Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections. Encouraging neuroplasticity is especially important in response to injury or illness.

Ketamine is a prescription medication that has been safely used as an anesthetic since 1970. A growing body of research supports off-label use of clinically administered ketamine to relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. When ketamine works for patients, they often experience relief from symptoms immediately after 1 to 3 treatments which can be sustained with periodic treatments and without the need for daily medications.

While the exact mechanisms of ketamine’s efficacy are still being researched, we understand that it stimulates the brain’s neuroplasticity, helping the lost neural connections regenerate.

By restoring healthy brain function, ketamine treatment supports the body’s immune system in recovering from the underlying medical condition.

Further, while feelings and beliefs you have around your chronic conditions are not its cause, they do play an important role in navigating your healing process. The new neural patterns created by ketamine may help you gain new perspectives on the relationship with your body, break through emotional barriers, and establish healthier thinking patterns and healthier action patterns.

Exposure to intense stress — such as dealing with a chronic medical condition — causes alteration of connections between neurons in our brain.

These synaptic connections are crucial to the brain’s regulation of physical processes and mental, emotional, and behavioral states. This deterioration can be one of the contributors to symptoms such as brain fog, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, and stress response activation. Such dysfunctions have been hypothesized as negatively affecting other body systems such as the immune system.

Over the last several decades, scientific research has illuminated the intrinsic connections between the mind and the body.

We now know that processes that take place in the immune system and the gut have a powerful effect on the neurophysiology of the brain. At the same time, mental health symptoms like stress, anxiety, and depression can weaken our immune system.

This means that the emotional toll of stress, anxiety and depression does not just impact mental well-being — it also physically impacts the body’s ability to respond to other medical conditions.

Dr. Grieder’s and Dr. Armstrong’s collaborative, holistic approach to chronic care recognizes the importance of addressing the feedback cycle between physical and mental distress. They have found that the use of ketamine — a safe medication used off-label to treat various mental health disorders — helps the brain recover from the physical and psychological impact of stress, anxiety, and depression that often accompany chronic medical conditions.

Integrating ketamine treatments into your holistic care program can makes your brain a powerful ally in combating your physical ailments, and gives you the mental space and clarity to better navigate your path to recovery.