How to Think Freely

Things I've discovered (some of which may be universally true for all of us, but that's beyond my scope): That's a lot of lead in to discuss a desk, two notebooks, and a pencil as tools of thought - but context is required to fully appreciate the gift of their simplicity.

Ourholyconception

TBI Torture, AKA Doctor’s Visit

People with brain injury who are highly sensitive to sensory stimulation (light, sound, touch, scent, etc.) face a horrible dilemma: be seen/tested by a doctor in an office/hospital that may very well harm them, or ask for accommodation to be seen, be scoffed at, refused, and turned away from medical care.

Relaxing through the rocks in the road

Life with brain injury is often compared to a “long hard road.” It is. It’s got extreme ups and downs plus all kinds of rocks and other challenges. The question is, what do we do about it?

“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who tells you different is selling something.” – Wesley (aka the Great Pirate Roberts) in the film “The Princess Bride”

TBI Anger: Understanding and helping

Raw, Primal Protective Reflex

TBI anger is unlike any other kind of anger. It taps into our primal instinct to protect ourselves, like any wounded, cornered animal, with a burst of adrenaline. This is the source of the raw, primal strength, energy, focus, and coordination. Once it hits, it can not be stopped, only redirected in a safe direction.

One Year Stick Free!

Barbara, my wife, tells it this way: “One year ago today (11–25–2012, this was first published, 2013) we got back from Mass on Christ the King and you asked me to watch you. You leaned your sticks against the garage and took off. My instincts from years of having to catch you when you fall had me diving. But you kept going. Down the road. Past the bridge. Out of sight. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched you go.”

What you don’t know about the Hippocratic Oath may kill you

Though there are a rare few doctors whom I respect, I now know why the medical profession not longer deserves respect or high esteem. In 1964, the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath was written. It eliminates many of the safeguards for the patient and adds in responsibilities that are God’s alone. Let’s take a look at the differences and explore some of the subsequent and yet to come ramifications.

Our Medical System: Acutely Brilliant, Chronically Inept

If you have an acute medical issue, bones sticking out for example, our medical system is brilliant and providing the care you need. However, if you have a chronic, long term medical issue, such as brain injury, our medical system is no only inept but often harmful and incapable of recognizing either, blaming you instead. Let me explain…

Ketogenic Diet: Food for the Brain

Ketogenic simply means getting your primary energy by burning fat, as opposed to most people in the US today who get most of their energy by burning glucose. Science is showing us that when fat is our primary fuel we function much smoother and healthier — including multiple studies showing brain benefits of burning fat os our primary fuel. In essence we access God’s engineering by shifting to burning fat rather than glucose.

Exercise Helps Heal the Brain

Exercise really does help heal the brain. One of the now known ways it does is by helping generate new mitochondria in the brain and throughout the nervous system. When mitochondria, the powerhouse within each cell of the body, get low neurons risk dysfunction or death. Running the Colorado Trail, along with all other forms of exercise, help heal my brain. What exercise do you find helps heal yours?

Och! My Head! Understanding TBI Headaches

Brain injury bring about some amazing headaches. Some come with light shows and sounds of freight trains. They can leave us debilitated for days in ways we may never have thought possible.

Spend a Day on Planet TBI

For those who want or need to understand what it is like (sort of) to be blind or deaf, that is relatively easy to accomplish. Block those senses. It doesn’t give an appreciation for what it is like to live without sight or sound day in and day out, but you get an excellent taste.

Are your eyes covered? I need a drink.

This is what my wife asked me last night as I was in bed. It seems absurd. Yet with brain injury it makes perfect sense, and it well illustrates what families with a brain injured person do all the time to accommodate their brain injured member.

Best Cognitive therapy: Help Others

The best cognitive therapy (activity that stimulates brain connections and healing) there is is reaching out sideways to help others. St. Francis’ prescription for eternal wealth is also a powerful prescription for brain health and recovery.

“Remember when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received — only what you have given: A heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.” — Saint Francis of Assisi

Mind Your Head Co-op

The Power of Off