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How is ketamine being used in mental health treatment, and what should practitioners know before offering it? What breakthroughs are happening with AI and brain-computer interfaces? What are the non-negotiable fundamentals for long-term brain health?
In this podcast episode, Joe Sanok discusses “What’s changing in the brain?” AI, brain-computer interface, and ketamine with Dustin Robinson, Esq. CPA.
Podcast Sponsor: Alma
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Learn more about how Alma could support you in building a thriving private practice at helloalma.com/joe.
Meet Dustin Robinson, Esq. CPA
Dustin Robinson, Esq. CPA is an attorney, certified public accountant, and co-founder of multiple ventures at the intersection of law, healthcare, and emerging technology. Through his work with Mr. Cannabis Law and Lumalex Law, he advises clients in the cannabis, psychedelics, and healthcare industries on regulatory compliance, business strategy, and investment. Dustin is also involved in cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship around ketamine therapy, brain-computer interfaces, and AI-driven mental health solutions. Drawing on his legal, financial, and operational expertise, he helps practitioners navigate the evolving landscape of mental health treatment while emphasizing the fundamentals of brain health.
Visit Mr. Cannabis Law, Lumalex Law, and connect on Instagram and LinkedIn.
In This Podcast
- Working with ketamine and practitioners
- AI and brain-computer interface
- Caring for your brain health
- Dustin’s advice to private practitioners
Working with ketamine and practitioners
Ketamine was the oddball out [as] it was already FDA-approved as an anesthetic, and people started realizing through research, mostly at universities, that ketamine actually helps a lot with various mental and behavioral health conditions. (Dustin Robinson)
Doctors and practitioners could start using ketamine with their patients sooner than other psychedelic drugs, which first needed prior testing and re-approval from the FDA to be distributed commercially.
Ketamine is off-label, which means that it can be used to treat a condition for which it has been approved. As long as there is research behind it, it can be legally used.
However, using ketamine in therapy is still not yet insured, which means that it needs to be cash-pay, and that’s something not many people can afford. Additionally, people should be tested and approved first before they are allowed to use ketamine in a session.
There was a huge uptick in ketamine telehealth companies once COVID happened. There’s now a federal statute called the Ryan Haight Act, which doesn’t allow controlled substances to be prescribed without an in-person visit … So that was a catalyst for a lot of companies being launched in the ketamine telehealth space. (Dustin Robinson)
Dustin recommends that if listeners are interested in working with ketamine with their clients, they can do so either through telehealth or in-person.
AI and brain-computer interface
The brain operates on both chemical and energetic levels. Most of the time, chemistry is used to try to help the brain overcome issues, but Dustin discusses how using energy can be beneficial, too.
During testing, a person’s brain waves are monitored for the team to understand where energy in the brain is being used – or not used – optimally.
The key right now for a lot of companies, you have companies like Neurolink, which is very invasive. They’re putting it into the cortex, but you have other companies now that are developing devices that are placed in the skull, and now we’re seeing even less invasiveness by placing [the device] outside the neck. So there are different ways to do it, but what’s exciting about this is that you’re able to monitor, in real time, what’s going on in the brain, and I think this is getting into more personalized medicine. (Dustin Robinson)
By combining brain wave monitoring and AI, medicine can be personalized to a whole new level.
Caring for your brain health
One of the things I have learned through my own journey is, you know, although we invest in these different things, the best things you can do for your health are to get good sleep, have a good diet, have good physical activity, and have some sort of mindfulness. Those are my four ingredients to living a happy and healthy lifestyle. Really, nothing can replace these. (Dustin Robinson)
As Dustin explains, the fundamentals of brain and body health are not to be left alone in pursuit of optimizing everything beyond your body’s basic needs.
Sleep well, eat well, rest well, and allow your mind to relax and be still every now and then. This strong foundation will allow you to effectively add new things into your life, but adding anything else will be tough if you do not have the fundamentals down.
Dustin’s advice to private practitioners
Understand people, business, and how to communicate.
Your technical skills are important, but we’re in the business of helping people, so make sure that you know how to communicate well and conduct business well, which just means to work well with other folks.
Sponsors Mentioned in this episode:
- Get your ticket today for the MHM conference in October! Use the discount code JOE to get 10% off any ticket!
- Learn more about how Alma could support you in building a thriving private practice at helloalma.com/joe.
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
- Visit Mr. Cannabis Law, Lumalex Law, and connect on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Check out these additional resources:
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Meet Joe Sanok
Joe Sanok helps counselors to create thriving practices that are the envy of other counselors. He has helped counselors to grow their businesses by 50-500% and is proud of all the private practice owners who are growing their income, influence, and impact on the world. Click here to explore consulting with Joe.
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