor. As she landed, a screw on her bedframe sliced her arm wide open....
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...
A Pursuit of Happiness, Sadness, or Any Emotions
By Ian Hebeisen When discussing changes in her life after receiving her traumatic brain injury, my mom mentions all sorts of physical symptoms: vision problems, nerve spasms, the whole nine yards. One of the most dramatic changes she describes...
Veteran With Brain Injury Now Competing For Miss America Title
by Ed Roth On the surface, Danielle Skranak seems to be living the American Dream. For the past four years, she has been a paralegal; for the past six months, the Army veteran has been Program Coordinator for the...
Warrior Mom: The Power of Persistence
by Ian Hebeisen In September 2012, celebrity nutrition and fitness expert JJ Virgin answered a phone call that no parent should ever receive. Her 16-year-old son, Grant, had been the victim of a hit and run car accident that...
BLOG
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 […]