What is CTE?
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a disease that’s been in the news lately regarding head trauma with NFL players and other athletes. It is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma or concussions.
Early symptoms include changes in personality, moodiness, depression, confusion, and headaches, and progress to memory loss, impaired judgment, paranoia, aggression, and eventually progressive dementia.
In 2005, a Pittsburgh pathologist named Bennet Omalu published the first evidence of CTE in an American football player, former Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Webster. The movie “Concussion” with Will Smith is about this story.
Research indicates that CTE can start with head trauma in high school athletes.
Dr. Ann McKee is the director of the CTE Center at Boston University and the the chief neuropathologist for the Veterans Affairs ALS Brain Bank. She is a pioneer in CTE research.
Among her findings is that CTE can appear in some players while they are still very young: “Ex-Missouri State player Michael Keck had severe CTE by the time of his death at 25,” said Dr. McKee. “High school football and rugby player Eric Pelly died 10 days after his fourth concussion. He was 18 years old, and his brain should have been pristine, but his brain showed early-stage CTE. Of the brains we have in the Brain Bank, there are 87 that are former NFL players. And 83 of those—95 percent—had CTE.”
Dr. McKee states: “There is a huge effort afoot to educate. She also stated at a recent neurological symposium that “managing the acute injury is the best way to prevent this disease.”
Our Chiropractic Treatment manages the acute injury and may prevent further damage to the brain.
Cranial Facial Release may be a promising treatment for the prevention CTE. The procedure optimizes brain function by facilitating cerebro-spinal fluid flow, increasing vascular flow to and venous drainage from the cranium, mobilizing cranial bones, and unlocking cranial fixations. This often times improves symptoms related to various neurological disorders. Post-concussion syndrome responds favorably to CFR treatment.
Atlas Specific Treatment is also promising for the prevention of CTE. Recent studies by Dr. Raymond Damidian and Dr. Scott Rosa in New York, have shown that a pooling of cerebro- spinal fluid in the brain has been linked to CTE. They have demonstrated through MRI studies, that a chiropractic adjustment to a mis-aligned Atlas vertebra helped restore normal cerbro-spinal fluid flow.
Dr. Tarcha is a certified Cranial Facial Release Practicioner and also provides Atlas Specific treatments. She has been providing care for post-concussion athletes, motor vehicle accident patients, children and adults, for over 25 years.
Dr. Tarcha is offering a free consultation to see if you or your child is a candidate for this treatment.
She can be reached at (310) 318-9543 or email: DrTTarcha@gmail.com