Head injuries have gotten a lot of press lately. This has been driven by an effort in professional sports, particularly the NFL and NHL to recognize the seriousness of head trauma and has led to a lot more funding for research into the ways to protect and correct the damage incurred with blows to the head.
Research is showing that one natural therapy may be incredibly important – taking high dose fish oil. Fish oils contain essential fatty acids, which are fats your body can’t make so you must get them through your diet. These same essential fatty acids protect your brain from damage both before and after a head trauma, so it’s a good thing to take on a daily basis.
There are two main omega-3 essential fatty acids that are being studied: ecosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) – remember the letters, not the words. DHA seems to have a stronger protective effect on the brain.
Most people would benefit from taking about 2000 mg of EPA+DHA per day in divided doses with meals; if you have a high probability of head trauma (i.e., you play contact sports) or if you have had multiple blows to the head in the past it would probably be a good idea to take 4000 mg of EPA+DHA per day. In order to figure out how much a product contains, look at the label; it will tell you how much EPA and DHA are in a serving. Most products are very low potency, so you have to take a LOT of pills. Look for a concentrated product to get the best results. We use several high potency fish oils that have been third party tested for purity; they also allow you to take a lot fewer pills. Getting a purity-tested product is very important, as recent research indicates many of the most popular brands contain dangerous contaminants.
Here is a link if you’d like more information on how fish oils have been used with head injuries: http://radionutrition.com/2012/04/18/omega-3-and-brain-injury-interview-with-dr-michael-lewis-md/. More research will inevitably increase the knowledge base and dosing ranges for fish oil use, but for now it shows tremendous promise to protect your bell from being run too many times.