The degenerative brain condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy is largely considered a problem for professional football players, but NPR’s “CTE Beyond The NFL” explores the quiet population of everyday men and women — from former amateur athletes of all types to military veterans to domestic violence victims – who believe they have the fatal disease due to their history of head injuries. Because CTE has no cure and can be diagnosed only through autopsy, people fearful of it often turn to dubious treatments, controversial doctors, or health care providers with financial stakes in the products they recommend – and the loosely regulated brain health industry is profiting.
