It’s been a year unlike any you’ve ever known.
You might think 2020 has been the worst year you’ve ever seen. You may have lost loved ones from COVID-19, or you may have lost your business. And I’m so very sorry for all your losses…. Maybe you lost your job, and your family has struggled for food and safety. But… 2020 for you may have also been a year of change, re-evaluation, and new beginnings for you and your family. It depends on your circumstances and your response to them, doesn’t it? And as you say goodbye to 2020, don’t forget to embrace a burgeoning hope for new promise in 2021.
In the world of psychiatric treatment, which is our own focus, we’ve seen lots of change. IV ketamine treatment is not the experimental, questionable treatment for depression and PTSD many people considered it to be in 2014. It has gained such confidence in the eyes of practicing physicians. And now they’re bundling it with other treatments and therapies. These developments ease more and more people into restoration, recovery, and hope.
Just the story of ketamine treatment’s progress should give us burgeoning hope for 2021. And more hope for the discoveries of the new year.
In short, ketamine treatment has grown up.
This second decade of the 21st century has opened up hope for so many who’ve suffered with untreated symptoms for as long as they can remember. Besides the presence of the pandemic, what else has emerged during 2020?
It hasn’t been all bad, has it?
In the quest to treat alcohol use disorder, Elias Dakwar, MD conducted a study to test the effective outcome of adding motivational enhancement therapy to IV ketamine treatment. Dakwar’s research using IV ketamine for alcohol and cocaine use disorders goes back to 2013. His work published in 2020 shows his depth and dedication to study and breakthroughs for those who suffer these disorders.
His team did their work related to cocaine use in 2019, and the one regarding alcohol use in 2020.
Their results demonstrated that when ketamine treatment is combined with motivational enhancement therapy, abstinence is improved.
We can’t wait to see what Dakwar and other front leading researchers will uncover in their work in the new year. More burgeoning hope for 2021.
And as we reach toward 2021, let’s remember the naysayers ten years ago who scoffed about ketamine treatment, sensationalized it, laughed at the very idea of it. Let’s remember that new treatments are typically rejected by the mainstream and it requires innovative thinkers to help those treatments move forward. Real innovations are almost always surrounded by naysayers. For awhile.
Anorexia nervosa has been the subject of research and longstanding debates about causative factors and effective treatment approaches. It is the most lethal psychiatric disorder. And although new research is presented each year at national medical conferences, reliable treatment that leads to long-term recovery has remained elusive. Our own experience with a case study this year using a new approach to treatment was promising, and we’re eager to see more innovative research in anorexia to furthering this hope.
We’ve also learned that the stress of a pandemic can lead to an increase in severe depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, and suicidal thinking.
That quarantining for individuals who already suffer these symptoms can exacerbate and exaggerate them. That people who had felt that their medications managed their symptoms before the pandemic found that sometimes that was no longer true when isolation was added to the mix… Not to mention social distancing, closed restaurants and businesses and online learning away from schools.
Plus, a global pandemic can put everyone under stress, and we have a choice to decide how we treat those we meet. With kindness, patience, and understanding, or with agitation, criticism, and the belief that others should pay for our own frustration.
We learned that social distancing, hand washing, masks and gloves seemed to create their own stress. And even people who enjoyed being alone, who enjoyed solace, often found this level of isolation stressful.
A Vaccine is Emerging — More burgeoning hope for 2021
The big story in the news has been the development of a vaccine for COVID-19, which has possibly caused other forms of research to take a back seat temporarily. But this has been a global priority and thankfully vaccines are emerging.
Meanwhile, we’ve been digging deep to find safe “work arounds” for you. We want to make it possible for our patients to receive the treatment you need during this crisis. And that has involved changes we’ve made at Innovative Psychiatry.
Here’s another 21st century development. This one by NASA and MIT. And it destroys viruses like COVID-19, bacteria, and mold from the air and surfaces and removes them from the environment. We reached out to have this technology installed in our offices. Based on plasma cell technology that destroys the pathogen and leaves the air and surfaces in the office space pure, clean, and safe. Why? Because it’s pathogen free.
Developed as a prepared response for biological warfare, this technology is exactly what is needed in a pandemic.
And it can empower you to reach out to us for treatment no matter what is happening with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, so you can receive ketamine treatment in the safest possible place.
And remember, this solution doesn’t just remove the COVID virus from the room, it destroys all airborne viruses. The flu, too. And bacteria like staph, and pneumococci … and whatever else might make its way into microdroplets.
It’s been a tough year dominated by the pandemic, but we have the technology to fight that pandemic in a new fresh, effective way. Burgeoning hope for 2021 says the more ways we can destroy COVID-19, the better.
In a few days 2020 will end. And 2021 will begin.
Once again, we have a choice. We’ll have to continue to weather the growing numbers of cases, and the overflowing hospitals… for awhile.
For each of us, our mental and emotional wellbeing is best served by the kindness and generosity we show those around us.
At Innovative Psychiatry we’re in full swing. Eager to help you receive the treatment you need for anxiety, depression and bipolar depression, PTSD, alcohol use disorder, substance use disorder…and especially suicidal thinking.
We plan to beat this pandemic. To get to the other side of it. And to help you get to the other side of it.
So you can feel safe to come in with confidence and receive the ketamine treatment that will help you get better. Help you cope with life as it is now, and as it unfolds. To build your resilience, and to aim for remission.
We’re here for you to help you live 2021 with a new fresh outlook that makes it so much easier to face challenges with confidence, and the creativity to devise useful solutions.
We’re not saying that ketamine can do these wonderful things for everyone, since there is no medicine or treatment that works equally well 100% of the time in EVERY SINGLE PERSON. Let’s be clear.
But we continue to be stunned at how thorough and transformative ketamine treatment is for most.
We look forward to 2021 and to seeing you blossom with hope in the days and weeks ahead. May Your Days Be Bright…
If you suffer from symptoms that no other treatment has helped, call us.
We’re here and available to make appointments for you within a few days to help you enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling life of joy, creativity, and meaningful healthy relationships.
To the restoration of your best self,
