Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns suffered from seizures on account of the top knocks and concussions sustained over the course of his adorned 14-year profession, a Senate inquiry has heard.
The devastating news was revealed by Dr James Stewart by means of the Senate inquiry into concussion and head trauma involved sports activities.
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Dr Stewart, who’s on the Medical Advisory Board at Levin Health, stated he handled over 3000 sufferers, together with AFL Hall of Famers, in addition to Johns, rugby league’s eighth Immortal.
“I’ve got over 3000 patients, some of them are very high-profile, some are ex-NRL, I’ve got some Immortals, I’ve got AFL Hall of Famers on my books,” Dr Stewart informed the inquiry.
“I’ve got Joey Johns on my books, who’s an NRL Immortal – he’s happy for me to talk about it.
“He was having seizures because of repetitive concussion. I started treating him three years ago.
“Since then, not one seizure, not one seizure.
“He reports to me all the time when I speak to him, how much better he’s feeling, how good his concentration is, how good his memory is.
“I’ve got lots of ex-AFL players on my books and they all report the same thing.”
Johns revealed in 2019 that he was identified with epilepsy, and talked about on the time in an interview with brother Matthew on Fox League that his historical past of concussion could have contributed to the analysis, and briefly misplaced his drivers’ licence after struggling an epileptic seizure in Yamba on the NSW north coast in December 2018.
Dr Stewart appeared alongside representatives from the AFL, the AFL Players’ Association, in addition to the legal professionals performing on behalf of former AFL gamers at the moment suing the league for compensation over the administration of their concussions and head accidents.
Representatives from the households of late AFL gamers Danny Frawley and Shane Tuck, in addition to medical professionals, concussion researchers, and different sporting our bodies had been additionally scheduled for the day’s listening to.
Dr Stewart made a written submission to the inquiry highlighting the advantages of medicinal hashish for concussion therapy.
“It is clear to me from my practice as a General Practitioner specialising in medicinal cannabis that can play a profound role in treating patients with traumatic brain injury symptoms,” the submission reads.
“I have seen medicinal cannabis play an important role in preventing traumatic brain injury in patients. These qualities make medicinal cannabis important, especially for athletes participating in contact sport.”
Dr Stewart made a collection of suggestions to the Committee, asking for funding for a trial encompassing the nation’s main contact sporting codes.
“I witnessed patients’ memory and concentration improve, brain fog and headaches disappear and in some cases I have seen spasticity improve. All following administration of medicinal cannabis,” he stated of sufferers utilizing medicinal hashish.
“What is also notable is that most of these patients were still on, or had tried conventional medicine and were not getting benefits or experiencing unwanted side effects.
“I also believe using cannabidiol can assist a person to better cope with a collision or trauma that is likely to give them traumatic brain injury symptoms. This preventive capacity could be of significant benefit for athletes playing collision sport.
Stewart told the inquiry that the nature of Australia’s sporting landscape made it a prime candidate for concussion research that to date has not been undertaken to the degree he feels is necessary.
“We have high contact sports, lots of them – AFL, AFLW, NRL, NRLW, one season with all those four codes, we could pump out the most unbelievable data you’ve seen and save so many lives,” he stated.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, who chairs the committee, joked in regards to the novel repurposing of hashish, typically and broadly used for leisure functions.
“I can see the headlines in the newspapers already! The AFL, players running around all doped up,” she joked.
The inquiry comes as over 100 former AFL gamers are suing the league in a category motion led by former Melbourne star Shaun Smith, Crows premiership star Darren Jarman and the household of the late Shane Tuck, and each main soccer codes reckon with the existential ramifications that the revelations of head trauma analysis could have for his or her respective codes.
Source: www.news.com.au
