The violent collisions that make football so exciting come with a big price: Every year between 100,000 and 300,000 concussions occur among players, many of them teenage boys. Some of these victims go on to develop severe mental problems such as chronic headaches, depression, or dementia.
And as for pro players, the statistics are shocking: 1-in-3 retired NFL players has some form of mild cognitive impairment.
But for the first time, researchers are starting to understand exactly what happens to the brain after repeated concussions – and the new findings may lead to ways to prevent and treat head injuries like those commonly suffered in football.
In a just-published article in the scientific journal “Surgical Neurology International,” Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. and Joseph Maroon, M.D., team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers, describe the physical and chemical chain of events in the brain that occur after a concussion. Their ground-breaking findings provide hope that football players and other people who have suffered repeated head injuries may avoid the tragic problems they so often face years after suffering concussions.
The article details the complex chain reaction that occurs in the brain when it is exposed to hard impact. The trauma, say the doctors, stimulates protective cells in the brain to release chemicals called cytokines and excitotoxic amino acids. The chemicals, in turn, interact with certain receptors on the brain’s neurons. But if the brain continues to produce the amino acids after the injury, they overstimulate the neurons and trigger a response called “excitotoxicity.”
The result: Brain cells are rapidly destroyed and neurological symptoms develop.
Though doctors have long believed that minor concussions don’t cause long-term damage, Dr. Blaylock suggests that repeated head trauma — like the kind boxers and football players often suffer— sets off the excitotoxicity reaction and prevents the brain from starting its natural cell repair process.
What does this mean for head-injury sufferers? Because low magnesium levels are linked to excitotoxicity, it is important that football players and others at risk of concussion take supplements of the mineral, says Dr. Blaylock, visiting biology professor at Belhaven University in Jackson, Miss. He is also author of Newsmax's “The Blaylock Wellness Report” and a regular contributor to Newsmaxhealth.com.
Dr. Blaylock recommends 500 mg of magnesium citrate/malate twice a day. The mineral, he says, “has dramatic benefits in treating head injuries” and “it has a strong, protective effect on the brain.”
Dr. Blaylock also suggests that other supplements may further help prevent long-term problems from brain injuries: Curcumin (250 to 500 mg twice a day dissolved in olive oil), DHA (500 mg a day), vitamin E (400 IUs a day), multivitamin (once a day), resveratrol (100 mg a day), and R-lipoic acid (100 mg twice a day with meals).
The head-trauma findings come at a time when head injuries have become a major issue for the NFL. Last month, 75 former players filed suit against the league, saying the organization knew for decades that concussions could cause serious health problems, but withheld the information from players, coaches, and fans.
The players in the suit claim their head injuries left them with symptoms ranging from headaches and ringing in the ears to depression and dementia. Earlier this year, former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson committed suicide, and autopsy results revealed evidence of severe brain injury. In July, Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey died after years of suffering severe dementia.
Of course, not every player who gets a head injury suffers long-term effects. The study notes that factors such as systemic infections, pre-existing brain conditions, and toxins in the environment may also trigger brain cell death and cognitive problems in older athletes.
But now it seems that researchers may be making progress that could make football and boxing much safer sports in the future.
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