LSU, Miles seeking solutions to the concussion problem

are you saying this will be better for recruiting

Wow, that's a really great read and interesting idea. Thanks for posting.

I remember hearing something around Media Day about Miles and a hyperbaric chamber, but I guessed it was just another Miles-ism that the media runs wild with like his repelling down the building.

I have no clue about the science or medical accuracy of what they're claiming, but as Les says, it seems to make sense to a layman.

Really tough reading about Tolliver and Williford. Would be great if this led to some breakthroughs for these guys and so many other players that have suffered the way they have.

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Harch, who earned his M.D. from Johns Hopkins University, has been studying the healing qualities of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for nearly three decades. Most of his work aimed toward traumatic brain injury has occurred in the last 10 years.

“My argument is, if this works so well for severe (traumatic brain injury), why wouldn’t it work for acute concussion?” Harch asked.

Their findings are potentially revolutionary in the neurology field, which has traditionally looked at brain injuries as untreatable.

“We have been taught in neurology that there is nothing you can do for brain injury or stroke, and that’s for the better part of 100 years,” Harch said. “It’s finally changing now, as people are beginning to think the brain is no different from a heart, a kidney, a joint, any other organ. That, in fact, you can treat an injury to it.”

Does Harch believe his research can eliminate a problem that’s grown larger as it’s become more understood?

“I don’t believe, I know,” Harch said. “I will tell you unequivocally that this can and will prevent the downstream consequences if used judiciously and correctly. It truncates the injury process, so if done early on you can prevent much of the damage. You can stimulate repair.”

All of their studies have been done with veterans who were several months to several years removed from their brain injuries. They hope the results are even more pronounced if the injury is treated soon after it is incurred.

Williford, in Harch’s opinion, is treatable.

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Yeah it's probably tl;dnr for the majority of the Rant,

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For sure.

It's that mentality, too, that led this to be pretty much glossed over at Media Days by the bunch of morons that somehow earn what little money they make by posing as "journalists".

Miles is on stage, so what kind of whacky stuff is he going to say next??? Hyperbaric hahahah The Mad Hatter at it again.

It's a real shame, and I'm glad the writer brought that up in his story. The media truly is a joke.

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Before the research can revolutionize the way concussions are treated in the sport, it needs to produce results. But that couldn’t contain Miles from publicly stating his excitement for the possibilities at SEC Media Days.

Seconds into his half-hour press conference, Miles brought up the potential offered by the research. But his remarks didn’t necessarily hit their intended mark. Blame it on Miles’ public speaking notoriety.

He has a knack for getting keyboards clacking during his press conferences, usually with his trademark juxtaposed syntax. So it was almost too much for those in attendance when Miles uttered the words, “hyperbaric oxygen.”

It was a Twitter punch line. Miles might as well have brought up how he planned to walk on the moon. But it was not a joke.

“I think people thought, ‘Wow, what a wacky comment. The coach is doing his PR thing up there,’” Harch said. “But he is way ahead of everybody. He is dead serious about it, he is right on target.”

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Miles is a brain surgeon. Bow in his genius.

I read the article in Tiger Rag about Les Mile's support for hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat concussions. The article says that the medical folks in Louisiana(doctors and insurance companies) are balking to prescribe or pay for the therapy.

I live in MN, and the hyperbaric oxygen treatment is an important therapy being used to promote healing. The chamber at Rochester Mayo is quite busy, and it accommodates groups of at least 6 at a time. Rochester Mayo insurance, known as MMSI, paid for my ex-wife's treatment. They used it pre and post surgery for her on at least two occasions, and she was in that chamber for about 70 different treatments before and after two surgeries.

LSU was a leader in strength and conditioning
ALVIN ROY

Why not concussions?

They should look into Omega 3 supplementation. Recent success has been amazing for speeding up brain trauma recoveries.

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Other researchers have previously shown the benefits of DHA and EPA Omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of brain trauma.

Researcher Lawrence Roberts and his team published Surviving a Mine Explosion. Their paper relates the story of Randal McCloy, Jr., the sole survivor of 13 miners who were trapped for two days in the West Virginia Sago Coal Mine explosion on January 2, 2006. When rescued, McCloy was almost dead with almost no electrical brain activity due to carbon monoxide poisoning along with hemorrhaging and swelling of his brain. His doctors predicted that he would die shortly, or have permanent brain damage if he managed to survive. He was given 15 grams of DHA and EPA daily to help his brain rebuild. His electrical brain activity returned, and he gradually regained his ability to walk, talk, and see. Today, he is mostly able to function normally, and is married with children.

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A case report titled Therapeutic Use of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Severe Head Trauma was published by Dr. Michael Lewis and colleagues.

A teenager was involved in a car accident, resulting in a severe concussion. While in a coma, surgery was done to relieve pressure on the brain from a subdural hematoma (bleeding on the brain). His doctors believed that his injuries would be fatal, or he would be a permanent “vegetable” at best. A gastric tube was used to feed him 16.5 grams of DHA and EPA and 6000 IU of vitamin D daily. He was able to attend his high school graduation at three months, and was discharged from the hospital four months after his brain injury. He continues to functionally improve with no adverse effects. His doctors relate that the Omega-3 fatty acids provide a foundation for rebuilding the brain and normalizing the ion balance while decreasing damage from free-radicals and the inflammatory process seen with brain injuries. Quoting Dr. Lewis’ team, “Early nutritional intervention in traumatic brain injury is underappreciated. Patients not fed within 5 and 7 days after traumatic brain injury have a 2- and 4-fold increased likelihood of death, respectively.”

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The thing with a TBI is once the brain is severely injured even if you get full function returned its like putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. It's still so fragile that anything can set off another event. I had an instructor that had a TBI that was 13 years removed from her TBI and was fully functional. You could not tell that she had been Ina horrible car accident that almost took her life. All of the sudden she was sitting at home and she felt like she was having a head ache and less than a minute later she was dead from bleeding on the brain.

Having seen and used the hyperbaric chamber at Our Lady of the Lake I can assure you that the ones the players get are nothing like the ones in hospitals. Very similar though, but not identical.

Edit**
I actually remember awhile back the Our Lady of the Lake was trying/or did shut down the facility because it was vastly too expensive to operate and maintain. Glad to see that they didn't as it was one of the VERY few available anywhere in the country.