Originally Posted by Canadoc

Before I answer this question, I'm going to do a little research. There is plenty of information available on the internet these days. The problem is the quality of the info. In order to justify a recommendation, people sometimes quote studies that were either improperly powered to make specific conclusions because of sample size, were not randomized, had selection bias, etc...... Sometimes there aren't any properly constructed studies to answer a specific medical question and one has to rely on the best available evidence. I know little about HBOT and PCS recovery but will venture to see what quality evidence there is to justify such a cost. Stay tuned.

Canadoc

Originally Posted by Canadoc

I had to answer your question over 2 blogs due to time pressures. Just a few comments on the other issues. I don't believe having a NATURALLY low cholesterol is of relevance regarding your potential for neurological healing. In other ways, this may well prove to be a significant advantage with regards to reducing your lifetime risk of manifesting symptoms of dementia later in life. I would trade cholesterol profiles with you in a flash!

Vitamin B12 is very important to maintain a healthy neurological system. Those who are deficient benefit from supplementation. Few would argue this point. There are differences in opinion as to what constitutes the ideal blood level. Your laboratory report would have the acceptable reference range. Does correcting a state of B12 deficiency accelerate healing after an mTBI or in an individual with PCS? Who knows! I have not been able to find any convincing evidence to that effect. It does make sense however to correct a deficient B12 state in order to avoid the other well documented neurological and hematological problems associated with low blood levels. I have equally not come across any evidence to suggest that supplementing a B12 SUFFICIENT individual provides healing benefits. Again, I would invite anyone with evidence to the contrary to share their insights and knowledge.

Just a final note on your low vitamin D levels. If you live in an area of the USA where sunshine hours were at a premium over the past 5 months or if you spend most of your waking hours indoors (or both), your vitamin D levels would have naturally fallen (unless you were taken supplements). You may wish to discuss with your doctor about remeasuring your levels during the summer. You might also want to inform yourself about supplementing with vitamin D during the colder months of the year as a rule.

Hope this info has helped. I wish to remind you that the above information is my own opinion and, ultimately, you should review any medical decisions with your personal physician. Cheers. Canadoc

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho

nimrod,

I don't have the reference handy but years ago, I read a report that said studies show very low cholesterol increases the risk for dementia later in life. btw, I paid attention to this report because my father had historically low cholesterol despite eating fatty foods and transfats his whole life. He died of dementia at 78 with the physical fitness and heart of a 50 year old.

My mother is 89 and has had a 240 or higher total cholesterol for decades. Her heart has been strong.

Originally Posted by nimrod4u

Mark,

Thank you for the message. When I have asked my doctors about my super lower cholesterol, most tend to shrug it off and say that they don't know of any conditions associated with low cholesterol. I think most doctors have this reaction because they hadn't studied it med school for whatever reason (possibly b/c having super low cholesterol is very rare). I see some articles online now suggesting that researchers are finding a link between low cholesterol and brain disorders like dementia and alzheimers. It appears that some cholesterol is necessary to perform critical functions in the brain on a cellular level. I've also seen some indication that low cholesterol may be linked to liver problems, thyroid problems, and mood disorders.

In light of this, I am making a conscious effort to eat a little more bacon for breakfast to get myself closer to the normal range.

I am also getting my blood work done the first week of every month for the rest of the summer to keep an eye on things.

Thanks for your input.
Nimrod

Originally Posted by Canadoc

Hi everyone,
This is the first time posting a "thread" as well as the first time I've ever been part of an on-line forum, let alone any forum for that matter. I'm a family physician in Canada, and like most Canadians, enjoy playing hockey. Unfortunately, in 2006, I suffered a concussion during a hockey game which resulted in a prolonged recovery. After about a year, I was finally able to tolerate and enjoy sports again without inducing a headache. As you can imagine, I was forbidden by my wife to lace up my skates again (no argument).

In retrospect, I now realize I made 2 errors in recovery (wish I knew then what I know now). First, I quickly returned to work without much cognitive rest and pushed my way through long clinic hours. Second, I lifted a heavy article on day 2 post mTBI which quickly brought significant and instant head pain.

What has now become a permanent disability is an inability to strain or lift articles more than ~10 lbs without feeling a discomfort in my head. This discomfort eventually becomes pain if I persist with the strain or lift. The more intense the pain, the longer it takes to dissipate. With new head trauma (such as loghtly bumping my head on a shelf, running in my squash opponent....ie sudden deceleration), this intolerance to strain is magnified for a few weeks. Eventually it settles back to a baseline but never goes away. Essentially I am extremely sensitive to any increase in intra-cranial pressure(ICP) (physical strain--->increase venous pressure--->increase ICP. The problem is that it is now taking less force to temporarily magnify this phenomenon. I've recently had a second MRI specifically to rule out a head trauma induced Chiari-type CSF obstruction. Thankfully everything was normal. I've consulted local "concussion specialists" who can only come up with theories of meningeal hypersensitivity post injury with the consideration for medication dampen the pain during effort (which I'm reluctant to do).

The other phenomenon that now follows any head bump (and I mean just a bump), is a decline in cognitive stamina that slowly improves over 2-3 weeks. It's difficult to cancel patients who have been waiting so long to see you. So, against better judgement, I often will push myself cognitively through a days work. I now can appreciate that these changes (following repeat minor injuries) are both structural (at a cellular level) but also biochemichal (increased neuron vulnerabilty and cell dysfunction). What puzzles me is why the worsening trend over time.

Once I'm 3-4 weeks past a "head bump", I feel cognitively great again. I'm able to enjoy aerobic sports that don't increase venous pressure much or for long. In other words, I have no problems tolerating an increase in arterial pressure when I'm "well" (I can ride my bike but just can't lift it!).

I wonder if anyone else has been experiencing similar post-concussive symptoms and whether investigations have shed any light.