Major Improvements after Nedley Depression Recovery Program
 

Hi, everybody!

I've been back now for a few weeks from this program and just wanted to report on it as it may help some others:
http://www.drnedley.com/10-day-depre...y-program.html

I had a GREAT experience there, and I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this program and Dr. Nedley's books or self-study materials. He knows a TON about the brain and nutrition and focuses on getting the brain in optimal working condition through a variety of natural methods.

My depression improved from "severe" when I started to "mild" at the end of the ten days. The ten days is the kickoff for a twenty week at-home program, and most participants at the end of the twenty weeks are able to be in complete remission AND off all meds. Several weeks later, I'm now testing as not depressed and getting ready to start stepping down my meds.

Although the primary focus is depression recovery, Dr. Nedley primarily addresses depression from a brain health perspective, and most of my post-concussive symptoms also resolved during the program. He said that they have had several people with post-concussion syndrome come through the program and most have experienced improvement.

He started me on a new migraine preventive: 500 mg magnesium, 400 mg riboflavin (vitamin B2), and maximum dose of butterbur (for the brand I have, it's 75 mg 3x/day) taken daily. I had decreasing headaches the first part of the week I was there and haven't had ANY since then -- nearly a month now.

A bonus (and totally unexpected) result was that my back and leg pain is also much improved as a result of the exercise program and hydrotherapy. I'm able to exercise independently at home now for long periods of time and just touching base with my physical therapist once a week for a while to make sure nothing flares up again.

Dr. Nedley's program does primarily address the frontal lobe, so if you are experiencing significant problems with memory, vision, or vestibular function, some other form of occupational or physical therapy might be more appropriate. But for those relatively non-specific, lingering symptoms that so many of us experience, this seems to be a BIG part of the answer.

Also, Dr. Nedley is a Christian, and this program is definitely run from a Christian perspective. They do have people from a variety of faith backgrounds participating, but a lot of the content is presented from a Christian perspective.

So, hope this info can help someone else. Any comments or questions?

Thank you for sharing. Glad to hear of your improvement. Will you please elaborate on your exercise program and hydrotherapy.

Also, What brand of butterbur are you taking? Thank you Eowyn

I am taking NOW Foods brand Butterbur. Also, Dr. Nedley did say that this combination can take up to a month to reach full effectiveness because it the substances take a while to build up in the body.

While we were at the program, the exercise program was for us to exercise 2-3 hours a day. We were doing interval training based on our own personalized heart rate calculations. Because of the PCS, Dr. Nedley had me working at a lower intensity than normal but I was able to keep up with the full exercise time!

We also did hydrotherapy twice a day. We were immersed up to the shoulders alternating in hot water and cold water to increase circulation to the brain. Of course, it also increased circulation everywhere else as well.

They had a physical therapist come in at the beginning of the week to do some work to loosen up my leg and back, and over the week the hydrotherapy and stretching (I think) worked in combination to keep it from tightening up again.

This was QUITE remarkable since it been in serious spasm for a matter of months. Prior to leaving for the program, I had been going to PT twice a week and I had JUST been able to get back to exercising outside of the pool but needed the PT to unknot my leg after nearly every exercise session.

Hope that helps! Let me know if anything isn't clear.

That is great news Eowyn! Have you noticed improvement in sleep also?

My sleep has definitely improved from what it was, but that is the area I am still struggling in a bit.

I am on a light therapy regimen twice a day to help reset my body clock. I am doing better with falling asleep at night and sleeping soundly through most of the night. The crazy dreams are gone.

I still have a bit of trouble with early waking (around 3-4) and am continuing to work with Dr. Nedley on getting this resolved.

I also wanted to mention that Dr. Nedley's program revolves around looking at ten different categories of factors that can affect the brain:

Genetic
Developmental
Nutrition
Social
Toxic
Circadian Rhythm
Addictions
Lifestyle
Medical Conditions
Frontal Lobe

When I started the program, I had impairments in seven of these areas. At the end of the ten days, I had impairments in only two.

For a small fee, you can take the same screening online that Dr. Nedley gives participants in the residential program:
http://www.drnedley.com/health-risk-...nxiety-eq.html

The report you receive will refer you to his published materials that tell you how to address the areas you have impairments in so that you can help get your brain in prime working order in these ten areas.

Hope this is helpful!

Eowyn,

Awesome link, thanks for sharing!

You did things the right way - you became proactive about your recovery. Too many doctors and patients believe that rest will heal a head injury, and in some cases rest does. However, in other cases, you must be proactive about your recovery and start healing your brain using any modality that you can find.

M