Health
Ketamine therapy shown effective in treating severe depression in veterans, study finds
Ketamine could be a viable remedy for veterans struggling with depression, new research has suggested.
The University of Michigan released a study on the effects of ketamine in cases of severe or treatment-resistant depression among veterans.
Half of the study participants experienced significant relief after undergoing six weeks of ketamine therapy, according to a Michigan Medicine press release.
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The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, looked into the data of 215 veterans receiving intravenous ketamine therapy at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.
All the participants had also undergone previous depression treatments without any improvement.
Research from the University of Michigan found that ketamine therapy could be beneficial for veterans with depression. (Julia Rendleman for The Washington Post via Getty Images; iStock)
Nearly half of all patients saw a “meaningful drop” in depression scores after six weeks of infusions, according to the analysis by the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS).
About 25% saw their depression score drop by half within six weeks of treatment, while 15% went into full remission despite the complexity of their mental health status.
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Almost all patients surveyed continued their treatment every few weeks or months.
“Further study is needed to determine optimal infusion frequency and potential for adverse effects with repeated ketamine infusions for depression,” the study findings stated.
Nearly half the participants in a new study saw a “meaningful drop” in depression scores after six weeks of IV ketamine infusions, the study found. (iStock)
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, VA press secretary Terrence Hayes backed ketamine therapy as an option for veterans.
“VA supports the evidence-based use of ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant depression and severe suicidal ideation,” he said.
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“Many veterans with these mental health conditions are treated with IV ketamine annually – both at VA facilities and by community providers.”
Dr. Justin Gerstner, psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Ellie Mental Health in Minnesota, told Fox News Digital that he thinks these findings on ketamine are “great,” as the VA population is “in need of new, innovative treatments for depression.”
(Gerstner was not involved in the Michigan study.)
A doctor holds a vial of ketamine at the MindPeace Clinic in Richmond, Virginia. (Julia Rendleman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“This study shows that this helps some of the hardest-to-treat veterans with depression,” he said.
As more psychedelic-assisted therapies emerge to treat numerous mental health issues, the doctor said ketamine is among the ones that produce results “pretty quickly.”
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Another benefit of ketamine therapy, according to Gerstner, is that it eliminates the need for patients to take medication every day, as with other treatment methods.
Gerstner said he uses ketamine therapy in his own practice, where the response from clients has been “great.”
Carl Montalbino, 67, receives his ketamine treatment while nurse Melissa Dougher checks his vitals on July 5, 2022, at MindPeace Clinic in Richmond, Virginia. (Julia Rendleman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“It’s been quite transformative for a lot of our clients,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s really a rewarding experience to be a part of that.”
Gerstner’s practice usually administers ketamine to clients via IV injection in two- to three-hour sessions, partnered with psychotherapy before and after treatment.
Potential risks and limitations
While ketamine can work as a “really powerful anti-depressant and anti-suicidal drug,” Gerstner said, he warned that it is “not the right answer for everybody or everything.”
“This is a really powerful medication and the way that it’s used can vary quite drastically.”
There are some risks and limitations involved, he said — including the potential for ketamine to be abused.
There isn’t too much regulation surrounding how ketamine treatments are administered, Gerstner noted, since the drug was previously approved for anesthetic use.
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“The field is wide open, and it’s a little bit like the Wild West,” he said. “This is a really powerful medication and the way that it’s used can vary quite drastically.”
Various clinics have seen success with administering the drug in different forms, including oral, IV and injectable, according to Gerstner.
Various clinics have seen success with the drug being administered in different forms, including oral, IV and injectable. (Julia Rendleman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
For patients with severe treatment-resistant depression, a typical IV regimen is administered every two to three days in a hospital-based outpatient clinic, according to Michigan Medicine and VAAAHS.
“Those things are really all over the map,” Gerstner said. “It’s hard to regulate and there’s some risk in that, but it’s also what we have to do while learning what’s best.”
For veterans who are seeking better treatment, ketamine could be a “really important thing to consider for depression,” said Gerstner
“If they’re suffering with depression and feel like they’re not getting what they need, and they haven’t had a discussion about ketamine, it’s OK to ask [their provider] about it,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan requesting additional comment on the research.
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A new test could make it easier to detect high-risk prostate cancer cases earlier.
The blood test, called Stockholm3, is showing promise in clinical trials, beating out the traditional, standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden studied the test’s efficacy in more than 12,000 men — mostly Swedish or European — aged 50 to 74.
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All participants were tested with PSA and Stockholm3 and were followed for two years. During the follow-up period, 443 men were diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests. (iStock)
Stockholm3 missed “significantly fewer” serious cancer cases than PSA. The number of men incorrectly classified as high-risk was similar across both tests, according to a press release.
Thorgerdur Palsdottir, a researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, wrote in a statement that one of the major challenges in prostate cancer is being able to identify the cases that are “truly dangerous.”
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“Our results show that Stockholm3 identifies significantly more aggressive cancer cases than PSA without increasing the number of unnecessary follow-ups,” she said.
“These results point toward a potential change in how prostate cancer screening can be conducted,” the researcher added. “A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures.”
“A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures,” a researcher commented. (iStock)
Study co-author Hari Vigneswaran, chief medical officer of Stockholm3-maker A3P Biomedical, commented on these “promising” findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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He confirmed that the PSA has been the standard for prostate cancer screening since the 1990s despite its “well-documented limitations.”
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“It leads to invasive and costly follow-up testing, contributes to over-diagnosis of non-aggressive cancers and, most importantly, it misses a substantial share of aggressive disease,” Vigneswaran said.
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival is close to 100%. (iStock)
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival rate is close to 100%, which highlights the importance of early detection, according to the doctor.
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Data from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database show that metastatic prostate cancer has risen over the past decade, suggesting that “we have not improved early detection of the aggressive, curable disease that screening is meant to catch,” Vigneswaran said.
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“The goal of screening is to find the cancers that need treatment while they are still curable, without raising the number of men who screen positive but don’t have aggressive disease,” he said.
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher. (Getty Images)
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher.
The findings did have some limitations. Stockholm3 is an investigational device and is not available for sale in the U.S., Vigneswaran noted.
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The test estimates a man’s risk of aggressive prostate cancer, but a biopsy remains the gold standard for confirming the disease.
The company plans to seek FDA approval to use the test for routine screening and will “generate the evidence needed to support that pathway, including U.S. data,” Vigneswaran said.
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Scientists have linked eating leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli to better lung health.
There are two primary forms of vitamin K found in foods. The primary kind is vitamin K1, found mainly in vegetables, which plays a major role in the body’s blood-clotting process.
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Vitamin K2 is found in fermented foods, certain dairy products, eggs and meats and helps regulate calcium in the body and supports bone health.
Researchers at Australia’s Edith Cowan University examined whether dietary intake of vitamins K1 and K2 was associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung function.
Leafy green vegetables are high in vitamin K1, a nutrient that researchers have observed conributes to improved lung health. (iStock)
“Chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, are among the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases worldwide and were the third leading cause of death in 2019, accounting for 4 million deaths and affecting 454.6 million individuals globally,” the scientists reported in the introduction to their study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Although asthma and COPD can be managed with available treatments, neither condition is curable, underscoring the need for effective prevention strategies,” they added.
The leading cause of COPD is smoking, the Mayo Clinic reported. Exposure to other irritants, such as dust, chemicals and pollution, can also cause it.
The researchers analyzed data from 179,062 participants over a 10-and-a-half-year period and concluded that, “Higher dietary vitamin K1 intake was associated with better lung function and a lower rate of COPD.”
Researchers found that people who increased their vitamin K1 intake were less likely to develop COPD. (iStock)
Participants who consumed the most vitamin K1 had a 16% lower likelihood of COPD, the researchers observed. The effects were more pronounced in smokers and participants with high-risk occupations.
Consumption of vitamin K2 did not result in lower COPD rates.
“No association was observed for vitamin K1 or vitamin K2 intakes and asthma,” the researchers also wrote.
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Associate Professor Marc Sim, who was involved in the study, said that it’s likely Vitamin K activates a protein that may help keep lung tissue flexible and prevent damage.
Because the study was observational, it cannot prove that vitamin K1 directly reduces COPD risk, only that higher intake was associated with better lung health.
Researchers have associated higher consumption of leafy green vegetables with better lung function. (iStock)
Just one extra serving of leafy greens “is an achievable way to boost your vitamin K1 intake,” said Chengfeng Li, one of the study’s researchers.
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Other foods rich in vitamin K1 include collard greens, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts and turnip greens.
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