Ep. 239 Brain Energy: A New Way to Look at Mental and Metabolic Health with Dr. Chris Palmer

Everyday Wellness with Cynthia Thurlow ™

Cynthia Thurlow

Alternative Health, Nutrition, Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2022

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I am honored to connect with Dr. Chris Palmer today! He is a psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. Mental illness can devastate lives! Some members of Dr. Palmer’s family struggled with serious mental health issues, and his mother’s experience with the mental health system impacted him deeply. He found the system incompetent and ineffective, and many mental health clinicians were distant, aloof, and snobbish. In this episode, he shares his background and explains how a patient changed his career trajectory in 2016. We dive into the connection between mental disorders and metabolic disease, the traditional focus of psychiatry, the value of low-carb and ketogenic diets, the role of mitochondria, and mitochondrial dysfunction. We also get into intergenerational transmission of trauma and the importance of sleep, and Dr. Palmer discusses his new definition of mental health. Looking at mental health through a metabolic health lens makes so much sense! I believe that Dr. Palmer’s new book will be an incredible resource for clinicians, their patients, and their patient's families. Tune in to hear what he says about the link between metabolic disorders and mental health issues. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: The traditional methodology used to address and treat psychiatric illnesses when Dr. Palmer started in the mental health field. The serendipitous way in which medications for mental problems got developed. Why are most psycho-therapies and treatments ineffective for treating chronic PTSD and depression, and personality disorders? Why mental disorders are currently the leading cause of disability on the planet. How an experience with a patient-led Dr. Palmer to understand the connection between metabolic health and mental health. The connections that contributed to the miraculous changes Dr. Palmer's patient experienced. How does the ketogenic diet affect the body and brain? The role of the mitochondria in the body and how they contribute to mental health. The impact of intergenerational trauma. How intergenerational trauma could show up as mental health issues in future generations. The interplay between sleep and mental health. Dr. Palmer gives an overview of his new definition of mental health. Bio: Dr. Chris Palmer Dr. Chris Palmer is a psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. He is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For over 25 years, he has held leadership roles in psychiatric education, conducted research, and worked with people who have treatment-resistant mental illnesses. He has been pioneering the use of the medical ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders - conducting research in this area, treating patients, writing, and speaking around the world on this topic. More broadly, he is interested in the roles of metabolism and metabolic interventions on brain health. Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website Connect with Dr. Chris Palmer On his website Go to www.brainenergy.com to get involved with Dr. Palmer’s new approach to mental health and learn more about his book. On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Everyday Wellness Podcast. I'm your host, Nurse Practitioner Cynthia Thurlow.
0:07.0	This podcast is designed to educate, empower, and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals.
0:14.0	My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the
0:19.2	health and wellness industry each week and impact over a million lives.
0:23.4	Today I had the honor of connecting with Dr. Chris Palmer, who is a psychiatrist and researcher working at the
0:35.2	interface of metabolism and mental health. We drove deep into the mental disorders and the
0:40.4	connection with metabolic disease.
0:42.7	We spoke about his background and the traditional focus of psychiatry,
0:48.9	how he had a patient in 2016 that changed the trajectory of his career and the value of low-carb ketogenic diets,
0:56.2	the role of mitochondria, mitochondrial dysfunction, intergenerational transmission of trauma,
1:02.4	the role of sleep and other lifestyle modalities, as well as Dr. Palmer's new definition of mental illness.
1:09.4	I do believe this book is profoundly impactful, not just for clinicians, but also for patients and their families, and allowing them to have a hopeful look towards the future.
1:19.0	I hope you will enjoy this podcast as much as I did recording it. Well Dr Palmer I've been so
1:26.6	excited to have our conversation I really think that your book is going to be an
1:31.0	incredible resource not just for providers but also for patients as well.
1:35.2	Thank you so much and thanks for taking the time to read the book and thanks for having me on your
1:40.1	podcast. Absolutely we serendipitously literally ran into one another at an event we both spoke at in Austin.
1:47.3	And I know when you started talking about your book, the first thing I said is, oh, I have to bring you on the
1:51.5	podcast because this is so relevant, you know, looking at the lens of mental health through metabolic health, which makes so much sense.
2:00.0	So I'd love to really start the conversation from a perspective of,
2:04.0	did you know when you went to medical school
2:06.0	that you were going to specialize in psychiatry?
	...

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