This factsheet explains the medical and rehabilitation care needs of persons with disorders of consciousness (DoC). It discusses the questions to ask when searching for the right program for your loved one with a DoC.

Many Americans use health care approaches that may have started outside of usual Western practice. The use of integrative approaches to health and wellness has grown within care settings across the United States.

Biofeedback is a technique where you are connected to electrical sensors that help you receive information about your body. This feedback helps you make subtle changes in your body, such as relaxing certain muscles, to achieve the results you want, such as reducing pain.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) are those medical practices not usually a part of conventional Western medicine (the scientifically based medicine practiced by licensed medical doctors in the US), but have been widely used for thousands of years in other cultures. This brochure is designed to provide an overview of CAM and very briefly describe some of the many alternative practices and systems available and gaining popularity in the US.

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years, and involves the use of needles and/or pressure and heat for the treatment and prevention of disease. Acupuncture is often used along with conventional medicine to improve health and promote healing.

Herbal medicine involves the use of natural and biologically based practices, interventions, and products to treat a variety of physical or emotional conditions. If you are interested in using herbal preparations, you should be as informed as possible about the risks and benefits.

Visual deficits related to traumatic brain injury and other neurological disorders should be evaluated by a Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Optometrist, a doctor who has special expertise in the assessment and treatment of visual disturbances associated with damage to the central nervous system.

Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialized form of physical/occupational therapy to address dizziness, imbalance, difficulty maintaining clear vision, and functional decline as a result of vestibular disorders. A vestibular disorder can cause permanent deficits, so therapy is often designed to allow compensation.

This factsheet explains the recovery process after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Often, the fastest improvement happens in the first six months after injury.