BRINGING YOU CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO HELP TREAT AND HEAL BRAIN WOUNDS: CONCUSSIONS, TBI, PTSD

This report brings you information about the Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport–Amsterdam, October 2022.

For the sixth time, an international assemblage of specialists have come together to refine a document, purportedly to keep interested parties aware of the best information available concerning Concussion in Sport. And for the sixth time, the Conference has failed to talk about or recommend treating and healing brain wounds/TBI/Concussion.

Backup papers to the Conference last year also fail to address healing brain wounds. Nowhere in the documents can you find mention of “brain wound” or a fundamental component of wound healing: OXYGEN. In fact, there is precious little medical advice, much less a protocol or even mention of the latest research and clinical evidence describing the work done worldwide to treat and heal brain wounds, including Concussion, using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and scientifically validated alternative therapies.

The group of over 300 specialists met to refine detection and assessment of Sports Related Concussions (SRC). Much was made of refining the definition of concussion and clarification and expansion of “the 13 Rs” guiding what could be considered a “Concussion Conference Cascade” of guiding principles published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Ancillary papers are also available.

The ‘13 Rs’ of Sport Related Concussion now include:

RECOGNISE, REDUCE, REMOVE, REFER, RE-EVALUATE, REST, REHABILITATE, RECOVER, RETURN-TO-LEARN/RETURN-TO-SPORT, RECONSIDER, RESIDUAL EFFECTS, RETIRE, and REFINE.

What about REPAIR? To not be talking about the latest science concerning healing brain wounds — most Concussions are mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) — is a form of collective inattention. A dozen years of worldwide research have produced peer-reviewed science and over 21,000 success stories using HBOT to treat and help heal brain wounds. Even YouTube has a record of the stories recorded in over 135 TreatNOW Coalition clinics. Dr Joe Maroon, the Pittsburgh Steelers Medical Director for decades, should be part of any discussions about the use of HBOT for Concussions, along with Drs. Daphne Denham and Paul Harch.

Here’s a downpayment on a REPAIR Section in any Concussion Consensus document worthy of conscientious science and medical accuracy.

REPAIR. The science and practice of wound healing is as applicable to repairing brain wounds/Concussion as it is to repairing diabetic foot ulcers and non-healing wounds, flaps, grafts, crush injuries, and burns. The FDA has already approved Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for 14 Indications, many of which are nearly identical to the Invisible Wound of Concussion.

Most often, concussed victims will hear that most concussions get better in time. The Cleveland Clinic states: “Concussions stretch and bruise nerves and blood vessels and cause chemical changes in your brain that result in a temporary loss of normal brain function. A single concussion usually doesn’t cause permanent damage to your brain. Multiple concussions over a lifetime may result in structural changes in your brain. Concussions are not usually life-threatening. However, the effects from a concussion can be serious and last for days, weeks or even longer.” They continue: “What’s the difference between a concussion and a traumatic brain injury? Really there is no difference. Both are considered injuries to the brain. These are virtually the same terms.”

Try this exercise: just Google “concussion treatment.” You’ll find that huge industries have grown up around Concussion Management and Rehabilitation, not Successful Treatment and Healing. Current, generic “treatment” includes:

• Over-the-counter pain relievers.
• Drinking plenty of water.
• Getting enough rest.
• Taking a break from sports and other strenuous activities.
• Not driving a vehicle right away. 
• Avoiding alcohol while recovering. 
• Brain rest. Minimize use of electronics (including TV, cell phone, computer) to allow your brain time to heal.
• Avoid bright lights and noises

Note that “treatment” always includes observation, rest, and gradual progression through steps or stages to ensure the patient does not get another concussion. Yet nowhere in any Concussion Protocol or Consensus document — whether the NFL/NBA/MLB, FIFA, NHL, NCAA or the myriad other sports — will you find mention of the need for root cause analysis of the brain wound and accompanyin g symptoms, and how to use “alternative” medicine to heal that wound. “Oxygen” is not discussed, the fundamental natural drug demanded by the brain for healing.

Further, huge arguments are ongoing about how fast a patient should start exercising after a concussion, but this is no mention of the role of exercise in delivering increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain wound. No surprise that patients heal faster with HBOT since it deliver 8-12 times more O2, reduces inflammation, repairs damage by growing more stem cells, blood vessels, and neurons.

So here’s a primer for patients and parents and caregivers and coaches and trainers.

• A concussion is a brain wound. Some “heal” on their own; a sizeable percentage cause lingering symptoms.
• Over 3.5 million ER visits a year are due to concussions. it is estimated that there are 3-5 million citizens negatively afflicted with life-long symptoms of varying severity due to unhealed brain wounds.
• Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy is virtually unknown to medicine as a healing modality to treat brain wounds/Concussion/TBI. It is seldom taught in medical school. Mothers and fathers and athletes are not told they can seek healing help.
• HBOT is not insured for Concussion. Average cost of one dive is $250-300. Consider that against 6 weeks – 6 months or longer of life altering symptoms like headaches, nausea, loss of memory, sleeplessness, anxiety, inability to focus, lack of energy, depression, etc.
• Untreated brain wounds/Concussion/TBI can lead to degenerative brain damage and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
• CTE can only be diagnosed after death. The Boston University CTE Center announced in 2023 that they have now diagnosed 345 former NFL players (out of 376) with CTE.
• Current Concussion Protocols have nothing to do with healing the brain wound. Worldwide, the “standard” treatment is rest and exercise and hoping the injury gets better. Not one intervention for Concussion/TBI is approved by the FDA and there is no discussion from trainers or doctors about brain wound healing. [Recall that until only recently, coaches were teaching players to use their heads as a battering ram, unaware of the damage, let alone how to repair that damage.]
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been shown to heal Acute Concussions after five, one-hour sessions. It eliminates suicidal ideation, alleviates symptoms, and allows patients to get back to work, school, and play symptom-free. No two concussions are alike and multiple brain wounds exacerbate the damage and time to heal.
• Don’t expect anyone to tell you that HBOT is available and has been proved safe and effective. You may hear it is unproven, dangerous, or too costly; most won’t know. Follow doctor’s orders, but go further. Do your own research. Talk to someone who actually knows and has read the latest research. View some success stories.

The TreatNOW Mission is ending service member suicides. Along the way, we have learned that we can help heal the effects of acute concussion while healing the brain.

Heal Brains. Stop Suicides. Restore Lives. TreatNOW

Information provided by TreatNOW.org does not constitute a medical recommendation. It is intended for informational purposes only, and no claims, either real or implied, are being made.