Here is the nutritional regimen I have followed for decades. It was prescribed for me by a doctor back in 1982. I have fallen off the wagon from time to time. Each time, my wife notices a difference and gets me back on the regimen. I have added a few things over the years.

I have updated it with more current information on Nov. 8, 2014. mrsD has been a big help.

The injured brain needs to do two things, First, it needs to cleanse itself of the toxic remnants of the injury. Second, it needs to regain strength (heal) in the damaged areas. B vitamins are the most important. I suggest:

B-12 (500 to 1000 mcgs daily or more) Methylcobalamin, taken on an empty stomach or sublingually (let it dissolve under your tongue).
a B-50 complex, for all the other B's so you get a good balance of B's
a high potency multi-vitamin like GNC Mega Women/Men. Centrum and One a Day are too weak.
Niacin, 200 to 500 mgs
Some extra anti-oxidants, Vit C (500 to 1000 mgs) and Vit E 400 IU's
D3, plenty of this, 1000 to 5000 IU's
Omega 3 fish oil, with a proper balance of Omega 6 and 9
Calcium with magnesium, 500 mgs per day Magnesium needs to not be mag oxide. mag citrate is easy to find.


I also have added
Curcumin (pricy but worth it) 950 mgs daily This is a Turmeric extract
DHEA, 25 mgs , a hormone that helps the body balance the other hormones, If your skin gets oily try 1/2 of a 25 mgs tablet. I only take a half of a tablet.
a Costco High Energy Multipack (7 pieces) in place of the multi-vitamin

I have recently added:
Cayenne capsules
Resveratrol, it is supposed to help the Omega 3 fish oil work better
Garlic capsules for cholesterol

Good meat protein for the amino acids, pork is the best, especially for BCAA's (branched chain amino acids).

A good amino acid supplement including essential fatty acids and BCAA's (broken or branched chain amino acids).
Vegetarian diets are usually deficient in these so they need supplements.

No caffeine, alcohol, MSG, artificial sweeteners (aspartame, Nutrasweet, Equal, Splenda, sucralose), high fructose corn sweetener, and only moderate natural sugar. Some studies suggest a single serving of caffeine or alcohol per day is acceptable for those who tolerate it.

We should also avoid aluminum compounds. The most common aluminum is found in antiperspirants (aluminum chlorhydrate) and many antacids. They should be avoided. Learn to read labels before putting it on or in your body.

My regimen based on the above costs about $1.30 to $1.50 per day including some non-brain supplements (arthritis).

I was started on the brain basics by a psychiatrist 30 years ago as a way to treat PCS depression and avoid medication. It was very effective. I was put on paroxetine years ago and have replaced it with 5-HTP and L-Tryptophan. 100mgs of 5-HTP in the AM and 100 mgs of L-Tryptophan later in the day. The L-Tryptophan will convert to 5-HTP as my body needs it.

The B-12 and the folic acid in the B-50 is important for repair of the myelin sheath that protects axon and dendrite fibers. The rest are for improving brain metabolism.

This regimen needs to be a long term or lifetime discipline. It take 4 to 8 weeks to see improvements.

After using the regimen for a month or so, it is good to get a blood test for the D3, B-12 and folate to make sure your blood levels are adequate. B-12 should be about 1000 pcgs/mL and folate at about 20 or higher.


There are three valuable resources for you to check out.

The TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com.
Print it out (84 pages)

The brain line 'TBI Lost and Found'
http://www.brainline.org/content/201...u-to-know.html

You Look Great on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso4qGdlI
The YouTube is a 6 part series that takes about an hour total.

Share these with your family and/or friends. And, try to find a TBI support group to attend with your family. They can be a great source of support and understanding.

For Upper Cervical Chiropractic information, check out www.NUCCA.org or www.AtlasOrthogonal.com

For good legal information about concussions and mTBi's / TBI/s for those entering litigation, check out:
www.tbilaw.com and
www.subtlebraininjury.com.
Attorney Gordon Johnson has very good information about diagnostic testing and such.

Home made Ice pack

My recipe for a flexible/crushable ice pack is simple. One part rubbing alcohol with three parts water in a zip lock baggies. Freeze them, three is good, so you can alternate them and always have a frozen one. Wrap the ice pack in a towel to make it more tolerable. Ice frequently for 15 minutes on and 30 minutes off and repeat. If you get any stiffness or head ache, get the ice pack out. The upper neck easily gets inflamed causing symptoms like head aches, etc. This should make a difference.
__________________

Hi Mark,

Have you noticed any adverse effects from Sugar, Alcohol, Caffeine, and Gluten, or any other food? As someone struggling with PCS for 2 12 years I've just started noticing that these all seem to really effect my cognition and cause my symptoms to be worse.
Also do you have a certain brand of fish oil pills that you recommend?

Thanks!

PS- I'd love to PM you- but am new here and don't know how. I have some Idaho specific questions that you may be able to answer and I'd love to pick your brain on! Thanks!

If you read my previous post, I list alcohol, caffeine, MSG, etc as to be avoided. Some have mentioned that gluten causes them to experience what they think is brain inflammation. That is more an individual issue. I also say sugar should be moderated. No HFCS or at least limit the amounts per serving.
You can PM me by left clicking on my screen name and select "Send a Private Message." Look in the upper right for Welcome ilikepolkadots There will be an indication when you have a Private Message (PM) waiting. I sent you one earlier.

Hello!

Could you please advice definite products from iherb? The only store that ships to our country with no problems.
I have never met with any of this manufacturers so I dont know their quality.

1. Curumin
The chepest is Thompson-Turmeric-Curcumin-300-mg-60-Capsules 9$

Is it the right curcumin?

also there are
Jarrow-Formulas-Curcumin-Phytosome-500-mg-60-Capsules 13$
Planetary-Herbals-Full-Spectrum-Turmeric-Extract-450-mg-60-Tablets 13$

and quite pricy
Life-Extension-Super-BIO-Curcumin-400-mg-60-Veggie-Caps 28$
Doctor-s-Best-Best-Curcumin-C3-Complex-500-mg-120-Capsules 32$

I am just afraid that cheap circumin wont work, there are different Supplement Facts.

2. Huperzine
anyone tried this?
Source-Naturals-Huperzine-A-200-mcg-120-Tablets/


3. B-50
I want to take
Nature-s-Way-B-50-Complex-100-Capsules

4. acetyl-L-carnitine
MRM, Acetyl L-Carnitine, 500 mg, 60 Veggie Caps 7$
Source Naturals, L-Carnitine, 250 mg, 120 Capsules 9$
Now Foods, L-Carnitine, 250 mg, 60 Capsules 9$
Doctor's Best, Best Acetyl-L-Carnitine HCl, 588 mg, 60 Capsules 11$


Have anyone tried Bancopa?

Calmor,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Brands don't matter as much as the standardized circumin extracted from the Turmeric. Turmeric has only a small percentage of circumin so read the labels to find the circumin content. Turmeric is cheaper because there is not much circumin in it. There is a pepper compound that is supposed to help circumin absorption. I don't remember what it is called.

Be sure to add some B-12 to the B-50 Compound. 50 mcgs is not enough B-12. Plus, you want methycobalamin B-12. The B-12 in a B-50 Complex is usually cyanocobalamin. The Ayurvedic supplements (Huperzine, etc) you mention are not well understood. Don't expect great things from them.

The important part of the regimen is to get started and be consistent. It can take weeks for the brain to start to benefit.

The expensive LongVida brand, has now been purchased by other companies (leased out)... and those are going to provide good absorption (as was done in medical studies). The prices are much lower now than just in the recent past.

This is one at iherb:
http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-C...5&sr=null&ic=2

NOW brand:
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Bio-C...3&sr=null&ic=1

I favor NOW and Doctor's Best products myself. They are usually very affordable and high quality.

NOW has an acetyl carnitine, also.

Hello!

How to distribute all this supplements during the day and is it safe to take them all in one day?

B12 methylcobamin 1mg
Omega-3 (with DHA 1000-2000 mg)
Progresterone 20 mg
Curcumin
Bacopa 250 mg
Huperzine 200 mg
Vitamin D3 2000 IU
Vitamin E 400 IU
Citicoline 500 mg
Ashwaghanda 450 mg
Vitamin С 500 mg
Basic multivit 1 capsule
L-carnitine 300-500 mg

Panax Gingseg
Rhodiola Rosea

Saffron

Melissae+Valeriana for insomnia.


Second question, what do you think about tryptophan and EMS? After it was allowed again to the US market there were still 3 cases of that tryptophan causing EMS.

Now that the source of the EMS has been identified...the new tryptophan products have eliminated that contaminant.

The B12 needs to be taken on an empty stomach... no food for 1 hr after. This is to ensure proper absorption.

I'd suggest taking the curcumin with food, and also the Omega-3 oils with food. Those are best absorbed that way.

The others are in a "doesn't matter" zone. I am not too familiar with the herbs...you should look those up for definite suggestions.

What was this source? I will post later new cases about it.

This Wiki explains further... it is a summary of the many reports that can be found singly on the web.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinop...algia_syndrome

Also this:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1066811-overview

There has been debate that EMS has always been around and just not diagnosed properly. Also that the drug industry (mostly Lilly) encouraged the FDA to ban it because use of it diluted the use of the new SSRI that just had come out... Prozac. This is much the same thing as Red Yeast Rice which was banned because of the new statins that had appeared. (that ban was lifted too eventually).

The tryptophan is not so essential to your supplement list. If it worries you, don't use it.
The curcumin, fish oil, magnesium, Bcomplex and B12 are the heart of the repair supplements. If you eat egg yolks, the choline isn't needed either.