Mikeyy,

I would be very careful with the Travacor. It contains 5-HTP. Too much 5-HTP can cause serotonin syndrome which can be deadly.

Your serotonin should be monitored if you continue to take the Travacor 5-HTP.

What kind of treatment did the chiropractor do for your PCS?


Have you been informed about Second Impact Syndrome or Multiple Impact Syndrome?

I would suggest caution on the ice. Your next concussion will likely be much worse in symptoms

the chiro performed osteopathic cranial work on my head with lower level laser therapy.. I think I went to see him for about 9 months for it to a point where he felt all my strength was back...

as for Second Impact Syndrome he did tell me he felt my concussion problems were definately gone and I shouldnt have to worry about Second Impact... I was going to quit hockey indefinately but there was something about it that kept me relatively sane I guess as hard to believe as that is....

Its been over 2 years since that last one really screwed me up... Ive been hit a cpl times (im the goalie) and just gone to see him the next day and nothing has really come back....

Mark I wanted to tell you I was in Sun Valley Idaho about 4 weeks ago playing hockey up there, we landed in Boise and took the 2 hr trip, not sure if thats close to where you are but the people were just amazingly friendly to us Canucks! it was great to play in Idaho!

Excellent post Mike! Man, so many different ways to alleviate PCS and the doctors I have spoken to say they have nothing for me except physical therapy and various scans for diagnosis?! I'll do the various treatments that have been proven effective and let them know how I did it after the fact

Mikeyy,

I hate to rain on your parade but you chiropractor may be great at chiropractic but he does not understand the physiology of concussion.

There is no way of avoiding second impact syndrome. You are not fully healed. There have been many studies since the 1970's to show this fact. One was reported on in the British literature, I think it was vini's post.

He may help you through the minor issues of getting hit while playing hockey but you still have a history of concussion.

The most important concern you should have is a game where you have multiple light hits. They can be more damaging than one bad hit. The soccer studies have shown that to be true. A soccer heading drill with many light headers is often more damaging that the occasional hard header.

Interesting that your chiro called it Low level laser therapy. My wife has been treated with light therapy. It sounds exactly the same, a light in a spectrum that penetrates the skin without heating the skin but provides an ultra-sonic like stimulation to the tissues except using light waves rather than sound waves.

One of the big benefits I believe can come out of chiropractic therapy for a head injury is indirect. By improving the alignment of the spine, especially the cervical spine, blood flow to the brain in improved. The vertebral arteries can be partially obstructed by cervical inflammation. When the chiropractor reduces this inflammation, the brain gets better profusion and gets a better chance to heal.

BTW, I am in the Boise area. I have a house about ten miles west of Boise airport right under the flight path. I prefer to be at my mountain cabin that is 100 miles due north of my city home on the 45 parallel.

The people are real nice here. Regarding my earlier comment about raining on your parade, I guess you are used to rain living in Vancouver. Pretty area if you can survive the Canadian health system.

tis a good point about the soccer player, I can recall heading the ball a few times and feeling a little off.. I played soccer for over 20 years but couldnt handle the cold games anymore...

as for the comments about the history of concussion, it does make sense, but unfortunately as I mentioned before playing the game keeps me sane, partially in shape, and really gives me something to look forward to

Is it worth going through pcs again? not at all... I really dont know why I even play anything anymore....

hi mikeyy for the love of the game ????

for the love of your brain ??? on reading the headway research and knowing all that you do from the last 2 + years its hard to give up something you love, but nice to still have the choice, there's always coaching bud

Vini,
I appreciate what you're saying but I guess this is my reasoning.
The most recent concussion which I received that ended up causing the PCS was due to a go-karting accident. In fact the 2 days after the accident I was fine... it was the flight and cabin pressure that actually caused the injury... my brain was a bit swollen from the head injury, then the 2 flights to acupulco caused further pressure of my brain against my CSF&Skull causing the actual injuries...

I play goalie in hockey, and although ive taken shots to the head none have ever caused me much grief, the only thing I really was hurt was when I was run into the post...

I may sound very ignorant but the league I now play in is not dirty, most of the guys are ex-jr players who are just there to play for fun and maintain some skill.. very minimal fighting or dirty shots... I actually feel safe, and the hockey keeps my mind off of the injury.. during the first 9+months it was the only thing that would give me brief moments of freedom from thinking about it.

MIkeyy,

The altitude in a commercial aircraft never goes above 8000 feet. The pressurization system is set to maintain an 8,000 foot altitude pressure. You body would acclimate to the altitude quite easily. If there was a pressure differential that the body did not adjust to, all of the passengers eyes would bulge out.

To only difference the pressure would make would be what is called molecular pressure. At the higher altitude, the molecular pressure ( number of molecules per unit of volume) of the oxygen is less so the number that cross the cellular membrane is less so there is less oxygen transfer. As a result, the CO2 is not swapped out and the CO2 level in the blood and tissues increases. This is sort of similar to osmosis. This can cause the sick feeling.

High Altitude Cerebral Edema is not usually a factor at altitudes of 8,000 feet and below. Since your brain is liquid and semi-liquid, it does not compress or decompress. Only gases can compress or expand due to pressure.

The next time you fly, if you notice any return of symptoms, it is because your brain has not healed. The first study of this phenomenon was done in the early 1970's using an altitude chamber. The researchers found that the subjects with a prior concussion had symptoms. Those who had not had a prior concussion, did not have symptoms.

I am highly symptomatic at altitudes of 11,000 to 12,000 feet for extended duration. I had to give up flying my unpressurized airplane and sell it for just this reason. I was making cognitive mistakes. Rarely does a pilot get a second chance after making a mistake.

Most likely, your concussion from the go-kart racing caused a diffuse axonal injury. This stresses the axons that transmit signals between the neurons. When you were at altitude, these weakened axons started misfiring even more and left you with a residual problem after the plane landed. Some of these damaged axons will never heal and leave you with a weak area. The next time you are at altitude, the symptoms might be evident. The most likely symptom would be difficulty concentrating, but only if you had a valid way of testing your concentration skills.

I wouldn't be terribly concerned about that - the NeuroScience test measures the levels of serotonin (among many other nuerotransmitters) in the brain, then prescribes dosages of 5-htp, 7-Keto DHEA, and etc... that are appropriate for the situation. They don't just say "you're low on serotonin, take as much 5-htp as you can get your hands on."

I'm wondering about this serotonin syndrome, particularly as it relates to 5-htp. I've always understood 5-htp as being nothing more that a precursor to serotonin, and have been told (though this was some time ago) that any 5-htp ingested above and beyond what the body needs (within reason, anyway) will just not be converted into serotonin and get flushed out of the system. This part of the 5-htp wikipedia page says that it requires other drugs to be taken at the same time in order for the serotonin syndrome to arise... what've you heard on it?

5-HTP is a direct precurser to serotonin that by-passes the brain modulating system. The safe way to increase serotonin levels is with L-tryptophan. It is modulated by the brain and only converted to serotonin as the brain needs it.