The Neuregen Approach
Optimization-
Based Mental Health
& Brain Healing
Treating Symptoms leads to Relief...
Optimization leads to Transformation!
How Neuregen's Optimization Model for Mental Health & Brain Rehabilitation offers an Exciting Alternative for Recovery from Emotional, Psychological, and Neurologic Challenges:
In the context of brain- and mental health, symptom management and optimization refer to different approaches to care. It should be noted that neither is more noble or more valuable than the other, they just represent different targets for care, approaches and philosophies to mental healthcare.
In essence, symptom management seeks to bring someone back to a "normal" or a less distressed state, while optimization is value-based, striving for continual improvement in performance and mental- and brain health.
In essence, Symptom management focuses on reducing or alleviating distressing symptoms of mental health conditions or neurological issues, such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, or insomnia. The goal is to return a person to a sort of functional baseline, allowing the individual to cope with daily life. This approach often involves medications (e.g., antidepressants, anxiolytics), Psychotherapy (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy or EMDR), and Lifestyle interventions (e.g., sleep hygiene, stress management).
The Optimization approach goes beyond treating specific conditions to promoting a higher quality of life, potentially incorporating advanced techniques to detect subtle changes in function that might not be detected by “disease thresholds” in medicine.
The Optimization approach, on the other hand, goes beyond treating specific conditions, to promote a higher quality of life. This approach is aimed at enhancing overall brain and mental performance, moving people beyond symptom relief, through improvement in areas like cognitive function (memory, focus, problem-solving), emotional resilience, neuroplasticity and brain health (through brain stimulation) and peak mental performance (e.g., in productivity, creativity, mood stability).
It might be said that the Brain optimization approach promotes transformative changes at a cellular level, by promoting cellular changes, strengthening neural connections and enhancing brain function, and at a personal level, by improvements in mood, reduced symptoms of mental health challenges, enhanced cognitive function, better emotional regulation, and overall improvements in quality of life.
Harnessing the Relationship
between the
Brain & Mind.
The Process
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The ANS is crucial in regulating emotional & physiological responses to stress, and its dysfunction is often implicated in disorders like anxiety, panic, and depression. The ANS includes the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is responsible for the body's fight-or-flight response. In anxiety & panic disorders, for example overactivity of the SNS leads to symptoms like rapid heartbeat, sweating, and hyperventilation. This can compound emotional distress.
Neuregen’s neurologic assessment includes an in-depth, technology-assisted assessment of the ANS, which is linked to a series of cutting-edge, potential therapies that can be applied to directly treat ANS abnormalities.
Cognitive Function
Cognitive function refers to the brain's ability to process information, including memory, attention, problem-solving, and decision-making. Many brain networks govern both cognition and emotion. Mental health challenges like anxiety, panic, and depression are closely linked to disruptions in these brain systems, affecting cognitive functions. Furthermore, cognitive problems can worsen perceived symptoms of depression and anxiety. Neuregen's neurologic and integrative psychiatric assessment process assesses cognitive function independently and then links any detected abnormalities to specific therapies to improve problem areas.
Brain Network Connectivity
The brain operates through complex networks that coordinate different regions for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral regulation. Disruptions in the brain's structural and functional connectivity are associated with various mental health challenges, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Disruptions might be caused by injury, trauma, accelerated aging, and poor health. The symptoms of “connectivity problems” can range from poor regulation of emotions and attention, to altered threat processing and mood dysregulation. Neuregen’s neurologic assessment process is used to identify potential connectivity issues to inform a therapy plan to improve brain function in these networks.
Brain Energy
Metabolism
The brain's ability to properly generate and use energy (mainly from glucose and ketones) is fundamental to maintaining brain health. Impairments in brain metabolism have been suggested to contribute to a range of mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and even neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. While the brain is only about 2% of body weight, consumes around 20% of the body's total energy. When glucose metabolism is disrupted, neurons (brain cells) may struggle to function optimally, which can lead to cognitive and mood impairments, among other issues. Neuregen utilizes an integrative assessment process to identify opportunities to promote optimal brain energy metabolism to improve brain function.
Neurogenic Inflammation
Peripheral neurogenic inflammation refers to a common (but highly unappreciated) process where sensory nerves, especially nociceptors (pain receptors), release pro-inflammatory chemicals (neuropeptides), which are released in response to noxious stimuli, injury, or inflammation. This triggers ‘smoldering’ inflammation in nervous system and surrounding structures. This is believed to contribute to sensitization of pain pathways (incl. promotion of headache), emotional dysregulation (anxiety, insomnia), muscle activation issues, and disturbances in autonomic function. Neuregen’s initial assessment includes an consideration of neurogenic inflammation, linking findings with precision nerve treatments (incl., ultrasound-guided perineural injections).
Functional
Medical Factors
By taking a “whole-body system” approach, personalized treatments can be delivered to promote brain function and well-being, including optimizing nutrition, correcting hormonal or metabolic imbalances, correcting poor gut health, addressing toxin exposure, and improving nutrient intake and metabolism.
Develop Brain & Mental Health... for the Long Run
Recent evidence suggests that people can positively influence healthy brain aging through optimization practices. Our approach to mental health conditions is to aim beyond "feeling better" to building a brain that serves a rich, active, fulfilled performance and lifestyle.
Aim Beyond Symptoms... to the Level of Wellness & Life You Deserve!
Key Neurologic Assessments
A FREE, 15-minute call is conducted to determine whether our program is a good fit for you. This will be based on your current condition, what you've tried before, and your goals.
01 Intro Call
An extensive, brain-based assessment is conducted looking at multiple areas and functions of the brain to identify your unique brain state and opportunities (areas) for improvement.
02 Comprehensive Neurologic Assessment
A complete Integrative, Psychiatric (Mental Health) assessment is conducted to identify the presence of any diagnosable mental health conditions (and their severity), mental health manifestations of brain dysfunction, an opportunities to improve overall mental health status. This assessment includes emotional and motivational issues that may not necessarily qualify as 'mental health problems'.
03 Integrative Psychiatry Assessment
Based on the complete assessment process, a personalized program is designed, consisting of a combination of therapies designed to address target areas of brain function, metabolism, physiology, and psychology.
04 Personalized Program
Your personalized therapy program is delivered in a format that is determined by your needs, schedule, and preferences. Typically, these are conducted over short, intensive periods (e.g., 2 weeks, 4 weeks, or 5 days).
05 Intensive
Therapy Process
Based on the needs of the individual and unique factors of their case, a decision
is made whether follow-up care or supplemental therapy is indicated.
This may take the form of periodic Telemedicine, "Homework" (take home therapies), or follow-up appointments. Many clients don't need follow care.