Finding Light After Years of Darkness Spravato

by K. P. Tarbell

The course of healing is not necessarily a straight-line function. David Bogulavsky, M.D., knows this well. As an experienced and dedicated family physician and medical acupuncturist, his commitment to finding healing therapies for his patients has at times led him to search outside the lines for best options for care. His most recent therapeutic addition, Spravato®, has shown itself to be a godsend for his patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Dr. B, as he is known by his patients, shares, “Treatment-resistant depression is diagnosed when at least two or more medications have failed to control the symptoms of depression. A number of my patients had failed to respond to medications, therapy, TMS, and I was looking for an FDA approved, scientifically proven alternative that would finally bring about some relief. That is how I came across Spravato. There’s been a lot of research and publicity lately around the clinical use of psychedelics in treatment therapy and Spravato is the only medicine of that class that is approved by the FDA for clinical treatment of depression.” On the basis of strong clinical research Spravato is now covered by most health insurances including Medicare.

For many of Dr. B’s patients, the response to this therapy has been fairly robust. “I have seen Spravato be helpful for about 80%-90% of our patients,” states Dr. B. “What is important to appreciate is that

“Dr. B has an amazing way of communicating. I commute two hours to the center, and I go now once a week. I look forward to going to this place because it’s calming. The staff is amazing. They check in on you, you feel relaxed. All that I can tell you is, to be honest, that I feel I have my life back. And I feel myself. I’m a positive person. I’m just blessed. I thank God every single day to have found this treatment, to have found his medication. So, there is hope. That’s what I want people to know. There is hope and don’t be afraid to try anything new.”

– Glenis S.

“I have been a patient of Dr. B’s for a few years. They asked me if I’d like to try this new treatment, Spravato. It was several months before I decided to try it. Wow! The wellness room is so quiet and just a beautiful room. The first time I was nervous but the team talks you through it, letting you know what you might expect. Now I’m on maybe month three of treatment and I have to say that I feel almost myself. I just turned 53 and I haven’t felt good since I was 34. It’s now like watching my past trauma in a movie instead of reliving it. Whoever designed this treatment is incredible. It’s seriously a blessing.”

— Gayle G.

“I’ve had a lot of trauma in my life. I’d been in therapy for 20 years but nothing really allowed me to move on. A PA introduced me to Dr. B, and when I met him, I was very skeptical, and came in with an attitude. But Dr. B was just so kind that I went home I thinking this guy is for real. After checking with my psychiatrist, I decided to try the Spravato treatment. I went for the 10-week treatment. and I tell you it changed my life. Something just clicked. Not right away. I can’t even tell you like what session, it just happened. The only thing I can tell you is that I was able to now deal with things that I did not want to deal with before. I’m new person.”

– Joann B.

these are people who have not had success with multiple other interventions and so fall into the most hard to treat population. Their positive response to Spravato has offered them a lifeline, and for many of our patients, it has been life-changing and transformative.” Typically, antidepressants may take months to show improvement, however, with Spravato, results often begin to show in the first few weeks, sometimes even after the first few treatments. Research suggests that the treatment works by healing the section of brain called the association cortex, which is where new connections and different perspectives are made. Oftentimes, people with depression get stuck in a self-reinforcing mental loop of negative self-talk and expectations. This is especially true for those who have experienced trauma in their lives. Spravato can start breaking down that loop so the patients can look at their life stories from a different angle, and this helps them process the trauma and move past it. Patients who have a successful response also report “feeling themselves again” and express more positive emotions.

There are some patients for whom Spravato may not be an ideal option, such as those with severe uncontrolled hypertension. The most common side effects are sedation (feeling sleepy), hypertension (increased blood pressure), nausea (feeling queasy), and disassociation (feeling a disconnect from reality). These side effects are very rare and always pass before the patient completes their two-hour treatment

The medication is a self-administered nasal spray once or twice a week at a Certified Treatment Center while relaxing in a calm and Zenlike treatment area. Patients are required to stay for at least two hours following treatment and are never left alone. Dr. B’s incredible clinical team connects with every patient at each treatment to offer guidance, medical support, and medication adjustments if necessary. The patient is always safe and attended to. The administrative staff works tirelessly to get the insurance companies to cover this life-changing treatment for Dr. B’s patients.

With fewer than 20 centers for this type of treatment in New Jersey, it is not uncommon for patients to travel for this type of care. Spravato Treatment Centers of NJ is part of Premier MD—a core of family physicians that embrace complementary and alternative approaches to healing, from medical acupuncture to medical marijuana, and now Spravato/ esketamine. With centers in Bridgewater and Morristown, patients are welcomed from across New Jersey and neighboring states. Locations: 757 Rte 202-206, Ste. 104, Bridgewater, and 25 Linsley Dr., Ste. 312, Morristown. For more information, call 908-4507002 or email PatientQuestions@SpravatoNJ.com, and visit SpravatoNJ.com. See ad, page 2.

Solar Community Hubs

Nearly half of the world’s population has no access to the internet. Dell Technologies, in partnership with Computer Aid International, is addressing the gap for people that might benefit the most. They convert old shipping containers into customizable, solar-powered internet centers, called “solar community hubs”, that connect community members to the digital world. The hubs are well-lit, well-ventilated classrooms that use energy-efficient Dell technology and air-cooled servers. Each hub supports up to 40 people at a time and offers up to 20 users a wireless connection to learning materials.

The hubs provide digital skills to further education and open economic opportunities for the local community; allow micro and small enterprises to create jobs; and enable financial sustainability by offering services and products that go beyond education, such as telemedicine.

The first hub was placed in the Brazilian Amazon town of Boa Esperança in March 2022. Dell and the Foundation for Amazon Sustainability also installed equipment, including drones and environmental monitors, to track deforestation in the area. During the first week of March 2023, more than 200 alerts about tree loss were posted from Boa Esperança. Three hubs currently exist in Brazil and South Africa, and Dell will soon add two hubs in Egypt that are focused on career and life skills, as well as another in Australia, centered on preserving and protecting Aboriginal art and culture.

Repairing the Planet’s Lungs

The oceans, sometimes called the lungs of the Earth, have absorbed 30 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions since the Industrial Revolution and captured 90 percent of the related excess heat.

Seawater stores about 150 times more CO2 than air. Unfortunately, absorbing all that greenhouse gas has damaged sea life.

Engineers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a process to cleanse the seawater of CO2 so it can store greater amounts of greenhouse gases. The process sends an electric charge into seawater flowing through tanks on a barge. The charge sets off chemical reactions to trap the greenhouse gas into a solid mineral, which is then deposited on the ocean floor, completing the cleansing process.

The engineers expect to design larger facilities based on the data obtained from their test sites in Los Angeles and Singapore and have commercial sites removing millions of tons of CO2 per year by 2025. The UCLA scientists estimate that 1,800 facilities would be needed to capture 10 billion tons of atmospheric CO2 annually beginning in 2050, thereby limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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