Ketamine Use and Misuse: Lessons from Matthew Perry’s Investigation
Synopsis: In this blog post, explore and understand ketamine therapy's safety through the lens of Matthew Perry's case, focusing on legal and responsible usage.
This blog is adapted from the transcript of our video: Ketamine Use and Misuse: Lessons from Matthew Perry’s Investigation.
Matthew Perry's Tragic Passing: A Catalyst for Discussion
Hey, it's Dr. Ko here from Reset Ketamine in Palm Springs, California, and I just wanted to take a moment to touch upon the tragic passing of Matthew Perry, as well as the recent updates from the news regarding the criminal investigation and charges against five individuals, including two doctors. I won't go into the details because it is a pending criminal investigation, but it is important to talk about ketamine in general.
Responsible Ketamine Administration: A Tale of Two Drivers
When I think about ketamine, there's different ways to approach the administration and use of ketamine. And so I'll give you an example. Let's take the metaphor of two drivers. Let's call them Anna and Billy, and they're going to drive the same car. But we have one driver, Anna, who is very responsible, who always wears her seatbelt, who goes the speed limit, who is quite responsible when she drives.
Billy, on the other hand, is a little bit reckless and he doesn't always drive the speed limit. Sometimes he passes someone without checking his blind spot in the mirror or turning his head, or sometimes he'll even drink and drive prior to driving.
As you can see from this example, these two drivers, although they're driving the same exact car, one can do it very responsibly and legally, and another driver can do it very irresponsibly and even illegally. With Anna, she's going to get safely from point A to point B. But Billy, he may not even make it to his destination or he might harm other people while he's driving under the influence.
Ketamine can be used safely and legally, or recklessly and irresponsibly. It’s all about the intention of how the medicine is used.
Upholding the Highest Standards in Ketamine Therapy
I use this analogy to illustrate the different uses of ketamine. It can be done very therapeutically and safely and legally or alternatively, it can be done in a reckless, irresponsible, illegal manner. It's the same exact tool but used with a different intention.
At our clinic in Reset Ketamine, we strive to do it with the utmost integrity, the gold standard with continuous vital sign monitoring to make sure it's perfectly safe for all of our patients. Now, when someone is using it alone and in very high doses in a hot tub with the illegal receiving of ketamine, that's a very different story.
And again, going back to this analogy of the drivers, it can be used therapeutically and safely and responsibly, or it can be used recklessly, irresponsibly, and illegally. So I want people to know that there is a clear distinction between those two. When you come to the clinic, it's going to be done in a safe and responsible way.
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In this blog post, explore and understand ketamine therapy's safety through the lens of Matthew Perry's case, focusing on legal and responsible usage.