{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Was It Trauma...or a Brain Injury?","description":" Was It Trauma...or a Brain Injury? In this raw, in-the-car episode, I open up about something I\u2019ve never fully talked about \u2014 the invisible symptoms of post-concussion syndrome and how they\u2019ve affected my life and recovery. After overdoing it on a bike ride, I fell into a physical and cognitive relapse that left me confused, exhausted, and deeply frustrated. I now know it was a resurgence of TBI symptoms, something that often gets overlooked in women, especially those with a history of domestic abuse. This isn\u2019t medical advice \u2014 it\u2019s my personal story. But if any of this sounds familiar to you, it might be worth exploring further. \ud83d\udc8c Let me know what you\u2019re experiencing. Your story matters too. \ud83d\udd17 Resources and articles: The Concussion Fix webinar and the checklist by email  My daily supplement routine (coming soon!) Brain injuries often go unrecognized among domestic violence victims Nearly a quarter of women experience physical abuse from partners, and up to 90% of those women have had at least one concussion. Most don\u2019t get screened or diagnosed. Full article here: https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/womens-health\/brain-injuries-undiagnosed-untreated-domestic-violence-rcna183637   Domestic Violence and Traumatic Brain Injury: The Chilling Truth of This Hits Home Full article here: https:\/\/www.americanbrainfoundation.org\/domestic-violence-and-traumatic-brain-injury-the-chilling-truth-of-this-hits-home\/   This article is about a documentary you can watch about this topic. It\u2019s called \u201cThis Hits Home\u201d and it\u2019s about the prevalence of TBIs in domestic violence survivors as well as the sad fact that many aren\u2019t screened for head injuries and they are the ones who have more trouble recovering. I haven\u2019t seen it yet but will do a review, when I do. Here are some relevant excerpts from this article. The Silent Epidemic of DV-TBI One in four American women will experience severe violence from a domestic partner in their lifetime, often resulting in significant trauma to the head and neck. Over 75% of domestic violence survivors suffer single or repeated traumatic brain injuries, most of which go unreported. Despite these alarming statistics, DV-TBI is still critically under-researched. \u201cI don\u2019t think the connection [between TBI and DV] has been made on a wide scale,\u201d Scotia says. This is due in part to the lack of awareness and education about the signs and symptoms of TBI, particularly with regard to instances of domestic violence. Brain banks collect brain and tissue samples from donors after their death, distributing these samples to researchers and labs across the United States. However, current brain banks do not have enough samples from women with documented histories of DV-TBI and CTE, making it difficult to research the link between the two. \u201cIt seems obvious that women who suffer repeated TBIs from DV are going to get the same neurodegenerative brain diseases as men,\u201d Scotia says. \u201cBut it\u2019s hard to distinguish whether Alzheimer\u2019s disease, CTE, post-concussion syndrome, multiple mental health struggles, or another disease or condition is the main issue for them. Add the fact that nobody wants to talk about DV, and we\u2019re getting very little research on women\u2019s brains.\u201d Update on Domestic Violence and Traumatic Brain Injury: A Narrative Review Full article here: https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8773525\/ \ud83d\udc8c Let me know what you\u2019re experiencing. Your story matters, too! \u270d\ud83c\udffc I'm wishing you well and looking forward to a followup episode with your thoughts and comments.  Much love! Steph xoxo ","author_name":"The Audacious Life - Break Free","author_url":"https:\/\/www.theaudaciouslife.com","html":"