Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Laughter May Be the Brain’s Best Medicine

Man and woman laughing with a therapy dog wearing a Doctor Bark vest

After a car accident in 2023, the therapists of a brain injured 19-year-old Kansas teen had an unconventional tool ready: dad jokes. The groan-worthy punchlines weren’t just comic relief, they were medicine. And a growing body of science backs that up.

Research indexed in the National Library of Medicine confirms that laughter triggers real, measurable changes in the injured brain. A 2023 PLOS ONE meta-analysis found that a single bout of spontaneous laughter slashes cortisol, the body’s chief stress hormone, by up to 36.7%. Since high cortisol after TBI is linked to poorer survival outcomes, anything that lessens it matters enormously. A 2017 PET-imaging study in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that laughing with others floods the brain’s reward centers with natural opioids, promoting calm and connection.

New 2026 research adds another dimension. A comprehensive neurodevelopmental analysis published in May 2026 found that processing humor is genuinely cognitively demanding – activating working memory and the frontal lobes in ways that stimulate neuroplasticity, essentially giving the recovering brain a workout. Separately, a University of Vienna brain-scanning study published in January 2026 in Frontiers in Neuroscience, and available in the National Library of Medicine database, found that laughter behavior directly predicted bonding, pro-sociality, and social liking between people – outcomes that matter deeply to TBI survivors rebuilding their lives.

As vis turns out, the best medicine may truly be free.

Honoring Congressman Pascrell’s Brain Injury Legacy

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted 43-0, to advance H.R. 1493 on May 21, 2026. Introduced by Representative Frank Pallone (NJ), alongside a bipartisan list of original co-sponsors Rob Menendez (NJ), Don Bacon (NE), and Dan Crenshaw (TX)*, the bill would both reauthorize and expand important federal programs related to traumatic brain injury and retitle the CDC’s national TBI surveillance and registry program; as proposed, the program would be known as The Bill Pascrell, Jr., national program for traumatic brain injury surveillance and registries.

The naming is fitting. The late New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell was a fierce advocate for the brain injury community. Over 20 years, he urged Congress and federal agencies to confront issues related to brain injury, which he frequently described as America’s “silent epidemic”. In 2001, he co-founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force.

The unanimous bipartisan vote proves that both parties recognize Pascrell’s irreplaceable contributions to millions of Americans living with brain injuries.

* The bill has since gained an additional 3 bipartisan co-sponsors: Christopher Deluzio (PA), John H. Rutherford (FL), Eugene Simon Vindman (VA).

Kansas Official Honored for Championing Brain Injury Survivors

On April 17, 2026, Kansas Secretary of the Department for Aging and Disability Services Laura Howard was named the 2026 Brain Injury Champion for her work that has helped thousands of families in the State navigate life after a brain injury. Howard was recognized at the Brain Injury Association of Kansas & Greater Kansas City Annual Professional Conference in Topeka, a distinction that places her at the center of one of the most important disability policy conversations in the State.

As a gubernatorially-appointed cabinet secretary, Howard oversees Kansas’s Medicaid Brain Injury Waiver, a program that funds rehabilitation support for brain injury survivors. Under her leadership, the waiver was expanded to cover a broader range of injuries and now includes children under 16, nearly doubling the number of people it helps. Even Kansas Governor Laura Kelly took notice, publicly praising Howard’s “commitment to supporting Kansans with brain injuries and improving access to care.”

VA Health Care Uses New Treatment Tech to Bring Silence

Lenire tinnitus therapy device with handheld control, headphones, and tongue stimulator

For many, a brain injury doesn’t end when the wound heals. One of its most persistent aftereffects of brain injury is tinnitus, a relentless ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ears that no one else can hear. Scientifically. when the brain sustains trauma, the auditory pathways that process sound can become dysregulated, causing the nervous system to essentially generate phantom noise around the clock. Affecting up to 53% of people who sustain traumatic brain injury, tinnitus is not just annoying, it can fuel anxiety, disrupt sleep, and greatly erode quality of life.

Tinnitus is also the leading service-connected disability among veterans. Up to three-quarters of veterans with a brain injury, especially blast-induced brain injuries, will develop tinnitus. In response, a major new treatment is in development: “The Atlanta VA Health Care System marked a significant milestone in Veteran care on April 2, 2026, with the first use of the Lenire tinnitus treatment technology,” reported the Office of Veterans Affairs. FDA-cleared, the Lenire treatment is a bimodal neuromodulation device that stimulates both the tongue and the ears simultaneously to retrain the brain’s response to tinnitus. Rather than masking the phantom sound, it targets the neurological root of the problem.

Neuromod Devices, the medtech company behind the Lenire treatment, states their device is “Effective, Safe and Calming”. For veterans and others who have long suffered, this launch may mean real relief is finally within reach.

Generation Alpha’s Trending Trauma

Speaker presenting to attentive diverse audience about online safety and 'Blackout Challenge' risks and prevention

In February 2026, nine-year-old JackLynn Blackwell died in her Stephenville, Texas backyard with a cord around her neck after seeing the “blackout challenge” online. A repackaging of the “choking game” that was first catalogued by the CDC in 2008, the blackout challenge is causing yourself to pass out. (This, in turn, causes “permanent, irreversible brain damage”.) It exploded on TikTok in 2021, as the For You algorithm began pushing self-strangulation videos to young users chasing a brief euphoric high from cerebral hypoxia. The trend has shown its lasting power: In South Orange Middle School in New Jersey, two students passed out after engaging in the challenge in 2024.

The blackout challenge has been noticed by politicians: on October 8, 2024, a bipartisan coalition of 14 attorney generals filed separate enforcement actions. “TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people … [but] young people have died or gotten injured doing dangerous TikTok challenges,” remarked the group’s co-leader Letitia James (NY). In a March 23, 2026 press release, Congressman Jimmy Patronis (FL) stated, “As a parent, I cannot ignore the very real danger [the blackout challenge] poses to our children. Too many families have already suffered unimaginable loss.”  

Beyond concern, this childhood “thrill-seeking” has prompted some schools to take action. In New York, New Jersey and other states, schools have issued parental advisories in an attempt to protect children’s developmentally immature brains. One can hope that this trend is waning in popularity, and will soon be remembered only as an unfortunate episode in Generation Alpha’s past.

Tax Day Challenge for the Brain Injured

Tax documents, calculator, coffee mug labeled 'TAX SEASON', and April 2026 calendar showing Tax Day on the 15th.

Tax Day is stressful for nearly everyone, but the pressure can be particularly harmful for brain injury survivors. A 2024 study in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation found that 70% of adults with acquired brain injury said their injury affected their ability to handle financial tasks, and 58% felt stressed or anxious about finances. Stress is, of course, a known trigger for neurological symptoms.

According to statistics, prior to injury, 82% of TBI survivors were employed, meaning most were taxpayers. Two years post-injury, 60.4% of moderate-to-severe TBI survivors are unemployed, according to a one study available of PubMed. Many of those who remain employed still struggle cognitively with complex tasks. Tax filing is assuredly a complex task, regardless of brain injury statis.

For brain injury survivors who cannot manage the process alone, but cannot afford professional help, the Internal Revenue Service has many free resources to provide assistance (https://www.usa.gov/help-filing-taxes). “The VITA grant program is an IRS initiative designed to support free tax preparation service for the underserved through various partner organizations.” Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), “focuses on questions about pensions and retirement-related issues.” Additionally, the IRS Free File provides guided software and fillable forms, available if your adjusted gross income is $84,000 or less. For military service members, MilTax offers free tax assistance.

Congress Has Been Flying Blind on Veteran Brain Injury Spending for Years

Shiny golden dollar sign with stacks of bills and coins behind

The Special Disabilities Capacity Report is Congress’s primary tool for deciding how much to invest in VA’s TBI treatment infrastructure. If the numbers feeding that decision are wrong, the veterans who depend on that care pay the price.

A February 2026 review by the VA Office of Inspector General revealed that in FY 2023, the VA reported the wrong financial data for traumatic brain injury, using obligations rather than actual expenditures, thereby overstating actual TBI spending. More so, they failed to report TBI spending at both the geographic service area and national levels as required by law. The DVA Office of Inspector General’s Report 25-01863-31 also determined that VA’s capacity data did not capture community care services or the extent to which bed capacity was used at its specialized rehabilitation centers.

Pointedly, these data errors are the same as those that have been flagged in prior years. This raises questions about whether Congress receives an accurate picture of VA’s TBI treatment infrastructure. As Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Chairwoman of the House VA Health Subcommittee, stated at a March 2026 oversight hearing: “Wrong data takes resources away from [other] areas of need.”

Man’s Best Friend Aids Brain Injury Recovery

Dogs are proving to be powerful partners in brain injury rehabilitation, offering benefits across physical, emotional, and speech therapy alike.

A March 2026 story from the University of Colorado Health (UCHealth) system documented Alan Tay, a 71-year-old stroke survivor who credits his border collie Olay with driving his recovery. Working with a neurological physical therapist, Alan used dog agility training to rebuild endurance, coordination, and memory – ultimately winning a national canine competition just three months after his stroke. Emotionally, dogs combat the depression and isolation that frequently accompany brain injury. The above-mentioned UCHealth story also notes that Olay gave Alan the will to push through. An NIH-funded clinical trial confirmed that service dogs may meaningfully reduce PTSD symptoms in military members and veterans.

Dogs can assist with speech recovery, as well. Research shows that aphasia patients produce more verbal and nonverbal communication around therapy dogs, which respond to tone and gesture rather than specific words. Speech therapy in such a uniquely low-pressure and therapeutic environment is highly beneficial for language practice.

The bipartisan SAVES Act, which reached the Senate calendar in February 2026, would fund service dogs for veterans with TBI and PTSD. Introduced by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (TX) on April 2, 2025, H.R.2605 explicitly lists “Traumatic brain injury” as a covered condition, recognizing that a trained service dog can be “optimal for the veteran to manage the disability, condition, or diagnosis and live independently.” In March 2026, America’s VetDogs launched a national campaign during this Brain Injury Awareness Month that highlights service dogs’ life-changing impact for TBI survivors, particularly as it relates to counter-balance support and deep pressure therapy.

Family Trauma Means Mullin’s Mission Goes Beyond Political Party

As President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Senator Markwayne Mullin (OK) has been subject to an extremely contentious confirmation. However, previously, Mullin has worked with both Republicans and Democrats. Specific to this site, he has worked across party lines to pass bills that are very important and extremely dear to him, related to traumatic brain injury. Therefore, as a TBI survivor myself, I find it important to look back at his record, related to the topic:

In January 2020, Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s 15-year-old son was subject to a severe traumatic brain injury during a wrestling match. (Apparently, during his son’s most trying time, President Trump called almost daily and offered his personal plane. The President also later visited his son at the rehab center.) Rehabilitation, which professionals estimated would take years, was completed within 9 months and Mullin’s son is now in college.

Since the unfortunate incident, Senator Mullin has channeled his anguish and frustration into finding answers. His legislations related to TBI tend to focus on research funding and diagnostic standardization for brain injury. Only six months ago, the Senator earnestly reaffirmed his devotion to the issue when he stated, “That is why we must continue to bring awareness to this critical injury. I am honored to join my colleagues on this resolution to recognize Friday, September 19th, as National Concussion Awareness Day.”

Concrete examples of his bipartisan push forward for the brain injured community include S. 4755, Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2024, co-led with Senator Bob Casey (D). When that bill expired, Mullin reintroduced it as the TBI Program Reauthorization Act of 2025, S. 2898, on September 23, 2025, with co-sponsors Senators Andy Kim (D), John Cornyn (R), Alex Padilla (D), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D).  (The 2025 version expanded coverage to include all acquired brain injuries.)

(Devotion to issues that relate to brain injury do not represent the entirety of legislation introduced by Senator Mullin while he has been in the Senate. Additionally, this article is not a comment on Senator Mullin’s nomination to head the DHS.)

Cherry-Picking Superfoods to Aid TBI Recovery

A small red fruit that appears in various forms throughout the year is more than simply a tasty treat. Cherries pack natural pigment, known as anthocyanins, melatonin, and quercetin that cross the blood-brain barrier, reduce neuroinflammation, and protect injured neurons. It has long been known that anthocyanins cut brain injury volume by up to 27%, with anti-inflammatory potency similar to that of ibuprofen. Three more recent human randomized controlled trials also confirmed measurable improvements in memory, attention, and mental fatigue after daily tart cherry juice consumption.

These neurological improvements, highly beneficial to those with brain injuries, include a 23% reduction in memory errors in one 12-week. The NIH’s National Academies Press identified polyphenols found abundantly in cherries as interacting with neuronal survival pathways after traumatic brain injury (TBI). A 2025 review in Nutritional Neuroscience concluded that these compounds lessen neuroinflammation and oxidative stress following brain injury. An earlier comprehensive USDA-supported review of 29 human cherry studies also found cherry consumption decreased oxidative stress markers in 8 of 10 studies and reduced inflammation in 11 of 16 studies.

However, studies show that not all cherries deliver equal benefits. Montmorency tart cherries provide the highest benefits, though dark sweet varieties also carry high anthocyanin levels. Cherries also do not need to be eaten raw to be advantageous. Liquefied tart cherry juice concentrate has proven to be the most clinically validated form, though cherries that have been cooked retain significant amounts of active compounds. When frozen, cherries still provide these benefits, as they preserve 90–95% of polyphenols.

*Beyond delicious cherry pie, recipe research shows me that cherries are a feature in numerous recipes that are well-suited for every time of the day. For breakfast, for example, try cherry overnight oats (rolled oats, frozen cherries, ground flaxseed, and almond butter) which requires zero morning prep and provides steady brain energy. A cherry-chocolate brain smoothie is a good snack (tart cherries blended with cocoa powder, spinach, chia seeds, and almond milk) that delivers anthocyanins and omega-3s in one glass. For TBI-related sleep disruption, tart cherry turmeric bedtime tea (cherry juice simmered with ginger, turmeric, and chamomile) supports both natural melatonin production and neuroinflammation recovery simultaneously.