Unprecedented Concussion Care Approach

June 21, 2012 - PRLog -- (Flower Mound, Texas)---Rest is not the only option. MindMenders Clinic in Flower Mound uses an innovative approach to fuel, restore, and train the brain before and after a concussion to decrease symptoms and second impact syndrome. It is not time to give up sports. It is time to take care of athletes.  
      MindMenders Clinic implements individualized neurological and therapeutic protocols, which include multifaceted metabolic, cognitive and functional baselines, neurotransmitter support, vestibular rehabilitation, and elite cognitive therapy.  “The multifaceted approach is the optimal way to pinpoint brain dysfunction and address concussion symptomatology; thus, evaluating an athlete pre- and post-concussion is the way to care for athletes,” states Dr. St. Laurent of MindMenders Clinic.  
     After the evaluation, Dr. St. Laurent properly fuels the brain in the event of a concussion, similar to the concept of insurance. “We begin protecting the brain before a concussion takes place to minimize the damage of a concussive event. Our multifaceted assessments actually contribute to our rehabilitative solution reducing neurodegeneration,” says Dr. St. Laurent.
     A concussion causes the brain to go into crisis releasing an indiscriminate imbalance of neurotransmitters called the neurometabolic cascade. The brain needs energy and stability. Although physical and cognitive rest is needed, the brain’s attempt to restore itself is frequently unsuccessful due to a veiled repair of neuron loss. “We move the brain from crisis through a tiered process that corrects the damage faster to save neurons, as opposed to waiting for an increase in neurophysiological damage,” states Dr. St. Laurent. “Symptoms are difficult to care for due to the brain’s delicate balancing act post-injury, which is why we facilitate a properly fueled chain reaction in the brain’s biochemistry.”
     Addressing the brain’s biochemistry decreases the cumulative effects of concussions, the destruction of cells known as neurodegeneration. Without the proper balance multiple concussions are likely to cause severe short and long-term effects such as memory decline, dizziness, headaches, vision problems, personality changes, seizures, epilepsy, and other permanent life altering brain disorders. These symptoms and neurodegeneration increase due to the brain’s inability to stabilize itself after the first event resulting in second impact syndrome. “By restoring the brain’s energy threshold, you increase the stability of the neuron helping the brain not to overreact to a subsequent concussion which means decreased symptoms and decreased neurodegeneration down the line,” explains Dr. St. Laurent.      
     After the brain is properly fueled, the athlete will begin an elite cognitive component to improve neuroplasticity by stimulating brain tissue with individualized training and cognitive stimuli. Neuronal loss is permanent, but new pathways can be developed with cognitive training at MindMenders Clinic.
     Concussion reporting, competitive edge, and cognitive improvement are added benefits of MindMenders’ unprecedented concussion approach. Athletes will feel more secure reporting their symptoms because rest and brain-based protocols can reestablish brain chemistry and health. With this new approach, overall brain function will improve even if the athlete never experiences a concussion or experienced a concussion years ago.

ABOUT MINDMENDERS: MindMenders is the answer for those who may endure a concussion or those facing difficulty with post-concussion symptoms, stroke, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Parkinson's, dementia, Asperger’s, personality changes, depression, thinking or retaining information, auditory processing, visual processing, auditory/visual memory weaknesses, speech development, and more.