The version of the diet that appears to work for serious psychiatric disorders is the strict medical ketogenic diet (3:1 or 4:1 ratio). The same dietary therapy is used to treat pediatric epilepsy.
This therapeutic dietary intervention should be medically prescribed and monitored. This ketogenic diet version is very difficult to do and has serious risks, as well as potential benefits. Levels of ketones, glucose, and body weight all impact the effectiveness of the diet. Additionally, medications often need to be adjusted. New side effects can emerge when people are in ketosis. Some medications can interfere with the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet by increasing blood glucose levels and preventing ketosis. Such medicines may need to be safely reduced or stopped.
Adjusting psychiatric medications can sometimes be very dangerous, and should only be done with medication supervision and monitoring. Finally, when starting the ketogenic diet, people can experience an increase in their psychiatric symptoms, hypoglycemia, low blood pressure, weakness, dizziness, and other worrisome symptoms, which all need to be monitored and safely managed by a skilled medical team.
This isn’t an “our lawyers made us say it” warning. We mean it.
New research paves the way for possible prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. Brain health suffers when toxic proteins build up. These toxic proteins in the brain can lead to Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Lou Gehrig’s...
Grand Rounds – Ketogenic Diet in Medicine and Psychiatry In this video presentation, Dr. Palmer shares research and his use of ketogenic medical therapy to treat mental illness. The presentation was given to fellow...
Dr. Palmer recently spoke on NPR regarding the use of the ketogenic diet for mental illness
Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study. Bipolar & ketogenic diet research Our bipolar & keto research summary article...
by Cecile Seth · Published October 25, 2019 · Last modified November 5, 2019
Episode 10 “Nutritional Psychiatry, Metabolic Disorders, and Using the Ketogenic Diet as a Medical Intervention for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder with Chris Palmer, M.D.” Mental Horizons Podcast with Virgil Stucker & Associates’s Stephanie McMahon...
Dr. Palmer is director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital. Ketogenic therapy from treating epileptic seizures to mental illness
by Christie Barnett, APN · Published October 15, 2019 · Last modified November 5, 2019
Dr. Palmer explores his unique, emerging perspective on the cause and treatment of mental disorders focusing on the dual metabolic-mental health epidemics, misinformed dietary guidelines, and gut microbiome complexities.
by Cecile Seth · Published October 13, 2019 · Last modified November 5, 2019
Both video and audio-only versions available. Paul Saladino’s show notes for this episode can be found here.
by Christie Barnett, APN · Published September 8, 2019 · Last modified October 31, 2019
Show notes for Low Carb MD Podcast Episode 49 00:00 Welcome to the Low Carb MD podcast with Dr. Chris Palmer. He is a Harvard psychiatrist who has case reports and case studies on...
by Christie Barnett, APN · Published September 3, 2019 · Last modified October 31, 2019
Show notes – Addiction and ketogenic diet This podcast discusses behavioral disorders and a ketogenic therapeutic intervention. Part 1: Episode 63 – Keto Naturopath by Karl Goldcamp interviews Chris Palmer 1:17 Welcome, Christopher Palmer,...
Have keto questions that you’d like to ask Dr. Palmer? Well Wednesday, August 28th you’ll get your chance. Join Chris Palmer, MD and Victoria Field, Co-founder of Metabolic Health Summit on Facebook Live. Come...
Jimmy Moore and Chris Palmer, MD discuss working at the interface of metabolic and mental disorders in order to better understand the overlap of diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease and their...
Contents. Keto resources for psych. Keto Books. Building my team. Medical professionals. Caregivers & patients. Keto Community. Guidelines. Keto doctors near me. Finding the best keto resources for mental health and psychiatry is challenging. This...
The ketogenic diet is one of today’s most controversial diets. Celebrities and pop culture increasingly rave about low carbohydrate eating. Yet, some doctors and dietitians and the American Heart Association, are warning of dire...
Major Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease Studies show that major risk factors for Alzheimer’s include metabolic, lifestyle and genetic factors: Diabetes (1, 4, 7) Obesity (1) Cardiovascular disease (1,4) Lack of exercise (1, 7)...
Perhaps those suffering from treatment-resistant depression could find some relief with the ketogenic diet? Any attempt to try this MUST be medically supervised because there are both psychiatric and metabolic dangers in this dietary...
by Christie Barnett, APN · Published June 3, 2019 · Last modified October 31, 2019
Chris Palmer, MD was a co-author of this 2018 case study which showed an improvement in schizophrenic symptoms in young Ecuadorian twins on a ketogenic diet. They were a male and a female, diagnosed with schizophrenia...
by Christie Barnett, APN · Published May 17, 2019 · Last modified October 31, 2019
Starting at the end, Doris is ok. She is living happily ever after. But it wasn’t always so. She gave us permission to share her story. Why? Doris wants to further the understanding of...
by Christie Barnett, APN · Published May 14, 2019 · Last modified October 31, 2019
Christie Barnett’s keto journey: Sitting in a nursing home with my dying mother is where it all began for me. There she was, a 71-year-old formerly dignified community college professor, stuck in a wheelchair,...
CS / Metabolic-Health / Start Here
by Cecile Seth · Published May 7, 2019 · Last modified October 31, 2019
Millions of people are living with mental illness throughout the world. The psychiatric labels for their diagnoses include clinical depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among others. Symptoms include:...
