By Ian Hebeisen Over her life, Nikki Lawley has sold H-Vac filtration systems, dealt cards at a casino, and started her own company, solidifying her as a true renaissance woman of the modern age. Most recently, she worked as a pediatric nurse in Buffalo – a career choice resulting in ...
Read moreBy Ellen Fortini Courtad There’s something surprising about Kathy Colace Laurinaitis that she doesn’t mind sharing. The managing partner of JBN & Associates recruiting firm. She is a self-proclaimed chicken. “People know me in business, so they think I have that no-fear personality,” she confides. “But I am such a ...
Read moreBy James A. Heuer, PA Beginning with the basics, the central nervous system (CNS) encompasses both the human brain and spinal cord. The brain is considered the most complex organ in the human body. Of all the oxygen we consume as humans, the brain utilizes 20% (one-fifth) of our total ...
Read moreby Toni Popkin Many people have heard of “The Spoon Theory” by Christine Miserandino. (www.butyoudontlooksick.com). She wrote the article to explain what living with a chronic invisible disease is like. I have a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); more correctly I've had four— three from cars crashing into mine (none my ...
Read moreBy 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, Fox still struggled finding the steps to recover from her own ...
Read moreBy Ian Hebeisen During my junior year of high school, my dad picked me up after I finished play rehearsal. These car rides home became commonplace, except for one day in particular. I hopped into my dad’s van, and he started our usual car-ride conversation with the phrase, “Now, don’t ...
Read moreBy 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 from a diffuse axonal traumatic brain injury, a broken shin bone, ...
Read moreBy 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). The caregiver must be able to recognize variations – slight as ...
Read moreby 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 navigate new technologies and made an effort to connect with others. ...
Read moreBy 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, have great balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is that every pose can be ...
Read moreBy 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
