Homeopathy and Concussions

Concussions – Are More People Having Concussions or Are We More Aware of Them?

When I was 9 or 10 years old. I got hit on the side of my head with a huge rock. I saw stars and had a headache for days. My parents took me to a chiropractor, which would take the headache away for a time, but it never addressed my concussion. There were days I wished I could have just taken my head off and pick it up 2 weeks later; that’s how intense my headaches were.

I continued having headaches several times a month, until my mid-twenties; when I discovered Homeopathy. I started taking the Homeopathic remedy Bryonia Alba for my headaches, which would take my headaches away within a couple of days. Eventually, Bryonia Alba did not work for my headaches. I had also tried several other Homeopathic remedies for my headaches, which only papillated my headaches. I knew from my Homeopathic studies, that when well-chosen Homeopathic remedies do not work for a headache, that I needed to select a Homeopathic concussion remedy. I then switched to Arnica Montana and Natrum Sulphuricum, the 2 main Homeopathic remedies for concussions.

After following a specific Homeopathic concussion protocol, I am happy to say that I am concussion free, in fact I do not even get headaches anymore. From my own experience, I have been able to help many others with concussions including pets and wildlife animals at a local wildlife refuge.

In recent years, more attention has been directed towards concussions; information has been collected and we know the following:

• There are between an estimated 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions in the United States every year, leading The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conclude that sports concussions in the United States have reached an epidemic level.
• 33% of all sports “concussions” happen at practice. 4 to 5 million “concussions” occur annually, with rising numbers among middle school athletes. 90% of most diagnosed “concussions” do not involve a loss of consciousness. An estimated 5.3 million Americans live with a traumatic brain injury-related disability (CDC)

According to the statistics collected by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Sports Medicine Concussion Program.

• Of the 1.7 – 3 million sports – and recreation-related concussions each year, around 300,000 are football-related.
• 5 of 10 concussions go unreported or undetected.
• 2 in 10 high-school athletes who play contact sports — including soccer and lacrosse — will suffer a concussion this year.
• Girls’ soccer sees the second-most concussions of all high school sports. Girls’ basketball sees the third most.
• The UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program sees more than 17,000 patients each year:
• 30 percent are from outside the state of Pennsylvania.
• About 70 percent are high school-aged.

With so many concussions taking place is sports, Youth Sports Programs are now requiring Athletic Trainer, Coaches, and Sports Officials to take an online certification course on concussions each year.

Sports are not the only way someone can have a concussion. Other common ways include fights, falls, playground injuries, car crashes, and bike accidents.

So, What exactly is a Concussion?

A Concussion, also called a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an injury caused by a blow to head or body (i.e. spine) from a fall or another kind of injury such as whiplash, that jars or the shakes brain/brain stem inside the skull.

The brain, is a soft organ surrounded by spinal fluid and is protected by the hard skull. The fluid around brain acts like a cushion that keeps the brain from banging into the skull. When the head or body gets hit hard enough, the brain crashes into the skull and becomes bruised; injured. Even if the skull is not fractured, the brain can “hit” the inside of the skull and be bruised. The “head” may look fine, but problems could result from bleeding or swelling inside the skull. You do not have to pass out or forget what happened from a head injury to be considered a concussion.  Often, in addition to the bruise nerve endings in the brain stem are severed.

Symptoms of a concussion can range from mild bump or bruise to severe traumatic brain injury that can last hours, days, months, to years in some cases. Repeated concussions can permanently damage the brain.

Concussions Symptoms:

• Headache or feels pressure in the head,
• Memory problems,
• Confusion,
• Easily upset, angered, sad, nervous or anxious,
• Drowsiness or feeling sluggish,
• Dizziness,
• Double vision or blurred vision,
• Nausea or vomiting,
• Sensitivity to light or noise,
• Balance problems,
• Slowed reaction to stimuli,
• Sleeping more or less than usual, problems falling asleep,
• Seizures,
• Draining of blood or clear fluid from the ears or nose,
• Unequal pupil size,
• Abnormal eye movement,
• Slurred speech,
• Brief loss of consciousness after the injury.

Once someone (i.e. athlete) has suffered an initial concussion, his or her chances of a second one is 3 to 6 times greater than an athlete who has never sustained a concussion.

How Are Concussions are Diagnosed?

When taken to the doctor or emergency room, the doctor will begin with questions about how the injury happened and its symptoms. The doctor might then perform a “physical examination” to fully determine all the symptoms. In serious cases, the doctor may request an “MRI scan” or a “CT scan” of the brain to check for more serious brain injuries.

One test that can be used at the time of injury is the King-Devick test. It is the most recent concussion test, it was originally developed in the 1970s as “a way to detect dyslexia”. A new study out of New York University’s Langone Concussion Center and “published in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology” has found convincing evidence that it can also detect when athletes of all ages suffer a concussion and that it can do so, even better than other commonly used tests.

The “King-Devick test” is a 2 – minute test for evaluating concussion within minutes of the injury. This test only requires a stopwatch (i.e. smartphone) and a few printed-out pieces of paper, and it can be administered by someone with no professional medical experience. Any student athlete suspected having a head injury during practice or during a game, are tested right on the sidelines to determine if the student should return to play. The test requires the athlete to read a series of numbers from left to right off of three different pieces of paper as fast as they can, while someone else times them for each one. Those times are then tallied together and compared to the time it took the athlete to complete the test earlier in the season.

For more information on King-Devick Test: https://kingdevicktest.com/

Homeopathy and Concussions

Concussions left untreated can lead to other health problems later on in life.

• Altered mental functions,
• Epilepsy,
• Chronic sinusitis,
• Asthma,
• Blood clot from a concussion can lead to a Stroke,
• Suicidal tendency.

Besides using Homeopathy to address my own concussion, I have worked with other concussion cases. In a majority of the concussion cases that I have consulted on, the clients were not exhibiting concussion symptoms at the time the case was taken. When the Homeopathic remedies stopped working, that is when I went to the next level and started looking for Etiology (never well since). I start by asking about old injuries. In this case if they ever had a head injury, concussion or whiplash and many, many times they tell me “yes.” In some cases, they had the concussion more than a year, even 5 – 15 years before contacting me about the symptoms they were having.

A Few Examples of Client Cases that Turned Out to be Concussion Cases:

• Chronic Sinus Infection,
• Allergies or Allergic to Chemicals,
• Chronic Headaches/Migraines,
• Depression,
• Suicidal Tendencies,
• Car Accident (minor and major),
• Whiplash,
• Tailbone Injuries (fell down on ice),
• Blurred Vison/Eyesight Changes (from car accident),
• Athlete Tripped on Sports Field,
• Child Pushed by Sibling and head hit swing seat,
• Epilepsy.

Homeopathic Remedies for Concussions and Their Symptoms

Homeopathy can be used to help heal the body completely. The following lists Homeopathic remedies I have successfully used to address concussion symptoms.

Aconite Napellus – Fear or frightened from an accident or fall. Must first calm emotional state down. Many times, the progress of the physical state is delayed, because the mental/emotional state needs to be addressed. Not addressing the mental or emotional first, will cause the pain symptoms to will be more prominent.

Arnica Montana – The first Homeopathic remedy to be given for any initial shock and trauma to the body, whether it be from a fall or surgery. When you don’t know what to give for a concussion case, you can never go wrong giving Arnica. Arnica can be used for recent or never well since head injury. It will even dissolve blood clots. Depressed from injury to head, just like Natrum Sulphuricum.

Baryta Carbonica – Concussion symptoms worse when knocking foot against anything, causes the brain to feel loose.

Bryonia Alba – Usually the first Homeopathic remedy given for a concussion headache. Headache is worse from movement and feels better with pressure.

Cicuta Virosa – Convulsions (epilepsy) from a concussion.

Cocculus Indicus – Dizziness, balance off. Concussion symptoms is sensitive noise.

Helleborus Niger – Rolls head constantly with moaning, bores head into pillow from the pain. Headache ends with vomiting.

Hyoscyamus Niger – Rolls or shakes head to and fro (constant moving head backward and forwards)

Hypericum – Concussion from a spinal injury (jarring spine, tail bone causes pain or a sensation goes up the spine into the head (brain stem).

Ledum Palustre – Concussion symptoms from misstep.

Natrum Sulphuricum – Etiology (never well since) head or spinal injury. Epilepsy, depression, suicidal from concussion. Head has a crushing/gnawing pain in back of head and on top of head. Brain feels loose when stooping. Headache is better in a dark room, and from vomiting. Blindness from a head injury. A majority of concussion cases respond very well from Natrum Sulphuricum.

Rhus Toxicodendron – Brain feels loose, as if struck against skull on walking or rising. Extreme restlessness.

As you can see, there are quite a few Homeopathic remedies for concussions. The Homeopathic remedy is selected according the symptoms the person is exhibiting.

Other Suggestions to Speedup Recovery from a Concussion

Turmeric is a great superfood for brain trauma and strokes. Called Curcumin as a supplement. It regenerates the brain cells after a concussion, or stroke. Turmeric can be administered as an herbal tincture, pills, capsules. Fresh turmeric roots can be grinded up and made into a tea or sprinkled on food and veggies.

Doctors Commonly Suggest the Following to Help with Healing from a Concussion

For the first 24 hours or even a few months, depending on the severity of your injury.

Rest your brain

• Rest in a darkened room, limit all stimuli; light, sound
• To rest your brain, you need to reduce the demands you make of it. If you are reading, watching TV, checking e-mails or worrying you are not resting your brain.
• In the early stages of recovery get plenty of sleep at night, and rest during the day.

Reduce physical and mental demands

• Physical and mental demands can make your symptoms worse and slow your recovery.
• Avoid activities that are physically demanding (e.g., heavy housecleaning, working-out, mowing the lawn, lifting and carrying heavy items).
• Avoid activities that require a lot of concentration (e.g., reading, video games, studying, computer work).
• Avoid activities that could lead to a second concussion (e.g. contact or recreational sports).
• It is best to avoid jarring movements such as running, jumping on trampolines, even driving in the car which can make your symptoms worse.
• More specific recommendations may come from your doctor based on your situation.

In 2015 the movie “Concussion” came out starring Will Smith on the real story of Dr. Bennet Omalu and his battle to raise awareness about the issue of brain damage in retired NFL players. You might want to check it out.

In conclusion, I think it’s both. More people are getting concussions and the good news is we are more aware of them and therefore, can treat them properly early on preventing some of the more serious conditions that can develop many years later.

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