What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative and pain-relieving medicine developed in the 1960s as an anesthetic agent. It is commonly used by anesthesiologists and emergency physicians worldwide for operations and procedural sedation due to its safety profile. Listed on the World Health Organization's (WHO) top 100 essential medicines, ketamine functions as an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, blocking the action of the glutamate neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. One of ketamine's mechanisms involves increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) within synaptic connections, promoting the growth of neuronal connections in the brain. This growth serves as a potential way for ketamine to address chronic depression and stress-induced reduction in neuronal connections.

Medical researchers hypothesize that ketamine blocks somatic input, facilitating enhanced communication between the mid-brain and cerebral cortex. This increased connectivity may foster stronger connections between the limbic system (emotions) and prefrontal cortex (higher-level thinking) which could aid in processing traumatic events. The first study on ketamine's efficacy in depressed patients, conducted 18 years ago by Dr. Berman et al. from Yale University, using IV ketamine, demonstrated significant improvements in depressive symptoms. Subsequent trials have illustrated positive results in PTSD, anxiety, social anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain management.

KETAMINE CAN BE A CATALYST FOR NEUROLOGICAL HEALING - TO HELP PEOPLE REDISCOVER HAPPINESS & JOY