Page 402 - Total War on PTSD_FINAL

Daily routines of adding fish oil to the diet for maintenance and nutrition turn out to be different from post-concussion dosages. Dosing needs to be much higher for the recovery from brain trauma. I recommend starting with 9000 mg of EPA/DHA daily (3,000 mg of EPA/DHA fish oil three times daily) for at least the first week, sometimes as long as a month, and then decrease to 3000 mg once daily indefinitely to maintain healthy levels. I find people notice an improvement very quickly, often just a day or two after starting with such a high dose. This is encouraging, in and of itself, and makes patients more likely to continue to stay on the protocol. Concussion patients report clearer thinking, more energy, decreased headaches, less irritability, and a sense of
calmness. Everyday life may have left them confused, headachy, forgetful, tired, and overwhelmed by the details of life. Their condition will improve quickly and they find they can return to normal activities and handle life and its challenges with a certain amount of grace.
Again, Omega-3s are not a miracle drug. Expectations must remain realistic when embarking on any treatment. What these fatty acids do is provide a nutritional foundation, what we all a neuro-permissive environment so healing of the brain can occur.
Different recovery outcomes from concussion have to do with many variables. I like to say that concussions are like snowflakes. Everyone person, every injury, every TBI is different — no two are alike. The extent of the injury is important, of course, but there are other variables as well. Who gleans the most benefit from fish oil and to what extent their brains can heal depends on age, gender, genetics, pre-existing conditions, and how
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