A Closer Look with Author Jonathan Smith: Wear a Hat – The Concussion Recovery Lifestyle
Author Jonathan Smith, with his book Wear a Hat: The Concussion Recovery Lifestyle has opened eyes with his insight into concussion recognition, prevention and recovery, and for good reason. Smith is a chiropractor who also focused attention on concussions in his work and knows firsthand of the impacts concussions have on the mind and body, having suffered multiple concussions himself.
We take a closer look at Smith and his work with this exclusive interview.
OnFocus: Why did you pursue a career in chiropractic care?
Smith: Have you ever felt like you knew something that could radically improve people’s lives? My interest in chiropractic and my current focus on concussion started with my own sports injuries. Both took place in Aikido classes, the first was a neck sprain that led to shoulder numbness. The first concussion happened when I hit heads with another student. In both cases traditional medicine had no solutions for me so I had to find my own. The neck and shoulder were easy once someone referred me to their chiropractor. The concussions took years of trying different practitioners, study and finally learning about diet, nutrition and lifestyle. I don’t want people to suffer like I did, so I help them.
Get the scoop on Smithś book: New Book “Wear a Hat: The Concussion Recovery Lifestyle” Offers Unique Healing Advice from a Doctor Who Suffered from Concussions Himself
OnFocus: What is feedback you have received from the medical community? What about from other chiropractors?
Smith: The book has been very well received. Mild traumatic brain injury and Postconcussion Syndrome are very specialized issues so many practitioners do not know how to manage the recovery process. The prevailing treatment is really a lack of treatment, just advice to rest. Since my book is written for the patient, it’s a great resource for medical doctors and alternative medicine practitioners to recommend to their patients.
OnFocus: If you were to author additional books, what might the titles be?
Smith: Wear a Hat really is true to my mission. There is always new research being published on brain health. I’d say I’m more likely to write Wear a Hat 2.0, than to move on to another topic. On the other hand, I’d love to write a silly fiction just for fun someday.
OnFocus: What is next on your horizon? Future goals, plans?
Smith: Now that the book is published, I’d like to focus more on helping people one on one through my concussion consultancy: True Brain Concussion Center. I made the book as readable and actionable as possible for the concussion or PCS sufferer, but the brain and its relation to all the other systems of the body is quite complex. It isn’t a one problem, one solution issue and each person’s reaction is a little different. My hope is that Wear a Hat will help a lot of people, but in most cases, a much deeper dive is needed.
I’d also like to educate the public on options for concussion treatment and make them more accessible. For this I’ve been working on building a professional organization for practitioners who address long standing concussion issues.
OnFocus: What are some lessons you’ve learned from writing this book?
Smith: Sometimes you find a calling and sometimes a calling finds you. This book was a labor of love. It started as a book on how to cope with concussion, something a lot of people are told they need to do. After so many years of struggling with my own concussions and finally finding solutions, I felt I have to share what I’ve learned and the book evolved into how to recover from concussion.
OnFocus: What advice do you have for athletes and coaches, specifically with prevention and care of concussions?
Smith: Huge progress has been made in concussion prevention, identification and return to play guidelines in the last 10 years. That being said, there are some simple things that can be done to lessen the severity of concussions before they happen. The simplest is nutraceuticals. DHA, an essential fatty acid and vitamin D have both been shown to be neuroprotective. Another key is to lessen the overall inflammatory load on the body which actually could be the topic of many more books.
I don’t think people realize that up to 60% of concussions don’t resolve in the 3 to 6 week window that a lot of the Rest and Return protocols talk about. My belief is that if concussions were addressed with the same diet, nutrition and lifestyle modifications I recommend for Postconcussion Syndrome, many more athletes would be able to return to play.
OnFocus: Lastly… panckakes or waffles?
Smith: Funny you ask, there is a section of my book about pancakes, so it’s got to be pancakes, just make sure you use almond flour so they have lots of protein and no gluten.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
