Unique Blast Injury Treatments
In addition to Neurofeedback, Dr. Diane® and her team of Brain health experts may also use a variety of complementary approaches, depending on the individual and his or her symptoms. Some Blast Injury Treatments may include Acupuncture, Reiki, Energy Psychology, Massage and Muscular Therapy, Psychotherapy, Cognitive Remediation Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology, BAUD, Brainspotting, Chiropractic, Homeopathy, Water Therapy, and Physical Therapy/CranioSacral Therapy.
The main reason why Dr. Diane® has been able to help where other treatments you have tried have failed is because Dr. Diane® sees you as a unique person, not as your symptoms. She and her team of Brain Health Experts understand that you are suffering and have lost your ability to function and live a normal life. Her program for Blast Injury Treatment is unique, because it is a customized program. Dr. Diane® focuses on the core reasons and issues that are the cause of your symptoms.
Dr. Diane®’s Approach to Treatment of Blast Injury Symptoms
You are a unique person. How the Blast Injury has affected your brain is as unique as you are. Are you a hearty person, reactive, or sensitive? What type of childhood did you have? Your life history has to be accounted for in order to determine which treatment is best for you. How often have you been prescribed medications? Have there been any side effects only because the person prescribing the medication or treatment did NOT take into account your reaction to it?
Dr. Diane® and her team of Brain Health Experts work as a unified team, which strongly believes that regardless of the presenting problem or situation, you as a person should be seen from the five distinct views that make up our approach: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and energy. Often these areas intertwine and each needs to be addressed, yet Dr. Diane® looks for the core issue. Then, your individual treatment programs are developed based on conventional, complimentary, and alternative methods. Based on your unique needs and goals, they are able to provide a customized treatment program employing such techniques. These methods are often modified and customized to meet your specific needs as you progress in regaining your life.
Insurance Coverage by Treatment Method
- Conventional Treatment
Always covered by insurance. Examples are Psychotherapy and Physical Therapy - Complementary Therapy
Is often covered, but not by all insurance providers. Examples are Reiki and Hypnosis - Alternative Treatment
Is never covered by insurance. Examples are Nutrition Education and Homeopathics.
The best treatment for you depends on what you can afford and your personal choice. For an in-depth explanation of how each of these treatments affect a specific area, please read Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. For each of the above symptoms is an in-depth coverage that has been proofread by the leading authorities in each of the specific fields of conventional, complimentary, and alternative approaches.
Methods
- Internal Methods
Those where you do not need help, such as Hypnosis, or Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT). - External Methods
Any other methods that require help from the external world, such as medication, herbs, or Neurofeedback.
The best treatment for you depends on what you can afford and your personal choice. For an in-depth explanation of how each of these treatments affect a specific area, please read Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. For each of the above symptoms is an in-depth coverage that has been proofread by the leading authorities in each of the specific fields of conventional, complimentary, and alternative approaches.
What is a Blast Injury?
The supersonic sound wave produced by a blast (explosion) causes the brain to be compressed within the skull causing damage. The explosion of a bomb or an improvised explosive device produces a sound wave called a supersonic wave. The movement, amplitude, and duration of the sound wave puts significant pressure on the brain, which results in tissue damage, along with a deregulation of connectivity and brain waves. An individual does not have to be physically moving or in contact with the blast to be injured, and the injury that it causes can be enormous. This damage to the brain is called Blast Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), Blast Concussion, or Blast Injury.
A Blast mTBI (Concussion) causes pressure within the brain, yet it does not necessarily involve physical contact or movement of the brain. If there is brain movement, the result is similar to that of a diffuse mTBI from whiplash.
Most of the brain cells, branches, hubs, neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and hormones affected by mTBI or Concussion receive only minor damage and eventually return to normal functioning. It is the parts of the brain’s neural connectivity that are seriously damaged or destroyed by overstretching, tearing, bleeding, and/or swelling. These ultimately shape an individual’s post-injury experience, because the resultant deregulation leads to Post Concussive Syndrome.
Types of Blast Injuries
- Primary: Caused directly by the blast
- Secondary: Caused by getting hit from a flying object
- Tertiary: Caused by explosions; a person flying through the air and hitting something
- Quaternary: All other injuries due to explosions.
Treatment for the Symptoms of Mood and Behavior from a Blast Injury
Conventional Treatment for Blast Injury
The first step in treating mood and behavioral problems is to find a Behavioral Neurologist. Dr. Jorge Gonzalez, M.D. is the Behavioral Neurologist on our Brain Health Team of experts. This area of Neurology specializes in organic personality change. If this type of specialist is not available where you live, seek out a Psychopharmacologist who has experience in treating PCS. This practitioner may suggest various medications, such as anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, antidepressants, or beta-blockers. It is extremely important to note that as a result of your Concussion, you may be more sensitive to the side effects of medications. Anticonvulsant medications may be used to suppress temporal-lobe seizure activity that can interfere with your regulation of behavior. Beta-blockers have a similar effect, and also help to control your emotions.
Psychotherapy, specifically Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), may be recommended to help you learn to manage frustration and make lifestyle modifications to ward off negative behavior. For instance, you may have to restrict your activities and keep socializing to a minimum until you regain emotional and behavioral control. Role-playing and psychodrama are psychological techniques that can help you learn to control outbursts and inappropriate responses.
Complementary Treatment for Blast Injury
Behavioral medicine and Health Psychology—in particular, Hypnosis, Energy Psychology, TFT biofeedback and behavior modification techniques—can be very effective at teaching relaxation. One specific method is Heart Rate Variability (HRV). The various types of neurofeedback are very helpful in pinpointing the area(s) of the brain where the emotional dysregulation is occurring and helping it to become regulated again. Dr. Diane® is a board certified Health Psychologist and is published in the field of Hypnosis, and she is also a certified Energy Psychology practitioner.
Alternative Treatment for Blast Injury
Reiki, Clara Diebold is the Brain Health Expert Reiki Master, Qi Gong, and Polarity Therapy can help you to regain a sense of emotional balance. These therapeutic-touch techniques should be performed by trained professionals.
There are also over-the-counter herbal and homeopathic remedies that promote relaxation and even-temperedness, including Bach Flower. You should exercise caution with such products, because they are designed for use by the general public, not specifically for controlling the mood or behavior problems that accompany PCS. If you wish to try alternative remedies, it is best to consult with a qualified herbalist, Bach Flower or Homeopathic practitioner, preferably one who has knowledge of Organic Personality Syndrome and PCS. Dr. Diane® is a certified Bach Flower practitioner.
Partial List of Integrative Treatments
- Hypnosis
- Energy Psychology
- Heart Rate Variability (HRV Internal)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Light Therapy
- Muscle Release Therapy
- Neurofeedback
- Biofeedback
- Brainspotting
- Nutrition Education
- Reiki
- Acupuncture
- Homeopathic