by Tony Doran, Psy.D.
HeadFirst Concussion Care Program Director
Periodically when I’m seeing patients in our HeadFirst concussion clinics, parents will ask me about a different brain trauma-related studies that they’ve heard about. These questions range from studies about concussion-healing chocolate milk to eye tracking devices to the effectiveness of helmets and different sports bands preventing head injuries. Presently, NO concussion treatments have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Likewise, the FDA has yet to approve of any devices that prevent concussions in the first place. No helmets, no mouth guards, no sports band or other piece of technology in any way shape or form has been demonstrated to completely prevent concussions.
I typically advise parents to be extremely cautious with new research or technology, or with the promises of concussion treatment. Instead, parents should seek out a concussion specialist who has years of experience treating these injuries and utilizes multiple methods in their assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning.
Can chocolate milk heal concussions? Don’t count on it.
I think a lot of people with persistent concussion symptoms do realize that there is not “easy cure”… but when symptoms last for such a long time, it’s more like wishful thinking in a way–it’s helpful emotionally to put hope into certain treatments. It’s unfortunate that there are many pseudo “cures” out there that claim they know exactly how to relieve concussion symptoms…anyways, thanks for this!