Page 17 - MidWeek - March 1, 2023

The Smart Path To Brain Therapy
FROM PAGE 14
The company is also com- bining the TMS technology with “brain maps” of each person’s brain activity to personalize the balancing and optimization process for them. Keifer says his compa- ny is the only one on O‘ahu offering personalized, repet- itive TMS (or rTMS) that involves “the use of brain mapping weekly to custom- ize and more precisely dose the treatment.”
In a relatively short period more people came in for ses- sions, and they referred their friends and family, according to Keifer.
February, Keifer hired her as the company’s director of marketing, communications and provider relations.
sonalized treatments from Keifer, Keen says she now has her life back.
MARCH 1, 2023 MIDWEEK 15
By mapping brain activity, he adds, medical profession- als can now see its condition.
Patient Cari Anne Nada (left) wears a cap used for treatment by Keifer.
He says that the original vision was about developing and implementing the best brain health program pos- sible for as many people as possible in Hawai‘i. Now, the medical practice is currently looking at ways to make sure the outer islands have access in the near future.
According to her, “Long COVID brain issues are very similar to concussion. We share a very similar and par- allel struggle with our mind and brain. Inflammation is the obvious culprit.”
She adds, “Things that came back to me that I didn’t realize were gone were my ability to pay attention to my peripheral vision, my ability to focus on
“If the brain activity is un- balanced or disorganized, we can identify where, treat it and track over time,” accord- ing to Keifer.
sense — stronger brain con- nections are leading to im- proved physical and mental performance. They report getting to the ‘zone’ easier and more often.”
sped up my search for treat- ments that could help,” Keif- er remembers.
Since having per-
conversations in a crowded room and even music sounds much better.”
“Seeing how well it worked, we went from one unit in a closet to three sys- tems in a matter of six to 12 months. We are blessed to have a talented team with the shared vision and priority of providing the best, personal- ized care. It’s because of this team, we have been able to help more,” Keifer adds.
“I was one of the first in Hawai‘i to get COVID. My symptoms started March 6, 2020, before the vaccine and before testing. It lasted eight weeks (and) shortly after I recovered, I developed long COVID,” Keen shares.
“I’m no longer on any medications for my brain, I have no depression, my sleep is back to normal, I wake up early for the first time in many years now, my memory and my executive function are on point, and life is good,” Keen emphasizes.
Good For The Brain
Nationally, Brain Awareness Week is scheduled for March 13-19, which is focused on enthusiasm and sup- port for brain science. With that in mind, Brain Health Hawai‘i’s Dr. Jason Keifer has some suggestions about keeping one’s mind in tip-top condition.
Among them, he advises optimizing your sleep win- dow, getting direct sunlight in the morning, avoiding eating and drinking late, daily exercise and healthy relationships.
“Doing your best to check these boxes as much as possible on a daily basis can help you maintain and even improve your brain functioning,” says the com- pany CEO, founder and medical director.
Also important is highlighting the nuances of the noggin.
“Brain health is mental health. Brain health is physical health. Brain health is health,”he declares.“The brain is the most important organ in your body, it controls and regulates every system in your body.”
Finally, he points out that thinking, feeling, reacting, remembering, focusing, running and throwing are all examples of things that rely on electrical signals inside the brain.
“When the brain signals are strong and organized, people feel better and perform better,” Keifer con- cludes.
For more information, visit brainhealthhawaii.com.
T he company uses a com- fortable, light, wireless EEG (electroencephalogram) cap to record brain wave activity, and the process takes a few minutes, he says.
A
well as child, adolescent and adult psychiatry — Keifer was born and raised in Oma- ha, Nebraska. He trained at University of Southern Cal- ifornia and University of California San Diego before moving to Hawai‘i in 2004.
Fortunately, a close friend and colleague in California connected him with a leader in brain stimulation who shared his methods and technology.
“The method of person- alized brain stimulation we can use is lower energy, gen- tle. We find that being more precise is more important than powerful when it comes to improving brain activity. And because it is gentle, we have been able to help kids as young as 4 years old,” Keifer highlights.
physician with a background in inter- nal medicine — as
“We wanted to bring the best methods to Hawai‘i as soon as possible rather than wait for it to arrive 10 years later, and I wanted to find the best treatment for my son’s concussion.
As for Keifer, he says that his family — especially wife Nicole — is an ongoing source of inspiration to him.
Even athletes, entertainers and other professionals ben- efit from the treatment, with improved focus and physical performance, Keifer declares.
He says that he’s always been interested in finding treatment methods that can help people not responding to usual treatment and for those looking for alternatives to medication.
“A couple of our current team members took a leap of faith and left their jobs at the time as we trained and de- veloped the program around personalized rTMS. We cleared out our 6-by-7-foot medical records closet and began treatments — starting with myself, then colleagues, friends and family,” Keifer recalls. “The responses we saw were really good. Peo- ple consistently reported im- proved sleep, focus, mood, memory and anxiety. And my son’s post concussive symptoms improved and we got him back healthier and happier.”
“My wife continues to sup- port this entire thing, includ- ing longer days and weeks than she signed on for. Five years ago, I asked her for two years to develop this pro- gram. It’s kind of taken on a life of its own at this point and I’ m forever grateful that she continues to support me and the family,” Keifer says. “As much as I’ m working, I’ m pretty sure she’s the hardest working and most talented person I know. Taking care of everything and our four kids the way she does is special.”
“Our athletes spend hours a day training every muscle in their body intensively. Personalized brain stimu- lation and our brain health program are like fitness for the brain,” he shares. “Now these athletes are adding a brain workout to their routine with good results. It makes
About a decade ago, many of his patients at the time had a history of concussions caus- ing symptoms that were not responsive to medication.
One of the patients who has been helped by Brain Health Hawai‘i is Angela Keen, a former local TV news re- porter. She became such an admirer of the personalized treatment process that last
“Also, my son had a real- ly bad concussion when he fell from 4 feet, it was ugly ... Seeing the changes in his emotions and behavior after the concussion ultimately