Welcome to The ClearlyWell Podcast — where we explore the intersection of mental health, medicine, and real life. I’m your host, Elizabeth McKeon, PMHNP, CARN, and subject-matter expert in behavioral health and addiction recovery.

Today’s episode takes us into the world of a controversial substance quietly sitting on gas-station counters across America — kratom. Marketed as a natural energy booster, pain reliever, or mood enhancer, kratom is anything but harmless.

This so-called ‘herbal supplement’ acts on the same brain receptors as opioids, and it’s leading more and more people to emergency rooms in full-blown withdrawal. Some even experience psychosis — hallucinations, paranoia, and delusional thinking — after heavy or prolonged use.

There’s no real age restriction, no consistent labeling, and no federal oversight. In other words, the American public is experimenting with an unregulated opioid-like substance disguised as a supplement.

In the next fifteen minutes, we’ll unpack what kratom really is, what the national data show, and why this gas-station drug poses a growing risk — especially in rural communities where addiction treatment resources are already scarce.

Let’s talk about what’s really happening behind the label — and why ‘natural’ doesn’t always mean safe.”