CLEVELAND -- Bernie Kosar spent more than 10 years in persistent pain, the effects of more than one dozen documented concussions he sustained in 13 years as an NFL quarterback.

Bernie Kosar, 49, says he feels 20 years younger now that he's received treatment that is allowing his brain to heal. AP Photo/Mark Duncan

There are hits he remembers. There were others, so many others with the Browns, he shook off with smelling salts tucked into the front of his pants on game day.

But the ringing and buzzing in his head never subsided. Kosar couldn't sleep. He slurred his words. His life, troubled by financial woes and a failed marriage, was almost unlivable. He was desperate, masking his misery with medication and trying to pretend things weren't as bad as they seemed.

Desperate for help after tapping into numerous medical resources with limited results, Kosar discovered Dr. Rick Sponaugle, a "pioneer" in brain therapies who runs a wellness institute in Palm Harbor, Fla. Kosar claims through Sponaugle's "groundbreaking" work that his symptoms have improved, his brain is healing and he's feeling better than he has in years.

"It was a gift from God to find this and feel like this," Kosar said Thursday, opening up publicly for the first time about his affliction. "I see all the symptoms going away."

Kosar is spreading the word about his improved condition and his goal is to get help for former teammates and other ex-NFL players dealing with onset dementia, depression and other symptoms caused by playing an inherently violent sport only now coming to terms with the physical toll it has taken on thousands.