What Makes Cognitive FX Unique?

Quite often we are asked what makes Cognitive FX unique in relation to clinics that have a background in functional neurology, including Brain Plasticity Centers. Here we review 8 key ways we are unique. 

1- Our key founders have a degree in neuroscience or have been to medical school.

Two of our founders hold a PhD and two of our founders is an MD. The founders brought together a team of multidisciplinary accredited therapists and trainers, each in their own discipline, to standardize a unique imaging and treatment protocol to effectively treat post-concussion symptoms. This includes neuroscientists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, athletic trainers, licensed massage therapists, occupational therapists, and other professionals. 

2- The thing that makes us the most unique is our objective imaging.

Functional Neurocognitive Imaging (fNCI) looks at different regions of the brain and gives you a clear view of which brain regions are working correctly and which ones are not working as they should. This imaging is looking directly at your brain, not at any other parts of the body. When a doctor only looks at symptoms to try to figure out what is going on in the brain, things can be missed or misdiagnosed. The fact that we treat the source of symptoms rather than the symptoms alone is very important. This empowers our multidisciplinary therapists and trainers to have a clear direction and create a plan to help you make significant improvements.

Without a direct measurement of the brain, many functional neurologists, as well as other therapists, do their best to treat based off of symptoms or by measuring other indicators of a brain injury, such as eye movement patterns. While symptoms and eye movement can be a start to understanding a brain injury, these methods of measurement are not as objective and clear about specific regional and brain impairments. Looking only at symptoms or eye movements to treat a brain injury limits treatment and its effectiveness.

3- We have over a decade of peer-reviewed publications we have published verifying our objective imaging protocol and our treatment outcomes.

fNCI has dozens of peer-reviewed publications to back up its development and standardization. These publications explore and standardize the testing done in fNCI, along with its clinical applications. In the past, fNCI has also been used in hospitals across the United States. At this point in time, this imaging protocol is only available here at Cognitive FX.  

We can not only give you objective data in what brain regions we regulate during treatment, but we can also give you recommendations based on your own brain regions moving forward after treatment. This level of objectivity empowers our team and our patients to have better, long-lasting outcomes. Our foundation and educational background in neuroscience research is also what empowers us to confidently say that, on average, our patients improve 75% in one week of treatment.

4- One week of EPIC Treatment is like packing six months of therapy into one week. During EPIC Treatment, patients have back-to-back therapy appointments Monday through Friday.

A patient’s schedule will vary, but they are typically in therapy for five to eight hours a day between the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday. During the week, patients go from one therapy to the next with a one-hour lunch break sometime during the day. The last day of treatment, usually Friday, is often shorter than the other days. This is the day patients do a second fNCI scan. fNCI combined with intense back-to-back therapy appointments bring about significant improvements in brain function. We also seek to empower you to have a higher quality of life moving forward in a short amount of time.  

5- You have two brain scans during the week.

Your treatment will be based on much more than just your goals. It will be based on your fNCI brain scan, which will make improvements in all areas of your brain, including those you may not have known needed treatment. The first fNCI at the beginning of the week helps us understand what is happening in your brain and helps empower our team and their focus for each appointment with you. Additionally, our therapists will ask you about your specific goals moving forward. Your treatment plan is truly comprehensive because we address both the objective data from the fNCI and your specific concerns. The second scan at the end of the week objectively tells us where you made improvements and where you can continue making improvements.   

6- Our methodology will treat the root cause of the injury, which will address common symptoms, including vision but not limited to vision.

Vision impairments are common symptoms that need to be addressed. While treating vision is a key component of concussion recovery, it is important not to neglect the root cause of the injury. We have found that often the vision problems are related to the overall unhealthy function of the brain caused by the injury. Problems with your vision can also be linked to other concussion symptoms. Treating vision alone will not resolve all of your concussion symptoms.  

It is important to recognize that, before coming for EPIC Treatment, many of our patients have gone to vision therapy for months to a year with little to no improvement in their visual symptoms. When these patients come for EPIC Treatment, we are finding that the regions that impact vision are still not functioning healthily. 

We are not just focused on addressing one symptom at a time, be it vision, or headaches, or sleeping problems. As we focus on treating the brain holistically—looking at, addressing, and balancing healthy functioning across all regions of the brain—each patient will have a more successful recovery. This will empower patients to truly address the cause of their symptoms, and not simply teach the brain to compensate after an injury.

7- While we may have some of the same tools and technology, but the way we approach these tools is unique and specific to your needs.

There are some tools we use that are similar to what functional neurologists may use in their clinics. With these tools, we are using them to treat specific brain regions, and we only use these tools if you specifically need them. These tools alone are not what give you results or improvements; it is the methodologies in which they are used and applied that help return your brain to normal functioning. What makes our treatment effective is having therapists and trainers who know how to use the most effective exercises and when to supplement them with these tools.

8- You will leave with a unique post-care plan to continue making improvements.

Our patient care coordinator will review our recommendations with you before you leave. These recommendations will come from your therapists as well as the results of your second fNCI. The patient care coordinator will also help you create a post-care plan based on these recommendations. With your post-care plan, you will have a clear direction on what to do in your life and in your daily routine to continue to make progress. Our patient care coordinator also manages our patient Facebook support group. This Facebook group and our patient care coordinator are resources for you if you are struggling after Treatment.

Overall, there are many things that make Cognitive FX unique. Because we are focused on the brain and the root cause of your injury by using imaging and in our research and our Treatment, we are able to fine-tune and improve the way we treat PCS. By objectively focusing on the brain, we address many of the systems that can be affected in an injury that influence patients’ symptoms. Because of our methods, the majority of our patients continue to improve even after their EPIC Treatment. We continue to have significant results, helping people from around the world improve their brain function, their symptoms, and their quality of life.