The science of metabolic psychiatry is advancing, but the movement behind it is just getting started. In this episode, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Natasha Smikles and Eddie Rodriguez from Metabolic Collective, a new nonprofit working to build an international advocacy network for ketogenic and metabolic therapies.

Their goal: accelerate awareness, adoption, and support for metabolic interventions in mental health.

They cover:

1. The personal journeys that led Natasha and Eddie to metabolic therapy
2. Why lived experience is such a powerful driver of change
3. Why Metabolic Collective was created, and who it’s for
4. How Metabolic Collective is organizing community-led advocacy and education
5. What tools, resources, and events are available to help you get involved
6. How to support others, start a local group, or bring metabolic psychiatry into your community

Metabolic psychiatry is growing, and movements like this are helping close the gap between research and real-world impact. From mental health challenges to neurological disorders, the Metabolic Collective hopes to spread the word about metabolic therapies and empower patients with alternative options to standard of care.

👉Learn more about the Metabolic Collective at https://metaboliccollective.org. 👉Read the Metabolic Collective case for support at https://metaboliccollective.org/case-for-support/.

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #MetabolicPsychiatry

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

Experts Featured:

Natasha Smikles

1. natasha@metaboliccollective.org
2. https://www.instagram.com/natasha.smikles/
3. https://x.com/NatashaSmikleshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-smikles-93753523a/

Eddie Rodriguez

1. https://www.instagram.com/brainheal_th_/?hl=en
2. https://www.youtube.com/@BrainHeal_th_
3. https://x.com/BrainHealth919

Resources Mentioned:

Is caffeine sabotaging your mental health progress? Should you try a carnivore diet if keto isn't working? What if your meds lower ketones?

In this new Metabolic Mailbag episode, Dr. Georgia Ede joins Dr. Bret Scher to answer your most pressing questions about metabolic therapies, mental health, and more.

Together, they dive into nuanced, evidence-informed conversations about:

1. The real impact of caffeine on mood, sleep, and ketosis
2. Whether the carnivore diet is “too high” in protein
3. Why some people see mental health improvements on carnivore when a ketogenic diet hasn’t worked
4. What to do when medications interfere with ketone levels, and why deprescription must be done safely and strategically
5. And more

Metabolic psychiatry is a promising frontier, and we’re here to empower individuals navigating serious mental illness with tools and knowledge rooted in science, compassion, and real-world experience.

🔎Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

🔔 Subscribe to Metabolic Mind and join the growing community exploring metabolic therapies for mental health: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicmind

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #FoodAsMedicine #QuestionAndAnswer

Expert Featured:

Dr. Bret Scher

1. https://x.com/bschermd/
2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/

Dr. Georgia Ede

1. https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/
2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiaedemd
3. https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaEdeMd/
4. https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/?hl=en

Resources Mentioned:

Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind by Dr. Georgia Ede

1. https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Diet-Mind-Powerful/dp/1538739070

Taper Down Slowly: A Beginners Guide to Psychiatric Drug Tapering (Part 1)

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVMvi-vU5E8

Go Slowly: A Beginners Guide to Psychiatric Drug Tapering (Part 2)

Do SSRIs help your brain?

SSRI medications are among the most widely prescribed antidepressants, but what if we’ve misunderstood how they work? In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with biochemist and nutrition scientist Dr. Chris Masterjohn to explore a deeper, more systemic view of mental health and how we treat it.

Dr. Masterjohn reveals why serotonin isn’t just a “mood booster,” how SSRIs may be disrupting mitochondrial function, and why focusing on lifestyle strategies that support brain energy metabolism could unlock new paths for treating depression.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

1. Chris’s personal journey from veganism to carnivore
2. The importance of testing for nutrient deficiencies
3. How mitochondria influence mood and cognition
4. Why SSRIs may disrupt brain energy metabolism
5. The truth about serotonin and morning sunlight
6. Why exercise & nutrition often outperform medication
7. What SSRIs really do (and what they don’t)

If you've ever questioned the serotonin theory of depression, or sensed there’s more to the story than what mainstream medicine tells us, this conversation fills in some of the missing pieces.

🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

👉 Subscribe to Metabolic Mind for more interviews, research, and updates in the field of metabolic psychiatry.

Expert Featured:

Dr. Chris Masterjohn

1. https://www.chrismasterjohn-phd.com/
2. https://substack.com/@chrismasterjohnphd
3. https://x.com/ChrisMasterjohn
4. https://www.facebook.com/chrismasterjohn/
5. https://www.instagram.com/chrismasterjohn/

Resources Mentioned:

Substack: Prozac is a Performance Enhancing Drug

1. https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/prozac-is-a-performance-enhancing

Mitome: Mitochondrial Analysis

1. https://www.mito.me/

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician...

Is carb-cycling okay on a ketogenic diet? What about high histamine foods?

In this episode of Metabolic Mailbag, Dr. Bret Scher and Dr. Georgia Ede answers questions on everything from the best sources of dietary fat to how to handle anxiety, perimenopause, and alcohol while maintaining ketosis.

They unpack how to build a nutrient-dense, brain-supportive ketogenic diet using whole foods, why “keto-friendly” processed products can sometimes derail progress, and when supplements might be beneficial. You’ll also learn why histamine sensitivity, caffeine, or cycling in and out of ketosis can affect mood, and how to troubleshoot each.

This conversation covers:

• Why a whole food ketogenic diet can be ideal for mental health
• How to identify the best fat sources and avoid “factory fats”
• Ketogenic dieting for women’s health
• Why anxiety can worsen mid-journey, and how to adapt
• The truth about alcohol, carb cycling, and ketosis

If you’re exploring ketogenic therapy for mental or metabolic health, this episode offers practical, science-based guidance to help you refine and personalize your approach.

🔎 Have questions about ketogenic diets or how to apply ketogenic therapy effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.

👉Stay up to date with the latest, news, insights, and research on metabolic psychiatry by subscribing to Metabolic Mind: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicmind

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #FoodAsMedicine #QuestionAndAnswer

Expert Featured:

Dr. Bret Scher

• https://x.com/bschermd/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/

Dr. Georgia Ede

• https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiaedemd
• https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaEdeMd/
• https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/?hl=en

Resources Mentioned:

• Dr. Bret Scher’s Carb Cycling Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5bUc7TbS6o
• Dr Madison Kackley: Keto for Women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ8aGNwGB9c

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

New research links chronic stress, brain energy, and psychiatric conditions, including PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder.

Stress doesn’t just impact your mood; it affects how your brain allocates energy. In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dr. Parker Kelly, a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF and the San Francisco VA, to unpack the Allostatic Triage Model of Psychopathology, a new framework proposing that psychiatric symptoms may emerge when the brain is forced to triage limited metabolic resources under chronic stress. Co-authored with mitochondrial researcher Dr. Martin Picard, this model could shift how we understand and treat mental illness.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How stress drives brain energy dysfunction
• Why mitochondria and metabolism may be central to mental illness
• Which brain networks are impacted by energy deficits
• The role of predictability and routine in stress resilience
• How metabolic therapies like nutrition, sleep, and even psychedelics, may support brain energy regulation

This conversation bridges neuroscience, metabolism, and mental health, offering a unique and unifying lens on complex psychiatric conditions.

👉Subscribe to Metabolic Mind for more conversations about metabolic health, metabolic psychiatry, and mental health: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicmind.

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #Neuroscience

Expert Featured:

D. Parker Kelley

• X.com/sequencemyneuro
• https://bsky.app/profile/sequencemyneuro.bsky.social
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dparkerkelleyphd/

Resources Mentioned:

The allostatic triage model of psychopathology (ATP Model): How reallocation of brain energetic resources under stress elicits psychiatric symptoms

• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106419

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein and Dr. Bret Scher with more coming soon.

Our courses have been made FREE by grants from Baszucki Group, so we can spread these powerful therapies as widely as possible. Earn CME/CNE credits:

https://www.metabolicmind.org/for-clinicians/trainings-courses/?utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=cme-yt

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:

Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of...

Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company behind popular GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Ozempic, recently announced that its phase 3, two-year trial examining GLP-1 medications for Alzheimer's failed to produce a significant reduction in disease progression.

While these results are discouraging, they may have revealed something vital about Alzheimer’s treatment.

In this video, Dr. Bret Scher breaks down the recent failure of Novo Nordisk’s evoke and evoke+ trials and what it teaches us about the limitations of a drug-only approach to Alzheimer’s treatment.

Key topics covered:

• Why GLP-1s may not be enough for Alzheimer’s
• The link between glucose metabolism and brain energy failure
• How ketones offer an alternative fuel for the brain
• Early research on ketogenic therapy for cognitive impairment
• Why nutritional interventions deserve more scientific attention

With Alzheimer’s affecting millions and costing billions, it’s time to shine a light on metabolic strategies that directly support brain energy, reduce inflammation, and improve cognitive function.

🧠 Explore our full playlist on ketogenic therapy for Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzWI83-NWCL4f7uVRIWUHCC2nF6t_5DLw

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #Alzheimers

Expert Featured:

Dr. Bret Scher

• Baszucki Group Medical Director
• https://x.com/bschermd

Resources Mentioned:

Novo Nordisk A/S: Evoke phase 3 trials did not demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in Alzheimer's disease progression

• https://www.novonordisk.com/content/nncorp/global/en/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=916462#

Associations of semaglutide with first-time diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: Target trial emulation using nationwide real-world data in the US

• https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14313

Brain energy rescue with ketones improves cognitive outcomes in MCI

• https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/alz.059627

Randomized crossover trial of a modified ketogenic diet in Alzheimer's disease

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33622392/

Ketogenic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and other memory impairments: History, rationale, and 288 caregiver case reports

• https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5316

Metabolic Mind Ketogenic Therapy for Dementia Playlist

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzWI83-NWCL4f7uVRIWUHCC2nF6t_5DLw

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice?...

What if your diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or fatty liver wasn’t a permanent sentence, but a condition that could improve or even reverse through targeted intervention?

In this episode of the Metabolic Mind podcast, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with Dr. Adam Wolfberg, Chief Medical Officer at Virta Health, to explore groundbreaking data that challenges the conventional approach to managing chronic metabolic disease. They dive into Virta’s latest annual report, which highlights powerful clinical and economic outcomes that could reshape the future of medicine.

In this interview, you'll learn:

• Why "reversal" is replacing "management" in the metabolic care conversation
• How Virta’s data shows a 56% reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, or death
• The role of carbohydrate-restricted and ketogenic nutrition in improving metabolic health
• How patients across socioeconomic backgrounds, including those in food deserts, are seeing results
• Where medications like GLP-1 fit into a lifestyle-first model
• What this model means for healthcare costs, medication reduction, and long-term patient outcomes

Virta’s annual report highlights how a shift toward value-based care and personalized, nutrition-driven approaches can drastically improve patient outcomes.

• Check it out here: https://www.virtahealth.com/reversal-report

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #MetabolicHealth #FoodAsMedicine

Expert Featured:

Dr. Adam Wolfberg

• Chief Medical Officer at Virta Health
• www.Vitrahealth.com
• LinkedIn.com/in/adamwolfberg

Resources Mentioned:

Virta’s 2025 Annual Report on Metabolic Disease Reversal

• https://www.virtahealth.com/reversal-report

Healthcare utilization and cost impact of telehealth-delivered nutrition therapy for type 2 diabetes and obesity: a retrospective claims-based study

• https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.25339829

Real-World Cardiovascular Outcomes with a Carbohydrate-Reduced Telemedicine Intervention

• https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.27.25338916

Reduced Onset of MASLD, MASH, and Advanced Liver Disease in patients who received Individualized Nutrition-Focused Remote Care for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity

• https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.24.25338753

Effectiveness of telehealth nutritional therapy in preventing chronic kidney disease among adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity: a real-world, retrospective, propensity score–matched cohort study

• https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.17.25338238

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. Matthew Bernstein and

Ever wonder why your ketone levels dip after a few months on a ketogenic diet? Or how exogenous ketones compare to ketones produced naturally?

In this Metabolic Mailbag episode, Dr. Bret Scher and Dr. Georgia Ede unpack the latest round of keto questions asked by the community.

💡 You’ll learn:

• What lower ketone levels actually mean
• How to know if you need to raise your ketones
• How exogenous ketones compare to ketones produced by the body
• How to troubleshoot keto-induced insomnia
• The difference between total and net carbs and which one you should be paying attention to
• How much fat you should eat on a ketogenic diet

If you’re exploring ketogenic therapy for mental or metabolic health, this episode offers expert insights on the most common keto questions to help you feel confident in your journey.

🎥Still have questions about ketogenic therapy and metabolic health? Check out our previous mailbag episodes, which cover a range of commonly asked questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m6Fm0nXaMQ

👉Do you have a question about ketogenic therapy or metabolic psychiatry? Submit your question to our team here: metabolicmind.org/questions

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #FoodAsMedicine #QuestionAndAnswer

Expert Featured:

Dr. Bret Scher

• https://x.com/bschermd?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/

Dr. Georgia Ede

• https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiaedemd
• https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaEdeMd/
• https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/?hl=en

Resources Mentioned:

Treatment Resistant Depression Series

• Part 1: https://youtu.be/q7jg6wlD6gY
• Part 2: https://youtu.be/ay4RjudumHw
• Part 3: https://youtu.be/nGTx-i42yFE

Metabolic Psychiatry for Non-Prescribers

• https://ally-academy-nw.ce-go.com/metabolic-psychiatry-for-non-prescribers-23-07-2025-503

Keto Mojo Macronutrient Calculator

• https://keto-mojo.com/mymojomacros-keto-macro-calculator/

Free CME Clinician Trainings:

Are you a clinician who would like to learn more about the science behind these therapies and how to implement them in practice? Earn CME with our growing library of courses from some of the top experts in the field including Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Georgia