BRAIN INJURY
Thanks for asking about my opinion on different providers and modalities to improve brain function.
Brain Injury Resources
Recovery 1 Denver
I have seen significant improvement in brain function doing ozone therapy and doing the red bed 2 or 3 times a week.
Visit Recovery 1 HERE
LMNT for electrolyte rehydration: citrus salt
Continue to hydrate and consider using electrolyte rehydration formulations like LMNT.
BUY HERE
DIET:
We discussed that it is really your responsibility in life to find the correct diet that works for you. I am finding in general, that most people are not responding well to the mainstream cardiac diet that has been put forward for decades. This diet is heavy on carbohydrate, heavy on flour, corn, soy and other mass-produced foods that are low on vitamins, minerals and can be highly inflammatory.
Many people on testosterone are doing intermittent fasting for 14 to 18 hours/day, carnivore diet, paleo diet, keto diet, all of which are using highly nutritive proteins and fats as well as green leafy vegetables and minimizing carbohydrate. Continue to play with whatever works for you, but please minimize alcohol, sugar, processed foods, gluten/flour, and other low yield foods.
If you want more information on diet, I have listed out more information below. Consider eliminating any crap out of your diet and moving forward with these options. Feel free to take weekly holidays where you can eat some “crap”, but try to maintain a healthy lifestyle for 90% of the time:
AI/Elimination Lifestyle change:
AVOID –
sugar, grains/grasses, dairy, FLOUR, alcohol.
AVOID –
corn, rice, shellfish, citrus, nightshade (tomato, potato, chilis/pepper, eggplant), caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, land animal (cow, bison), eggs, soy isolates, pork, lettuce, bananas.
AVOID –
Seed oils (sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, canola, and grapeseed)
ENJOY –
ANIMAL PROTEIN:
wild, coldwater, fresh fish (salmon, cod, halibut, tuna, mackerel, anchovy, sardines), poultry, lamb, grass-fed, free-range beef and bison, wild game.
VEGETABLES:
Avocado, dark leafy greens, cruciferous (kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels, cabbage), asparagus, green beans, sweet potatoes, yams, beets, squash, onion, garlic.
FRUIT:
Berries, tropical fruit, grapes, stone fruit, apples.
OILS:
Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil.
PLANT PROTEIN/NUTS/SEEDS/LEGUMES:
Coconut or hemp or cashew, yogurt, nuts, legumes, seeds, whole soy (tempeh, edamame, miso, less often tofu).
BEVERAGES:
herbal tea, kombucha, drinking vinegars.
EXCERCISE:
Regular exercise and movement are incredibly important whether you are a child or an elderly individual. Continuous healthy movement throughout life is a mainstay in the realm of optimization and longevity. Part of the problem is either overdoing it or underdoing it. I recommend at least 2 days a week of vigorous weight training. This has been proven to increase testosterone levels naturally and will also maintain and increase muscle mass. This is highly important because after 40 years of age, we consistently and progressively lose muscle mass as we age. This leads to increased risk of long bone fracture, increased risk for metabolic syndrome diabetes etc. I also recommend another 2 to 3 days a week of at least 30 minutes of intense cardiovascular exertion whether that be on an elliptical, treadmill, walking, hiking, running etc.
I recommend obtaining a whoop strap or an equivalent to help maintain some level of balance between exercise strain and recovery. The following is a link to purchase a whoop strap. This link will give you 1 free month of membership. We also have a group through Castle Rock men’s health that you can join to see how everyone else is performing:
Get a free WHOOP 4.0 and one month free when you join with my link: https://join.whoop.com/CA320695.
Once you join whoop, and get your free strap plus monthly membership, feel free to join the Castle Rock Hormone Health group: COMM-657130.
As always, we also congregate as a group every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:00 AM till 8:00 AM at Landow performance center to be trained by a professional trainer. Please feel free to join us, the first week of training is free:
https://landowperformance.com/
NEURO OPTOMETRY:
I see Dr. Saxerud for neuro optometry. This can be incredibly helpful to improve brain function, decrease anxiety and headaches.
You can learn more about Dr. Saxerud HERE
BRAIN GAMES:
One of the most helpful interventions with brain injury is going to see the providers at neuro therapy of Colorado Springs. They will do a functional EEG to identify areas of abnormal brain wave activity, and then you will play brain games once or twice a week to improve brain activity.
These games can be found here > https://neurotherapyofcs.com/
NEURO ATHLETE:
Dr. Grove Higgins is an expert at brain injuries from a musculoskeletal perspective. He performs active release treatments to help with proprioception and improved brain function.
Find out more information HERE
MEDITATION:
I want you meditating 20 minutes a day forever, but because you are having some problems sleeping and some anxiety, please do it at least for the next 6 weeks. You would probably like to do this before bed because you may just go straight to sleep. If possible, it is best to do it every morning as well because it sets the proper tone of relaxation for the day:
WATCH A VIDEO HERE
SLEEP:
I am glad we talked about meditation first, because your biggest improvement in sleep will be found with frequent regular meditation daily. A daily meditation practice has been shown through studies at Harvard to improve sleep, to decrease anxiety and depression scores, to decrease cortisol release, to decrease stress hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, and to improve a general sense of wellness. Additionally, I can offer further sleep recommendations:
Stop all electronic activity at 7:00 PM every day. This means no TV, no movies, no telephone, no emails, no texting, no videos. This will likely have the biggest impact on insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Let’s face it, there is really nothing good that can be gained from watching the news.
If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep, do your best not to engage with electronics unless you are watching a meditation video as detailed above.
Go to sleep at a regular time every night and wake up at a regular time every day. Plan on getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
Eat a large amount of protein at dinner, but make sure to give yourself a carbohydrate load approximately 1 hour before bed. This can be something like cereal with milk, rice, nothing terribly concentrated in carbohydrate like a cupcake, but give yourself some carbohydrate to make yourself sleepy.
Do a brain dump! If you have a significant other, sit down on the couch or in bed with them and have a pleasant conversation. Reconnect with them. If you do not have anyone in your life, sit down with a piece of paper and a pencil or pen and jot down anything that is on your mind from today or anything that you must do tomorrow. Make a list so you do not wake up in the middle of the night worrying about it.
If you have a dog or a cat, laying down on the bed with a pet and simply rubbing the pet is an amazing generator of sleepiness. I hold my dog every night, hold a chew toy so he can chew on it, and pet him and I immediately want to pass out.
Hot tea: Drink chamomile or sleepy time tea 30 minutes before bed. These teas have flavonoids, chamazulene and apigenin, all of which induce sleep.
Magnesium threonate, L threonine and Apigenin. Magnesium threonate can cross the blood brain barrier and slow down neural function. L threonine and Apigenin are amino acids that are also inductive of sleep and dreaming:
Antiinflammation – Vitamin/mineral/fish oil/carotenoid blend:
Age LOC Lifepak and Youth anti-aging.
BUY HERE
These products are incredibly important. First, it is dosed twice a day. Water-soluble vitamins and minerals need to be dosed twice a day, not once a day like they are sold at target or the grocery store. Second, the vitamins are packaged in an amino acid package so that you get incredible absorption. Third, you get additional value by getting a Carotenoid blend. Carotenoids are the backbone of the antioxidant chain. High antioxidant levels have been directly linked to longevity, decreased cancer, and decreased sickness. Fourth, you get magnesium, chromium, and boron, all of which are known to help reduce sex hormone binding globulin which will increase your free testosterone over time. Fifth, you get a solid dose of resveratrol which is known to be highly effective in the longevity antiaging space and stabilizes estradiol. Sixth, you get the proper zinc to copper ratio to also stabilize estrogen and this has also clearly been shown to be effective against viral infections, for example COVID-19 pandemic.
Fish Oils!!!
BUY HERE > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHZYJQD8
At this point, most everyone has heard omega-3 fish oils are incredibly important for brain health. They have been shown to be helpful in the longevity and optimization space, promoting good heart, immune and joint health.
Curcumin/Curamin.
In a randomized clinical trial, it was more effective at antiinflammation, and pain relief compared to ibuprofen 600 mg.
BUY HERE > https://amzn.to/3OnW8s2
Pure ADR Formula.
I have had personal success with this formula. I believe this is an effective supplement for anyone who feels as though they have some level of adrenal fatigue. This formula provides whole bovine adrenal gland and corte as well as adaptogens, that provide the adrenal gland with the necessary ingredients for hormone production. This formula helps to maintain a healthy immune and stress response.
BUY HERE > https://amzn.to/46W5L8E
Pure Rhodiola Rosea:
I have had personal success with Rhodiola. Rhodiola is promoted to increase energy, stamina, strength, and mental capacity, improve athletic performance, resist the effects of stress, and help manage depression, anxiety, and other symptoms.
BUY HERE > https://amzn.to/3K7SW10
Nitric Oxide:
As we get older, we make less nitric oxide. Your brain requires nitric oxide for high-performance. Please take up to 3 g/day of nitric oxide:
BUY HERE > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCRBXKW
Glutathione:
I have found glutathione to be helpful to improve brain function when taken in the morning.
BUY HERE > https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCRBXKW