Dual sympathetic reset VS stellate ganglion block
A Dual Sympathetic Reset is a Stellate Ganglion Block with two targeted injections.
Leucovorin as a cure for autism
Vitamin B may be helpful in reducing symptoms of some mental health conditions, including autism, depression, and anxiety — but is it curative?
This Way Up: Online Therapy for Our Patients
This Way Up is well-researched, covers a range of useful areas, and is free to patients at Wells Medicine.
Take advantage of neuroplasticity
Your brain is remarkably flexible. Both ketamine treatments and TMS promote neuroplasticity — a state where the brain becomes more malleable and receptive to change. This creates a powerful window of opportunity to accelerate improvements in your mental health.
Ketamine VS esketamine for mental health
Esketamine, the active ingredient in Spravato, makes up half of racemic ketamine, which is used in most other ketamine treatments. While both medications are used to treat mental health, they have different levels of effectiveness.
Dropping the rope – Visualization Exercise
A tug of war requires two parties. Evaluate the resistance you give to relationships or situations in your life and see if you might benefit from just dropping the rope.
Ketamine’s impact on the bladder
Ketamine’s potential impact on the bladder can be real, but you shouldn’t see it from clinical IV infusion use. When administered appropriately, ketamine is a safe and effective treatment for mental health with minimal side effects.
The stigma behind psychedelic medication
The “war on drugs” resulted in a great stigma against psychedelic medications, including ketamine, and stalled medical research and progress in treating mental health.
How you think about treatment Matters
The way you think about treatment may influence the benefit that you see from it. The placebo effect is real, and can be strong, and affects all kinds of interventions. Positive expectations may help maximize your results.
10 reasons to not drink alcohol
Alcohol affects your physical and mental health. Even a drink or two can have an impact on your body and mood for days.
The connection between screen time and mental health
The amount of time we spend on screens can have a negative impact on our mood and well-being. Reducing screen time can support good mental health.
The downside of a diagnosis
Labels or diagnoses can be very helpful for understanding yourself, but they may make it difficult not to feel broken and may make it harder to distinguish what is ‘normal’ struggle.
Alcohol and mental health
Drinking alcohol impacts your mental and physical health. Even in small quantities, alcohol can influence your mood for days.
Finding the motivation to get things done
Finding motivation can be difficult — sometimes it can be extraordinarily difficult. One strategy that can help is to make small tasks non-negotiable.
Take the next step – visualization exercise
This mindfulness exercise helps with goal setting — with setting attainable goals and with how to avoid being overwhelmed by the steps it takes to accomplish those goals.
How ketamine fits into your treatment plan
Ketamine treatment can rapidly and effectively treat anxiety and depression for many people. However, it works best as part of a holistic approach to improve and sustain results.
Walking as a herd – visualization exercise
This mindfulness exercise may help particularly when we feel alone in our struggles — reinforcing our connection to a larger community.
Combining TMS and ketamine treatment
CTK, or Combined TMS and Ketamine treatment, may increase the benefit you can see from either treatment alone.
How we touch the lives around us – visualization exercise
This mindfulness exercise helps us understand our own importance and the influence that we have on those around us (and them on us), using the visualization of glow-in-the dark paint.
Why we use symptom questionnaires
Questionnaires we administer in the clinic — and the ones you take between visits on your own — can be helpful in tracking your progress and planning your treatments.
Less-common treatments for mental health
What if you’re looking for an interventional mental health treatment that seems like something we might offer, but isn’t listed as one of our provided treatments? We may still be able to provide it for you.
Are ketamine treatments ok for adolescents and the elderly?
People of all ages may benefit from interventional treatments for mental health, but there are some extra considerations for children and teenagers, and for much older people as well.
Insurance coverage for TMS
Insurance covers TMS in some cases but coverage is limited. Insurance is unlikely to cover advanced protocols, rapid treatments, complex cases, off-label indications, or other conditions and indications. A direct patient care model can offer the best available approach to TMS without insurance.
Dealing with trauma during ketamine treatment
Thoughts or feelings associated with trauma don’t typically surface during a ketamine infusion, unless you choose to actively bring them up. And, overall, ketamine can be a good option for PTSD, CPTSD, and other conditions or symptoms of trauma — by themselves or with other treatments such as SGBs.
Other psychedelic medications – ayahuasca & ibogaine
Patients often ask us about psychedelic medications beyond ketamine. Here we review two other psychedelics — ayahuasca and ibogaine.
Other psychedelic medications – psilocybin
Psilocybin is a psychedelic medication that holds promise for mental health treatment. It has some notable differences from ketamine
How Dr Wells started Wells Medicine
From primary research, through work in anesthesia – Dr Allison Wells’ background led to Wells Medicine and extends through our work toward the best available interventional mental health care for our patients.
How to get home after treatment
For ketamine treatments, we ask that you refrain from driving after treatment, which means you’ll need a ride home following your appointment. For most other treatments at our office, you may drive yourself after your appointment.
Stimulants and your sleep
Stimulants – including caffeine, nicotine, and stimulant medications – can decrease restful sleep and impact mood as a result.
Why you can’t eat before a ketamine treatment
There are several good reasons to avoid eating or drinking before a ketamine treatment — including what we call ‘the burrito effect.’
The vibe of ketamine
Each psychedelic feels different, and ketamine is generally associated with visual sensations. The feeling or vibe is highly malleable and affected by all manner of things — especially music during an infusion.
Bring your support-person to treatment
Can you bring someone with you to your appointment? Yes — and their presence during treatment is up to you.
What does a stellate ganglion block treat?
The Stellate Ganglion Block – also called SGB, sympathetic nerve reset, dual sympathetic reset, or sympathetic block – targets the sympathetic nervous system. Often employed for pain relief, stellate ganglion blocks have increasingly been used for PTSD and other mental health conditions with fast-acting and impressive results.
Insurance coverage for stellate ganglion blocks
Insurance does not generally cover stellate ganglion blocks for mental health. The procedure is well established, but generally only covered for use in pain conditions (and even then it may not be consistently covered). It remains an excellent treatment option — especially considering its effectiveness and durability.
What does TMS treat?
TMS leverages sophisticated equipment and targeted protocols to deliver great results for depression, anxiety, OCD, and other conditions. Growing fundamental and clinical data support more ways to help more people with a wider range of conditions and symptoms.
TMS can be an excellent option for many people, often providing good results even when other treatments may not have worked.
One-Day TMS
One-Day TMS is a form of accelerated TMS that condenses treatment down to a single day. Early research points to excellent and durable results.
What does ketamine treat?
Ketamine was originally developed for anesthesia and analgesia. It has a long history as an extremely safe and effective drug and continues to be used widely for medical procedures and emergency medicine around the world.
A substantial and ever-growing body of research and clinical evidence has shown that ketamine is extraordinarily effective at treating depression, anxiety, and other conditions — with high rates of success, with strong and durable results, and for many people with treatment-resistant symptoms.
As research expands, our understanding of what ketamine may be used to treat continues to expand.
Therapy for a crisis | What is dialectical behavior therapy?
A brief overview of DBT and resources to learn more.
The Surprising Similarity Between TMS and Ketamine
TMS and ketamine are both highly-effective interventional treatments for mental health symptoms and conditions, including depression, anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders and some pain conditions. They look wildly different at a quick glance, and they rely on totally different technologies. And yet, they have surprising similarities — not just in what they can help treat, but also in how they work.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
A very brief overview of ACT and resources to learn more.
Therapy: a fundamental tool for treating mental health
Therapy is an essential tool — on its own and alongside interventional mental health treatments like ketamine, TMS and stellate ganglion blocks.
Why you needn’t worry about your IV
We work to make IVs comfortable, including using the smallest sizes available.
Safe treatments during pregnancy and breastfeeding
Interventional treatments may be useful and appropriate options for postpartum depression and other mental health conditions during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Tools for treating PMS & PMDD
Dr Wells discusses treatment methods — including medicine, holistic care, and supplements — that can be helpful for treating PMS and PMDD.
Stimulants and anxiety
Stimulants have a big impact on us, and even a simple cup of coffee or an energy drink may be contributing to your feelings of anxiety.
What decreases ketamine’s effectiveness?
Some medications, behaviors, and life circumstances may decrease the effectiveness of ketamine treatment.
The meaning of your ketamine journey
The experience of a ketamine infusion can be profound, but it usually isn’t, and it doesn’t have to be.
Why we don’t take insurance — and how to get covered anyway
Dr Wells explains why Wells Medicine does not accept insurance and discusses ways of pursuing coverage on your own.