CTE- RESEARCH

Spanky Stephens and David Anderson – Natasha’s Law

In July 2001, Michael “Spanky” Stephens became the Executive Director for the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association after working 33 years at the University of Texas, the last 22 as the head athletic trainer. Spanky served 22 years on the governor-appointed Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers and has served on numerous committees and focus groups within the NATA and State Government.

Spanky has spent years setting concussion protocols to protect high school athletes and provide the best health care for the players. His work continues, and the projects he is involved in will continue to make the health care for young athletes better. Anytime someone from an outside organization tries to change a system, they will be perceived as a threat to larger institutions. It took Spanky’s organization a while to convince the UIL and the High School Coaches Association that the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association was an advocate, not a threat to their sports, but the mission was accomplished.

Spanky Stephens was responsible for assembling the professionals to write Natasha’s Law. Spanky says, “Many do not realize that if a student continues to play with a concussion and receives a second head injury, there is a greater chance of severe brain damage or even death. “

“Natasha’s Law is just the beginning,” Stephens said, “and it has stimulated the need for more research.”

The Texas Governor signed the concussion legislation into law.

The highlights of Natasha’s Law include;

• Concussion Management Team

• Removal from Play

• Waiver and Graded Protocol to Return to Play

• Specific Education/Training for all HCP’s

• State Wide Tracking/Logging of Concussions

Texas is the 21st state with enacted legislation

David Andersons says about Spanky “Spanky became my client at HillCo during my first year with the lobby firm, 2003. His work on the concussion legislation, Natasha’s Law, is a textbook case of how to take a good idea and make it the law.  The bill’s author was a first term member from Amarillo, Four Price. While he was a rookie then, Four is now one of the top members in the Legislature and he will tell you how important Spanky was with that bill and how much he learned about the legislative process as he worked on it. That bill became the model for many other states since 2011”.

Brain Injury Research Institute

The Brain Injury Research Institute is a center for the study of traumatic brain injuries and their prevention that was founded in 2002. Its founding members include: Julian E. Bailes, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine and former NFL and current NCAA team physician; Bennet Omalu, M.D., forensic neuropathologist, who is the Chief Medical Examiner for San Joaquin County, California, and Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Davis; and Robert P. Fitzsimmons, Senior Partner at Fitzsimmons Law Offices, in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Chicago Tribune November 2017 Kia Cadenza

Four years ago, researchers from Evanston’s NorthShore University HealthSystem and other scientific organizations announced that they had used brain scans to detect the hallmark of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in ex-football players while they were still alive – a technique that promised to spur more accurate diagnoses, and possibly new treatments.

 The scans indicated the presence of tau, a protein that builds up over damaged neurological cells, in the brains of former NFL players. But the scientists cautioned that the results needed to be confirmed, since CTE can be definitely diagnosed only by examining brain tissue after a person’s death.

Dr. Julian Bailes, a NorthShore neurosurgeon, said Wednesday that confirmation has arrived.

In a paper published last week in the journal Neurosurgery, Bailes and other researchers reported that one of the former players who had undergone a scan had his brain examined after he died – and sure enough, the tissue revealed that he had been suffering from CTE.

The condition is associated with repetitive head trauma and results in 

dementia-like symptoms.

More research is needed to corroborate the result, but if it holds up, Bailes said it could be a pivotal step in finding a way to help people with the condition.

“If there’s ever a treatment developed, you can test the response to it,” he said. “If you can trust the scans, you can tell a football player he shouldn’t keep playing, or tell someone in the military he can’t get in the way of explosions.”

Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com

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 FROM BILL ATESSIS  

5/22/2017

Saw this last week about a young lady with a remarkable recovery.  This is the same group that Bob Lilly and others have treated with. 

http://abc13.com/health/woman-says-stem-cell-therapy-saved-her-life-/2012975/

DAVID MCWILLIAMS AND BILL ATESSIS

 There is a less expensive procedure called celltex that is administered in this country.  I cannot substantiate the results of the treatment,  but I know some very important people are using this procedure.    Their site is http://celltexbank.com/, and the site has a testimonial component you can visit. Other sites to visit include

 

Bill Atessis.

Dear Horns,  (From Bill Atessis)

I am in the beginning phase of investigating a treatment by Celltex Therapeutics for one of my closest friends. This company has treated several prominent NFL players for Dementia and Alzheimer’s.   I have spoken with several former Dallas Cowboys who have been treated and all are pleased with the results.  

That said- please know that I am still in the due diligence phase of research and my comments are informational only and should not be construed as an endorsement of Celltex .

Jackie Sherrill (former A&M Coach back in the 80’s) has been working with Celltex Therapeutics and NFL players to get this treatment covered by the lawsuit funds.  I’m not exactly sure of the pricing but the NFL players I talked to say it is around $15 – $20 thousand.   I will try and meet with Jackie to get more information and a better idea of costs.

This treatment is not covered by insurance nor is it FDA approved.  The stem cell extraction is done in Houston however the injection is done at their clinic in Cancun Mexico.

If you have any questions that you would like me to ask as I pursue my due diligence, please forward to me thru BillyDale1@gmail.com. 

I hope all is going well with you and family.  I am really encouraged about our new coach, and I believe we are going to see UT back in the top tier of college football where we should be.

Hook ’em,

Bill  Atessis

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  Al Sears, MD
11905 Southern Blvd.
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411

February 14, 2019

Years of crushing blows on the gridiron took a toll on Joe Namath’s brain. But he’s seen dramatic improvement thanks to this natural therapy.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pulled off another win. But seeing the players take hits over and over reminded me how tough pro football can be on players’ bodies. It also reminded me of another incredible NFL quarterback.

One who lives right up the coast from me here in South Florida — Joe Namath. Joe had an amazing career with the New York Jets. But the bone-crunching blows that come with the sport left him with damage to his brain.

This type of injury is called traumatic brain injury, or TBI. It’s very common in athletes who play contact sports, especially football players.

But you can experience TBI from other things, too. Like falls, car accidents, or other head trauma. People with TBI have symptoms like memory loss, confusion, headaches, trouble speaking, vision loss, and a lack of coordination.

Your risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia rises dramatically after a brain injury.

Mainstream medicine’s treatment for TBI includes a long list of drugs… everything from anti-anxiety drugs to anti-psychotic drugs to sedatives. These drugs can end up doing more damage to your brain and health.

Incredibly, there’s a completely natural and easy treatment they won’t even discuss with you… One that can actually heal your damaged brain. It’s the treatment Joe Namath used.

And it dramatically changed his life.

I’m talking about hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

Joe saw such an improvement in his cognitive function after undergoing HBOT that he’s now an outspoken advocate for the therapy. And his brain scans back up his recovery claims.

Areas that were once dark on the scans — showing decreased blood flow — lit up after Joe’s HBOT treatment.

Joe’s not the only brain-injury patient to be helped by HBOT. A study published in the journal PLOS One looked at 56 patients with post-concussion TBI who underwent HBOT. After eight weeks, the patients had significant brain function improvements, as well as improved quality of life. Even if their injuries had occurred years before.1

And here’s the really exciting part… Even though conventional doctors say there’s no hope for stroke patients after six months, the study participants had their strokes six months to three years prior to receiving HBOT.

This is truly an incredible therapy. It’s also a powerful healer for:

• Inflammation

• Wounds

• Cancer

• Infection

• Heart disease

• Parkinson’s disease

When it comes to your brain, HBOT can do more than just heal damage caused by trauma. Studies have found it improved symptoms in kids with autism; 2 enhanced cognitive function in patients with vascular dementia; 3 and repaired brain damage in stroke victims.

In fact, in a study at Tel Aviv University, stroke patients who received HBOT for two months recovered from paralysis, were able to speak again, and had an increase in sensation. Scans of their brains showed increased neuronal activity.4

HBOT involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This allows your lungs to take in much more oxygen than they normally do. It also stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, which heals and regenerates damaged or diseased tissues, blood vessels and cells throughout your body.

Your body needs an adequate supply of oxygen to function properly. And when you suffer damage — to the brain or any other tissue — you need even more oxygen. That’s why it’s critical to increase the amount of oxygen your blood is able to carry to promote healing.

Heal Your Brain with HBOT

I use hyperbaric oxygen therapy every day at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine. And the whole procedure is as easy as breathing. Here’s how it works:

1. During an HBOT session, you sit or recline comfortably in a pressurized chamber.

2. You breathe in 100% oxygen.

3. You can listen to music, watch a movie or simply relax.

A typical HBOT session lasts just over an hour. Treatments are repeated, depending on the condition, anywhere from five to 40 times.

References

1. Boussi-Gross R. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve post concussion syndrome years after mild traumatic brain injury – randomized prospective trial.” PLoS One. 2013;8(11):e79995.
2. Rosignol DA, et al. “Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.” BMC pediatrics. 2009;9:21.
3. Xiao Y. et al. “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for vascular dementia.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012; 11;(7).
4. American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Oxygen chamber can boost brain repair years after stroke or trauma. Science News. January 23, 2013.

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