The brain is a vital organ. It regulates mood, balances emotions, and originates thoughts and ideas. However, the brain is also a very soft organ.

Even though the skull does act as a form of protection, it's not invincible. When the head experiences trauma, it can crack the bone, rattle the brain, and upset the neurons. While skull fractures are dangerous, trauma to the brain is the most severe issue.

Keep reading to learn how acupuncture can help you heal from a past or recent brain injury and find focus and balance.

What is a Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury? 

Concussions are a type of severe brain injury or traumatic brain damage. Most concussions occur because of a sports accident or other physical trauma to the skull or brain. Car accidents are a common cause of concussions as well as work-related injuries.

Football players are especially susceptible to concussions caused by constant reinjury of sensitive skull areas. The continual smashing of the skull on the heads and bodies of fellow players causes many micro-injuries in the skull, which can develop into severe damage after continuous impact.

People involved in car or mechanical accidents are also more likely to experience a concussion. Workers who use heavy automatic machinery must undergo special training because this equipment can cause severe brain and bodily injury if misused.

Concussions are challenging to diagnose because no blood test or brain scan can locate the damage. Most doctors use symptoms and behavioral intricacies to diagnose concussions.

Some signs of a concussion include:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Balance issues
• Vision issues
• Seeing blotches of light
• Dearness in one or both ears
• Trouble focusing or understanding speech
• Difficulty writing
• Fluid escaping the ears or nose

Doctors check for these symptoms after patients experience a traumatic injury to determine if someone has a concussion. If these symptoms persist, you may have a chronic trauma that continues for years.

Can Acupuncture Help Heal A Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Acupuncture has been shown to alleviate several of the symptoms of concussion. While it can't reverse the damage to the brain, it can help improve memory, decrease inflammation, and help alleviate pain. Since the symptoms of concussion are multifaceted, acupuncture is a powerful treatment.

It can help prevent many of the uncomfortable and irritating conditions of concussions and help people regain their abilities. If you suffer from memory loss, painful headaches, and vision impairments, acupuncture can help alleviate your condition.

Acupuncture is a form of invasive therapy. Invasive means this therapy utilizes thin needles to break the skin and stimulate the flow of Chi energy in the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Chi energy can get blocked in the body, causing the organs and various parts to break down or operate slower.

Can Brain Damage From a Concussion Be Reversed?

While the physical damage to the brain and skull cannot be reversed, symptoms can be alleviated. Whether you're suffering from memory loss, painful headaches, or vision and hearing loss, there are ways to improve these conditions.

With the proper care and treatment, many concussions sufferers can regain their previous abilities.

Heal Your Brain Today With Acupuncture and TCM

Chinese and other Asian cultures have used acupuncture and TCM for thousands of years. The therapy was demonstrated as an effective treatment for various conditions in several clinical trials. These conditions include many of the symptoms of concussions, like memory issues (both short and long-term), headaches, vision impairments, and inflammation.

If you or a person you know experienced an accident that damaged their brain recently or in the past, don't worry! Acupuncture can help you return to your previous state of well-being and balance. But to feel well again, you must get the best care. John at Fast Relief Acupuncture is fully licensed with years of experience. Contact John, and he can help you on the road to recovery!

Everyone ages. It's one of the main certainties of life, but it doesn't have to be a hardship. Properly caring for our bodies as we age can help prevent decay and the slowing of our system functions.

Many of us know that we must work out and eat properly to keep our bodies healthy, but we often overlook our minds. Brain health is one of the most essential parts of our body's well-being, which can suffer as we age.

This article will discuss the signs of cognitive decline and how acupuncture can help address the many causes and symptoms.

What is Brain Health?

The brain is still less understood than other aspects of our bodies. Unlike the heart, liver, kidney, and other organs, it's hard to identify what the brain does and how it accomplishes its many tasks. In some ancient cultures (such as ancient Egypt), embalmers did not include the brain in burial rites and were removed unceremoniously from the body.

However, these ancestors were entirely wrong in this assumption. Our brains still aren't well understood, but we know they regulate our behavior and are the source of our many thoughts and ideas. They help us navigate the world safely and are hardwired to protect us from the many things that can kill us.

Although experts still need to establish how the brain works and what makes a healthy brain. The general definition consists of the following signs of a fully functioning brain:

• Focus
• Clarity
• Positive sleep patterns
• Balanced emotions
• Keen memory
• Quick reflexes

Not every person is the same, and just because you're not as sharp or quick as others doesn't mean your brain's unhealthy. However, it could mean you have underlying stress factors or an emotional imbalance impacting your cognitive abilities.

The brain's not an independent entity floating around in your skull. It's an interactive organ that your emotional state can influence. If your hormonal levels are unbalanced or you're dealing with stress, it can give you brain fog and issues focusing. However, your brain can also slow down as you age, which we'll discuss in detail below.

How Can Age Impact Brain Health?

As we age, our organs start to slow down and lose their capability, and our brains are not excluded from this issue. While the causes of our brain's decreased capabilities are multifaceted, heart health and blood pressure are important factors. Brains need a steady supply of blood flow to work optimally.

If you suffer from a heart condition, blood pressure issues, or low oxygen in your blood, it can impede brain function. If anything restricts the blood supply to the brain, it can cause the brain to slow down and lose its cognitive abilities. Since many people's hearts lose potency as they age, so does the brain.

However, other triggers can also cause you to lose brain power as you age. These include stress, poor diet, improper sleep patterns, and injury. As you age, your body receives more damage, which can decrease its ability to function and work. These factors combined can make people seem slower and less cognitively aware as they age.

Signs of cognitive decline as you age include:

• Decreased reaction time
• Slowed reflexes
• Continence issues
• Depression
• Memory loss

How Do You Combat Symptoms of Cognitive Decline?

There are several ways to slow, prevent, and reverse cognitive decline as you age. While the precise method varies depending on your condition, most of the treatments we'll discuss will help regardless of the ailment. While conventional medicine can help, adding acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine can help further alleviate your symptoms. Acupuncture is a treatment where a trained practitioner inserts thin needles into the skin at specific points. These points are known as meridians, vital energy storage and distribution centers. By inserting acupuncture needles into these spots, the therapist can balance and stimulate the flow of Chi (Qi) energy.

Chi is an essential source of vitality and power in traditional Chinese medicine. When the energy is blocked or flowing improperly, it can impact the rest of the mind and body. Medical research verifies many of the therapeutic and health benefits of acupuncture. Acupuncture doesn't just relieve pain and decrease inflammation, but it also helps improve blood flow. This aspect of acupuncture can significantly increase cognitive abilities and slow the effects of aging.

When combined with other therapy, such as meditation and herbal medicine, acupuncture can alleviate many symptoms of cognitive decline.

How Acupuncture Can Help Improve Your Brain Function As You Age

Acupuncture can significantly improve well-being and helps keep people sharp and active as they age. Stimulating Chi's energy and improving blood flow helps prevent cognitive decay and keeps people engaged and alert. However, acupuncture also helps lower stress and improve sleep patterns, greatly enhancing brain power and focus.

Adding acupuncture to your treatment can help you reclaim your brain and feel present in the moment. Although, not all therapists are the same, and you don't want a mediocre acupuncturist treating you.

Here at Fast Relief Acupuncture, John is fully trained with years of experience treating patients. You can trust that you'll receive the very best treatment. Contact John today to start your healing journey.