Contents

Foreword by Eric Topol, MD

Preface: Why I Know You Can Get Back to Life

Introduction: What Is an Acute Neurological Injury?

PART 1
Your Recovery Begins in Your Head

1 | Battling the Blues

How to Deal with Your Grief, Depression, and Anxiety So You Can Focus on Recovery

2 | The Amazing Connection Between Your Mind and Body

How to Harness the Power of Your Mind with Neuroplasticity for Optimal Recovery

3 | Before You Leave the Hospital

The Five Essentials of Smart Discharge Planning

PART 2
Functional Recovery, Health, and Wellness

4 | Pain Management

Controlling Pain Helps Speed Your Rehabilitation

5 | Rehabilitation: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Five Steps to Getting the Most from Rehabilitation and Restoration Therapies

6 | Your Lifestyle = Your State of Wellness

How to Strengthen Good Habits and Lose the Ones that Zap Your Health

7 | Sexual Healing

How to Address Your Sexuality, Sexual Function, and Fertility

8 | East Meets West

How to Use Modern Western Medicine and Traditional Eastern Medicine to Heal and Enjoy a Better Quality of Life

PART 3
Preventing and Treating the Most Common Medical Problems

9 | Urinary Tract and Bladder Health

10 | Digestive Tract Health

11 | Heart Health

12 | Lung Health

13 | Skin Health: Preventing Pressure Ulcers

14 | Muscle, Bone, and Joint Health

PART 4
Enjoy a Rewarding and Meaningful Life

15 | Miraculous Adaptations

How to Take Advantage of Life-Enhancing Devices, Tools, and More

16 | Get Out!

Making Your Home, Vehicles, and Workplace Accessible for a Wheelchair

17 | When the World Beckons

The Good, Bad, and Worst of Traveling in a Wheelchair

18 | You Are Not Invisible

How to Thrive in Your Community

19 | Future Therapies

Science and Technology Bring the Future to the Now

Epilogue: The Power of Hope and Love

Acknowledgments

Resources

Notes

Image Credits

Index

About the Authors