The dynamic field of psychotropic medication has seen groundbreaking results with the introduction of dissociative therapies. This episode hopes to shed light on the use of ketamine for mental health and chronic pain relief and put an emphasis on how CRNAs are uniquely positioned to benefit from its application. Dr. Nicholas Kalynych and Brian Hogan of Sunbelt Wellness Institute will join the show to help us do that.
Click the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
On This Episode:
If you haven’t paid much attention to the developments in the field of psychotropic medication, you might have missed the role that ketamine is starting to play.
For a long time, there’s been a negative stigma associated with the drug but great strides have been taken in recent years to utilize ketamine for mental health and chronic pain. So much so that ketamine infusion therapy is being utilized more and more.
One business that’s putting an emphasis on treating patients with ketamine is Sunbelt Wellness Institute in Jacksonville, Florida. CEO Dr. Nicholas Kalynych and Director Brian Hogan joined the podcast to bring awareness to this treatment and explain why CRNAs are in a great position to benefit from this type of therapy.
We’ve talked about mental health on past episodes of this podcast, but it’s important to remember that over 320 million people around the world have been diagnosed with depression. The suffering was climbing prior to COVID but it’s only increased since the start of the pandemic.
That’s why finding any successful treatment is a big win for everyone. Ketamine is playing a part in that, which it’s been doing dating all the way back to the Vietnam War. We’ll learn much more about the history of the drug and how its uses have evolved to where they are today.
This episode will hopefully give you a much clearer and complete understanding of ketamine infusion therapy. Keep an ear out for these topics during the show: Â
- The history of ketamine
- Its uses in the military
- How doses are administered
- The stigma associated with ketamine
- How Sunbelt got started in this treatment and who they serve
- How CRNAs can get more involved in ketamine
- Detailed discussion on the treatment
If you want to learn more about this treatment or the team at Sunbelt Wellness, visit their website here.
Check it out the interview at the top of the page and use the timestamps to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
2:22 – What we’re talking about today
3:04 – Background on our guests
6:32 – What’s important about this topic right now?
7:21 – This history and uses of ketamine
10:28 – Microdosing Â
12:52 – Stigma of mental health Â
14:25 – Ketamine with other anti-depressants
16:19 – What’s the stigma attached to ketamine
18:09 – How their business got involved with this treatment. Â
21:23 – Insurance not covering this right now  Â
22:36 – How can CRNAs get more involved with this? Â
24:30 – Why CRNAs are uniquely qualified
27:39 – How did these uses for ketamine come about?
30:24 – The role of a psychiatrist
34:30 – How they help people get started with this.
38:53 – How is COVID impacting supply?
45:03 – Final message on the topic
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“To be able to take something that is so readily available and have it be a real gamechanger for people that are suffering is amazing.”
-Brian Hogan
