Can Dietary Supplements Prevent or Slow the Effects of Brain Damage?
In this Article:
1. CTE: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
2. What is CTE and How is it Different form PTSD?
3. Is there a Dietary Supplement that Supports Brain Function?
Playing a game you love, or serving your country with pride, both put you in danger of physical injury. You know that going in, right? We do our best to protect ourselves from the preventable injuries by wearing pads and helmets, but what about the fall out to our brains from the head traumas that cannot be totally avoided? In sports it’s repeated blows to the head most often associated with football players and boxers; for soldiers it’s the unexpected IUD or other blasts from the field of combat. Sure the helmets will protect you from shrapnel, but what protects you from the initial shock wave and secondary “blast wind” of an IUD?
CTE: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
It’s estimated that about 20% of enlisted military suffer from a condition known as CTE. In sports, there are some highly publicized cases of former superstar football players that have resulted in a growing awareness of CTE studied by highly regarded medical professionals such as Bennet Omalu, M.D and Health Sciences Clinical Professor Associate Physician Diplomate at the Department of Medical Pathology and Lab Medicine at UC Davis, California.
The most recent suspected victim of CTE (which will not be confirmed for several weeks) is NFL Linebacker Junior Seau. The Brain Injury Research Institute has asked the family to donate his brain for evaluation. Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson specifically asked his family to donate his brain for research shortly before taking his own life. You can only imagine that he knew that something was just “not right” with how he was feeling. It was later confirmed that he suffered from CTE.
What is CTE and How is it Different from PTSD?
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease that can result in learning difficulties, depression, and difficulty with memory. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that can occur after you’ve seen or experienced a traumatic event that threatens your life, or threatens to cause injury.
While CTE is caused by blows to the head, the causes of PTSD are unknown. Psychological, genetic, physical and social factors may play into why some people experience PTSD while others don’t.
CTE sufferers present with abnormal deposits of the protein tau in the brain. This is the same whether the brain studied was that of a soldier or that of an athlete. It is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder. Those deposits of tau kill brain cells and cause cognitive declines. Brain health is definitely affected, and so is quality of life.
Is there a Dietary Supplement that Supports Brain Function?
Studies continue to find out more about CTE and whether or not this degenerative disease can be slowed down, or even stopped. The science team behind the formulation of Military Grade Nutritionals Dietary Supplements are big fans of Siberian Ginseng for brain support. There are a lot of promising studies that show that regular use may prevent and/or delay the development of various brain and cognitive related diseases, including CTE.
While there are several forms of Ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus aka Siberian Ginseng is the adaptogen used in the treatment of CTE. An “adaptogen” is a non-medical term to describe something that can strengthen the body and increase general resistance to daily stress.
Chronic stress causes all kinds of problems in your body, most of us know that. Imagine how inflated general stress can seem when your brain is not functioning properly. Your brain doesn’t always understand the difference between real stress and imagined stress. As a result it sends signals to your body to release the necessary hormones to protect you from stressful situations. But with chronic stress, that switch is never turned off.
With a dietary supplement such as Siberian Ginseng, maybe that switch will be better regulated.
Resources: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/pathology/our_team/faculty/OmaluB.html
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21819-explosions-cause-brain-damage-through-head-movement.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soldier-blast-chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-cte
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