What if We're Using GLP-1 Medications All Wrong?

Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are transforming the landscape of medical weight loss, but could their side effects be a sign that we’re not harnessing their full therapeutic potential?

In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Ben Bikman, metabolic health researcher and professor at BYU, joins Dr. Bret Scher to explore a powerful new framework: using GLP-1 medications at low doses and for short durations to help curb carbohydrate cravings, break addictive eating cycles, and support long-term metabolic health.

Rather than prescribing high doses indefinitely, Dr. Bikman proposes a more targeted approach:

• Microdosing GLP-1s to enhance satiety and reduce cravings for processed carbs
• Using the medication as a temporary metabolic tool to support transitions to lower-carb diets
• Reducing long-term risks such as muscle loss, mood changes, and diminishing effectiveness
• Emphasizing the importance of habit change, insulin regulation, and muscle preservation

This conversation reimagines GLP-1s not as a lifelong solution, but as a catalyst for sustainable, low-insulin lifestyles, aligned with ketogenic and metabolic therapies.

📌 Could a 90-day microdosing protocol replace years of medication?

Learn how this metabolic-first strategy could empower patients to reclaim their health, without becoming dependent on medication for life.

Expert Featured:

• Dr. Benjamin Bikman
• https://x.com/BenBikmanPhD
• benbikman.com
• insuliniq.com

Papers/Articles Mentioned:

-https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/may/27/microdosing-glp-1-drugs-could-solve-americas-carbohydrate-crisis/

-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8984033/

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

Did you know that your blood sugar spikes differ from everyone else's? Even with the same food!

A new study in Nature Medicine supports what many have long suspected: there is no one-size-fits-all diet. The foods that spike your blood sugar might not affect someone else the same way, and your unique metabolic profile could be the reason why.

In this episode of the Metabolic Mind podcast, Baszucki Group Neuroscience Program Officer Dr. Cristina Nigro joins Dr. Bret Scher to break down the study “Individual variations in glycemic responses to carbohydrates and underlying metabolic physiology.” This research used continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to track how different individuals respond to carbohydrate-rich foods, and the results are eye-opening.

📌 In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Which carb-containing foods were tested in the study.
• Why some people were labeled “potato spikers” or “grape spikers.”
• The importance of insulin sensitivity and resistance in mitigating glucose responses.
• How fiber, fat, and protein consumed before a meal can blunt sugar spikes—for some people.
• The role of CGMs in personalizing treatments for chronic diseases, including severe mental illness.
• How this data could inform future dietary guidelines and chronic disease treatment.

It’s time to recognize that we are all unique individuals down to the cellular level and our differences mean there may be unique requirements for each of us to maintain and improve health. Tools like CGMs offer powerful insight into how your body truly responds to food, and that information can be pivotal for tailoring interventions in chronic diseases, including serious mental illnesses. We are hopeful that research like this will lead to better treatment protocols and dietary guidelines.

Expert Featured:

• Cristina Nigro
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristina-nigro-19394127/

Resources Mentioned:

Individual variations in glycemic responses to carbohydrates and underlying metabolic physiology

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03719-2#Sec2

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

Can ketogenic therapy help treat multiple mental health disorders at once? In this video, we explore a dramatic case report where ketogenic therapy put bipolar depression, binge eating disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD into remission.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Erin Louise Bellamy joins Dr. Bret Scher to discuss her recently published case report of a 38-year-old woman whose life went from “a mind shattered now restored” in just 12 weeks on a medically supervised ketogenic therapy program. Results so impressive that it forced other practitioners to dismiss the results as being “clinically improbable.”

In this interview, we cover:

- How achieving higher therapeutic ketone levels impacted her mental health symptoms

- How they tailored her diet to achieve a level of ketosis that kept her symptoms in remission

- Why ketogenic therapy may target shared mechanisms across psychiatric diagnoses

- The concept of trans-diagnostic remission and treating root causes, not just symptoms

- The role of dietary compliance, food addiction awareness, and tailored guidance

- How ketogenic therapy can work alongside medications or as a primary intervention for some patients

While the results from this case report may seem out of this world, again and again we are seeing ketogenic therapy provide impressive levels of relief for individuals who are really struggling with mental illness. We hope that these stories will reset the expectations for what is possible in psychiatric care.

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #BipolarDisorder #PTSD #ADHD #Anxiety #BingeEatingDisorder #NutritionAndMentalHealth

Expert Featured:

- Dr. Erin Louise Bellamy

- Website: ikrt.org

- X: https://x.com/erinlbellamy

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinlouisebellamy/?hl=en

Resources Mentioned:

Transdiagnostic remission of psychiatric comorbidity in post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, and binge-eating disorder using ketogenic metabolic therapy: a retrospective case report

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392930410_Transdiagnostic_remission_of_psychiatric_comorbidity_in_post-traumatic_stress_disorder_ADHD_and_binge-eating_disorder_using_ketogenic_metabolic_therapy_a_retrospective_case_report

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

Can adenosine and a ketogenic diet help treat addiction? New research explores the powerful role of adenosine, dopamine, and metabolic health in addiction, and how dietary strategies could support recovery.

In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with Dr. Susan Masino, a neuroscience and psychology professor at Trinity College, about her groundbreaking work on adenosine and its potential to regulate addiction through metabolic pathways. They dive into:

• The dopamine-addiction connection
• The role of adenosine in addiction and how it balances dopamine activity
• The role of ketogenic diets in boosting adenosine
• Other mechanisms supporting keto for treating addiction
• Why food, sugar, and even phone addiction may share common roots
• How metabolic therapies could support recovery from addiction, depression, and more

Dr. Masino also shares insights on how habits, stress, inflammation, and neuroplasticity all intersect with metabolic health—and what that means for mental health and addiction treatment going forward.

Expert Featured:

Dr. Susan Masino

• https://internet3.trincoll.edu/facprofiles/default.aspx?fid=1117011

Resources Mentioned:

Ketogenic diet, adenosine, and dopamine in addiction and psychiatry

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1492306/full

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Have you ever thought about stopping psychiatric medications? Maybe you have tried it.

If so, you’re not alone. Many individual across the world have considered or tried stopping their psychiatric medications and success is variable.

The withdrawal from psychiatric medication tapering can be incredibly complex, and doing it safely requires both medical and psychological support.

But, as Dr. Anders Sørensen highlights in this interview, the guidelines around medication tapering and withdrawal miss a lot of important nuances that can prevent people from being successful.

In this interview, psychologist and PhD researcher Dr. Anders Sørensen shares his decade-long experience helping people taper off psychiatric medications. He covers the biological and emotional aspects of withdrawal, the science behind tapering strategies like hyperbolic tapering, and why psychotherapy plays a vital role during and after the process. You'll also learn how short-term clinical studies shaped medical guidelines and why those guidelines may not reflect the lived experience of long-term patients.

In this video, you'll also learn:

• Why withdrawal can feel like relapse—and how to tell the difference
• What makes tapering more complex than just reducing the dose
• How to understand withdrawal symptoms and avoid severe outcomes
• Why “tapering to something” (like therapy or metabolic interventions) matters
• How psychotherapy can support emotional reintegration once medications are gone

Watch for Dr. Sørensen’s forthcoming book “Crossing Zero: The Art and Science of Coming and Staying Off Psychiatric Drugs” coming in summer 2025.

Expert Featured:

• Dr. Anders Sørensen
• X: https://x.com/_AndersSorensen
• Substack: https://crossingzero.substack.com/
• Book Coming Soon: https://crossingzero.substack.com/p/curious-about-the-book

Resources Mentioned:

Clinical practice guideline recommendations on tapering and discontinuing antidepressants for depression: a systematic review

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35173954/

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Is it really treatment-resistant depression or are we using the wrong treatments?

In this episode, Dr. Bret Scher is joined by psychiatrist Dr. Georgia Ede to examine a new large, population-based analysis on the use of antipsychotics versus third-line antidepressants in people diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, and what effect that has on suicide risk.

They discuss:

• What treatment-resistant depression actually means
• Why so many people fall into this category
• The surprising data on suicide risk and all-cause mortality
• The metabolic side effects of antipsychotic medications
• Alternative options beyond antipsychotics—including ketogenic therapy and other metabolic strategies

This conversation explores why conventional approaches may fall short, and how metabolic psychiatry offers promising, low-risk alternatives.

📌 Please note: This episode discusses suicide and may be triggering for some viewers.

Expert Featured:

Dr. Georgia Ede, MD

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiaedemd/
• https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/?hl=en
• https://x.com/georgiaedemd

Resources Mentioned

Antipsychotic therapy and suicide risk in patients with treatment-resistant depression: target trial emulation framework study

• https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2024.283

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Are ketogenic diets dangerous? What about nutrient deficiencies, gout, gut health, keto rash, bone density loss, or kidney stones?

In this video, registered dietitian and ketogenic therapy expert Beth Zupec-Kania, RDN, CD, shares insights from over 30 years of clinical experience to address the most common concerns and misconceptions about ketogenic therapies

From vitamin and mineral intake to gallbladder issues, sleep disruptions, leg cramps, keto flu, and more, this interview covers it all.

Beth also explains how ketogenic therapy can be adapted for various lifestyles, preferences, and health conditions, and offers practical tips for managing social situations, emotional transitions, and athletic performance while following a well-formulated ketogenic diet.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

• Why many concerns stem from outdated pediatric protocols
• How to safely supplement and avoid nutrient deficiencies
• What to know about the microbiome, bowel habits, and fiber intake
• How to prevent keto flu, leg cramps, and other common keto side effects
• When to be cautious with medications that impact bone or kidney health
• How keto may support those with eating disorders—not cause them

Whether you're just starting out or considering ketogenic therapy for epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, mental health, weight loss, or another condition, this video will help ease your mind of many of the concerns around ketogenic dieting.

Whether you're new to metabolic therapies or exploring ketogenic strategies for conditions like epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, serious mental illness, weight loss, or another condition, this video addresses common concerns and offers clarity on how a well-formulated ketogenic diet can be a powerful, science-backed option worth considering.

Expert Featured:

Beth Zupec-Kania, RDN, CD

• https://www.bethzupeckania.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-zupec-kania-58201421/

Resources Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Is nutrition research getting the support it needs to inform public health policy?

Despite the rise in chronic diseases related to lifestyle factors like diet, nutrition research only receives $2.2 billion of the $30 billion NIH budget.

At first glance, this may seem like a lot of money, but its utilization is spread thin, and, as Dr. David Ludwig and Gary Taubes highlight in this interview, it’s primarily used to fund misleading short term trials that confirm existing nutrition biases.

However, if we want to actually address the chronic disease epidemic, we must increase the resources allocated to nutrition research AND the quality of that research.

In this video, journalist Gary Taubes and Harvard endocrinologist Dr. David Ludwig expose the core problems in today’s most cited nutrition studies and offer a bold new path forward.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why short-term feeding studies can’t tell us much about chronic disease
• How confirmation bias shapes which nutrition studies get funded, published, and accepted by the medical community and policy makers
• The major flaws in NIH-funded research comparing low-carb vs. low-fat diets
• Why the focus on ultra-processed foods is only part of the solution
• How we could design better long-term studies that actually help people get healthier

It’s time to question the status quo and demand better utilization of research funds to inform public health policy in a way that can impactfully improve the health of our population.

We encourage you to share this interview so more people can understand the flaws in existing nutrition science and what we can do to fix it.

Expert Featured:

Gary Taubes

• http://x.com/garytaubes?lang=en
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-taubes-942a6459/

Dr. David Ludwig, MD

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidludwigmd/
• https://x.com/davidludwigmd

Resources Mentioned:Studies

• https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2024-082963
• https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.03.23296501
• https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2673150
• https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1212914
• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008

Short-term diet trials are designed to fail

• https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/22/nutrition-precision-health-short-term-diet-trials-chronic-disease-food/

Gary's Substack Article

• https://uncertaintyprinciples.substack.com/p/nih-has-a-nutrition-problem-part

CMEs Mentioned:Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Can exogenous ketones help treat mental illness? In this interview, psychiatry resident and researcher in the Netherlands Dr. Karin Huizer shares groundbreaking insights into her pilot study using ketone esters for mental health. The hope is that this early research will inform us to whether or not supplemental ketones are a viable option for mental health, which could be especially useful for patients who struggle to follow a full ketogenic diet.

Dr. Huizer brings a unique perspective as both a scientist and someone living with bipolar disorder. She discusses:

• Why exogenous ketones might be a more accessible intervention for patients with treatment-resistant mental illness
• The design and goals of her current randomized, triple-blinded clinical trial
• How biomarkers like cortisol and melatonin are being measured in real-time using wearable nanotech
• The growing metabolic psychiatry community in the Netherlands

This conversation is full of insight, compassion, and hope for more effective, science-backed treatments in mental health.

Watch now to learn how metabolic interventions are evolving and what that could mean for patients worldwide.

Expert Featured:

• Dr. Karin Huizer, MD PhD
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-huizer-319bb25/

Resources Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.

Youth mental illness is on the rise, and treatment options are often limited, especially for kids with bipolar disorder. This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re highlighting a groundbreaking new real-world data collection funded by the Baszucki Group exploring ketogenic therapy as a promising intervention for children and adolescents living with bipolar disorder.

In this interview, Elizabeth Errico, founder of the Children's Mental Health Resource Center (CMHRC), shares how her organization is implementing ketogenic therapy in a real-world setting for kids aged 6 to 17. The year-long study is part of a larger initiative supported by the Baszucki Group to expand mental health care options through metabolic approaches.

Families in the program receive education, hands-on support, and guidance to help implement this dietary therapy at home—often with life-changing results.

In this video, you’ll learn:

• Why early diagnosis and support for pediatric bipolar disorder is so critical
• How ketogenic therapy is being applied to youth in a structured, supportive way
• What families need to implement this therapy successfully
• Early anecdotal outcomes from participating families
• Why this research could help shift mainstream mental health treatment

This is about more than data—it's about hope, empowerment, and building a better path forward for families navigating serious mental illness.

Expert Featured:

• Elizabeth Errico
• https://cmhrc.org/

Other Resources Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

Follow our channel for more information and education from Bret Scher, MD, FACC, including interviews with leading experts in Metabolic Psychiatry.

Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.