TREATING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI)
BRAIN TREATMENT OVERVIEW
Defenders of Freedom offers a solution to Veterans who struggle with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This signature wound of post 9/11 Veterans is grossly neglected. It has gone undiagnosed and untreated in many Veterans we have worked with over the years. For many Veterans, the diagnosis is Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and the corresponding treatment is prescribed medications. The symptoms of PTS and TBI do mirror each other and those symptoms can be relieved through medication, but for those with TBI, this relief does nothing to treat the injury to the brain. Functional neurology, on the other hand, is an effective treatment for brain injury.
We have partnered with Dr. Scharlene Gaudet for many years and the Las Colinas Pharmacy to address both the physiological and chemistry issues facing Veterans with TBI.
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or rTMS, is a widely known, FDA-approved method of stimulating the brain through magnetic waves. These treatments target specific areas of the brain and help restore neurological function on a cellular level by boosting activity of the neurons, or brain cells. Originally studied for its ability to reduce depression symptoms by waking up the prefrontal cortex, rTMS is showing equally impressive results when applied to other areas of the brain, making it an invaluable tool for a wide range of neurological imbalances.
- Reduce depression
- Improve cognition
- Restore motor function
The vestibular system is responsible for balance, spatial orientation, and proper visual processing. Even seemingly minor head injuries and neurodegeneration can lead to vestibular dysfunction, which cascades into feelings of dizziness, vertigo, and nausea. Using the OVARD (Off-Vertical Axis Rotational Device), they can restore vestibular integrity and integrate the vestibular system properly into the rest of your neurology. Patients are seated in the rotational device where they are methodically spun in order to activate and integrate the vestibular (inner ear) canals that have been affected.
- Correct balance disorders
- Integrate vestibular system
- Improve spatial awareness
With extensive knowledge of the different pathways associated with your visual system, the clinicians can use specific exercises to improve vision and balance issues by activating a range of regions within the brain. The eyes and the brain are so deeply intertwined that they can learn about an individual’s neurological function just by observing their eyes in our diagnostic testing. The clinicians at Resiliency Brain Health, based on your ocular diagnostics, will use specific eye movement and visual stimulation techniques to get your eyes and brain operating more efficiently.
- Reduce depression
- Fix double vision
- Reduce dizziness
The brain thrives when the body is moving. By first assessing movement deficits and postural imbalances, the clinicians can teach you how to move in ways that strengthen the brain-body connection. Patients find this reduces dizziness and vertigo, improves focus, and restores energy levels. For stroke patients and TBI patients seeking to regain mobility, they work with you to establish structurally sound biomechanics as your brain and body come back online. When physical movement is restored, the brain produces more neurotransmitters and chemicals including BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which further accelerates your brain’s ability to heal and reform connections.
By restoring blood circulation to the extremities, reducing inflammation, and stimulating dulled nerves with e-stim technology, treatments can effectively normalize sensation. Traditional prescription drug approaches may fall short and come with a slew of negative side effects. These treatments for neuropathy are backed by ample research, do not involve any drugs, and are entirely non-invasive. Whether you are suffering from diabetic neuropathy or if the sensory dysregulation came from a stroke/brain injury, thetechnologies at Resiliency Brian Health can be quite successful in restoring sensation to an appropriate level.
- Restore lost sensation
- Reduce chronic pain
- Improve circulation
Manual therapy and gentle hands-on adjustments often accompany neurological treatments, as they can help alleviate pain, stiffness, and postural imbalances. Many concussion, stroke, and TBI patients experience tremendous neck stiffness following their injury, often due to the instability and incongruence of their eyes. Since the eyes and the neck, or cervical spine, are so interconnected, it can be particularly effective to gently work on the neck in addition to eye therapy. Other examples of manual therapy involve resistance strength exercises when re-educating motor function post-stroke, as well as assisted stretching for neuromuscular integrity.
- Relieve neck pain and headaches
- Restore postural integrity
- Improve neuromuscular communication
This device is a diagnostic and rehabilitation tool. A neurologist performs needle EMG’s and NCV’s. This is termed electrodiagnosis. This helps identify the integrity of the nerves in question and can at times help solidify a diagnosis. As a rehabilitation tool, this equipment serves as an electrical modality. We can use electrical pulses to stimulate different areas of the body for a desired outcome.
This tool is designed to help with neurocognitive timing. This machine provides feedback to the patient. Allowing them to monitor and measure their movements in order to achieve a goal.
This electrical modality is FDA cleared TENS/EMS unit used for diabetic clinics, cancer clinics, chiropractic clinics around the world. It is Neuroelectric therapy device. This device rebuilds nerves by using patented waveform which automatically adjusts to each patient’s specific needs. It calms the nerves and increases blood flow to the affected areas which allows the nerve cells to heal.
Neurofeedback therapy involves retraining an individual’s ability to control certain brain functions, which allows the brain to function more efficiently. By providing feedback to the patient in real time, neurofeedback therapy establishes self-regulation of specific brain activity, which is beneficial for many different neurologic conditions including depression, anxiety, PTS, headaches, sleep disorders, and more.
- Reduce depression, anxiety
- Improve sleep
- Strengthen mental resilience
Cognitive enhancement therapies help to keep the mind sharp, providing challenging and rewarding stimulation to improve memory, focus, processing speeds, word recall, and more. Whether your cognitive difficulties are the result of a brain injury, or if you just feel your memory worsening as you age, the good news is that there are certainly ways to create positive change in these areas. The team at Resiliency Brain Health will help you identify specifically what is causing the issues neurologically, and work with you to strengthen memory centers and cognitive pathways through targeted mental exercises.
- Sharpen memory
- Improve attentional skills
- Eliminate brain fog
Proper nutrition is imperative for improving brain function, healing from a stroke or brain injury, and reducing depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. While it is true that there is not a universal nutrition plan that is perfect for everyone, there are general guidelines that promote optimal neurological and psychological health. The clinicians at Resiliency Brain Health will tell you which neuroinflammatory foods to avoid, and which brain-boosting foods you can add to your daily intake. Since the brain and the gut are so interdependent, they emphasize the importance of restoring proper gut function through nutrition in order to heal the brain.
- Balance mood and feel more alive
- Improve energy levels
- Restore digestive and elimination processes
MORE TBI TREATMENT
TESTIMONIALS
I was injured during my time of service and because of that injury I've had problems and struggles sleeping and concentrating among others. In 2017 I attempted suicide and when I got out they sent me to the VA. The day I got out, the VA they labeled me an alcoholic, bipolar amongst other things. From that day I received bad ill treatment from the VA. I went through about 14 medications in six months and I was hospitalized because of that. Today from day one, I've been able to smile a lot more. People can notice. They tell me I'm smiling more. I have more energy. I want to be social and I’ve realized through this I'm not alone. I'm not crazy. There are others that are hurting. There are others that suffer. You got to walk the road to understand what it's like to get here and once you're here, it really doesn't make a difference.

My name is Robert Emminger. I retired after 28 and a half years in the Marine Corps. I absolutely did not think I had a traumatic brain injury. That turned into showing up Monday doing my evaluation and realizing that there's more issues than I thought. I had a lot of memory issues, a lot of motivation issues. What this program is: they listen to you, they get down to the root of your problems and they tailor the treatment for you. This is absolutely an incredible opportunity. I feel like I've been given a humongous gift, a priceless gift that I could never repay.

My name is Eric Pardo. I've been having problems with sleep since my first mass casualty incident. Because I haven't addressed the core issues, I have some subsequent other issues that I’ve started to deal with. I have two daughters and they need a great father. I'm an okay dad but I can't control what's going on and I need to be a better dad. If I could just sleep every day that'd be awesome. It's not like I want to sleep 8 hours, 10 hours. I just want to sleep again. My experience in Synapse has been amazing. The main thing that I wanted to work on was my sleep. I have slept every night at least six to eight hours every night. The last time that happened was over 12 years ago. I personally thank you and I salute you personally for every single one of you guys that did donate to the Defenders of Freedom, thank you so much.

For the past 10 years, I've been dealing with getting treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. I’ve dealt with a lot of things that have affected my life, my job, my everything. One of the big things I had for the past 10 years was sleeping problems. In fact I even got to a point where I was going to substance abuse in order to sleep. First day of the therapy part of the whole deal I must have slept about 12 hours that night. To finally know where a lot of these symptoms come from. To other vets out there that are experiencing possible traumatic brain injuries whether you need to get tested or treated I recommend Synapse Human Performance Center for your treatment and testing. I want to thank Defenders of Freedom, and the donors for Defenders of Freedom without your donations this would not be possible thank you.

Previous
Next
REQUESTING TREATMENT STARTS HERE
If you are a Post 9/11 Veteran and would like more information about treatment for traumatic brain injury please complete this form.