Dr. Shae Datta: Nutritional Recovery After Concussion, Part 1

Shae Datta, MD is a Sports Neurologist with special interest in post-concussion syndrome, vestibulo-ocular dysfunction and the relation of integrative medicine on brain health. Her specific training allows for a variety of treatment modalities in the identification of mild traumatic brain injury and sideline concussion diagnosis. She has written a book chapter on the gut microbiome and its relation to headache syndromes in concussion.  Her primary research interests include identifying predictors of concussion recovery, examining the role of sleep during concussion recovery, and investigating the cognitive implications of concussion.  Dr. Datta serves as Vice Chair of the American Academy of Neurology's Sports Neurology Section to further awareness and develop new education initiatives in the field.

Part 1 

Today’s topic is something none of us got in medical school. What makes her successful in treating her patients is having this approach, sort of a 180-360 approach to nutritional status among the head-neck , vestibular balance, and everything else we do. When a concussion occurs, we often have disruption of the blood-brain barrier. There also is inflammation. Ultimately, there can be cell death. We have an opportunity for nutritional repair in concussions. There is an energy crisis in the brain. We need to increase the brain’s need for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients. We will discuss in this presentation how to get that into a person’s brain or diet and look at why diet matters.