We’ve talked about our avoidance of the term “mental Illness” through the years, because it misrepresents psychiatric disorders. We’re now going a step further to emphasize that the head is part of the body, and that the key to treating these disorders may very well lie in the metabolism of the whole body. We’re going to be talking about the ins and outs of “metabolic psychiatry” in our quest to get more help for more people. A growing wealth of research is demonstrating the connection between the state of mitochondria in the body’s cells as a direct link to the state of a person’s mind. Studies are demonstrating that we can change the productivity of the mitochondria through diet — specifically therapeutic nutritional ketosis — and lifestyle changes. As a result, at Innovative Psychiatry, we’re expanding our practice to offer these developments to you.

Sound shocking? This idea that eating differently could impact psychiatric symptoms?  That upgrading your food choices could not just reduce but stop symptoms that have plagued you for months… or years?

Granted, it might sound a bit far-fetched at first. But the more you understand about cells all over your body and how one group of cells affects another, the more sense it will make.

Therapeutic Nutritional Ketosis

We’ve seen this concept demonstrated in our work with anorexia nervosa, where after a period of therapeutic nutritional ketosis, we used IV ketamine treatment. We saw it work, replicated the approach with impressive results in a small pilot study that we published, presented at the International Conference on Eating Disorders in Washington DC, and discussed with Brett Scher, MD of Metabolic Mind on a video broadcast.

Working always with the premise that the head is part of the body, we’re seeing that using therapeutic nutritional ketosis can be effective in many other illnesses and disorders as well.

We know that stress wears down and prunes the dendrites and dendritic spines of neuron cells in the brain, and we also know this causes a dampening effect and a decrease of signals sent across the brain. Fewer signals result in less activity, less communication, less creativity, and less resilience. This can result in depression, mood switching, anxiety, and other disorders. We know that we want to see an increase in neurons, dendrites, and dendritic spines.

More circuits = more healthy signals, creativity, communication between areas of the brain, and resilience.

We also know that aging neurons tend to become dormant and less likely to send signals or reproduce themselves. For your mind and body to stay youthful and healthy, you need your cells to be functioning at their best. They need to reproduce themselves in an ongoing manner. When they don’t, dysfunction results. For example, dementia can develop.

Stem Cells Restore Specialized Neuron Cells

The cool thing about stem cells is that they can reproduce themselves over and over and over, continuously proliferating. They can also cause their new cells to develop specialized functions as needed. But when neuron cells age, what can we do to get them to proliferate new ones?

Think of stem cells as the unprocessed, built-in construction material of the body, and in this case, for the mind. When conditions are optimal, they reproduce to form all the other cells that specialize to perform specific roles.

But how to get conditions so optimal in a living, breathing, aging body? Because, as we’ve said, aging cells don’t reproduce that well.

A team of researchers led by Jean-Claude Martinou and Marlen Knobloch at two Swiss universities, discovered that these neurons can be increased in the adult brain. Remember, the head is part of the body. There are parts of the brain that contain quiet, non-active neural cells that are actually stem cells. Still, neuroscientists haven’t understood how to get these stem cells to increase in number.  

These researchers discovered just how an aspect of metabolism enables these neural stem cells to overcome their dormant state and become active again. And when they’re active, they can regenerate. It’s all wrapped up in the mitochondria.

Mitochondria Regulation

You may know that the energy factory in the cell is the mitochondria. This special part of the cell contributes a variety of vital services, and your body flourishes as the mitochondria flourishes. The researchers discovered that the mitochondria contribute to regulating how much these neural stem cells are activated.

A protein complex in the mitochondria called the pyruvate transporter actually influences the possible roles a cell can fulfill.

This gets a bit complex, but here’s the crunch. When researchers know and understand that metabolic pathways separate active cells from dormant cells, these researchers can wake up the dormant cells by changing their metabolism in the mitochondria.

Let’s say that again.

Changing the direction of metabolic pathways can improve the activity state of neural stem cells and in doing that, the neural stem cells can generate more and more new neuron cells. In a word: neurogenesis.

Since the head is part of the body, producing new neurons can reverse the symptoms of depression and other disorders.

We’re going to be talking more about cell metabolism, mitochondria, and how to impact mitochondria with nutrients to generate and proliferate neurogenesis… brain cell production.

More To Learn…

In coming weeks, we’re going to talk about using nutrients to improve your frame of mind and psychiatric symptoms. Therapeutic nutritional ketosis is all about upgrading your food choices to optimize your cell metabolism, kick up your brain energy, and tamp down your anxiety to help you get better. That’s the therapeutic part. And that’s what’s at the heart of what we offer with the metabolic psychiatry program we offer.

We were on the cutting edge when we first offered ketamine treatment, and it has since emerged as a rapid, effective, office-based psychiatric treatment, now helping thousands upon thousands of people with psychiatric disorders around the world. 

A New 21st Century Breakthrough

Now we’ve added another 21st century transformative treatment to our practice: metabolic psychiatry using therapeutic nutritional ketosis and other lifestyle approaches in a unique wrap-around approach.

At Innovative Psychiatry, we’re utilizing breakthrough transformative treatments for your improved health and wellbeing. 

These breakthrough treatments spell hope for you. If you’re among the 35-40% of depressed people for whom traditional antidepressant medications aren’t effective, these alternative — and effective — treatments can make all the difference for you, your life, and relationships.

If you suffer from severe depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or trauma… if you struggle with food or weight… if you want to optimize your health and begin to just feel good day after day, call us.

We can offer you innovative treatment that can reverse your symptoms, and explode your hope.

Come walk with us and give your best self access to the rewarding life you deserve.

To the restoration of your best self,

Joe woke up, looked at the ceiling, and sighed. Another day. What was he to do with this day? More of the same, most likely. Get up, drink coffee, read the paper, then watch daytime TV. He had been so excited to retire, to finally have the freedom to choose what he did with his days. To relax, read, travel…. But that wore off the first 3 months… and now it seemed the future loomed ahead endlessly. Retirement can cause loss of purpose in life, which can lead to depression.

Even Retirement Can Get Old

He had not expected this to get old so fast. After spending 36 years doing the same thing every day, he thought he would relish and savor the freedom to wake up without an alarm. To eat a leisurely breakfast. Enjoy a second cup of coffee.

After 7 months of this freewheeling lifestyle, he no longer showered every day. Why should he? He wasn’t going to see anybody.  If he went fishing for hours in the sun he would clean up, because he knew he smelled pretty rank. But on a typical day hanging around the house, he didn’t smell that bad…and again, he rarely saw anyone.

It was certainly surprising to realize that all those decades of work had directed him as they did. He had specific things to work on — every day. The subject matter changed after each project was completed, and he had to admit, it was stimulating. Plus, he felt like he was making a difference in the lives of people on some level.

But now, he just sat around, taking up space, without any real goals in life. 

Retirement seemed to be backfiring.

He was already tired of sitting in the quiet, reading book after book. Things he had longed to do, things he had seemed to have no time for, lost their luster now that he had an endless supply of time.

Fishing in the quiet. Walking in the quiet. How fickle I must be, he thought. It’s either feast or famine, but I’m never satisfied, it seems.

He began to think of the futility of life … the endless droning on of repetition and futility. He didn’t fully realize he had suffered a loss of purpose in life.

Why go on? What’s the point?

Joe needed stimulation

He also needed human connection.

One day when he was fishing, he saw a couple was fishing on the same shore a few yards away. He decided he might say hello. As he inched toward them between casts, he finally waved and called hello. They waved back and smiled. After all, it’s important to be quiet when you fish.

Still, Joe’s need for human interaction drove him to keep trying.

A few exchanges of niceties revealed it wasn’t going anywhere, so he packed up his tackle and the two fish he’d caught and headed for home.

Joe hadn’t always been alone. He had divorced a few years ago, and the loss hadn’t affected him as deeply at the time because he was absorbed in work. But he was realizing now it could be really helpful if he had a companion to talk to on a regular basis. He thought about the couple he had seen while he was fishing, and acknowledged they had something he didn’t. Companionship. 

But there was more to it. 

He realized he had lost his sense of purpose in life. That deeply felt inner direction to gives life a reason to go on.

He had taken for granted how his career had infused him with that priceless inner compass. 

Joe had no idea what to do about it

Then one day, his daughter called. She was his wise and insightful child, and was pursuing a “calling” in psychotherapy, so she often read studies to gain more insight.

She told him about reading a book called, Brain Energy, and how she’d learned that mitochondria in the cells have a huge impact on how people feel and function. She explained that the mitochondria are the mechanism in the cells where energy is produced in every cell.

She talked about diet, and how a high fat, low carbohydrate diet can feed the mitochondria… ketones... for energy, replacing carbohydrates for fuel. The safest and most efficient way to do this is with a dietitian-designed therapeutic nutritional ketogenic diet. It’s called a ketogenic metabolic therapy.

And she talked about the importance of human connection, relationships that are meaningful and mutual. That his divorce from her mom had resulted in his being isolated, but she recognized symptoms of depression in him and suggested they talk about ways to restore relationships in his life.

On top of those things, she emphasized the vital importance of his loss of purpose in life. That certainly resonated with Joe. They talked about how he hadn’t realized how his job had infused him with purpose, and with the constraints of that gone, he seemed to have found himself adrift.

Treatment, diet, and relationships

“Dad, you’re going to need to take some assertive steps to create change for yourself. You need to get under the care of a good psychiatrist, in case you need meds. Plus you need to involve yourself in activities you believe in and can commit to, where you can contribute and make some kind of difference. And you need to make the effort to start building friendships you enjoy.

“And change your diet, Dad! All the chips and dip you love to eat with your beer need to be replaced with good fats like avocados, whole eggs, olive oil, nuts, yogurt, and salmon. Cook your salmon in olive oil…in fact, cook everything in olive oil. Add avocados to your meals. Skip the potatoes, bread, and rice. You’ll be amazed what a difference you’ll feel in your emotions and your body.”

Joe thought long and hard after his daughter hung up.  He looked online for a psychiatrist and a registered dietician, and made appointments with one of each that he found.

The psychiatrist confirmed he was depressed. She explained the concept of metabolic psychiatry, and how metabolism plays a key role in psychiatric health. She confirmed everything his daughter had said. And she offered him a startlingly new approach with comprehensive metabolic assessment and treatment with a treatment team in her own office—not spread out and disjointed—with a registered dietitian, an expert in nutritional ketosis, and dozens of wrap-around supports for lifestyle changes including telehealth, in-person visits, digital apps, body composition analysis, labs, genetic testing, groups, nature walks, videos, recipes — ways to get energized, feel excited, get moving, shrink body fat, and find a new community of friends. There were dozens of Touchpoints.

Joe could see he was entering a new adventure. He began to feel hope.

He also made an appointment with a therapist she recommended.

And he cancelled his appointment with the dietician he had arranged to see on his own and made an appointment with the new one.

He began to see that the power to change his life was in his own hands. Loss of purpose in life didn’t have to be permanent. He felt the power to change.

While he waited for his dietician appointment, he decided to give away the potatoes, rice, chips, and bread as his daughter had suggested, and went to the store to buy salmon, olive oil, avocados, and eggs. No harm in starting to eat better while he waited to learn what the psychiatrist and dietitian and their team suggested in their collaborative metabolic program.

Then he searched online for opportunities to volunteer in his area. An organization that teaches English and reading skills to migrant children caught his eye. 

“Now that’s a place I could make a real difference,” he said to himself.

He called to learn how to join the group, and set out the next day to offer his help.

Before long, he was being trained, then working directly with non-English speaking children who had bright hope in their eyes. During breaks he began to become acquainted with other volunteers and made arrangements to share a meal and go out to fish on the riverside with a few new friends.

Six months later, he called his daughter and told her all the changes he’d made, and how grateful he was to her for helping him find his way. He told her about his new friends, and his activities. And also mentioned one “special friend” who was becoming more and more important to him.

And he talked about the children, and how fulfilling it was to see their lives changing for the better. He knew he was helping them build a better future. He was so grateful for the new purpose in his life.

Have you retired or experienced some other highly stressful life event that left you floundering with a loss of purpose in life?

Finding a role that gives your life meaning, having rewarding relationships, taking care of yourself, and upgrading your food choices are all aspects of living well and enjoying your life.

Does it feel to you like life has become futile, without purpose, and without hope?

If you can relate to Joe and what he was going through, call us.

Loss of purpose can come from retiring, divorce, loss of a loved one, an empty nest, and other changes in circumstances. Recognize these blows can have a devastating effect on your life, and seek help.

We’re here to help you find your way back to a meaningful, rewarding life.

To the restoration of your best self,

Blake turned over in bed. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. What would he do with his day, he wondered. Ever since his business failed…scratch that…ever since HE failed…his sense of purpose had evaporated. He had been humiliated by the death of his business. And worse than that, he’d been disillusioned. He had believed in what he was doing, and what his work could do to help people. His excitement had fueled his resolve, and he tended to spring out of bed every day eager for what would unfold. But after working at it tirelessly for seven years, it was devastating to watch it wither slowly until his clientele dried up and disappeared. He was burned out. He had fought panic and tried everything to infuse new life into his marketing, his client relationships, his products. To no avail. And now he couldn’t find the least bit of interest in trying to discover what’s next in his life. He’d failed. And he had forgotten how to care, how to motivate himself, or to do anything. His feelings of failure made it impossible to enjoy anything. Not even the colors of a sunset or the fragrance of a flower. Blake had forgotten how to enjoy. Period.

Failure and shame go hand in hand. He’d held his head high as he’d jetted around the country to meet with clients, check on customer service, and contribute to new breakthrough launches. But there came a point when interest in his services and products seemed to dry up. Wither…

And all his scrambling to save all he’d worked for, and all those who relied on him, had turned out to be futile.

He felt ignorant. Foolish. Inept. 

How could he face people he knew?

Honestly, Blake wondered if there was any reason to even get out of bed most days.

Any reason at all.

But every day he stayed holed up in his apartment, just confirmed his overall failure. His worthlessness. It was impossible to enjoy anything, everything…whatever he could think of.

His mom texted him. But he made up some excuse.

HIs brother called, but he didn’t want to answer. He just didn’t feel like it. And he didn’t care what his brother thought of him. The days of trying to fulfill other people’s expectations were gone. Nothing mattered anymore. And that seemed sad, but it was just the way it was. He couldn’t help it.

He even got messages and emails from friends he’d made in the business. Ideas they had about how to revive the business.Their ideas were too little too late. They didn’t have the experience he had with the marketplace, and lacked the scope of perspective he’d developed through it all. They didn’t realize he’d already tried those things, and had seen just more failure.

Blake scanned the internet looking for possible jobs. He needed income from somewhere. But he just was so mentally dull and flat. The creativity that was surging when he started his business was gone. Blank. So he didn’t know if he could actually do much of a job. He didn’t feel very employable. Everything was impossible to enjoy or do.

And the energy he would need to for interviews, not to mention the horrid phobias that had emerged: fear and dread of leaving the house, of facing people, of going into new places… how could he overcome all that to find a job?

Months went by. The more time that passed, the more isolated he was… by his own doing. But it was taking a toll.

Blake was shut down — even locked down — emotionally. 

Time to RESET

He needed to be able to push a button so he could reboot in some way. Where was the Reset Button in his life?

He was still trying to find a job, as his savings were dwindling. The longer he stayed cooped up in his place, the worse he felt. He began to feel panic rising inside him … that if he didn’t find a way to break out of this ‘state’ he was in, he might just die here.

After hours scanning the internet, Blake decided to break out of this isolation and contact his brother. He sent him a text and told him he needed to talk to someone…that the walls were closing in on him. It was hard to make contact. He didn’t enjoy it, but it was impossible to enjoy anything, anyway. It was still important. He had to do it.

His brother, Jared, was so pleased to hear from him. He invited him to come over, or he would be glad to come to Blake’s apartment.

Blake got himself into the shower, as hard as it was, and made himself clean up. Why was this so hard? He was overwhelmed at trying to clean up the mess of his house so he said he could go to Jared’s. That was better. He drove to Jared’s house and knocked on the door.

Jared wrapped his arms around his brother and hugged him gently but firmly. It was such a relief to see Blake reaching out. But for Blake, he was just going through the motions. He wished he could connect with Jared, but it was impossible to feel or enjoy anything at this point.

They talked for hours about Blake’s business, what happened, and what it was like to deal with the failure of it all. They also talked about the effect this long isolation and grief had had on Blake. Jared told his brother how much he had missed him. And suggested they put their heads together to find what might help Blake move forward again.

Brothers Search for Answers

As hours fled by, they explored employment, how to get help for the failure Blake felt, and what his lack of energy and fears might mean. He needed to function again!

Side by side, they scanned the internet for answers and realized that Blake seemed to have the symptoms of depression, and that maybe his fear and dread were signs of phobias. They learned that anxiety, fear, and phobias do sometimes accompany depression. 

Beyond this, they soon hit a wall. They could see he had symptoms, and that the symptoms may be treatable, but realized he needed a doctor to take it from there. So they searched for a psychiatrist in their community with great reviews. It seemed the best way to learn what a doctor might be like was to read what his own patients had to say about him.

They settled on one whose reviews were, for the most part, amazing. There seemed to be one or two reviewers who complained, but all the rest were overwhelmed with the doctor’s attentiveness, willingness to listen, and symptom relief.

So Blake made an appointment.

Jared cleared his schedule for that day so he could go with him for moral support.

The doctor diagnosed major depressive disorder, and talked about possible medications. Then sent Blake home with a couple prescriptions, an antidepressant and something to ensure he could sleep.

After a couple months, the antidepressant wasn’t working, so Blake called the new doctor to talk about ketogenic psychiatry and what might help him improve. Something just had to give. It was still impossible to enjoy absolutely anything.

He felt like he was wasting his life.

After scheduling a consultation appointment, Blake went to see her. She took a thorough history, including his symptoms when they started, and what he had felt like when he was his best self. Then she explained ketogenic psychiatry, and what a ketogenic diet leading to therapeutic nutritional ketosis, could do for him.

Blake felt better and better, and in the days and weeks that followed he just kept improving. His hope was growing as he realized his creativity was returning, his energy was returning, and his thinking was clearing up more and more.

Within a couple weeks, he interviewed for a job that he thought he was well suited for, and was hired. Soon he was back at work, contributing in meetings, creating new ideas, and making friends.

Brothers Bond

He made a pact with Jared that they would meet for dinner one night a week, to keep rebuilding their relationship and to talk about obstacles they both faced. They also went together to visit their mom, and committed to do it more often.

Blake wanted to build a healthier infrastructure in his life to combat the isolation that had gotten him into so much trouble. And Jared saw the benefit for both of them in doing that.

Blake also started seeing a therapist to help him untangle the feelings of failure and worthlessness that plagued him after his business ended. He was feeling more resilient since starting the ketogenic diet, but wanted to improve the way he looked at his life to guard against that type of thinking in the future.

And he moved forward in his life with a combination of confidence and humility — recognizing that he was human, and capable of so much. He made the decision to be a learner in life, instead of a perfectionist. And he learned about exercise and a ketogenic diet that actually would help his psychiatric health. He committed, also, to being his own best friend… instead of the cruel judge he had been.

And these steps will help you, too.

Within the realm of everything we offer in psychiatry, therapeutic nutritional ketosis and exercise could make all the difference for you, if it’s impossible for you to enjoy what you used to enjoy.

If you suffer from the kinds of symptoms Blake did, call us.

We have opened another another avenue for you with Metabolic Psychiatry. We can help you discover how to eat and move and enjoy so that you kick up your brain energy, correct your metabolism, shrink your body fat, and get back to your best self.

There is so much to psychiatric illness, but there is also so much more you can do to be healthy again.

We’re here to help you get there.

To the restoration of your best self,