STEM-Talk
Dawn Kernagis and Ken Ford
Categories: Health
Listen to the last episode:
Today we have Dr. Johnathan Edwards, an anesthesiologist and medical practitioner who specializes in human health and optimization. He is perhaps best known for treating mental health conditions with ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that is used for general anesthesia, pain relief, depression and epilepsy. John also uses ketamine to help adolescents overcome depression and suicidal ideation.
In today’s interview, we talk about his new book, “The Revolutionary Ketamine: The Safe Drug That Effectively Treats Depression and Prevents Suicide.” More Americans have died from suicide than all the wars since Vietnam. The suicide rate among 10- to-24-year-olds in this country increased 62 percent from 2007 through 2021. As John points out in today’s discussion, most people are not aware that American children between the ages of 10 and 14 are twice as likely to die from suicide than homicide.
Show notes:
[00:02:39] Dawn explains that suicide is a pressing problem in America, with more Americans dying of suicide than from all the wars since Vietnam. She also points out that police and firefighters are more likely to die from suicide than in the line of duty. John then gives an overview of ketamine and its ability to help treat depression and suicidal thoughts.
[00:06:56] Dawn pivots to mention the dark side of ketamine, including ketamine misuse and overdose. Recent studies have reported a worldwide increase in ketamine misuse and overdoses. Back in October, Mathew Perry, one of the stars of the popular sit-com “Friends,” died from what the Los Angeles cororner described as the acute effects of ketamine. Because this was such a high-profile case, Dawn asks John to discuss the potential adverse effects of ketamine.
[00:13:03] Ken mentions a 2022 study in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse that looked at ketamine overdoses and deaths. The study found no cases of overdose or death from ketamine used in a clinical setting as therapy for depression. Ken asks if there is anything John would like to add about ketamine and safety.
[00:13:059] Dawn shifts to talk about John’s background, mentioning that he grew up riding dirt bikes and eventually raced bikes professionally.
[00:15:18] Ken asks John to share his story of how a junior college professor sparked his interest in science.
[00:17:49] Dawn mentions that John jumped around from Eastern Virginia Medical School, to the University of Reno, to the University of Utah, at which point it looked as though he was heading for a career in internal medicine. Dawn asks why John changed his mind and decided not to pursue that career path.
[00:19:40] Dawn asks John what led him to the University of South Florida.
[00:20:18] Ken asks John about another career shift that came about as the result of a suggestion from one of John’s professors.
[00:21:42] Dawn asks about John’s motivation to move to Las Vegas to be close to his father.
[00:22:59] Dawn asks John to explain what motivated him and his wife to move to France after their daughter turned five.
[00:24:55] Dawn asks John to talk about the transition of ketamine from anesthetic to antidepressant.
[00:28:16] In his book on ketamine, John writes about how the benefits of supervised psychedelic therapy can be broken down into four effects. Ken asks John to briefly explain each of these effects.
[00:31:39] Dawn asks John to explain how ketamine manipulates the function of brain receptors as an antagonist and agonist.
[00:33:40] Dawn mentions that some people do not believe that ketamine functions as a classic psychedelic like psylocibin or LSD. She asks John if he agrees.
[00:35:54] Ken mentions a recent STEM-Talk interview with Mark Mattson discussing glutamate. In Mark’s book, “Sculptor and Destroyer: Tales of Glutamate,” he points out that ketamine’s highest interactions are with glutamate, and this affinity has been shown to alleviate depression and schizophrenia. Ken asks John to discuss the significance of ketamine with respect to its ability to increase glutamate.
[00:38:45] Dawn asks John to talk about MDMA, which is another non-classical psychedelic that has medicinal properties, particularly in the treatment of PTSD.
[00:40:48] Ken brings up STEM-Talk’s interview with Rachel Yehuda in episode 101, whose research has revolutionized our understanding of PTSD. In John’s book he mentions that we have historically not been very good at the complex task of treating PTSD, which Rachel also echoed in her interview. Ken explains that a key problem, historically, has been the stigma associated with psychedelics, and he asks John if he thinks that this stigma is lessening in light of the numerous positive findings on the use of psychedelics to treat PTSD.
[00:44:34] Ken explains that inflammation and suicide are closely linked, and while the mechanisms whereby ketamine acts as an anti-suicidal drug are somewhat unclear, there is emerging evidence that ketamine is an anti-inflammatory agent. Ken asks John to talk about this.
[00:47:11] Ken asks what John’s take is on the evidence that whales might also engage in suicidal behavior.
[00:49:35] Dawn asks John to talk about the important point that ketamine and other medications are far less effective in treating mental health disorders when not coupled with psychotherapy.
[00:52:07] Ken explains that following the institution of COVID lockdowns, drug overdoses in America increased substantially from previous years. Ken asks John to give his insight on this increase.
[00:55:07] Ken asks John about those individuals who should not be on ketamine, mentioning people suffering from mania and schizophrenia, and asks if there are other groups that should steer clear of ketamine.
[00:56:57] Ken asks if ketamine is effective in treating chronic pain.
[00:58:38] Dawn closes the interview asking about John’s experience traveling the world for the Dakar Rally, which is an off-road endurance event. Dawn also mentions that the rally will be the topic of John’s next book.
Links:
Previous episodes
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199 - Episode 165: John Edwards on ketamine treatment for depression and suicide prevention Thu, 14 Mar 2024
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198 - Episode 164: Michael Leon on olfactory stimulation as a buffer for dementia symptoms Wed, 21 Feb 2024 - 0h
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197 - Episode 163: Mark Mattson discusses glutamate, the brain’s most important neurotransmitter Wed, 31 Jan 2024
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196 - Episode 162: Marc Hamilton discusses the soleus push-up and the health hazard of excessive sitting Wed, 10 Jan 2024
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195 - Episode 161: Sten Stray-Gundersen on the benefits of blood-flow restriction training Mon, 18 Dec 2023
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194 - Episode 160: Euan Ashley on precision medicine and predicting, preventing, and diagnosing diseases Tue, 28 Nov 2023
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193 - Episode 159: Ken and Dawn discuss chatbots, termites, kratom, ketosis, and the future of AI Mon, 06 Nov 2023 - 0h
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192 - Episode 158: Judith Curry talks about the uncertainties of climate change Thu, 05 Oct 2023 - 0h
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191 - Episode 157: Don Layman on the role of dietary protein in muscle, health, and disease Thu, 14 Sep 2023
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190 - Episode 156: Josh Hagen discusses optimizing performance in athletes and warfighters Mon, 21 Aug 2023
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189 - Episode 155: Chris McCurdy discusses kratom’s benefits and possible risks Thu, 20 Jul 2023
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188 - Episode 154: Orthopedic surgeon Brian Cole discusses advances in the treatment of knee, elbow and shoulder injuries Wed, 28 Jun 2023
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187 - Episode 153: Dominic D’Agostino discusses new advances in the study of nutritional ketosis Thu, 08 Jun 2023
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186 - Episode 152: Mark Shelhamer talks about the effects of spaceflight on humans and NASA’s Planned Mars Mission Tue, 16 May 2023
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185 - Episode 151: John Ioannidis talks about the bungled response to COVID-19 Wed, 19 Apr 2023
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184 - Episode 150: Barbara Thorne talks about E.O. Wilson, the conehead termite and the sociality of termites Tue, 21 Mar 2023
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183 - Episode 149: Jeff Volek discusses ketogenic diet to improve metabolic health and treat disease Tue, 21 Feb 2023
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182 - Episode 148: Ed Weiler on the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, Mars rovers and NASA’s search for life Mon, 30 Jan 2023
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181 - Episode 147: Gwen Bryan talks about advances in wearable robotic devices and exoskeletons Wed, 04 Jan 2023 - 0h
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180 - Episode 146: Dan Pardi talks about behaviors to improve healthspan Thu, 15 Dec 2022
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179 - Episode 145: Ken answers questions about hypersonic flight, sentient AI, ketogenic vs Mediterranean diets, and more Wed, 30 Nov 2022 - 0h
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178 - Episode 144: Jason Fung on how fasting and a low-carb diet improve insulin resistance and metabolic health Wed, 09 Nov 2022
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177 - Episode 143: Ben Bikman on the roles of insulin and ketones in metabolic function Wed, 12 Oct 2022
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176 - Episode 142: Vyvyane Loh on weight management, ketogenic diet, and the treatment of metabolic diseases Wed, 21 Sep 2022
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175 - Episode 141: Jeff Iliff on newly discovered system that clears waste from the brain Thu, 01 Sep 2022
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174 - Episode 140: Kaleen Lavin on the benefits of exercise on Parkinson’s and “inflammaging” Wed, 10 Aug 2022
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173 - Episode 139: Matt Kaeberlein discusses healthspan, longevity, and rapamycin Mon, 25 Jul 2022
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172 - Episode 138: Mark Lewis discusses hypersonics and the importance of research in national defense Wed, 06 Jul 2022
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171 - Episode 137: Greg Potter discusses lifestyle changes for better health and sounder sleep Mon, 13 Jun 2022
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170 - Episode 136: Greg Potter talks about circadian biology and the importance of sleep Wed, 11 May 2022
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169 - Episode 135: Elaine Lee discusses human performance, resilience and healthspan Tue, 19 Apr 2022
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168 - Episode 134: Mike Griffin discusses America’s hypersonic arms race with Russia and China Mon, 28 Mar 2022
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167 - Episode 133: Mark Mattson talks about the benefits and science of intermittent fasting Wed, 23 Feb 2022
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166 - Episode 132: Martin Kulldorff discusses vaccines, lockdowns, school closings and the global response to COVID-19 Mon, 24 Jan 2022
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165 - Episode 131: Christopher Logothetis discusses advances in prostate cancer therapies Mon, 13 Dec 2021
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164 - Episode 130: Josh Turknett talks about holistic approaches that help people end chronic migraines Thu, 04 Nov 2021
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163 - Episode 129: Morley Stone talks about biomimetics and human performance augmentation Thu, 14 Oct 2021 - 0h
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162 - Episode 128: Tommy Wood talks about high-fat diets and the metabolic flexibility of the human gut Thu, 23 Sep 2021
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161 - Episode 127: From UFOs to fasting to the keto flu, Ken & Dawn answer questions Wed, 25 Aug 2021 - 0h
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160 - Episode 126: Christoffer Clemmensen discusses therapeutic strategies to correct obesity and its disorders Wed, 04 Aug 2021
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159 - Episode 125: Gary Taubes addresses common arguments used against ketogenic diets Wed, 14 Jul 2021
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158 - Episode 124: Gary Taubes makes a case for the ketogenic diet and its metabolic benefits Wed, 23 Jun 2021 - 0h
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157 - Episode 123: Steve Chien talks about AI, Mars rovers, and the possibility of intelligent alien life Wed, 26 May 2021 - 0h
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156 - Episode 122: James Kirkland on targeting senescent cells to reverse age-related diseases Thu, 06 May 2021 - 0h
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155 - Episode 121: Pascal Lee on the Mars mission and our search for alien life in the galaxy Wed, 14 Apr 2021
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154 - Episode 120: Gordon Lithgow on alpha-ketoglutarate’s potential to affect healthspan and lifespan Wed, 17 Mar 2021 - 0h
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153 - Episode 119: Gordon Lithgow talks about the biology of aging and prolonging lifespan Thu, 25 Feb 2021 - 0h
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152 - Episode 118: Julie Andersen talks about urolithin-A’s potential to prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases Tue, 02 Feb 2021 - 0h
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151 - Episode 117: Julie Andersen talks about her research into aging and neurodegenerative diseases Tue, 12 Jan 2021 - 0h
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150 - Episode 116: Marcas Bamman on the many benefits of exercise and strength training Wed, 16 Dec 2020