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  • Try This – The Ketogenic Diet for Stroke, TBI, Migraines, and Mental Health Challenges

Try This – The Ketogenic Diet for Stroke, TBI, Migraines, and Mental Health Challenges

Author

Dhru Purohit
July 12, 2024

Our brains are under attack. Everything from strokes to traumatic brain injuries to migraines to mental health challenges is becoming more and more common. 

Chances are you or someone you know has struggled with a brain-related challenge, so today I want to share some astounding research on one of the greatest tools we have available to heal our brains: the ketogenic diet!

I’ve talked to so many experts about the power of the ketogenic diet to heal metabolic and brain conditions, and even though I know this diet is not for everyone, there are some circumstances in which it can be lifesaving. 

Let’s dive in… 

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We’ve long known that the ketogenic diet has been used as an effective form of treatment for certain neurological disorders like epilepsy. 

New research is shedding light on its role in other brain-related disorders. 

Researchers looked at 12 studies to see the impact of the ketogenic diet on migraines, TBI (traumatic brain injury), and stroke to see if the dietary intervention made a positive impact, and the short answer is yes! 

Migraines: With regard to migraines, five studies were evaluated, and all found improvements in migraine symptoms when patients were on the ketogenic diet. One study showed an improvement from 30 days of migraine symptoms a month to 7.5 days of symptoms a month. That is huge! 

I know migraines can be debilitating, so to be able to cut down on migraine days that significantly is a huge win in my book! Researchers believe that the improvement in migraine-related symptoms came from improved mitochondrial metabolism, less neuroinflammation, and “inhibition of neuronal excitability and restoration of habituation.” 

Traumatic Brain Injury: The studies used here were all animal studies, but I don’t think that means we should discredit them, since there is a lot we can learn from animal studies and apply to humans. Hopefully this leads to more research on TBI in humans as well! 

The ketogenic diet improved symptoms of traumatic brain injury including balance and coordination, short-term working memory, visual recognition memory, and spatial memory. 

Researchers say that improvements in mitochondrial metabolism, neuroinflammation, and the gut-brain axis played a role in improving TBI symptoms using the ketogenic diet. 

Stroke: The two randomized controlled trials evaluated for stroke symptoms were also animal studies, and the ketogenic diet positively affected symptoms of balance, coordination, and sensation. Again, improved mitochondrial metabolism and a decline in neuroinflammation seemed to play a role in the improvement of stroke symptoms. 

This all tracks with what experts like Dr. Chris Palmer have shared on my podcast: metabolic disorders damage our mitochondria, and the ketogenic diet could be a powerful tool to improve our mitochondrial function, reduce inflammation, and improve overall brain function. 

I recently interviewed Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Georgia Ede about the role of insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction in mental health disorders, and it was such a good episode. I sent it to friends and family who are struggling or know someone struggling with a mental health condition because I believe taking control of our metabolic health is a huge piece of the equation. 

Recently Dr. Ede featured Accord Metabolic, a residential treatment program dedicated to providing unparalleled support for therapeutic diets like the ketogenic diet combined with other lifestyle changes to help people reclaim their mental health.  

Even though this is one location just outside of Boston, this kind of innovation is next level. Typically, we don’t think about the role of diet and lifestyle when it comes to mental health disorders, which are among the hardest disorders to treat. Facilities like Accord offer patients and families a comprehensive, root-cause approach that holds so much promise. 

The role of the ketogenic diet in treating depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, and more is becoming more widely acknowledged and accepted, and I hope that more facilities like this pop up. 

In full transparency, I don’t know much about this facility besides what Dr. Ede has featured on her X.com account, but the concept is promising so I wanted to show them some love. To learn more about Accord, check out their website here: accordmh.com.

So much of what I’ve learned about the ketogenic diet and its role in brain health has been through my friend, Dr. Chris Palmer. Right now, he needs our help! 

The Maryland Health Secretary has halted an ongoing, privately funded inpatient study of a medical ketogenic diet for treating schizophrenia FOR NO CLEAR REASON.

This is incredibly disheartening because people with schizophrenia and other mental health challenges deserve better treatment options.

Chris and his colleagues kindly ask that we all sign this petition to help keep this study going.

If you care about the role of nutrition in treating disease, I’m asking that you lend your signature to this cause. 

Hope you are enjoying your summer, 
Dhru Purohit