The Doctor Proposal for Brian Westbrook is will : D't play Now
At a time when the NFL and the NFL Players Association should be turning over every medical and/or scientific rock they can find in trying to deal with concussions, there seems to be a tragic failure in communication between a doctor with an interesting idea and those two entities.
Dr. W. Dudley Johnson, a retired heart surgeon from Milwaukee who is credited with one of the most significant developments in bypass surgery, has a seemingly simple idea for players to use supplements that serve as preventive care for the trauma involved in concussions.
“The whole concept is to change the body so the response to brain injury is less traumatic,” said Johnson, who developed the idea from treatments that are used to reduce the effects of strokes. “This is a prophylactic measure, but it’s with everyday, over-the-counter, normal natural products you can find in the store.”
Dr. W. Dudley Johnson, a retired heart surgeon from Milwaukee who is credited with one of the most significant developments in bypass surgery, has a seemingly simple idea for players to use supplements that serve as preventive care for the trauma involved in concussions.
“The whole concept is to change the body so the response to brain injury is less traumatic,” said Johnson, who developed the idea from treatments that are used to reduce the effects of strokes. “This is a prophylactic measure, but it’s with everyday, over-the-counter, normal natural products you can find in the store.”
In essence, Johnson is trying to find a way to prevent excessive inflammation of the brain when it’s bruised in a concussion by having players take supplements.Johnson has the backing of three people with strong ties to the NFL: former NFLPA Executive Director Ed Garvey, former NFL player and recent University of Wisconsin athletic director Pat Richter and former NFL star wide receiver Al Toon, a man whose career was cut short by numerous concussions.
Furthermore, he has apparently caught the interest of the Green Bay Packers and one of the natural supplements (fish oil) he’s suggesting is already being used by the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Johnson and Garvey. However, the NFL, which has a history of funding medical research and earlier this month awarded $1.5 million to several research entities, can’t find Johnson’s proposal and the NFLPA has been slow to react to the request. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello searched the league offices Tuesday, but came up empty.
Regardless of who’s responsible for the miscommunication – Johnson said he didn’t know exactly who the proposal was sent to – the league and the union would be wise to get on the phone with Johnson, who’s looking for $600,000 for his study. For roughly the cost of a minimum-wage veteran backup, the NFL and its players could be looking at a substantial solution for the actual injury caused by a concussion.
That hope is based on a very simple regimen of over-the-counter substances. Johnson is talking about using things such as fish oil and figuring out the best combination of that and whatever else he uses. At a time when most players have mini-GNC stores in their lockers, Johnson’s idea for a daily supplement would be easy to sell to players, literally and figuratively.
Considering the 79-year-old Johnson’s credentials (Garvey, a very smart man himself, called Johnson “brilliant”) and the simplicity of what he’s trying to introduce, the league and the union should be jumping at this idea.
What the league and the union have been very busy with on the concussion front is basically window dressing that doesn’t really get to the heart of the issue because they can’t. Give NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell credit, his recent moves, such as putting a neurologist on sidelines, are solid ideas. Sadly, it took a threat from Congress for the NFL to react, but at least the league is reacting.
However, those are after-the-fact measures. The neurologist doesn’t get involved until the player is already hurt. Furthermore, all the disability programs that retired players talk about, such as dealing with dementia, are fine and good. But preventing the problem (or at least doing the best you can to limit it) is better. Way better, as in that whole “ounce of prevention, pound of cure” adage better.
This is the real duty the NFL and the NFLPA have to the players.
That hope is based on a very simple regimen of over-the-counter substances. Johnson is talking about using things such as fish oil and figuring out the best combination of that and whatever else he uses. At a time when most players have mini-GNC stores in their lockers, Johnson’s idea for a daily supplement would be easy to sell to players, literally and figuratively.
Considering the 79-year-old Johnson’s credentials (Garvey, a very smart man himself, called Johnson “brilliant”) and the simplicity of what he’s trying to introduce, the league and the union should be jumping at this idea.
What the league and the union have been very busy with on the concussion front is basically window dressing that doesn’t really get to the heart of the issue because they can’t. Give NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell credit, his recent moves, such as putting a neurologist on sidelines, are solid ideas. Sadly, it took a threat from Congress for the NFL to react, but at least the league is reacting.
However, those are after-the-fact measures. The neurologist doesn’t get involved until the player is already hurt. Furthermore, all the disability programs that retired players talk about, such as dealing with dementia, are fine and good. But preventing the problem (or at least doing the best you can to limit it) is better. Way better, as in that whole “ounce of prevention, pound of cure” adage better.
This is the real duty the NFL and the NFLPA have to the players.
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