I found this channel yesterday and I’m absolutely mind blown with all of the stories I’m hearing. Until now I have never heard that I could get better or even possibly be well. Only that I will always have bipolar and that it’s progressive. I’m on so much medication and my quality of life is rough. Hearing over and over that I will never recover has made me not even want to participate in my life. I am so grateful for this information!

Neseret, do your podcast! You're beautiful and knowledgeable, credible, all the good things. I like how you talk about the thousand ways to heal. And when you said, there's no such thing as a side effect of the drug, they're all "effects" of the drug. That's so insightful.

@NeseretBemient

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! You're so kind. I appreciate your feedback. As far as the drugs, yes, I believe what a person experiences is the "full effects". "Side effects" waters it down a bit to be almost an after thought and not the main impact of the medication. However, that is not the reality. Everything you're experiencing on the medication is the result of your body adjusting to a chemical that you're exposed to.

OMG! I Just found this channel. You give me hope for my son!!! Thank you so much for sharing your story and these interviews give others hope!!! I haven’t seen any new videos. I hope you are still doing well. ❤

Glad to see you back! Thank you to Neseret for sharing her story

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

It was my pleasure. Thank you:)

I wish I had heard this conversation twenty years ago when my daughter was put on meds, and we were told it was the only way to manage her "diagnosis". This past year she "landed" back with me after numerous extensive hospitalizations. Unfortunately she is still very unhappy, having extreme anxiety, sleep disturbances, and along with withdrawing cold turkey from the drugs, I think she's suffering from all the decades of suppressed anger, defiance, and blame, and is suspicious of everything I recommend to her. (She made us get 2-liter Seven Up and Mountain Dew and 2 large juice jugs at Walgreens at midnight last night.) I am eating almost carnivore, pleading with her daily ,to join me. She says she can't eat, and since December she has lost a lot of weight, so I'm upset she will starve her nervous system and consume crap! I just pray she will become calm and stable, and that she can stay out of the hospital for good thisd time, they confused and abused her and made her worse!

@NeseretBemient

4 ай бұрын

I am so sorry for what you're going through. It is one of the hardest thing any parent can go through to witness a child you love struggling and suffering. Everything you described would wreck a havoc on anyone's nervous system. That's a lot for her brain and body to handle. It's wonderful that you continue to encourage her and support her even though it doesn't sound like she's in a good place to appreciate it. Regardless, your example and continued support is essential. She knows you care about her. It might just take her a little time to get back on track. It's never too late and there are no hopeless people. There is hope for your daughter.

Been waiting for a new one. Excited to listen to this one!

@bipolarcast1133

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for tuning in!

Very interesting. Thank you for persevering through the tech difficulties to record this. I can tell the personal experience added to the compassion for patients in the same situation. Incredibly relatable. Wishing you many more happy years.

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

Yes. Iain and Matt are absolute Saints:) Very patient and kind.

Wow… Thank you Neseret & Thank you Bipolarcast! Hearing Neseret’s story and success with Keto is inspiring & fills me with hope… So glad I found this channel! this is the first episode I’ve watched and it was amazing. Looking forward to watching all the episodes.. Keep up the good work!

@NeseretBemient

3 ай бұрын

Thank you. All the episode are wonderful. You're in for a treat. There's so much knowledge and wisdom on this channel.

I am learning so much from these videos. My dad was diabetic with Bi polar as a young man. I always struggled with anxiety but managed it without meds. After my youngest child’s traumatic birth I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. I was placed on a benzodiazepines along with a high dose SSRI. Within six weeks I started shopping online obsessively. I was buying rubbish! Children’s toys for myself 🙈 We nearly lost our home, my marriage was on the rocks. My behaviour was so bizarre. It wasn’t till I read Dr Peter Breggin’s book that I heard other similar stories. I weaned off my medication slowly and as I did my manic behaviour declined. It was an incredible difficult period of my life. I have been carnivore for nine months and very stable but I can’t get my ketone levels high enough on carnivore alone. I need Mct oil, avocados to boost them.

@NeseretBemient

3 ай бұрын

Yes. Some psychiatric medications are associated with compulsive behavior (ie: gambling, hypersexuality etc.) I'm glad you came across Peter's work. He's a gem and a pioneer in critical psychiatry. Some people on carnivore may not be getting enough fat in their diets. It might just be a matter of incorporating healthy fats. Glad you're feeling better and thank you for your comment.

Great episode!

@bipolarcast1133

5 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I've been reading about the history of mental health treatment in the 19th century and came across this claim that two-thirds of people housed in the asylums had epilepsy. At first, I thought it was a classification thing, like maybe the hospitals were using the term "epilepsy" to describe a whole lot of different brain stuff, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Presentism and a severe Kuhn loss coupled no doubt with a desire to destigmatize epilepsy seems to have led to a strange amnesia about the course of the illness before the invention of effective treatments.

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

Psychiatry has a bit of a checkered past. Everything is a work in progress though and we are where we are. We need to accept that but that also means there's so much room for improvement. As the saying goes, space is not the last frontier but the human mind and Brain. There's so much we don't know. Humility is key in this process. Willingness to be open to new information.

@replaceablehead

5 ай бұрын

@@NeseretBemient Perhaps, but often progress is not linear. If one was treated for mania in the 1960s you would have been given lithium and any antipsychotic used would have been given as a major tranquilliser. I don't know about you but I think the latter frank description would make me feel a whole lot better about taking such a drug (if I really needed it) than the more modern euphemisms.

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

@@replaceablehead If you're in a manic episode, I would agree that Neuroleptic medication like Olanzapine for example will do wonders. In acute crisis, short term treatment/stabilization with those types of medications are really helpful. It gives the brain a much needed break and rest.

@replaceablehead

5 ай бұрын

@@NeseretBemient Early on clinicians compared it to the sensory deprivation of the rest cure, placing manic patients in dark quiet rooms. Chlorpromazine seemed to do the drug equivalent.

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

@@replaceablehead There is a huge difference between sensory deprivation/rest cure and powerful medications that potentially disrupt cell/mitochondrial function. That's the issue with psychiatric medications. If they just provided rest and sensory deprivation, that would be one thing but they have additional impact on the body and brain. We don't know the extent of those consequences, especially long term.

Thank you for sharing your story! Amazing! So glad it is all working out now after all that hell! I'm hoping for a similar trajectory with the keto diet....

@lexamdelac28

5 ай бұрын

You all are quite relatable with your past situations...

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

It was a 13 year nightmare. A 7 year journey to get to this place. But worth every step. Because how I feel today is priceless. Please keep going in your path. At times it may seem like you're taking two steps forward and one back, but you will get there. Thank you for being here and watching this. I appreciate you.

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

@@lexamdelac28 It's so wonderful to be with people who really get it. Iain and Matt have created this sacred space and container for people to share such vulnerable stories. It's a beautiful gift.

I appreciate what you guys are doing to create awareness of how keto can help people with mental illness. I don't, however, believe in your business model that involves dieticians, counselors, keto monitoring devices, and large individual treatment teams. Going keto or carnivore is not a dangerous endeavor. It is infinitely more dangerous NOT to eat a ketogenic diet. This diet mimics what humans are supposed to be eating and can/will benefit everyone.

@NeseretBemient

4 ай бұрын

I agree that for most people going keto or carnivore would be safe. I recommend the medical supervision and additional supports when working with someone who is on multiple psychiatric medications and or other medical complications. The reason is that there's a lot more consideration that goes in to making sure the diet does not entirely destabilize the person due to levels of medications changing or withdrawal symptoms in the case of psychiatric medications. It's just a bit more precarious journey and adds complexity. Once someone is stabilized, I also don't think it is necessary to put as much effort into monitoring as is involved in the keto adaptation and tapering medication phase. Personally I don't like counting calories and just obsessing over food or looking to devices for feedback. I believe our bodies, minds, and brains are the ultimate monitoring devices and will give us impeccable feedback:) I encourage people to tune in to and listen to their body's feedback. That becomes more of a practical mindfulness practice.

@KmusikOne

4 ай бұрын

@NeseretBemient I don't believe some indigestion or diarrhea/keto flu will destabilize someone or interfere with their medication levels. We are eating the same amount of calories. Furthermore, I'm tired of the stigma that mentally ill people must be constantly monitored like children, are incapable of doing anything for themselves, and are deserving of less rights/privileges in society. I do agree with your last paragraph, which is why I'm a carnivore. The simplest solution is always the best. This gatekeeping needs to end. This is one of the few and most impactful ways we can help ourselves.

@KmusikOne

4 ай бұрын

@@NeseretBemient My response was deleted? My apologies to the industries built around our suffering. Going keto is one of the few and most impactful ways we can help ourselves. The gatekeeping needs to end.

@NeseretBemient

4 ай бұрын

@@KmusikOne Yeah, I saw your earlier note and was going to respond to it. I'm not sure where it went. I agree with you 100%. It's incredibly empowering to find something practical a person can implement that gives you such incredible degree of control over the most important aspect of your life - health. And that translates in to all aspects of our lives. I believe when people are in a compromised health condition, there needs to be some precautions taken. But besides that most people would be safe and greatly benefit from cleaning up their diet. Thank you for your comments.

@bipolarcast1133

4 ай бұрын

We have nothing to sell and no business model. I understand where you are coming from, but the psychiatrist is there to manage the medications as some people choose to reduce/change these and this needs to be done carefully.

Here are some snippets of my current ideas. I'm just going to dump this whole TL;DR here in case anyone wants to read my ramblings. I really need to get beyond reference works and into actual translations of the original text. I'm definitely twisting a lot to suit my own narrative. But there is something to this Kuhn loss idea in psychiatry. After discussing the impact of women's health issues on the disease Kraepelin goes on to say roughly the following: "The absence of every recognizable external cause, suggests first of all an autointoxication, which may in some way be related to the processes in the sexual organs." What is this autointoxication? Well, it's hard to say exactly. I could claim he's talking about metabolic disease but while that would be convenient for my point of view, it's probably not fair to draw such a strong link. Autointoxication was the general concept of the body self-poisoning. It's related to concepts like autoimmune disease, and things like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis come to mind as the most obvious examples. A more interesting question to ask is, "What was the primary method of treatment for autointoxication?", the answer is diet. If you read modern histories you'll be led to believe that the most popular dietary treatment for autointoxication was increasing fiber. Perhaps some doctors were advocating this approach, but in the field of diet for mental health in the 19th century, one diet reigned supreme. Silas Weir Mitchell's "rest cure". If you Google "rest cure" you will likely be led to believe that it involved little more than confining women to their beds, and indeed Dr. Mitchell was a dreadful misogynist. However, rest is not the primary component of the "rest cure". The primary component of the rest cure is a milk-only diet. Skim milk for the first few weeks if the patient was already overweight, followed by full cream milk, butter, and beef at later stages. Modern histories often refer to this as a "high calorie" diet, but this is misleading. Fortunately, a full-text copy of Silas Weir Mitchell's essay on the rest cure is available in the public domain and can be read by anyone curious. It's choc full of misogyny of course, but underneath Mitchell's marketing spin, probably for the benefit of his wealthy clients, is a thread of scientific understanding. Mitchell was a born salesman and much of his choice of language is directed at his patients, their husbands in particular, rather than his peers. As a consequence, Mitchell has been dismissed as a sexist snake oil salesman by most modern historians. And perhaps he was. His cure involved a lot of skim milk, so that it is difficult to know how many of his patients would have achieved ketosis. Still, Mitchell makes reference to peers around the globe using similar diets, but he doesn't say exactly what. The "rest cure" makes another appearance, sans most of the sexism, in Kraepelin's recommendations for the treatment of mania. We read: "The nutrition of the patients demands special attention. An abundance of nutritious and easily digested food should be given to the patients at regular intervals." Kraepelin's attention to nutrition is clearly due in part to concerns over undereating during mania. However, it's inclusion alongside many of the same principles of the "rest cure" suggests that Kraepelin was aware of this widespread practice and that it was still popular. We know today that increased sleep may shorten the duration of a manic episode. Setting aside the complex explanations offered by the manufacturers, drugs such as quetiapine and olanzapine may work on mania primarily by increasing sleep. The big change that came over medicine was the rise of RCT. Shepherd, the same knucklehead who suppressed lithium use for a quarter century also had a massive hard-on for RCT, and it's largely because of him and pharmaceutical companies that no one wants to accept anything other than RCTs these days. RCT is a bit like trying to find an elephant with a microscope. This suits the drug companies because they can hide the in ambiguity of all that grey skin. It's a lovely state of affairs for them. No one can interpret the results unless they're a neuroscientist thus leaving psychiatrists in the same position as the layperson, forced to simply accept the work of the neuroscientists under the employ of the drug company. If I sound unreasonable, consider this, recreational drug users have no difficulty in describing the effects of the recreational drugs they use. They are not debating the effects of cocaine or ketamine. Certainly, some may report varying effects, but the recreational drug-using community is in surprising agreement. Contrast this with the state of the medical community's understanding of antipsychotics. It seems these days no one can describe in plain everyday language what it's like to take these drugs. Instead, they resort to statistical answers and vague generalizations. Using the plain observations of one's own eyes or taking the damn drug yourself is now considered "anecdotal" evidence by the modern-day disciples of Shepherd (and the drug companies). It doesn't matter to them how profoundly obvious the effects of the drugs may be, any attempt to describe them using anything other than rating scales and statistics is a dangerous "pseudo-science" according to the modern view. We're all too biased to know what happens when we consume speed apparently. Well, what a wonderful state of affairs for the people who manufacture these drugs. Anyway, it's easy to twist history to support modern ideas. But I really do think there are some tidbits scattered throughout the last 150 years of treatment that might be of interest. A lot of the best research is still untranslated, who knows what is really out there? If you haven't read Lehrbuch der Psychiatric, I highly recommend it. The sections on manic depression are in my opinion the best descriptions written to date barring none. One last thing, what struck me about Danan et al. was that Danan spent a great deal of time interviewing and talking to the participants. This to me is something sorely lacking in modern methodology. The anecdotal evidence on this channel alone would have probably been enough to convince the medical establishment in the 1960s. It seems Shepherd was not satisfied to deny people lithium and that his ghost must return to claim keto.

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

This is really fascinating! Thank you for the book recommendation. I will look into it. I agree with you about the blatant disregard, absolute desensitization among prescribers of the effects of psychiatric medications on patients. That was one of the most disturbing thing I've experienced as a Psych Nurse. One of my main roles as a Psych Nurse was to administer and monitor the effects of the medications. Patients would tell me in clearly what they were experiencing and I would relay that to the treating psychiatrist. Unless their eyes were bleeding, it was almost impossible to convince them that their patient is not doing well on this medication. They could be sitting watching t.v drooling, smacking their lips, looking like a someone that just walked out of a zombie movie and that is apparently okay. It made me furious. I've had my share of being dragged into a manager's office because I dared to question a treating psychiatrist's decision to leave someone in that state. It was awful. It's also incredibly invalidating the experience of an individual in their own bodies. They are the expert in their bodies. They live in it 24/7. What kind of conflict do you set up in a human being when you deny their inner experience? Our bodies give us the most accurate moment to moment feedback, and for a prescriber to blatantly ignore those signals is total incompetence. It also takes the power from this patient to trust their own basic instinct and take charge of their own health and well being. It sets you up to be a victim. I have seen with my own eyes the impact of psychiatric medications for over 17 years now. For 13 years I also went through my own debacle with being trialed on 10 different psychiatric medications. I don't need to be a neuroscientist to interpret what I have seen with my own eyes with thousands of clients and my own lived experience. I agree with you about Bipolarcast, the information on this channel is so powerful. I wish every human being who is suffering from mental illness would get a chance to listen to this channel. It would be a healing experience just to do so. Then what they'll be inspired to do once they're empowered and armed with this knowledge. The curiosity, inspiration, hope that will be born out of this type of life changing and compassionate information. I can't wait to see! Thank you for this lovely exchange! What interests you in this area of study?

@replaceablehead

5 ай бұрын

​@@NeseretBemient That is a powerful lived experience. People with a lived experience should be able to describe the experience of taking a medication and be believed. So too nursing staff should be believed. To suggest that it's all too "subjective" is a total nonsense. You don't hear clinicians expressing doubt over the self-reported effects of illicit drugs. They're all too happy to accept self-reports and the reports of staff when it comes to someone taking methamphetamine but the moment someone describes an adverse drug reaction, then all of a sudden they want peer review. The awful thing is a few decades ago you may have been more likely to be believed. It was far from perfect, but in the 1950s and 1960s reports from nursing staff were openly discussed and widely reported on in the minutes of scientific conferences. It was after Shepherd and RCT that it all changed. And do you know what is even worse? One of the first drugs to get the RCT stamp of absolute scientific unimpeachability was thalidomide. RCT is one tool in the toolbox, but it's ridiculous how it's come to dominate thinking. A lot of major journals won't even accept case studies for publication. It's an incredible state of affairs. I have to give credit, it was the work of Nassir Ghaemi and David Healey that turned me to look at the history and read much older information. I also have to give credit to Professor Jayashri Kulkarni for switching me onto the role of women's health issues. You'll note that Kraepelin, whilst expressing the occasional politically incorrect view, emphasizes continually the effects of women's health issues on the course of the disease. His emphasis puts the DSM to shame.

@NeseretBemient

5 ай бұрын

@@replaceablehead Thank you! Somebody with common sense. I appreciate your validation this absolute nonsense, I agree. I am going to spend some time with Nassir Ghaemi and David Healey. I have so much homework to do now:) lol But forgive my ignorance - What does "RCT" stand for? What exactly is the "RCT stamp"?

@replaceablehead

5 ай бұрын

​@@NeseretBemient Randomised control trial. To be clear I'm not anti-science and I am not against RCT, what I'm against is the notion that RCT can replace direct observation. As frustrated as I am, I understand why RCT was seen as the magic bullet answer to pseudo-science. RCT has done much good, but also much evil. I just think in 2024 we need to start listening to people's subjective experiences again and evaluating them scientifically. A good start would be more journals publishing case studies again. It's really awful that good psychiatrists have to feel like they're dabbling in homeopathy simply because they have the courage to speak up about the fact that they are having good results with ketogenic diets. John Cade's original paper on lithium featured just 11 case studies. This channel alone has what, 27 if you include the hosts?

@sn0rp

5 ай бұрын

@@NeseretBemientrandomized controlled trials

I know Ian, you have looked at GKI being a more predictive variable than ketones alone, have you looked at using different strategies to lower the glucose? Or mainly is it just increasing ketones until you hit the desired ratio. For example the metabolic health summit had a very interesting panel on allulose, and it's effect on lowering blood glucose just as a general supplement, not even a sugar replacement. I've tried it a few times now and even if I am not eating carbs it seems to lower my blood glucose by 10-15 mg, and is even more effective if taken before a meal with some carbs. Curious if you have any thoughts on whether "artificially" lowering BG might be beneficial, along with exercise to do the same, lower GI carbs, etc.

@bipolarcast1133

5 ай бұрын

I showed GKI results at MHS, are you able to watch it? They were more significant than ketones alone in some important aspects.

@CashMoneyMoore

5 ай бұрын

Yes I did, wonderful! I just mean that given that GKI is more predictive than ketones alone, do you think there would be benefit to lowering blood sugar (within reason) IE 70-85 mg, using other tools, as well as maintaining your keto diet. (cinnamon pills, berberine, allulose seems quite quite interesting, apple cider vinegar)@@bipolarcast1133

You can interview me anytime if you want. I have quite a story. Thank you for everything you both do!!

@bipolarcast1133

4 ай бұрын

Hi Margaret, would love to hear from you, please send me an email at iainhcampbell@gmail.com

Hey, lovely interview! Question: how long does it usually taken before mental health gets better after starting the keto-diet? Thanks you for replying!

@NeseretBemient

4 ай бұрын

Everyone is different. Some people start to notice difference right away, and others may take longer. I started seeing results right away (within the first few weeks) and that was great, but that's not always the case for everyone.

@felix1989vermeulen

4 ай бұрын

@@NeseretBemient Thank you very much for replying! Do you know if it is a problem if you eat just a little bit? I have only a little appetite since I started the diet…

@NeseretBemient

4 ай бұрын

@@felix1989vermeulen You're most welcome. What's "a little bit"? Appetite can fluctuate sometimes, and that's normal. We just have to make sure we get adequate nutrition. That's different for everyone depending on their goals. What are you hoping to achieve with nutrition?

@felix1989vermeulen

4 ай бұрын

@@NeseretBemient I just wonder if I get enough vitamins with broccoli and spinach alone. Are there any supplements I should take?

Hi Iain, this question I have, I believe, other also have it. How can one effectively lower their ketone levels if they are to high? Above 3.0 I mean. How can one lower them at will?

@bipolarcast1133

Ай бұрын

Hi, I will usually have some extra protein or small amounts of carbs if my ketones are too high. If you feel unwell with high ketones, be sure to get medical help. I hope that helps.