This week’s spotlight is on The Prince Synergy, a worldwide organization focused on maximizing human capitol.

In The Prince Synergy’s own words, “Traumatic Brain Injury takes away victims’ freedom and opportunities internally.” With the unique obstacles faced by traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients in mind, this business works to help companies and their employees work with the limitations created by this injury and others.

The Prince Synergy provides teaching and consulting in the areas of health and stress management, leadership and innovation at “times of unexpected change, stress, illness and injury.”

If you or someone you know has sustained a TBI that is interfering with productivity, this company may be just what you are looking for. To find out more, click here.

We found an interesting Website that has some very unique items to assist people who have a disability.

B Independent showcases everything from pill organizers to mind, body, soul CDs. You can find eating utensils with angled, comfort grips, food bumpers, two handed mugs, balance pads, hand exercisers, communications boards and so much more.

We were delighted to find such an eclectic and fun site that includes some very useful items not found in other places. To check them out, click here!

Bicycle helmet studies - how seriously can you take them? We are aware that there are contradictory studies that benefit both those for and those against the use of helmets, and each one states that its conclusions are the right ones. Knowing of these biases, how can you determine whether wearing a helmet will benefit you or not?

Ignoring case-control studies, where those with head injuries are compared to cyclists without, and anecdotal evidence, we are left with the actual hard research regarding a helmet’s ability to protect your head in a crash.

Helmets are designed to handle crash energy - when your helmet sustains an impact, the foam crushes decreasing the energy and extending the time in which your head stops moving forward. This reduces the impact force to your brain. A good helmet won’t shatter or break, and a great one will be made with foam that can stiffen or yield depending on the degree of impact.

The goal is for the foam to be thick enough that it won’t bottom out on impact, but not so thick that it contributes to neck strain. The rounded shape isn’t just to fit to your head, its to help reduce impact even more by easily skidding when it comes into contact with the pavement.

Helmet safety standards have been created to make sure that your helmet can be used as the manufacturer intends. The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) is the most commonly referred to standards organization today and publishes on a variety of sport helmets. They have impact tests, strap tests, coverage requirements, as well as performance standards for different temperatures and weather conditions. Check out the Snell Memorial Foundation site for detailed bicycle helmet standards or the US CPSC.

These standards include most of the following tests. Impact testing drops a headform wearing a helmet onto an anvil…the anvil will be in a variety of shapes, each one fit the particular test. The amount of shock that the headform sustains is measured and these measurements determine how well the helmet protected it. Some impact tests drop weights onto the helmet or an attempt is made to penetrate the helmet with a sharp, heavy object.

These same tests, among others, are carried out when the helmet is wet, hot, cold, dry, etc. The strap is tested as well, by being yanked either by a machine or by the attachment of a weight. This is done to measure how much it stretches or if it breaks.

Now, short of donning a helmet and riding your bike into a deliberate crash scenario, you will have to take this research along with the countless studies both advocating for and against helmet use and make up your own mind.

Helmets have been created to lower your risk of brain damage, not prevent it, not guarantee a complete recovery after a crash. They can help you to enjoy your time riding, knowing that in addition to taking careful stock of your surroundings and using safe riding habits, you are doing everything in your power to help prevent a traumatic brain injury.

It is of course, your choice.

We mentioned last week the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act (H.R. 1727) and there was a bit of confusion. To clear things up, here is a direct description from the Christopher Reeve Foundation Website, should you wish to assist in passing this bill:

“In an attempt to move legislation before the August recess, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced S. 3297, Advancing America’s Priorities Act, a legislative package which contains approximately three dozen bipartisan, non-controversial bills that have been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, the respective Senate Committees and have been awaiting Senate action. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act (CDRPA), S.1183, has been included in this package which is expected to be debated in the Senate later this week.

NOW is the time to act to help pass legislation that will encourage multi-disciplinary consortia style research to enhance understanding and speed discovery of better treatments and cures; support rehabilitation research; and, build quality of life programs to promote independent living, self-sufficiency and equality of opportunity for individuals with paralysis and mobility impairments.

STATUS: The Senate is expected to debate S. 3297 later this week and into early next week. Your help is urgently needed to pass the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act.

ACTION: Contact both of your US Senators NOW and urge them to support Advancing America’s Priorities Act, S. 3297, which includes the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, S.1183.

CALL: Click here to identify your federal legislators and find their contact information. The most effective way is to call or write them directly. If you know your Senators, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 right now! Here is the message you should convey:

Please ask Senator _____________ to support Advancing America’s Priorities Act, S.3297, which includes the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, S.1183. The Reeve Paralysis Act encourages collaborative research in paralysis, will hasten the discovery of treatments and potential cures and will improve the quality of life for millions of Americans living with paralysis. Please ask the Senator to vote for passage of S. 3297, Advancing America’s Priorities Act.

WRITE: A fax or an email from you is very impactful, but time is of the essence. For a sample letter click here.”

An unusual path to brain damage:

In the news these last few days have been versions of a story about a woman who suffered brain damage from a detox diet she was on. The British woman, Dawn Page, was taking a nutritionist’s advice and ingesting large amounts of water while cutting back on salt intake.

The resulting sodium deficiency caused an epileptic fit that lead to permanent brain damage. Page was given a settlement by the nutritionist’s insurance company, but that didn’t exactly make up for the memory damage, speech difficulties and loss of concentration that Page now lives with.

This story is a good example of how important it is to make sure you are taking advice from a registered and thoroughly trained professional. Not only that, but following up someone’s advice with research of your own to make sure that there is some validity to the information is equally important.

It’s easy for people to assume that because someone lables themselves a nutritionist or doctor or herbalist, etc., that they are automatically trustworthy. In our culture we tend to take “professionals” on faith, figuring that they wouldn’t lie to us as they are in the health profession.

One thing to remember is that sometimes they aren’t lying, such as seemed to be the case with Page’s nutritionist, Barbara Nash. From all accounts, Nash believed what she was selling and most likely it was ignorance on her part that caused her to prescribe a detox program that was so dangerous. This is why doing your own research to back up what you have been told is so important.

ClinicalTrials.gov is this week’s spotlight.

This Website is dedicated to providing information on a variety of traumatic brain injury (TBI) trials. If you are interested in participating in cutting edge research regarding various aspects of TBI, this is a good place to start looking for information.

Clinical trials are essential to TBI research as they determine which drugs and treatments are approved for human use. While tests on lab animals are what initially decides whether or not a drug is effective, they need human test subjects to figure out if they will really work or if they are ineffective.

Researchers often face the problem of not being able to find enough trial participants. This holds up the process of publishing a potentially beneficial drug. Some trials offer compensation, and all offer high levels of medical care while you are participating in the study

Re-adjusting to the workplace with a disability:

Monster Career Advice has an interesting article by Matt Krumrie on re-entering the workforce after sustaining a disability. Typically we don’t consider what would happen if we lost or ability to walk or to read or even to maintain an even mood. We continue through life focusing on our family, our friends, the boat we want  or the life we will live once we retire. But when you sustained a life-altering injury that leaves you disabled, all of these priorities are, at least temporarily, put to the bottom of the list.

Now you have to focus on whether or not you can stay in your current job or on your chosen career path. Things like how to navigate down narrow isles between cubicles or how to concentrate on spreadsheets when your back is radiating pain become real considerations - ones that more likely than not you are unprepared for.

Krumrie’s article discusses how to look for other skills that you can apply if your disability hinders the ones you have been using so far. If you lose the use of your fingers, then perhaps voice dictation or customer support will be an option. It’s about looking at life with new eyes and realizing that your disability doesn’t mean the end of work or living the life you care about. In some cases, the addition of workplace accommodations will take care of any access issues you may have. Don’t be afraid to speak with your employer about your needs and how he or she can best help you to get the job done.

Adjusting to new situations can be difficult, especially with a disability, but have hope and realize that there are a lot of great resources available to help you make that transition. Others have overcome incredible obstacles - you can too!

Communicating How You Want to Be Treated After A Disabling Injury

When you are newly disabled, whether through a spinal injury or traumatic brain injury, there are so many vital things to process and re-learn that figuring out where to start can seem very overwhelming. Today we are looking at tips on how to speak with someone who is disabled or what you can and should request in the behavior of those who speak to you. The following suggestions are thanks to Disapedia.com

• When talking to a person with a disability, look at and speak directly to that person, rather than through a companion who may be along.
  

• Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted common expressions such as “See you later” or “Got to be running along” that seem to relate to the person’s disability.
  

• To get the attention of a person with a hearing impairment, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand. Look directly at the person and speak clearly, naturally and slowly to establish if the person can read lips. No all persons with hearing impairments can lip-read. Those who can will rely on facial expression and other body language to help in understanding. Show consideration by placing yourself facing the light source and keeping your hands, cigarettes and food away from your mouth when speaking. Keep mustaches well trimmed. Shouting won’t help. Written notes may.
  

• When talking with a person in a wheelchair for more than a few minutes, use a chair, whenever possible, in order to place yourself at the person’s eye level to facilitate conversation.
  

• When greeting a person with a severe loss of vision, always identify yourself and others who may be with you.

It takes time for the family and friends of someone with a disability to realize that they don’t need to tip-toe around you or to understand that your disability does not make you a wholly different person. It’s your right to request a respectful and equalizing communication process that takes into account any barriers that your disability may present.

Accepting Your Feelings after Brain Injury

The time following a brain injury is an incredibly confusing, frustrating, and emotional period for both the survivor and his or her family and friends. All involved should be expected to experience a wide variety of emotions, from depression to denial, from anger to hopelessness. These feelings are completely normal, and the patient and his or her family shouldn’t feel bad about having them.

Patients and their families and friends should be encouraged to share their feelings with the physician, therapy team, and counselors, and should talk about, in particular, what is distressing them. Perhaps they are afraid that they won’t have the same relationships with their friends, or perhaps they are worried about ever working again. Talking to someone who knows what the future is likely to hold can bring emotional relief, and can help the patient focus on what’s really important—recovery.

Preventing Pressure Sores

Pressure sores are a common complication of paralysis. Pressure sores occur when unrelieved pressure on the skin compresses the blood vessels that carry nutrients and oxygen to the skin. When the skin lacks blood for too long, the tissue dies and pressure sores form.

Pressure sores are not a minor complication. They can take lots of time and money to heal, taking you away from your life, family, and job. A pressure sore can result in several weeks of hospitalization, and some may even require surgery or skin grafting.

Luckily, for the most part pressure sores are preventable. Skin should be inspected daily, particular the areas of bony prominence. Patients should have appropriate support surfaces, and should be repositioned frequently. The skin should be kept neither too dry or too moist, and during cleaning care should be taken to minimize the force of friction on the skin. Finally, good nutrition will help any pressure sores that do occur to heal.