February 1, 2017 6:19 PM NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) What do concussions, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, and football legend Joe Namath have in common? Theyre all combining to develop an exciting new treatment for brain injuries. As CBS2s Dr. Max Gomez explained, more than 5-million people in this country are living with head injuries everything from sports concussions, to car accidents, to slips, and falls. Many thousands of wounded veterans are coming home with brain injuries. Could a treatment developed to treat divers with the bends help these victims? When Broadway Joe Namath played for the Jets in the 60s and 70s, equipment was less sophisticated, quarterbacks were fair game, and we didnt know as much about concussions. I think all of us that played the game had gotten our bell rung, so to speak. Thats what they say, you just got your bell rung, youll be alright. There was some times that I didnt know exactly where I was. Your head hits the ground, maybe somebody hits your head, he said. Years later, Joe saw teammates struggling, and he was getting a little forgetful. So he teamed up with doctors at the Jupiter Medical Center in Florida to use an odd … Continue reading →

JUPITER, Fla. - If there is one person who had the guts to fight his way on the gridiron in order to find the glory of a Super Bowl victory, its NFL legend Joe Namath. The 73-year-old still carries a beaming smile when he enters a room and a rather sharp mind considering all the hard hits he took during his playing career. We called it getting your bell rung. I can remember some hits afterwards, I remember the initial shock, I remember seeing a gold light, said Namath. The spotlight found Broadway Joe long ago and shined a bright light on a football career, filling it with memories on and off the field. Now, decades later the trauma he endured came full circle a few years ago when he reached out to a teammate who was suffering from a history of concussions. You start questioning your memory. You start questioning your retention of something. I wasn't having the problem my teammate was having, but he alerted me this could get worse, said Namath. The legendary quarterback found himself at Jupiter Medical Center where a brain scan revealed damage, so he began a clinical trial. He then had 120 treatments … Continue reading →

TAUNTONlaw firmClarke Willmott LLPhas announced its sponsorship of a programme designed to help brain injury survivors in Bangladesh. The programme is designed to close the treatment gap in the country, as well as providing improved psychological treatment and rehabilitation to patients. Clarke Willmotts sponsorship, via its Serious Injury team, will see the firm donate new textbooks to psychology and neuropsychology students in Bangladesh, which will assist them with their studies to become fully qualified, with the eventual aim of delivering much-needed treatment and rehabilitation to local communities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1994 estimated that 8.4 million of Bangladeshs 111 million population suffered with mental health issues. However, across the entire country there were only 42 practising psychiatrists and no psychologists. Since then much work has been done to close the treatment gap, with a series of initiatives having been formed to eradicate some of the problems Bangladesh faces due to low numbers of psychologists practising in the country. These initiatives followed on from the initial foundations laid by psychologists Graham Powell and Anisur Rahman. Work in the country is ongoing, and further support is needed, which has led to Clarke Willmotts Serious Injury team becoming involved. One of … Continue reading →

Robbinsville resident Eric Toppy (right) gives an award to former Philadelphia Flyer Brian Propp during TBI Angels first gala in November 2016. In an instant, Eric Toppys life changed forever. After surviving a car accident, the Robbinsville resident has found a new focus in lifehelping other individuals suffering from traumatic brain injuries get the help they need. It was really a game changer, Toppy said. I felt very fortunate to be alive, and I knew there was something I needed to do differently with this gift. On Nov. 11, Toppy hosted the first annual TBI Angel Gala at the Hilton Garden Inn in Hamilton. The gala was the first step in his vision to bring the nations first holistic traumatic brain injury center to Robbinsville. Toppy knows first hand the difficulties individuals who sustain a traumatic brain injury face before and after they receive the diagnosis. On his way to a work event one morning in October 2010, Toppy was approaching the Turnpike toll booth in Robbinsville. A dump truck suddenly slammed into the passenger side of his car, spinning the Lexus sedan out of control. Toppys head shattered the glass of his drivers side window. When he came to, … Continue reading →

A Calwell woman is suing The Canberra Hospital and two doctors, alleging she was left in a wheelchair and with permanent brain damage as a result of their negligence. Stacey Louise Cave, 40, a former teacher, had suffered migraines since she was a teenager. The alleged breaches of duty of care stem from treatment of these headaches. The alleged breaches are mostly denied, and on Monday hearings began before a dozen lawyers and barristers and a packed public gallery in the ACT Supreme Court. Ms Cave had since the late 1990s been taking the migraine drug Deseril, prescribed by Woden general practitioner Brenda Jean Tait and a consulting neurologist. The neurologist had ensured Ms Cave's use of the drug included "Deseril holidays", roughly four week breaks every five months, designed to reduce the known circulatory risks from uninterrupted use. When the neurologist retired in 2007, Dr Tait referred Ms Cave to another neurologist, Colin James Andrews in Deakin, where it's alleged prescription of the drug continued, without holidays. Ms Cave is suing Dr Tait and Dr Andrews. It's alleged that by September 2011, Ms Cave, who was a teacher at Garran Primary School, had been taking Deseril for four years … Continue reading →