Getting Your Brain and Body Back : Everything You Need to Know after Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, or Traumatic Brain Injury

Make the fullest possible recovery after neurological injury with this definitive guide—by a doctor and spinal cord injury survivor who’s been there After an accident that left him permanently paralyzed over ten years ago, Dr. Bradford Berk made it his mission to help others recover from acute neurological injury (ANI). As the founder and director of the University of Rochester Neurorestoration Institute, he brings his abundant experience in working with patients and making his own ongoing recovery to Getting Your Brain and Body Back, the most up-to-date guide for survivors of spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Each of these acute neurological injuries can result in similar physical and psychological challenges and require similar treatments, medications, and assistive devices. Getting Your Brain and Body Back offers comprehensive, reassuring guidance for your every concern: • How to deal with grief and trauma in the aftermath of accident or injury—and build resilience as you find your way forward • What adaptive devices—for bathing, dining, mobility, and more—will help you enjoy life to the utmost • How to prevent and treat secondary health problems of every kind, such as heart, skin, and bladder troubles—sexual health included! • Therapeutic approaches from both Western and Eastern medicine to consider for maximum healing and pain relief Dr. Berk’s candid advice on medical treatment and daily living—plus insights from the brightest minds in the field—will help get you or your loved one back to life. On Memorial Day 2009—at The Peak Of His Career As A Physician, Medical Researcher, And Medical Center Ceo—dr. Brad Berk Took A Bike Ride That Would Change His Life Forever. To Avoid An Oncoming Car, He Swerved, Fell, And Broke His Neck, Sustaining A Spinal Cord Injury That Would Leave Him Permanently Paralyzed. Hospitalized For 129 Days, He Was Told That The First 12 Months Would Reveal The Limits Of His Recovery, The “this Is As Good As It’s Gonna Get For You” Scenario. But That Prediction Proved To Be Untrue. Dr. Berk’s Recovery Continues To This Day, And Now, He Has A New Mission: To Help Others Who Have Experienced An Acute Neurological Injury (stroke, Spinal Cord Injury, Or Traumatic Brain Injury). In Getting Your Brain And Body Back, He Shows Them, And Their Families, How To Achieve The Best Possible Continuous Recovery. He Offers Hope, Compassion, And Understanding From A Guy Who’s Been There, Plus The Most Up-to-date Information On Recovery Therapies From His Work As A Pioneering Medical Researcher. This Is The Definitive Guide To Recovery, Required Reading For The Millions Of People Who Suffer From Neurological Injury Every Year. Each Chapter Gives Readers Accessible Information On Specific Topics In Bite-size Pieces. They Learn Cutting-edge Ways To Prevent And Treat The Most Common Medical Problems; How To Find, Get, And Pay For Today’s Life-changing Rehabilitation Therapies; How To Harness The Power Of The Mind; How To Build A Better Lifestyle; How To Return To Work; How To Deal With Anxiety And Depression; How To Be Sexually Intimate; And Much More. With Examples Spanning Eastern And Western Medicine, And The Most Up-to-date Information On Drugs And Devices For Restoring Function, Getting Your Brain And Body Back Helps Readers Play A More Active Role In Their Treatment. By Sharing What He’s Learned As A Patient And As A Physician (along With What The Brightest Minds In The Field Have To Say)—dr. Berk Helps Others Get Back To Life. Foreword by Eric Topol, MD Preface: Why I Know You Can Get Back to Life Introduction: What Is an Acute Neurological Injury? PART 1 Your Recovery Begins in Your Head 1 | Battling the Blues How to Deal with Your Grief, Depression, and Anxiety So You Can Focus on Recovery 2 | The Amazing Connection Between Your Mind and Body How to Harness the Power of Your Mind with Neuroplasticity for Optimal Recovery 3 | Before You Leave the Hospital The Five Essentials of Smart Discharge Planning PART 2 Functional Recovery, Health, and Wellness 4 | Pain Management Controlling Pain Helps Speed Your Rehabilitation 5 | Rehabilitation: Slow and Steady Wins the Race Five Steps to Getting the Most from Rehabilitation and Restoration Therapies 6 | Your Lifestyle = Your State of Wellness How to Strengthen Good Habits and Lose the Ones that Zap Your Health 7 | Sexual Healing How to Address Your Sexuality, Sexual Function, and Fertility 8 | East Meets West How to Use Modern Western Medicine and Traditional Eastern Medicine to Heal and Enjoy a Better Quality of Life PART 3 Preventing and Treating the Most Common Medical Problems 9 | Urinary Tract and Bladder Health 10 | Digestive Tract Health 11 | Heart Health 12 | Lung Health 13 | Skin Health: Preventing Pressure Ulcers 14 | Muscle, Bone, and Joint Health PART 4 Enjoy a Rewarding and Meaningful Life 15 | Miraculous Adaptations How to Take Advantage of Life-Enhancing Devices, Tools, and More 16 | Get Out! Making Your Home, Vehicles, and Workplace Accessible for a Wheelchair 17 | When the World Beckons The Good, Bad, and Worst of Traveling in a Wheelchair 18 | You Are Not Invisible How to Thrive in Your Community 19 | Future Therapies Science and Technology Bring the Future to the Now Epilogue: The Power of Hope and Love Acknowledgments Resources Notes Image Credits Index About the Authors "A comprehensive guide to neurological recovery by a doctor and spinal cord-injury survivor, with up-to-date guidance on treatment and daily living"-- Provided by publisher