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After watching the “Concussion” movie, three leading brain doctors believe audiences worldwide will leave scratching their heads wondering what they really know about the mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) affecting millions of people every year. And more importantly, what’s being done now to prevent, detect and treat them?
Daniel G. Amen, MD and Theodore Henderson, MD, PhD have joined me in sharing the “untold story.” Based on the latest science and working with modern technology, we have discovered advanced treatments and tools with the power to revolutionize modern medicine, while saving sports and saving lives.
“The movie was amazing, but I hope it moves people to develop healthy brain envy,” said Dr. Amen, a special guest at the World Premiere in Los Angeles last week, founder of Amen Clinics, best-selling author and neuroscientist at the forefront of studying ways to reverse brain damage. “I wish we could tell the world ‘there is hope and help. Don’t wait to donate your brain to science, let us show you how to rehab your brain now, so you can change your life and future!’ ”
Dr. Amen Helps NFL Players
Dr. Amen speaks from experience. He recently conducted the largest study of active and retired players from the National Football League (NFL). Using the latest brain imaging, SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), Dr. Amen’s groundbreaking research has provided the foundation for understanding how brain injuries respond to rehabilitation.
“We’ve looked at more than 100,000 brain scans of people with a wide variety of conditions,” said Dr. Amen. “Among the NFL players in the studies, all them showed signs of previous brain injuries, and through well-documented brain health intervention, virtually all of them reported improvements in their condition. It’s one of the greatest medical discoveries of the century!”
Specifically, the following two studies, led by Dr. Amen, have precedent-setting repercussions. The first study showed a link between playing in the NFL and decreased performance in brain function. The second showed the NFL players improved their performance on cognitive, emotional and overall quality of life after following Dr. Amen’s treatments.
- Impact of Playing Professional American Football on Long Term Brain Function, published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Winter 2011). Abstract Brief: Relative to a healthy-comparison group, players showed global decreased perfusion (blood flow), especially in the prefrontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and cerebellar regions. This demonstrates significant differences consistent with a chronic brain trauma pattern in professional football players.
- Reversing Brain Damage in Former NFL Players: Implications for TBI and Substance Abuse Rehabilitation, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2011). Abstract Brief: An open label pragmatic clinical intervention was conducted with retired NFL players who demonstrated brain damage and cognitive impairment. The trial average was six months. Participants showed significant increases in scores of attention, memory, reasoning, information processing speed and accuracy. The brain SPECT scans showed increased brain perfusion, especially in the prefrontal cortex, parietal lobes, occipital lobes, anterior cingulate gyrus and cerebellum.
Dr. Henderson Shines “Light” on TBI
While Dr. Amen’s work largely focuses on lifestyle changes to improve brain performance, Dr. Theodore Henderson has found a way to re-energize brain cells damaged from TBI by waking up the cells’ mitochondria with a high-powered light.
Dr. Henderson, a revered psychiatrist and co-Founder of Neuro-Laser Foundation, is on the leading edge of researching answers to complex conditions, including TBI.
In the 2015 Summer issue, the scientific journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment published two breakthrough studies, revealing a promising treatment for TBI using a patent-pending high-powered, multi-Watt, near-infrared light therapy (NILT). This unique high-powered laser penetrates the skin and skull to regenerate brain cell functioning with no negative side effects.
- Near-infrared photonic energy penetration: can infrared phototherapy effectively reach the human brain? Henderson TA & Morries LD. The study showed high-powered, multi-watt infrared light achieved at least 3 centimeters penetration into the brain. This included wavelengths of 980 and 808 nm with 9-13 Watts average power. No thermal skin irritation occurred, and skin temperature change was negligible.
- Treatments for traumatic brain injury with emphasis on transcranial near-infrared laser phototherapy. Morries LD, Cassano P, Henderson TA. The study found that a specific high-powered, near-infrared light can effectively treat and reverse the clinical symptoms of TBI, even years after the injury has occurred. All the patients in the study reported significant clinical improvement in their condition with no negative side effects.
“The patients in this study and those we have treated subsequently improved far beyond our expectations, with reduced headaches, depression and anxiety, while cognitive function improved,” said Dr. Henderson. “Even more exciting is that patients retained the benefits of this treatment and continue to do well. Treating TBI without pills and getting lasting benefits – this is a game-changer!”
Redefining Sports Concussion
While Dr. Amen and Dr. Henderson discover new ways to reverse brain damage from concussions, my work focuses on advancing concussion prevention, detection and returning the players back to action safely. My goal is to preserve the game, while protecting the athletes’ futures.
Currently, the sports world, from the junior youth leagues through professional ranks, is often battling the concussion crisis with outdated information, tools and opinions.
From my 25 years studying the brain injury and serving thousands of athletes with my concussion protocols, I’ve assembled all the best-practices in one book “Concussionology: Redefining Sports Concussion Management for All Levels.”
We’ve learned a lot about concussions, and sub-concussive hits since Dr. Omalu’s discovery. Concussions have emerged into a new era and field of science that blends neurology and technology. Now, sports teams, parents, organizations even medical professionals need to become ‘Concussionologists.’ ”
Whether or not you watch the “Concussion” movie, I hope this “untold story” opens your eyes to the world of opportunities that come with a healthy brain.
Amen Clinics was founded in 1989 by Daniel G. Amen, MD, featuring “The Amen Method” of diagnosing and treating patients with a high success rate. Dr. Amen is a physician, double board certified psychiatrist and nine-time New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and CEO of Amen Clinics in Costa Mesa and San Francisco, California; Bellevue, Washington; Reston, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; and New York City.
Theodore Henderson, MD, PhD, co-founded the Neuro-Laser Foundation (NLF), a non-profit organization based in Denver, to further study treatments for traumatic brain injury. He specializes in the diagnosis and successful treatment of complex adult, child, and adolescent psychiatric cases. Board certified, Dr. Henderson earned his Ph.D. in developmental neurobiology and has been widely published in journals of psychiatry, medicine, and nuclear medicine.
