CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — The treatment of mental health disorders is a difficult undertaking, but emerging science offers new hope. Desert Sands Ketamine Treatment Center brings an innovative and highly effective option to those suffering in silence.
Desert Sands Ketamine welcomes patients living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, many of whom have already tried the pharmaceutical approach without lasting success.
“There’s a huge need in Southern Utah,” owner Dr. Eric Evans said. “I just want to help as many people as I can.”
Understanding ketamine therapy
Desert Sands Ketamine administers ketamine in low doses via IV infusion. Although relatively new in treating mood disorders, ketamine has been used for sedation and pain relief by physicians around the world since the 1970s. On the therapeutic level, it works within an area of the brain called the amygdala, which plays a key role in regulating moods and emotions.
While antidepressants focus on boosting serotonin or dopamine levels, ketamine instead elevates a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Evans highlighted ongoing research at Yale University indicating that depression is caused by a shortage of this protein.
For many patients, ketamine lays the foundation to reshape detrimental thought and behavior patterns. With virtually no side effects and a success rate of 70% in clinical trials, Evans proclaims it a “wonder drug” for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health disorders.
The infusion process
Some clinics administer ketamine via intramuscular injection or nasal spray, but Desert Sands Ketamine only uses IV infusions for greater specificity and control during treatment. Infusions are always performed with supervision in a safe and comfortable clinical setting.
Ketamine infusions typically last about 40 minutes. During that time, the patient enters a dream-like state of altered reality. Evans said people frequently describe a feeling of being in touch with their inner self and the ability to gain powerful insight into deeply rooted emotional issues.
A physician-driven practice
Patients shouldn’t trust just any ketamine provider with their therapy, Evans said. Desert Sands Ketamine is recognized as the Best of Southern Utah, having won silver in the behavioral/mental health treatment category this year and gold for alternative therapies in 2021. The clinic offers a spa-like, comfortable healing environment with compassionate staff who are dedicated to helping patients achieve the best results possible.
Evans has administered ketamine to thousands of patients over his nearly 30-year career as a board-certified anesthesiologist. Before opening Desert Sands Ketamine, he spent 18 months researching the safety and addiction potential of using ketamine for mental health disorders and visiting other successful ketamine clinics across the country.
Real patients, real success
John C.’s journey with depression has covered over 40 years of ruts, ditches and close calls. He found medications that helped, but their long-term side effects took a toll and eventually allowed the darkness to return. He reached out to Desert Sands Ketamine in hopes of recovering from an extended series of lows.
“From the very first infusion, I had a ‘wow’ experience that for the first time lifted me off the dregs, and I felt genuinely happy afterwards,” he said. “(The staff) have made my experience with Desert Sands a worthwhile investment in my future.
“About my third treatment, I stopped having anxiety and panic attacks and my depression is so significantly improved that I really feel like my old self,” another patient, Teresa J., said. “I’ve started doing things I enjoy again, I’m getting out of my house, I’m taking care of myself again, and I’m ready to move on from being stuck in trauma from the past and into the next, better phase of my life. … I am eternally grateful.”
Evans created Desert Sands Ketamine to help patients get back to living a passionate, rewarding and productive life as quickly as possible. The clinic provides support systems to improve all aspects of well-being, including dietary guidance, meditation, massage therapy, relationship counseling and talk therapy.
“Every person has such a unique story and set of issues that they’re dealing with,” he said. “We try to use a complete approach to each patient.”
For more information or to schedule a free consultation, visit the Desert Sands Ketamine Treatment Center website or call 435-522-5190.
Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.
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Resources
- Desert Sands Ketamine Treatment Center | Address: 346 E. 600 South, St. George | Telephone: 435-522-5190 | Email: [email protected] | Website.
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