Metabolic Mind

In this special Metabolic Mailbag episode, cardiologist Dr. Bret Scher steps into the hot seat to answer your most pressing questions about ketogenic therapy, heart health, and metabolic markers. Drawing directly from listener questions, this conversation tackles the confusion and concern many people face when lab results change after starting a ketogenic diet.
📌 In this video, you’ll learn:
Why LDL may rise on a ketogenic diet and when that change is clinically meaningful
What cholesterol markers actually tell us about heart disease risk
How to think about hyper-responders and familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)
How to interpret CRP and other inflammation markers in context
Whether you really need to track ketones and affordable ways to do it
How often to test labs like LDL, CRP, and other key markers

There’s a lot of confusion around ketogenic diets, cholesterol markers, and heart disease risk. In this episode, Dr. Scher debunks some of the most common myths and offers a clearer, more nuanced understanding of how ketogenic therapy can impact, and often improve, metabolic and cardiovascular health.
🔎 Have questions about how to apply metabolic therapies effectively? Submit them at metabolicmind.org/questions to be featured in a future Metabolic Mailbag episode.
#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #Q&A #HeartHealth
Expert Featured:
Dr. Bret Scher
https://x.com/bschermd
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-scher-08baaa102/

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...

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:
The personal journeys that led Natasha and Eddie to metabolic therapy
Why lived experience is such a powerful driver of change
Why Metabolic Collective was created, and who it’s for
How Metabolic Collective is organizing community-led advocacy and education
What tools, resources, and events are available to help you get involved
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
[email protected]
https://www.instagram.com/natasha.smikles/
https://x.com/NatashaSmikleshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-smikles-93753523a/

Eddie Rodriguez
https://www.instagram.com/brainheal_th_/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/@BrainHeal_th_
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:
The real impact of caffeine on mood, sleep, and ketosis
Whether the carnivore diet is “too high” in protein
Why some people see mental health improvements on carnivore when a ketogenic diet hasn’t worked
What to do when medications interfere with ketone levels, and why deprescription must be done safely and strategically
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
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:
Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind by Dr. Georgia Ede
https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Diet-Mind-Powerful/dp/1538739070

Taper Down Slowly: A Beginners Guide to Psychiatric Drug Tapering (Part 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:
Chris’s personal journey from veganism to carnivore
The importance of testing for nutrient deficiencies
How mitochondria influence mood and cognition
Why SSRIs may disrupt brain energy metabolism
The truth about serotonin and morning sunlight
Why exercise & nutrition often outperform medication
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
https://www.chrismasterjohn-phd.com/
https://substack.com/@chrismasterjohnphd
https://x.com/ChrisMasterjohn
https://www.facebook.com/chrismasterjohn/
https://www.instagram.com/chrismasterjohn/

Resources Mentioned:
Substack: Prozac is a Performance Enhancing Drug
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/prozac-is-a-performance-enhancing

Mitome: Mitochondrial Analysis
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: