At 19 I had a psychotic break at UC Berkeley. Hardly slept for two weeks. Thought I was the messiah. Ended up in the psych ward.
4 hospitalizations. 5 meds. My psychiatrist told me I was treatment-resistant.
He was wrong. Here are the metabolic strategies that healed me. 🧵
4 hospitalizations. 5 meds. My psychiatrist told me I was treatment-resistant.
He was wrong. Here are the metabolic strategies that healed me. 🧵
Strategy 1: Ketogenic / Carnivore diet
Your brain can become insulin resistant. When that happens, neurons can't fire properly, and you get psychiatric symptoms.
Ketones bypass the broken insulin pathway and fuel your neurons directly. The brain actually prefers them over glucose.
I went keto January 4th, 2021. My manic episodes stopped. Not reduced. Stopped. I've since switched to carnivore and feel even better.
Your brain can become insulin resistant. When that happens, neurons can't fire properly, and you get psychiatric symptoms.
Ketones bypass the broken insulin pathway and fuel your neurons directly. The brain actually prefers them over glucose.
I went keto January 4th, 2021. My manic episodes stopped. Not reduced. Stopped. I've since switched to carnivore and feel even better.
Strategy 2: Sleep
Every night of sleep deprivation spikes cortisol. Cortisol raises blood glucose. Raised blood glucose accelerates insulin resistance.
So bad sleep directly worsens the metabolic problem driving your psychiatric symptoms. It's not a soft recommendation. It's biochemistry.
The manic season is spring because the days get longer and sleep gets disrupted. I've lived this. Sleep is medicine.
Every night of sleep deprivation spikes cortisol. Cortisol raises blood glucose. Raised blood glucose accelerates insulin resistance.
So bad sleep directly worsens the metabolic problem driving your psychiatric symptoms. It's not a soft recommendation. It's biochemistry.
The manic season is spring because the days get longer and sleep gets disrupted. I've lived this. Sleep is medicine.
Strategy 3: Exercise
When you exercise hard, your muscles get so hungry for glucose they absorb it directly (bypassing insulin entirely).
That lowers blood glucose, lowers insulin demand, and directly reduces insulin resistance in the brain.
Lifting weights and hard cardio. Every day. This isn't just about fitness. It's about fixing the metabolic machinery your brain runs on.
When you exercise hard, your muscles get so hungry for glucose they absorb it directly (bypassing insulin entirely).
That lowers blood glucose, lowers insulin demand, and directly reduces insulin resistance in the brain.
Lifting weights and hard cardio. Every day. This isn't just about fitness. It's about fixing the metabolic machinery your brain runs on.
Strategy 4: Abstinence from alcohol, drugs, nicotine, caffeine
Alcohol kicks you out of ketosis and spikes blood sugar. Nicotine smoke lowers blood levels of antipsychotic medication. Caffeine cranks cortisol and drives insulin resistance.
Every single one of these substances is actively worsening your brain's metabolic environment.
I quit all of it. Each one mattered more than I expected.
Alcohol kicks you out of ketosis and spikes blood sugar. Nicotine smoke lowers blood levels of antipsychotic medication. Caffeine cranks cortisol and drives insulin resistance.
Every single one of these substances is actively worsening your brain's metabolic environment.
I quit all of it. Each one mattered more than I expected.
Strategy 5: Stress reduction
Chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated. Elevated cortisol keeps blood glucose high. High blood glucose drives insulin resistance.
Stress is not just a psychological problem..it's a metabolic one. It feeds the exact same cycle that's breaking your brain's energy supply.
Meditation, prayer, time in nature, therapy. Whatever lowers your baseline stress load. It's not soft. It's metabolic.
Chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated. Elevated cortisol keeps blood glucose high. High blood glucose drives insulin resistance.
Stress is not just a psychological problem..it's a metabolic one. It feeds the exact same cycle that's breaking your brain's energy supply.
Meditation, prayer, time in nature, therapy. Whatever lowers your baseline stress load. It's not soft. It's metabolic.
Strategy 6: Community and faith
Loneliness and disconnection are physiological stressors. They raise cortisol, drive inflammation, and worsen metabolic health.
People with strong community and purpose have measurably better metabolic outcomes. This isn't philosophy..it's biology.
For me it's church and working with young men. Connection lowers the stress load. A lower stress load heals the brain.
Loneliness and disconnection are physiological stressors. They raise cortisol, drive inflammation, and worsen metabolic health.
People with strong community and purpose have measurably better metabolic outcomes. This isn't philosophy..it's biology.
For me it's church and working with young men. Connection lowers the stress load. A lower stress load heals the brain.
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