December Innerbloom Newsletter
Dec 17, 2024 6:13 pm
Innerbloom Ketamine Therapy
December 2024
We wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season filled with hope, love, and good health! As the year comes to a close, it's the perfect time to reflect, celebrate growth, acknowledge challenges, and embrace lessons learned. We know how difficult it can be to prioritize mental health amidst life’s demands, but in 2025 we are hopeful and excited to explore ways to change that together.
Thank you for being part of our community this year. Your support means the world to us. We have exciting plans for the year ahead to serve our community, improve access to the life-changing medicine we call ketamine, and help even more people on their healing journeys. So stay tuned!
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🗞️ NEWS
VA funds first study on psychedelic-assisted therapy for Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has announced funding for its first psychedelic-assisted therapy study since the 1960s. This research will explore the potential of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) in Veterans.
Led by researchers from Brown and Yale Universities, the study will provide psychotherapy sessions enhanced by MDMA, a compound believed to increase emotional openness and reduce fear during therapy. The study will take place at VA Medical Centers in Rhode Island and Connecticut, with enrollment beginning in 2025.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to explore evidence-based treatments for PTSD, depression, and related conditions among Veterans. If you are a Veteran struggling with a mental health or substance use disorder, learn more about participating in VA research.
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⚗️ SCIENCE
While I don’t have a crystal ball to predict who will respond best to ketamine therapy, ongoing research is steadily bringing us closer to understanding how to achieve the best outcomes. A recent study explored clinical and biological markers to help predict responses to IV ketamine and intranasal esketamine, paving the way for more personalized and effective care.
The key findings of the study include:
- Both IV ketamine and esketamine are effective, rapid-acting treatments for treatment-resistant depression, with IV ketamine demonstrating slightly greater efficacy.
- A family history of alcohol use disorder emerged as the most consistent clinical marker for a positive ketamine response.
- Other factors, such as high body mass index (BMI), a history of childhood trauma, higher anhedonia scores, and the presence of anxious features, have also been suggested as potential clinical markers for treatment response.
- Esketamine-specific markers are less well-studied but suggest that factors like age, depression severity, and genetic traits may influence treatment response.
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📖 ON THE BLOG
Navigating the Holiday Season with Mental Health in Mind: 9 Tips for Finding Peace and Joy: The holidays are often a time of joy, but for some, this season can bring unwanted stress and dips in mood. With thoughtful preparation and a commitment to self-care, you can safeguard your mental health and navigate the season with greater ease and resilience.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Understanding Symptoms, Treatments, and How IV Ketamine Can Help: Having witnessed firsthand how ketamine therapy has helped many of our patients completely avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the winter months, we now explore additional strategies like light therapy, psychotherapy, and lifestyle adjustments to help combat the winter blues.
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🎧 MEDIA & FUN STUFF
Here Dr. John Krystal discusses how ketamine could "fix the mental health crisis." A renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Dr. Krystal is best known for his landmark 2000 study, which was the first to show that a single low dose of intravenously administered ketamine could rapidly and significantly alleviate symptoms of treatment-resistant depression.
The Rivas Family on Thanksgiving
Thank You!
...for your continued support and for taking the time to read! If you have any questions, or topics you'd like to see explored or introduced in future discussions, please feel free to reply to this email.
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🌟 To stay up-to-date on news, research, and blog posts related to ketamine and Innerbloom, be sure to check the Blog tab on our Website and follow us on Instagram to get a glimpse into our daily practice of safe and effective practice of ketamine therapy. Thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
Ray Rivas, MD
Innerbloom Ketamine Therapy, PC
San Luis Obispo, CA
(805) 321-8471
