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From Concussion to Clarity: How We Help TBIs

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When most people think of a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI), they expect symptoms like headaches, blurred vision, or dizziness to show up right away—and then fade. But the truth is, TBIs can affect the brain for months, years, or even decades.

Doc knows this firsthand. After his own childhood car accidents, he went from being an honor roll student to struggling with basic math and science. While his symptoms eventually improved, the brain injury left him with anxiety and brain fog that resurfaced 20 years later.


Common Symptoms of Concussions & TBIs

Immediate red flags include:

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Slurred speech

  • Seizures or confusion


But even if those aren’t present, long-term symptoms may appear months or years later, including:

  • Memory loss or slow thinking

  • Trouble concentrating

  • Headaches and migraines

  • Balance issues

  • Sensitivity to light or sound

  • Irritability, anxiety, or depression


Why Symptoms Can Linger: The Glymphatic System

The brain’s glymphatic system is supposed to clean up inflammation and debris. But after a head injury, glial cells become “primed”—meaning they swell 10–100 times their size and begin destroying healthy neurons.

Instead of helping the brain heal, the glymphatic system can actually spread inflammation from one neuron to another, leading to degeneration and long-term problems like CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).


What Triggers Ongoing Brain Inflammation

Even years after an injury, certain stressors can re-ignite symptoms:

  • Low oxygen saturation (<97%)

  • Blood sugar instability (below 85 or above 100)

  • Cortisol spikes from chronic stress

  • Leaky gut or gut inflammation

  • Viral or bacterial infections, mold, or toxins

  • Alcohol or poor diet


Because the brain and gut are connected through the vagus nerve, inflammation in one often triggers inflammation in the other.


Our Approach: Helping the Brain Heal

At Life Springs Family Chiropractic, we help TBI patients by targeting both the brain and the body:

  • Laser therapy (808nm, specific pulse rates): shrinks primed glial cells, reduces inflammation, stimulates mitochondria, and helps neurons reconnect.

  • Chiropractic adjustments: create new neural connections and restore brain-body communication.

  • Nutraceuticals: glutathione, resveratrol, turmeric, and short-chain fatty acids to calm inflammation and support healing.

  • Intermittent fasting (for the right body type): improves brain resilience.

  • Functional medicine: identifying hidden drivers like food sensitivities, toxins, or gut issues that keep the brain inflamed.


By calming primed cells, restoring healthy neural connections, and healing both brain and gut membranes, we move patients from confusion and chaos → to clarity and healing.


The Takeaway

If you or your child has ever had a head injury—even years ago—your symptoms today might be connected. You’re not broken; your brain is just stuck in survival and inflammation. With the right care, clarity and healing are possible.


If you’re ready to take the next step, contact us today to set up your initial examination or join us at an upcoming workshop.


Life Springs Family Chiropractic – Denver, CO

Call/Text: (303) 770-0605


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