MindScape Ketamine & Infusion Therapy Treatments Show Promising Results For Those With Anxiety Disorders

Houston, Texas -

MindScape Ketamine & Infusion Therapy, PLLC, an IV ketamine clinic in Houston, Texas, is offering virtual reality-based guided meditation to complement its clinically proven intravenous ketamine therapies.

Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist that is used as an anesthetic and is also often maligned due to its illegal use as a party drug. However, many medical professionals, including those at MindScape Ketamine & Infusion Therapy, PLLC, believe that it is misunderstood and that it may just hold the key to unlocking a new path forward in addressing treatment-resistant depression and other related disorders. In fact, in recent news, it was announced that Awakn Life Sciences, a UK-based biotech company, received funding from the government to identify the quickest and most cost-effective route to market, in both the UK and the US, for its proprietary ketamine-assisted therapy for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Ketamine has been studied for its efficacy in breaking disruptive thought patterns. Memories are stored in the brain in the form of combinations of synapse connections. People suffering from depression, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders often complain of recurring, intrusive thought patterns that have been entrenched due to constant rumination. Ketamine infusions release growth factors in the brain that stimulate the formation of new synaptic connections, thus giving the brain a chance to form newer, healthier thought patterns.

In an OCD trial at Columbia University that randomized 15 patients with OCD to ketamine or placebo, it was observed that patients reported dramatic increases in their obsessive-compulsive symptoms midway through the 40-minute infusion. Another study from the University of Cambridge that investigated the drug’s potential to treat AUD posited that ketamine could disrupt the memory associated between environmental cues and memories of alcohol use to stop a person from relapsing.

A spokesperson for MindScape Ketamine & Infusion Therapy, PLLC, talks about the potential of ketamine therapy for treating anxiety disorders by saying, “Ketamine therapy is fairly new but the research into the drug’s capabilities is extremely promising. A review of the conclusions from several clinical studies presents compelling evidence that it may be used for the treatment of anxiety disorders, severe depression, bipolar depression, psychiatric disorders, OCD, PTSD, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The literature shows a 70% success rate with some individual clinics reporting higher rates of success. Here at MindScape we are tapping into its full potential and also supplementing it with our innovative use of VR technology. We believe that it enhances ketamine’s benefits. The VR experience that we administer subconsciously sends positive words of affirmation to the patient. Negative emotions are replaced and a positive self-image is inculcated. The future is bright as we are confident that ketamine treatments will become more widely accepted as word of mouth takes this from a niche treatment to mainstream acceptance.”

Patients who arrive at MindScape Ketamine & Infusion Therapy, PLLC, are quizzed on their medical history to determine whether ketamine therapy is a good match for them. It is not offered to individuals with schizophrenia, psychosis, seizure disorders, and those taking aminophylline for asthma or COPD. Patients who suffer from high blood pressure, cardiac diseases, or pulmonary problems are required to get a clearance from their primary care physician before undergoing ketamine therapy.

A typical low-dose ketamine infusion lasts one hour. The 1-hour infusion includes 40 minutes of active infusion and a 20-minute break for active recovery. The low-dose infusions start at a rate of around 0.5 mg/kg/hr. The medical professional overseeing the procedure will adjust the infusion rate based on the patient’s response. MindScape Ketamine & Infusion Therapy, PLLC recommends a series of 6 infusions over several weeks following which maintenance infusion sessions are scheduled every 3-5 weeks.

MindScape Ketamine & Infusion Therapy, PLLC can be contacted at (346) 439-9600 or info@mindscapeketamine.com for inquiries and appointments. Patients can visit the clinic in person at 2211 Norfolk St Suite #215, Houston, TX. The treatments at the clinic are administered under the guidance of Dr. Michael Ho, a board-certified anesthesiologist with over 20 years of teaching and professional experience.