It's a tough call for sure. I got my head injuries from football. I took a small handful of hits to the head early into my senior year of high school, and I've not been anywhere near the same since. Had I stopped after the first hit to the head that year, I'd probably be full-time in college and working. Instead, I'm taking one class, and just reached a new achievement of studying for 20 minutes straight.

I was on track to play in college, so I understand the passion you have to ride. I can say this: the pain and suffering that I've gone through because of the concussions is so much more than the positives I got out of playing football. Looking back, it wasn't worth it. Not even close.

I don't know if you have a family to provide for. I don't, but my parents have gone through a lot for me. And this is really just a play on words, but I don't regret playing football--I don't like spending my time "regretting things"--but if I could change the past, I wouldn't have played.

I just finished Dr. Lewis' book, Amazon.com: When Brains Collide: What Every Athlete and Parent Should Know About the Prevention and Treatment of Concussions and Head Injuries eBook: Michael D. Lewis MD: Kindle Store.

It's pretty amazing the stories in there of what taking omega 3's for preventative measures can do to reduce the effects of brain trauma. There were some stories of soldiers taking omega 3's not having symptoms of TBI, when everyone else around them was. Also, there was a story of a solider who had been taking the Omega 3 supplements and had a diet high in them. He had a severe TBI and was in a coma for 2 months I think. They put the fish oil through an IV, and now he's apparently living a normal life.

I started the protocol about 5 months ago. I stopped it for about a month (going down to 2-3 grams of fish oil a day) and declined a lot. I started it back up again about a week and a half ago, and I'm spending two less hours a day taking breaks. Two more hours of doing something and being productive adds up.

I highly recommend the book and the protocol, which can be found here: BHERI | Omega-3 Protocol for Brain Health

Along with omega 3's, NAC has been shown to reduce the secondary chemical cascade that is often worse than the primary trauma. Mark's regimen is great too.