I spent $20k recovering from a TBI. Here's what worked.

I spent $20k recovering from a TBI. Here's what worked.

What Happened

In 2022, I sustained a TBI while wakeboarding with some business partners in Northern California. Immediately after that, I lost tic-tac-toe 20 times in a row. Nice.

And yet, it took months for me to understand the severity of my injury as my cognitive and mental health fell apart almost imperceptibly slowly against the backdrop of a chaotic business situation. The decline was certainly made far worse by previous TBIs.

Ultimately, I had to almost completely stop working. I paused life and developed this protocol over the span of one month, following it strictly for three months, until I was fully functional again (and then some).

Protocol

Imaging: fNCI via CognitiveFX (optional)

  • Expensive but one of the best options for baseline testing and assessing progress

🌞 Morning (7am)

  1. 🌅 Wake 7am
  2. 🩸 Test glucose and ketones (aiming for GKI ~1.0, indicative of the highest level of therapeutic ketosis)
  3. 💧 Drink 1/2L Water
  4. 💊 Supplements: 1g Taurine, 5000iu D3, 120mg Ginkgo Biloba (Extract), 2 MitoCore, 1g Mag Chloride, 1tsp BSO (for thymoquinone), 1 Jarrow QH Absorb (PQQ + CoQ10), 1/2 B Complex, Astragalus, 1g Vitamin C
  5. 💉 Injections: 10mL Cerebrolysin (intramuscular, continued 3 weeks), 250mcg BPC-157 (subcutaneous, continued 4 weeks)
  6. 🚶🏻‍♂️ 10 minutes walking outside
  7. 🫁 1hr HBOT (Soft Shell) @1.3 ATA w/O2 (Mon, Wed, Fri)
  8. 🚿 Contrast Shower

🕛 Noon (12:00pm)

  1. 🍽 Meal 1 (Brain Shake V 1.1)
    1. Ingredients: 1C Ice, 1.5C Water, 1C Almond Milk (Unsweetened), 1/3C Coconut Milk (Unsweetened), 1 Avocado, 2T MCT Oil, 2T Olive Oil, 5g Creatine, 1 Scoop AG1, 5g Beetroot Powder, 2T Vital Proteins Collagen, 1t Lion’s Mane Powder, 1 Scoop PeakO2 (Cordyceps, etc.), 1/2t Cinnamon
      1. Optional: Cacao
  2. 💊 Supplements: 50mg Pterostilbene, 2 MitoCore
  3. 🏋🏻‍♀️ Lift weights or zone 2 cardio

⛅️ Afternoon (2:00pm)

  1. 🍽 Meal 2 (Super Salad V 1.1)
    1. Ingredients: 1C Mixed Greens, 1/2C Broccoli, 1 Avocado, 1/2C Black Olives, 1 Tin Sardines in EVOO, 1 Boiled Egg, 2T Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds, 1/2oz Goat Cheese, 2T Olive Oil, 2T MCT Oil
      1. Substitutes for sardines: Cod Liver, Salmon, Mackerel, Oysters (all high DHA)
      2. Optional: Banana Peppers, Jalapeños, 1T Apple Cider Vinegar
  2. 🧲 PEMF 15 Minutes
  3. 😴 15-20 minute nap if needed

🌇 Evening (6:00pm)

🍽 Meal 3 (MCT Goat Kefir V 1.0)

  1. Eat by 6pm (avoid reflux etc.)
  2. Ingredients: 1T MCT Oil, 1C Goat Kefir, 1/2t cinnamon
  3. Optional: Oysters, Shrimp, Salmon, Roe, Cod Liver, etc.

🌙 Night Time (8:30pm)

  1. 💊 Supplements: 2 x ProOmega 2000-D, 2g Magnesium Glycinate (4 caps), 1/2T Inositol, 120mg Ginkgo Biloba (Extract), 30mg Zinc Picolinate, 1g Mag Chloride
    1. Optional: Topical Magnesium Chloride, Jarrow sleep optimize, 1g Vitamin C
  2. 📖 Read
  3. 📲 Phone and laptop out of room
  4. 🕙 In bed no later than 10pm
  5. 🛏 Sleep with grounded pillowcase (huge morning ketone boost due to lower cortisol)

Explanation

I. The foundation: therapeutic nutritional ketosis

The foundational element of this protocol is a deep level of therapeutic ketosis, which is indicated by a Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) of less than or equal to 1.0. Anything less than or equal to 3.0 would be very helpful, but in general the research shows (and my experience reflects) that a lower GKI is better for TBI recovery.

A deep level of ketosis sets the stage for recovery in the following ways:

  1. Neuroinflammation Reduction and Neuroprotection
  2. Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Ketones serve as an alternative fuel source for brain cells that may not metabolize glucose properly, preventing cell death and suboptimal functioning.
  3. Reduction of Excitotoxicity: Ketosis reduces excitotoxicity, a common post-TBI issue, by increasing the activity of GAD, which converts glutamate (excitatory) to GABA (inhibitory), thereby reducing glutamate-related cell damage and death.

In summary, ketosis sets the stage for recovery by counteracting some of the core mechanisms of ongoing damage post-TBI and almost immediately provides symptom relief. Shortly after achieving this depth of ketosis, my light and sound sensitivity practically disappeared.

To be continued...