Thread by @KetoCounselor

Decades of neuroscience research on the ketogenic diet have shown that it:
- changes neurotransmitter systems
- decreases brain inflammation
- alters calcium channel regulation
- improves mitochondrial function
- increases mitochondrial biogenesis (1/13)

Obviously, this can have powerful healing effects for individuals with mental and neurological disorders. (2/13)

So if you start a ketogenic diet, how long until you see improvements? Well, just like medications, it doesn't generally work overnight. (3/13)

And the first few weeks can be really difficult. Symptoms can get worse before they get better! And that's why you need medical supervision for this powerful metabolic therapy for the brain! (4/13)

Once people get through adaptation, usually within two to four weeks they may begin to notice an antidepressant effect. (5/13)

People start noticing that they have more energy, their mood is improving, and they may lose weight - it's actually restoring brain function. (6/13)

Antipsychotic effects often appear at two to four months if you stay on the diet consistently. You can't cheat every weekend. That would be like taking medication and stopping it every weekend. And then wondering why you don't fee better 🤷(7/13)

If consistent (which is easier to do as your brain function improves, FYI), people will usually notice that hallucinations start to go away, quiet down, or are easier to ignore. (8/13)

In my own clinical practice, I see fewer "sticky thoughts." Thoughts we used to have to work to restructure every single session using #CBT and #DBT that just come back. (9/13)

We would restructure these sticky thoughts again and again. On a ketogenic diet, these often finally go away. (10/13)

So if you choose to do a ketogenic diet with the help of a knowledgeable clinician and a collaborative prescriber, give it a good 3 months of stellar consistency before you decide if it's the intervention for you or not. (11/13)

Brains take some time to heal, even under the best conditions! I am excited for you to learn all the ways you can feel better. And I hope you found this tweet helpful. (12/13)

On this podcast, you can listen to Chris Palmer, MD, discuss his clinical experience using ketogenic diets for serious mental illnesses! It echoes my own experience as a clinician and that of many others. (13/13)