A Conversation with Jack Fonderwhite on Concussions and Clinical Tools

One of my favorite parts of hosting the Life After Impact Podcast is meeting clinicians who are expanding what’s possible within our profession. This week’s guest is one of those people.

I sat down with Jack Fonderwhite, an acupuncturist in Hawaiʻi who specializes in concussion recovery. Like many of us, Jack’s journey into neurology did not begin in school. It began with his own injuries.

After years of martial arts and contact sports, an EEG revealed something he never expected: chronic changes in his own brain activity. What happened next completely changed the direction of his career.

Tools that make change more visible

Today, Jack combines traditional Chinese medicine with modern neuroscience to objectively measure changes in brain function before and after treatment. His clinical toolkit includes:

• Electroacupuncture
• EEG brain mapping
• Eye-tracking technology
• Balance testing
• Digital cervical range-of-motion assessment
• Cognitive assessments

When a heightened neurological state feels normal

One part of our conversation particularly resonated with me. Jack described how treating his own brain not only improved his EEG findings, but also restored his night vision, sense of smell, mental clarity, and something he did not even realize he had been living with: anxiety.

As he put it, he did not recognize it as anxiety until it disappeared. When he shared that story, I laughed because I had experienced almost the exact same thing after my own concussions. Sometimes we become so accustomed to living in a heightened neurological state that it simply feels normal—until our brain begins functioning differently again.

What we discuss

• Why you do not have to lose consciousness to sustain a concussion
• What EEG testing can reveal that standard imaging often cannot
• How electroacupuncture may influence brain function and neuroplasticity
• The role of objective testing in patient education and treatment planning
• Building a concussion-specialty practice as an acupuncturist
• Why Jack believes the future of acupuncture includes technology alongside—not instead of—traditional medicine

As someone who has dedicated much of my career to concussion rehabilitation, conversations like this give me tremendous hope—not only for patients, but for our profession. Acupuncturists have an incredible opportunity to contribute to neurological rehabilitation, especially when we combine the principles of Chinese medicine with advances in neuroscience and objective assessment.

I think you will come away from this episode inspired by what’s possible.