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Whenever there is a traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, or encephalitis- a viral brain infection, immune cells come to the area to clear out dead cells and make tissue repair possible.

The issue arises when this rush of immune cells becomes uncontrollable due to imbalances in the central nervous system (CNS), causing aberrant inflammation and intracranial pressure that prevents oxygen and nutrients from reaching the brain. 

Brain Swelling May Be Reduced Naturally With:

• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
• A Ketogenic Diet of Anti-Inflammatory Foods
• Transcranial Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT)
• Regenerative Therapies

1. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

Swelling can block blood flow to the brain, preventing the delivery of oxygen typically carried through RBCs. A patient breathes in 100% oxygen in a pressurized total body chamber with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). HBOT dissolves oxygen into the body's fluids, substantially increasing the oxygen absorbed in the blood plasma.

HBOT has been proved to reduce brain inflammation following TBI in clinical trials with animals. It has greatly improved cognitive function and mood in numerous case studies of human TBI patients. With the return of oxygenation to the capillary walls, brain swelling can be reduced as plasma leakage stops, restores blood flow, and help in nerve cells regeneration.

2. A Ketogenic Diet of Anti-Inflammatory Foods

During brain inflammation, glucose uptake surges in the injured area to provide energy for healing and repair is ultimately blocked. Therefore, the only other viable energy source is ketone bodies, which can be made available to the brain by fatty acid oxidation in the liver.

Some  ketogenic foods that can help with reduction in brain swelling are:

• Salmon and other fatty fish
• Avocados
• Olive oil
• MCT oil, found in high levels in the coconut
• Almonds and other tree nuts

The ketogenic diet can also help decrease blood sugar, increasing brain inflammation when it is too high. High blood sugar releases stress hormones and can slow down tissue regeneration or repair in the brain.

3. Transcranial Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)

Transcranial low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a risk-free and reachable means of reducing inflammatory mediators in the brain, such as prostaglandins. Studies suggest that LLLT can also enable neurogenesis and neuroprotection.

4. Regenerative Therapies

When brain tissue is injured, immune cells rush to the site and release pro-inflammatory cytokines that activate stem cells located at the tissue. The stem cells then repair and regenerate tissue by differentiating and releasing anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors.

Inflammation is a must on some level to activate the stem cells so that they can, in turn, reduce swelling. But, the stem cells can become dormant or die, when an area becomes chronically inflamed.

With stem cell therapy, stem cells that are pluripotent are infused intra-nasally into the brain, providing reinforcements of the critical anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. Recent clinical trials found that stem cell therapy in TBI patients can also ease brain swelling by reducing inflammation and preserving tissue.

As these stem cells serve their purpose,  LLLT, HBOT, and a keto- diet can help maintain a healthy environment in which the injected cells flourish. 

Stem cell therapy can also be used in conjunction with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, in which PRP is drawn from the patient's blood and transfused into the brain. PRP therapy can inject a range of additional growth factors, draw more stem cells to the area and reduce inflammation further. 

These regenerative therapies can be supplemented with an IV therapy containing B vitamins, minerals, vitamin C, glutathione, and other nutrients that support cell growth and further mitigate brain inflammation. 

By following the treatments above, brain swelling can be reduced naturally by managing instead of inhibiting the body’s immune response during inflammation and then encouraging tissue repair and regrowth in that stabilized microenvironment.