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Many TBI patients undergoing traumatic brain injury recovery in Miami encounter immune system problems. Learn how you can combat these complications in this blog.
Studies say that traumatic brain injury can impact the immune system. It can impair its function, affecting your body’s ability to prevent diseases or infections. This is the very reason why many patients undergoing traumatic brain injury recovery in Miami often get sick faster than a non-injured person.
If you have the same problem, you might find it helpful to try our list of immune-boosting tips for TBI survivors below.
But, before we take a deep dive into how you can bolster your immune system, let’s talk about its connection to TBI first.
Traumatic brain injury causes inflammation and tissue damage. It also impedes the natural protective function of your immune system because of cortisol, a stress hormone.
Unfortunately, if your body releases excessive amounts of cortisol, the number of white blood cells fighting against diseases plummets.
This results in increased susceptibility to diseases and other health mishaps. And, because you have a weakened immune response, your brain takes time to heal and recover from the injury. You also become at risk of suffering from a secondary brain injury. Cerebral ischemia, or the restriction of blood flow and oxygen in some parts of the brain, is an example of secondary injury.
According to a study, secondary injuries can develop hours or days after the main TBI. And in most cases, they cause long-term effects on the brain tissues.
Now that you have a more precise overview of how a TBI impacts your body’s normal protective response, let’s explore some of the best ways to boost your immune system. This way, you can have a better shot at achieving a traumatic brain injury recovery in Miami.
Antioxidants like Vitamin C strengthen your body’s immune system by neutralizing free radicals, protecting your cells from cell damage. Antioxidants also reduce inflammation, so doctors recommend adding antioxidant-rich food products into one’s everyday diet, such as:
Many patients seeking traumatic brain injury recovery in Miami have a hard time sleeping. Unfortunately, this leads to increased susceptibility to mental health problems like anxiety, stress, and depression. If you want to counter the side effects of a TBI on your sleep, we suggest doing the following:
Inactivity for several weeks or months can cause several complications to your current immune system. On the one hand, physical overexertion can cause more harm than good.
When you plan your exercise routine, we recommend keeping things moderately intense. You can opt for simple physical activities like brisk walking or swimming.
More importantly, you must aim to keep your workout schedule no more than 30 minutes each day for the first few weeks or months.
Once you’re fully healed, you can talk to your physician and determine how to move forward with your workout.
Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is critical to ensuring a smooth TBI recovery journey. A 2019 study explains that the gut microbiome modulates cellular and molecular processes that can trigger the development of TBI-induced health problems like brain inflammation.
This is why many doctors recommend including probiotic-rich food items in a TBI patient’s diet. Some of these food products include yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha.
Emerging research says that consuming added sugars, a common ingredient found in processed food, is a big no-no for patients with TBI. This unhealthy ingredient can cause obesity or overweight problems, two common factors that increase one’s risk of getting ill.
Notably, it can aggravate pre-existing health issues like type 2 diabetes. Therefore, you might find it helpful to limit your added sugar intake by up to 2 tablespoons or 25 grams only per day.
TBI and psychological stress can result in long-term neurobehavioral problems. Results from a study revealed that repeated exposure to stress could trigger anxiety attacks and increase one’s risk for memory impairment.
In addition, some studies note that psychological stress can suppress your body’s ability to defend itself from diseases and injuries.
You might find it helpful to practice relaxation techniques to minimize the impact of stress or anxiety on your TBI recovery. Some examples of these techniques include:
Having an active and fully functional immune system is crucial to avoiding additional problems after a TBI. We hope that our list of immune-boosting health tips above can help you protect your body against diseases and secondary brain injuries.
You might find it helpful to work with professionals like iAM ABLE to speed up your recovery process. Our therapists can help you engage in the right set of activities that can rewire severed nerve connections and restore lost functions.
We use a focused approach in addressing varying levels of TBI symptoms and mentoring and support programs to help patients cope with the physical and mental challenges caused by the injury and its symptoms.
Want to learn more about traumatic brain injury recovery in Miami and the tips in coping with a TBI? You can download the iAM ABLE eBook. Follow our list of tips to thrive after your highly debilitating injury.
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