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I am Melanie Wienhoven and doctors told me I had to learn to live with my debilitating post-concussion symptoms. Refusing that reality, I built my own recovery method and made a full recovery from post-concussion syndrome 6 years after injury. Now, my team and I are on a mission to share hope, tools, expertise and recognition with you, so you can recover much faster than I did. You are not alone!
Episodes

Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
#31 Neck pain after concussion ( Sarah Etheridge )
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Neck pain after concussion is a very common symptom. If you suffer from neck pain, learning about the muscles and nerves that may be causing the pain in this episode may be very helpful for you. However, if you don’t have any neck pain, or just minor complaints like stiffness, there may still be something going on with the muscles and nerves in your neck. That is why, PT Sarah Etheridge says, it is always important to check the neck after concussion.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/neck-pain-after-concussion
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of content
[02:04] International Brain Injury Association conference
[03:34] Neck pain after concussion
[04:25] Muscles to check after concussion
[06:17] Nerves to check after concussion
[09:03] Occipital neuralgia

Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
#30 Concussion biomarkers (Eric Thelin episode 3)
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Concussion biomarkers are needed. That is because the current imaging machines like MRI and CT more often than not can not visualize a concussion. This often results in doctors saying that there is nothing wrong with us, or that the symptoms we have are psychological. If a simple blood test can show you sustained a concussion and are at risk for lingering symptoms, concussion care would improve very much. Eric Thelin takes us on a deep dive into the realm of concussion biomarkers.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-biomarkers-eric-thelin-episode-3/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents
[04:06] Finding brain injury biomarkers
[05:10] Concussion biomarkers
[07:47] Concussion and inflammation
[10:08] Concussion awareness

Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
#29 Post concussion guidelines (Eric Thelin episode 2)
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
In this second episode with Eric Thelin, we will discover how he is developing a checklist for Swedish GPs to help them know better what to do with patients after sustaining a concussion. He also shares and explains the way sport concussion return to activity protocols are helpful to apply in medical settings.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-guidelines-eric-thelin-episode-2/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:42] Post-concussion guidelines
[06:06] No concussion guidelines in medical school
[07:42] Rest after concussion
[09:17] Return to sports concussion guidelines
[11:36] Concussion guidelines for hospitals
[13:25] Sport concussion patients

Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
#28 Traumatic brain injury research (Eric Thelin episode 1)
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Eric Thelin is knee-deep in traumatic brain injury research. He and his colleagues are developing a way to provide better concussion care from the first moment a patient sees a doctor. Have a listen!
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/traumatic-brain-injury-research-eric-thelin-episode-1/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:05] Eric Thelin
[07:08] Traumatic brain injury research
[08:53] Concussion diagnosis needs to improve
[12:05] Concussion awareness

Monday Nov 27, 2023
#27 Concussion care (Prof. Tenovuo part 4)
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Concussion care is often not compassionate. On the contrary, patients report to Professor Tenovuo that they don’t feel heard by their doctors. After seeing over 6000 patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), he has learned a lot about the symptoms and problems we cope with.
In this 4th episode with Professor Tenovuo, we speak about how concussion care is lacking, and how it could be improved. If you haven’t yet listened to episode 1, 2 and 3, please find them right here:
Episode 1: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-symptoms/
Episode 2: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-protocols/
Episode 3: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-stress/
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-care-prof-tenovuo-part-4/
FollowLifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:42] Compassionate concussion care
[06:29] Neuroplasticity
[08:53] Concussion care is lacking
[11:59] Concussion & family members
[13:45] Conclusion: Professor Tenovuo

Monday Nov 20, 2023
#26 Concussion and stress (Prof. Tenovuo part 3)
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Concussion and stress: they share the most logical connection for all of us who suffer from lingering concussion symptoms. However, in my experience, not much has been written or said about it. It feels like another taboo surrounding living with concussion symptoms.
Well, let’s blow that taboo wide open! Professor Tenovuo shares 3 major sources of stress after concussion, that create even more and bigger problems. That is how we end up discussing post-concussion depression, too. You will learn how this is more normal than you might think. Mental health after traumatic brain injury is a big thing, and it cannot get enough attention!
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/concussion-and-stress-prof-tenovuo-part-3/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:52] Concussion and stress
[07:01] Melanie’s work situation after concussion
[08:58] Concussion and depressionI
[11:02] Treat post-concussion depression

Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
#25 Post-concussion protocols (Prof. Tenovuo part 2)
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Post-concussion protocols are outdated and lacking. At least, in regular medical settings. However, Professor Tenovuo points toward return to play concussion protocols that may be of help during concussion recovery. In addition, Melanie shares how a combination of concussion research and common knowledge come a long way, too.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-symptoms-prof-tenovuo-part-2/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:20] Post-concussion protocol
[05:28] Concussion and rest
[06:49] Screen time post-concussion
[08:13] Concussion recovery protocol: research-based

Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
#24 Post-concussion symptoms (Prof. Tenovuo part 1)
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Professor Tenovuo shares how the term ‘post-concussion syndrome’ confuses patients and doctors alike, and learn why it is better to say post-concussion symptoms.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-symptoms-prof-tenovuo-part-1/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[02:05] Professor Tenovuo
[06:26] Post-concussion symptoms
[11:31] MRI and CT often can’t diagnose concussion

Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
#23: Post-concussion resilience - Bloom where you are planted
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Season 2 of the Concussion Stories podcast is here! To kick off this season, I would like to share a quote with you: 'Bloom where you are planted. Don't curse what you already have.
Be ready to get inspired and feel empowered in this all new season!
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Podcast shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/resilience-after-concussion/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
02:40 Resilience after concussion
05:42 Feeling desperate after sustaining a concussion
07:25 Breaking the blame cycle
09:41 Season 2 of Concussion Stories

Thursday Dec 15, 2022
#22: Post-concussion headaches (Dr. Nathan Zasler)
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Post-concussion rehabilitation is a specialized field of rehabilitative care that isn’t practiced by a lot of doctors in the world. Dr. Zasler has seen thousands of concussion and post-concussion syndrome patients throughout his career and that qualifies him as a concussion specialist.
In this episode, he talks about the importance of maintaining hope and motivation during rehabilitation. He also shares how improvement is always possible, even 5 or 10 years after injury. This is part 1 of 2 episodes with Dr. Zasler.
Free guide: https://www.lifeyana.com/3-ways-to-speed-up-your-concussion-recovery-right-now/
Interview shownotes: https://www.lifeyana.com/post-concussion-headaches/
Follow Lifeyana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisislifeyana/
Table of contents:
[01:44] Post-concussion headaches
[06:51] Cause of post-concussion headaches
[09:51] Post-concussion headache history
[13:36] Post-concussion syndrome care
[16:02] Traumatic brain injury patient examination
[18:32] Concussion Care Clinic Virginia