Head Injury: Lingering Symptoms and How Acupuncture can Help

Concussions have been getting more attention these days in the news, as experts are becoming more aware of the detrimental effects it can have on cognition, memory, mood and even behavior.  Severity of symptoms can depend on the intensity and the number of concussions that you’ve had.  However, even just one concussion/head injury can cause symptoms that can linger beyond what was originally thought.

Common symptoms that occur immediately after the head injury usually include dizziness, headache and foggy head. However, symptoms that can linger for months or even years include foggy thinking, anxiety, trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep, poor memory, difficulty paying attention, irritability, and sometimes behavioral and personality changes.

I have found that with a combination of acupuncture and some herbal or vitamin supplementation, head injury patients who have had symptoms ranging from months to years post-concussion have found significant relief.  Treatment initially is more intense, involving 2x/week for the first month or so. Typically patients start to see improved sleep, less anxiety and better cognitive functioning within the first 10 sessions.  Further treatments are often needed in order to make the results more permanent.