Introduction

• Importance of looking beyond conventional ALS risk factors
• Structural contributors are frequently overlooked in conventional medicine
• Goal: identify reversible contributors to neurodegeneration
• Focus on reducing inflammation and improving nervous system function

---

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and ALS

Evidence Linking TBI to ALS

• Higher prevalence of previous TBI in people with ALS
• Increased ALS risk after:
  • Single traumatic brain injury
  • Multiple TBIs
  • Injuries occurring before age 18
  • Many TBIs occur without loss of consciousness
  • Minor head trauma may still produce long-term neurological effects

Mechanisms

• Chronic neuroinflammation
• Blood-brain barrier disruption
• Increased toxin entry into the brain
• Persistent inflammatory cytokines
• Long-term changes lasting decades

Clinical History

• Ask specifically:
  • blunt blows to the head
  • childhood injuries
  • sports injuries
  • falls
  • automobile accidents
  • Many people forget or minimize prior injuries
  • Prior injuries from many years ago can be important

How to Reduce Brain & Spinal Cord Inflammation

• Reduce EMF as much as possible (VGCCs cause free-radicals & NFK-B)
• Stop using cordless phones, change RF burglar alarm to wired, turn off your WiFi & turn off your cellphone at nite & charge 30+ feet from bed
• Plug-in appropriate Blushield.com device & wear portable one when out
• Take plenty of highly absorbable magnesium 4x/day to block VGCCs
• Take liposomal curcumin 2x/day & 25drops Nutramedix Dandelion 2x/day
• Rub 30% DMSO on posterior neck & back each evening
• 15-20min sunlight/day to mostly bare skin 10am-1pm & ground to earth
• Asleep by 9pm w/o lights, noise or chemical pollutants in bedroom
• Avoid trans fats, fried foods & sugars (use Nutramedix Stevia & Monkfruit)
• Eat more sardines, squid, scallops, wild-caught shrimp to increase DHA

---

Brain Injury Pathophysiology

Primary Injury

• Direct damage to brain tissue
• Dual site brain trauma consisting of one injury at the site of impact and a second injury on the opposite side of the brain side of the brain
• Frontal and occipital brain damage

Secondary Injury

• Cytokine release
• Immune cell activation
• Chronic inflammation
• Bone marrow response
• Microvascular injury

Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction

• Toxins enter brain tissue
• Ongoing inflammation
• Contribution to neurodegeneration

---

Skull Injuries and Cranial Sutures

Cranial Sutures

• Blunt trauma may cause sutures to become “jammed”
• Fibrin deposition
• Loss of normal skull mobility

Importance of Skull Movement

Normal movement assists:

• Cerebrospinal fluid circulation
• Glymphatic drainage
• Brain detoxification
• Lymphatic flow

Consequences

• Reduced detoxification
• Persistent inflammation
• Possible contribution to chronic neurological disease

---

Evaluation of Brain Injuries

Imaging

***Warning*** Do not use contrast, drinks or injections Gadolinium has been problematic

• Functional MRI
• SPECT scan
• PET scan

Functional Assessment

• Muscle testing
• Manual examination
• Assess cranial mobility
• Evaluate skull flexibility

---

Manual Treatment of Cranial Restrictions

Techniques

• Cranial manipulation
• Mobilization of cranial sutures
• Restoring skull motion

Goals

• Improve CSF movement
• Improve glymphatic drainage
• Restore cranial motion
• Improve brain detoxification

---

Percussion Massage Gun

Recommended Use

---

Brain Rehabilitation After TBI

Exercise With Oxygen Therapy (EWOT)

Purpose:

• Increase oxygen delivery
• Improve blood flow
• Revitalize injured brain tissue

Protocol discussed:

• Alternate high- and low-oxygen breathing
• Bicycle exercise
• Multiple treatment sessions

Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber

Alternative for:

Adjunctive Therapies

• Use this Infrared light on TBI
  while in HBO chamber
  https://tinyurl.com/660and850nmFlashlight
• Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF)
• Alpha-wave stimulation

---

Brain Retraining

Audio-Visual Entrainment

Uses:

• Binaural beats
• Light stimulation
• Frequency entrainment

Goals

• Brain rewiring
• Neuroplasticity
• Functional recovery

---

Neck Injuries and ALS

Research Findings

• Cervical spinal canal narrowing
• Greater spinal cord compression
• Higher prevalence in ALS than controls

Common Causes

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Whiplash
• Falls
• Sports injuries
• Birth trauma

---

Effects of Cervical Injury

Structural Problems

• Misalignment
• Disc injury
• Herniation
• Fascial restriction

Biological Effects

• Spinal cord compression
• Blood-spinal cord barrier disruption
• Increased inflammation
• Toxin entry

---

Evaluation of Cervical Spine

Recommended assessments:

• Functional MRI
• Structural imaging
• Manual examination
• Muscle testing

Importance:

• Particularly emphasized for limb-onset ALS

---

Treatment of Cervical Dysfunction

Manual Therapy

• Osteopathic manipulation
• Chiropractic care
• Fascial release

Massage Gun

• Neck fascia
• Scar tissue
• 45-degree application

Goal

• Reduce pressure on spinal cord
• Improve alignment

---

Dental Bite Alignment

Relationship between:

• Skull position
• Cervical alignment
• Dental occlusion

Bite alignment includes:

• Bite adjustments
• Coordination with dental care
• Maintaining structural corrections

---

Scar Tissue

Types

• Surgical scars
• Traumatic scars
• Keloids – raised scars that grow larger than the original wound and can be itchy or painful

Proposed Effects

• Fascial restriction
• Acupuncture meridian disruption
• Altered function

---

Scar Treatments

Clay Mud Applications

Ingredients discussed:

• Bentonite clay
• Herbal extracts
• Water mixture

Protocol

• Three 10-minute applications
• Multiple treatment days if necessary

Procaine Injection

• Used for keloid scars
• Followed by clay application

---

Acupuncture Meridian Concepts

Includes:

• Scars crossing meridians
• Energy flow disruption
• Organ system relationships
• Governor vessel
• Gallbladder meridian
• Bladder meridian

---

Tattoos and Body Piercings

Concerns:

• Scar formation
• Heavy metal pigments
• Possible disruption of meridians
• Recommendations regarding removal or treatment

---

Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier

Mechanism

• Injury disrupts barrier integrity
• Immune cell infiltration
• Plasma protein leakage
• Edema
• Demyelination
• Neuronal injury

Relationship to ALS

• Proposed contributor to disease progression

---

Light and Photonic Therapy

Uses:

• Infrared light
• Homeopathic vial-assisted photonic therapy
• Cervical spine applications
• Brain applications
  • https://mindalive.com/
  • https://braintap.com

---

Overall Treatment Philosophy

Identify Structural Contributors

• Brain injuries
• Neck injuries
• Skull restrictions
• Scar tissue
• Dental alignment

Reduce Inflammation

• Restore circulation
• Improve oxygenation
• Improve detoxification

Promote Recovery

• Brain rehabilitation
• Structural correction
• Neuroplasticity
• Repeated functional reassessment

---

Major Themes

Long-term reversible contributors to ALS

Traumatic brain injury

Blood-brain barrier dysfunction

Chronic neuroinflammation

Cranial suture mobility

Glymphatic drainage

Cervical spine pathology

Whiplash injuries

Fascial restrictions

Scar treatment

Dental occlusion

Oxygen therapies (EWOT, hyperbaric oxygen)

Infrared light therapy

PEMF

Brain retraining

Acupuncture meridians

Structural medicine

Functional assessment

References

Raymond J, Howard IM, Berry J, Larson T, Horton DK, Mehta P. Head Injury and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Population-Based Study from the National ALS Registry. Brain Sci. 2025 Jan 31;15(2):143.

Sahyouni, R., Gutierrez, P., Gold, E., Robertson, R. T., & Cummings, B. J. (2017). Effects of concussion on the blood-brain barrier in humans and rodents. Journal of concussion, 1, 10.

Matsuzono, K., Suzuki, M., Miura, K. et al. Higher incidence of cervical spinal cord compression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a single-institute cohort study. Neurol Sci 43, 1079–1086 (2022).

Yazdanian T, Azimi P, Babu S. Cervical spinal cord MRI in ALS individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroimage Clin. 2025;47:103832. 

Yadla S, Ratliff JK, Harrop JS. Whiplash: diagnosis, treatment, and associated injuries. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2008 Mar;1(1):65-8.

Eslam Abourisha, Tanmay Jitendra Talavia, Gaurav Jha, Sanjeevi Bharadwaj, Alexander Curran, Sriram Harish Srinivasan,
Breaking barriers: Understanding and managing blood-spinal cord barrier dysfunction in spinal cord injury: A systematic review,
Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma, Volume 76, 2026.

Winkler, E. A., Sengillo, J. D., Sullivan, J. S., Henkel, J. S., Appel, S. H., & Zlokovic, B. V. (2013). Blood-spinal cord barrier breakdown and pericyte reductions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta neuropathologica, 125(1), 111–120.

Ceylan A, Aşık İ. Percutaneous plasma laser disc coagulation and navigable ablation decompression in the treatment of cervical disc herniation: a single center experience. Turk J Med Sci. 2019 Feb 11;49(1):258-264..

Gazzeri, R., Tribuzi, S., Galarza, M., Leoni, M. L. G., & Occhigrossi, F. (2023). Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Laser Disc Decompression (PLDD) with Fluoroscopic Validation for the Treatment of Cervical Disc Herniation: Technical Note. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), 24(6), 625–632.

Carmel Armon, & Lorene M. Nelson. (2012). Is Head Trauma a Risk Factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis? An Evidence-Based Review. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, 13(4), 351–356.

Dongqing Gu, Shan Ou, Mingshuang Tang, Zhiyong Yin, Zhengguo Wang, & Guodong Liu. (2021). Trauma and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 22(3–4), 170–185.

Yukari Watanabe, & Takamitsu Watanabe. (2017). Meta-analytic Evaluation of the Association Between Head Injury and Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. European Journal of Epidemiology, 32(10), 867–879.

Hui Chen, Freya Kamel, Dale P. Sandler, Jane A. Umbach, Aaron Blair, Mustafa K. Alavanja, & Dale M. Weinberg. (2007). Head Injury and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 166(7), 810–816.

Dan Shlosberg, Mony Benifla, Daniela Kaufer, & Alon Friedman. (2010). Blood–Brain Barrier Breakdown as a Therapeutic Target in Traumatic Brain Injury. Nature Reviews Neurology, 6(7), 393–403.

Melanie D. Sweeney, Abhay P. Sagare, & Berislav V. Zlokovic. (2018). Blood–Brain Barrier Breakdown in Alzheimer Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Disorders. Nature Reviews Neurology, 14(3), 133–150.

Bryan Sun, Lulin Li, Odette A. Harris, & Jian Luo. (2025). Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption: A Pervasive Driver and Mechanistic Link Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimer’s Disease. Translational Neurodegeneration, 14, Article 16.

Yukari Watanabe, & Takamitsu Watanabe. (2017). Meta-analytic Evaluation of the Association Between Head Injury and Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. European Journal of Epidemiology, 32(10), 867–879.

The information we share is for educational purposes and should not be treated as medical advice.

© Copyright Healing Advocates Registry and Ministry