Omega-3 protocol for Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion

I attend a lot of conferences and happened to have a chance meeting with Dr. Jerry Cott at an herbal medicine conference in Arizona about 13 years ago and we became very good friends. He is considered one of the leading researchers in the world on the use of omega-3 essential fatty acids for depression, bipolar disease and traumatic brain injury. He was a senior Pharmacologist at the FDA, retiring in 2019, and is a well respected researcher in the industry. He had the responsibility of approving the drugs for psychiatric treatment, applications for omega-3 fatty acids and conducted the research on herbal medicine. My background with neurological rehabilitation  and nutrition was a great combination for us to work together to help educate others on these research findings.

The video links below are to CNN documentaries on several miraculous recoveries using this new and unprecedented protocol:

You tube Fish oil and Traumatic Brain injury  CNN documentary Bobbie Ghassemi and Sango Mine accident (7 minutes)

You tube Fish oil saves boy's brain?   CNN documentary Grant Virgin (4:40 minutes)

The information in this section comes from my experiences with Dr. Cott and other researchers as well as my own experiences of witnessing the remarkable recoveries of persons using this information over the past 15 years. I hope that this is helpful to you or any other family members who are struggling with any cognitive, mood or behavioral difficulties.

I really want to acknowledge Dr. Jerry Cott for his influence in this area, much of it behind the scenes.  I want to give my friend recognition as a MAJOR contributor to these cases and in distributing this information. Thank you Jerry for all that you have done.

 Dr. Jerry Cott and Dr. Joseph Hibblen worked together for many years at NIMH researching  and identifying the effects of EFA's on overall brain health and specifically for mental health. They are the pioneers and are among the top researchers in the world in this area. Below are links to Youtube videos of their lectures where they provide details on the research and treatment for psychiatric disorders, brain injury attention deficit and more:

Dr Jerry Cott (now retired)

•NIMH (chief, psychopharmacology research program)

•FDA (senior pharmacologist, division of psychiatry products)

•Internationally known speaker

 Omega-3 Fatty Acids, a Paradigm Shift in Medicine?
Jerry Cott PhD discusses Nutrition and Psychiatric conditions 

Dr. Joseph Hibbeln  (now retired)

Dr. Hibbeln was one of the first investigators to draw attention to the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids in psychiatric disorders.

•Acting Chief, Section on Nutritional Neurosciences, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, NIAAA, NIH

•The principal investigator of numerous studies at the NIH Clinical Center over the past 20 years.

•Has participated in extensive international collaborative clinical trials of Omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of suicide, postpartum depression, and violence. 

Nutritional Armor-Brain and Behavior 

Dr Hibbeln discusses the use of fish oil to improve the symptoms of major depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD.

Week One/Phase 1 – loading dose:

Start with 3 grams of fish oil that is a combined EPA+DHA of the best quality concentrated product:

– Soft gels: you need 1000 mg (or 1 gram) EPA+DHA per soft gel 

– Liquid: 2500-3000 mg (or 3 grams) EPA+DHA per teaspoon

– Take 3 grams THREE TIMES A DAY (total 9 grams/day)

Take for at least 7 days

If the injury is more severe or occurred months/years prior and symptoms are still an issue, consider extending this phase out to one entire month.

Week Two/ Phase 2 – tapering down:

Continue with 3 grams of the combined concentrated EPA/DHA for TWO TIMES A DAY for 7 days (total 6gm/day)

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If symptoms are improving, but not yet back to where you and your healthcare provider think you should be strongly consider staying at Phase 1 for a longer period of time until you achieve the results you believe you and your healthcare provider believe you should achieve.

Phase 3 – Maintenance

Take one dose of 3grams of EPA/DHA every day ongoing.

WHAT TO EXPECT 

Patients typically notice improvements within the first week, often in the first several days. 

Depending on the individual and the injury, patients have described being able to think more clearly, have more energy throughout the day, decrease headache frequency and/or intensity, and have a greater sense of calm. Individual results may vary.

Flexibility in the protocol: Every individual is different.  This protocol has been developed as a guideline and patients and their healthcare provider may consider adjusting the dosage.  

For example, if the injury is more severe or happened months or years prior, the patient may find they need to be on the higher doses for a longer period of time.

For this product two capsules = 1,200 mg of both EPA+DHA

Therefore one capsule = 600 mg

5 x 600 = 3,000mg

3,000mg = 3 grams

So for phase one you are taking 15 capsules/day of this product

Liquid products are measured by the teaspoon