March Innerbloom Newsletter
Mar 19, 2024 12:01 pm
Innerbloom Ketamine Therapy
March 2024
Spring has sprung, and it's one of my favorite times of the year, brimming with the exciting potential for a Superbloom! After all the rain and winter weather in SLO, beauty emerges. Please share your favorite spots on the Central Coast for viewing this spectacular blooming phenomenon!
March has been a busy month for Innerbloom, filled with special events, exciting news, promising research, and more! So bear with me for a jam-packed monthly report.
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💕 EVENTS
Dog Beach Social
Join us at the Avila Dog Beach on April 13th at 9 am.
Bring your dog or just come say hello and soak up some morning sun! Eli, Libby, and I will be catching up with familiar faces and hopefully meeting new ones. One essential pillar of mental health is social support and belonging to a community. My hope is that previous and potential clients will mingle, share their stories, and who knows, maybe even form new friendships!
Nutrition Seminar with Jobie Brigham
Thank you to everyone who attended the super informative presentation led by nutritionist Jobie on March 11th. For those who were unable to attend, you can Listen 🎧 to her presentation and read her handout including tips regarding sleep, exercise, nutrition, supplementation, and more. Also, be sure to visit Jobie's website if you are seeking expert help in improving your nutrition to live a healthier and more vital life.
Psychedelics: A Presentation by Alisa & Cindy
Shout out to Cindy and Alisa, our two Innerbloom ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) therapists, for delivering an enlightening presentation on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics on March 15th. I couldn't be prouder of these ladies as they shared their vast and impressive knowledge of psychedelic-assisted therapy, discussing the essentials of psychological support, including preparation and integration. Their presentation covered a wide array of substances, including ketamine (of course!), as well as classic psychedelics like MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD.
The audience had some great questions, with a few wondering about the difference between IV ketamine and nasal Spravato. This sparked my motivation to write a detailed comparison of the two! Make sure to read IV Ketamine vs. Nasal Spravato (Esketamine): An In-Depth Comparison for Depression Treatment.
Their timing couldn't have been better, especially with the recent coverage from CNN Health on a new study demonstrating that just a single dose of LSD can offer both immediate and enduring relief from anxiety. Hats off to Cindy and Alisa for shedding light on this transformative field!
Ketamine Therapy as a Catalyst for Healing and Transformation
I recently had the pleasure of presenting an overview of ketamine therapy to an audience primarily composed of therapists and other mental health providers located all across California. The Central Coast chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) graciously invited me to share insights about the therapeutic potential of ketamine therapy and its synergy with psychotherapy.
🎦 Click here to view the virtual presentation
and please feel free to email me with any questions! I'm always delighted to inform, address misconceptions, and provide details on the inner-workings of our practice at Innerbloom.
Follow us on Instagram @innerbloomkt to stay up to date on upcoming events!
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🗞️ NEWS
Bill to Legalize Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
California Senate Bill 1012, known as The Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Act, aims to establish a framework for the regulated therapeutic use of certain psychedelic substances in California. This bill responds to Governor Newsom’s call after he vetoed SB 58 in 2022, which would have decriminalized psychedelics. To better understand the bill and its potential implications for the legal therapeutic use of psychedelics in our state, read some FAQs in my blog post.
Shifting Perspectives: Field Leaders Reconsidering At-Home Ketamine Therapy
Juan Pablo Cappello, the co-founder of Nue Life Health, one of the industry's largest providers of at-home ketamine, has had a change of heart, urging caution among patients and providers and withdrawing his endorsement of at-home ketamine therapy. "After being at the forefront of at-home ketamine treatment, recent findings, such as the case study of unintentional overdose via telehealth, have led me to reevaluate," said Juan Pablo Cappello. He also posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating, "I can no longer endorse the prescription of ketamine without stricter controls. And I cannot recommend at-home ketamine therapy to my family and friends. Read more about at-home ketamine use, including my perspective and cautionary notes.
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⚗️ SCIENCE
Evidence-Based Practices: Over Two Decades of Research
One of the most rewarding aspects of my role at Innerbloom is reviewing the latest research, distilling it, and sharing it with my patients, all while refining my practice to adhere to the best evidence-based standards. Moreover, I am driven to address solutions for enhancing accessibility through affordability, with the hope of ensuring this medicine is available to community members who would truly benefit otherwise.
As part of this endeavor, I have meticulously reviewed and compiled pivotal studies spanning the past twenty-four years, demonstrating the antidepressant efficacy of ketamine. This mounting evidence, alongside the submission of a Superbill, has helped compel insurance providers to reimburse patients after receiving ketamine therapy. My good friend, Sam Ko, MD, from Reset Ketamine in Palm Springs, recently shared that one of his patients received 100% reimbursement for their ketamine therapy treatment after Dr. Ko followed a similar approach. For further information on Superbills, please refer to our pricing page.
Ketamine's Therapeutic Potential Beyond Depression
Ketamine therapy is most commonly used to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, and pain. However, research has shown ketamine's effectiveness in other disorders and issues such as substance abuse, OCD, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, and bipolar disorder. Learn about the latest research on ketamine's role beyond depression treatment with some real-world examples of our experiences at Innerbloom.
Social Support: A Key Pillar for Health
Social interactions are essential for our mental health, as chronic loneliness can lead to significant emotional issues and depression. Moreover, the longer a person remains isolated, the more difficult it becomes for them to engage in social interactions. A new study has shown that R-ketamine, a compound found only in IV ketamine, has remarkable effects on the behavioral and neuronal abnormalities caused by social isolation. My summary of this study emphasizes that IV ketamine consistently shows superior efficacy compared to its nasal or oral counterparts. It highlights how, in therapeutic settings, IV ketamine has the potential to correct the detrimental effects of social isolation on mental health.
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📺 WATCH
For patients like Tristan Greene, ketamine was a crucial 'last resort' to address his treatment-resistant depression. Greene, who participated in ketamine-assisted therapy, and his former psychotherapist, Laurie Higbed from Awakn Clinics, sat down to discuss the use of ketamine in mental health treatment and the future of psychedelic therapies.
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📖 READ
Ketamine Therapy as a Promising Treatment for Insomnia and Sleep Disorders: Many of our patients have reported significant improvements in their sleep quality and relief from insomnia after undergoing ketamine therapy. New research reinforces these observations, suggesting additional benefits for individuals receiving ketamine treatment for depression.
Existential Depression: Exploring Relief with Psychedelics and Ketamine Therapy: Existential depression is a condition wherein overwhelming thoughts become pathological, leading to feelings of despair, emptiness, and a profound sense of meaninglessness and purposelessness. Ketamine and psychedelics, supported by emerging research, may offer relief for existential distress often accompanying aging, transitioning from one life stage, illness, loss, and the challenges faced with the inevitability of the end of life.
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🌹 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. I hope you enjoy the changing seasons, and let's all hope for a magnificent Superbloom!
🌟 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
