Ep. 391: The Silent Epidemic Contributing to Mental Illness and How to Recover from Head Trauma with Dr. Kabran Chapek, ND from the Amen Clinics
Dr. Chapek is a true brain health warrior, a trail-blazing pioneer, an exceptionally brilliant physician, and expert in psychiatric care. He studied human biology at the University of Kansas and received his naturopathic medicine degree at the internationally renowned Bastyr University. Dr. Chapek has an extensive background in treating a wide range of mental health disorders. From 2007-2013, he began his clinical psychiatric experience as part of a multidisciplinary team in Edmunds, Washington. There he treated patients with severe mental illness and addiction issues in a partial hospital program. He later became their medical director before moving on to be a staff physician at the Amen Clinics. Currently, he serves as the Associate Medical Director at the prestigious Amen Clinics Northwest.
The Amen Clinics specialize in cutting-edge, research-based, psychiatric care with a mission to end the stigma of mental health by providing the best solutions for brain health. Their staff physicians provide personalized treatment plans based on comprehensive evaluations, clinical assessments, and laboratory testing. Unlike traditional psychiatry that rarely looks at the organ it treats, the Amen Clinics specialize in brain SPECT imaging, which measures blood flow and activity in the brain to diagnose and treat people’s brains more accurately. Currently, there are ten Amen Clinic locations across the U.S. They hold the world’s largest database of brain scans for psychiatry totaling more than 200,000 SPECT scans on patients from 155 countries.
Dr. Chapek provides his expertise in functional and integrative treatments and collaborates extensively with many of the Amen Clinics physicians. He has a special interest in the assessment and treatment of Alzheimer’s and dementia, traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Dr. Chapek was integral to the creation of the Amen Clinics Concussion Rescue Program and is the author of the Concussion Rescue: A Comprehensive Program to Heal Traumatic Brain Injury. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Chapek provides detailed, breakthrough, and empowering solutions on how to recover from brain injury.
Dr. Chapek is also a current board member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the founding president and current board member to the Psychiatric Association of Naturopathic Physicians, an affiliate group of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Through contributing to the creation of naturopathic mental health specialists, Dr. Chapek is extending his mission of providing integrative, compassionate, and patient-centered brain health care. With his fierce, kind, and authentic presence, he provides evidence that a healthy brain really does make for a better world. You can find Dr. Chapek at https://www.amenclinics.com/team/kabran-chapek-nd/.
Hi! I’m Sarah!
You deserve to live a healthy, happy life my friend. I’m here to help you find tools and information that help. I’m cheering you on. xo
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What You Will Learn:
The prevalence of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and mild TBIs and why they are the silent epidemic.
How Dr. Chapek became interested in mental health and what led him to want to specialize in healing injured brains.
How the Amen Clinics method of looking at the brain through SPECT imaging is revolutionizing brain health, destigmatizing mental illness, and optimizing treatment.
A story on the implications of discovering that a head trauma was the root cause of “depression”.
The primary and secondary pathological changes in brain function and structure that occur with a concussion.
How ongoing brain inflammation from a head injury can lead to more noticeable symptoms later in life.
How a certain antioxidant can be used immediately after a brain injury to prevent neuron cell death.
The patterns of brain dysfunction that are demonstrated on SPECT imaging to help diagnose a brain injury as being the root cause of mental or cognitive issues.
The “First Aid Kit” for your brain and how using this combination of supplements are imperative when there’s been a hit to the head.
How there’s hope for rehabilitating brains that have been damaged long-term, as evidenced by Amen Clinic’s NFL player study.
What essential oils high in sesquiterpenes can assist with preventing excess brain inflammation.
How essential oils support brain health.
Two supplement stars for preventing post-concussion symptoms.
How brain injury impacts hormones.
How contact sports impact brain health and hormones, especially in young brains.
Why corticosteroids and magnesium threonate may not be helpful right after a brain injury.
The role of melatonin for brain injury.
How the acronym BRIGHT MINDS can help one to optimize brain health and prevent dementia.
The role of the ketogenic diet after a brain injury and how it may not be the best for all brains in the long-term.
Dr. Chapek’s essential oils DIYs for diffusing oils in the car and preventing smelly feet.
Closing questions: (1) What Dr. Chapek does for self-care daily and (2) What he feels we should ditch and replace with instead for better health and self-care.
Dive deeper:
Links to Learn More About Dr. Kabran Chapek:
Book: Concussion Rescue: A Comprehensive Program to Heal Traumatic Brain Injury
Watch Dr. Chapek with Professional BMX Rider Tyler Fernengel Discussing Concussions
Links to Learn More About the Amen Clinics