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Can Acupuncture Ease Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms?
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Medical treatment for traumatic brain injury symptoms consists pretty much entirely of resting and using over the counter medication to manage headaches and migraines, or antidepressants to manage emotional issues connected to TBI. Unless there was significant physical injury such as extreme swelling, there simply isn’t a lot of active treatment that can be done.
Some doctors believe that gradually reintroducing yourself to minimal aerobic exercise or possible eating Omega-3 rich foods might help TBI patients heal, but so far both are far from considered standard. In other words, if you have a headache, take some ibuprofen, even if it is one of countless chronic headaches left over from brain injury.
At the George E. Whalen Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in Utah, doctors are using acupuncture to manage a myriad of symptoms associated with TBI as part of the multifaceted Integrative Medicine program. According to the Chicago Tribune, patients are seen on an outpatient basis where they are treated for various issues in a myriad of ways.
With just some basic acupuncture, patients reported less intense headaches, better sleep, and general better wellness, and they are taught a few techniques to use during their day-to-day life, such as during the onset of headaches to keep them from becoming too intense.
Acupuncture is in no way a cure for traumatic brain injuries, and it is questionable if it will ever even be a standard part of treatment and management of TBI symptoms. But, any treatment like this will be welcomed by the countless TBI sufferers out there.
