77: Dr. Achina Stein: transforming mental health with Functional Medicine psychiatry
Audio only version
Show Description
In this captivating online presentation from the IMMH 2023 conference, board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Achina Stein reveals how the intersection of functional medicine, gut restoration, and psychiatry can lead to lasting healing for depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. She explains why the journey takes dedication and time, why psychiatry provides an ideal setting, and why it’s worth the effort. She also delves into very concrete clinical advice on the basics of how to implement functional medicine psychiatry.
Dr. Achina Stein is a board-certified psychiatrist with over 25 years of clinical experience and serves as the Clinical Director of the Healing Depression Project. Also a certified practitioner with the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFMCP) and a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Stein was awarded the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Author of the best-seller What If It’s Not Depression, she explains how diet and lifestyle changes – including gut restoration and the 5R protocol – can significantly improve depression, anxiety, and mental health. In this comprehensive presentation, Dr. Stein reveals why standard psychiatric care often falls short by relying on a “silver bullet” approach, the limitations of medications, and why functional medicine offers a revolutionary path forward in psychiatry and mental health treatment.
In this episode, discover:
- Who benefits most from functional medicine and why it’s ideal for patients open to diet and lifestyle changes.
- Why functional medicine analyses food diaries, bowel movements, sleep patterns, exercise, toxin and mould exposure and physical exam/gait analysis in evaluations alongside more conventional psychiatric care.
- Why a diagnosis isn’t always needed for treatment, and why changes to diet and lifestyle can treat conditions before they fully manifest.
- The link between complex chronic illness and mental health symptoms.
- The intrinsic connection between depression and inflammation.
- Other often overlooked root causes of depression and anxiety, including certain medications (e.g., Chantix, Accutane), low cholesterol, low Omega-3, low Vitamin D, thyroid issues, lupus and other autoimmune conditions, and hypoglycemia.
- Why antidepressants may not always improve symptoms and the potential downsides of their use.
- The importance of addressing infections, toxins, oxidative stress, hormone imbalances, digestive issues, blood sugar levels, and circadian rhythm in treatment.
- The 5R protocol (Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, Rebalance) and its role in restoring gut health for better mental health.
- Insights from the Dr. Hyman Questionnaire on how chronic toxicity impacts mental health.
- Why the gut-brain axis is a crucial missing link in treating depression, the mental health risks of gut permeability (leaky gut), and the critical role of diet in maintaining gut and brain health.
- Ways to strengthen the gut-brain connection and increase BDNF levels through HIIT, fasting, and cold exposure for mental health benefits.
- The crucial role of exercise in detoxification.
- Top dietary recommendations for improving depression, anxiety and mental health, including foods to add (vegetables, eggs, beef, fish, quinoa, nuts, seeds, fermented foods) and foods to avoid (caffeine, sugar, dairy, gluten).
About Dr. Achina Stein
Dr. Stein graduated with High Honors from Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey with a BA in Biology specializing in Neural Science and Behavior in 1986. She received her Degree of Osteopathic Medicine from UMDNJ – School of Osteopathic Medicine* in 1990. She completed a medical internship and psychiatric residency affiliated with the medical school at Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Cherry Hill, NJ. She was the Chief Resident during her final year.
Since her training, she worked in the public sectors of mental health for over 25 years, 6 years of which were at East Bay Center in Barrington, RI as Medical Director. In 2008, she was given the Rhode Island Exemplary Psychiatrist Award by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and in 2009 was awarded the status of Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
She was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University from 2002 to 2013 ending when she left to work at Visions Healthcare in Dedham, MA at the largest functional medicine practice in the country at the time.
Dr. Stein moved her practice to Rhode Island when Visions Healthcare, unfortunately, had to close its doors in August 2015. Functional Mind LLC was born in 2016.
She is board-certified in both Psychiatry (1996, 2006, 2016) through the AOBNP and Integrative Holistic Medicine (2014) through the ABIHM. She became a certified practitioner of the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) in 2016 and is a Clinical Facilitator for the IFM. She was awarded the status of Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychiatrists in 2020. Medical students, physician assistants and nurses interested in functional medicine have completed elective rotations in the office.
Show Notes
Over the years, Dr. Stein has:
- Authored an International Amazon bestseller book, What If It’s Not Depression?: Your Guide to Finding Answers and Solutions and hosts a YouTube channel and podcast by the same name.
- Certified clinician by Georgia Ede MD for Ketogenic Diets for Mental Health
- Certified by the William Walsh Institute (author of Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain).
- Member of International Society of Environmentally Acquired Illnesses (ISEAI) with illnesses involving environmental exposure(s): mold illness and biotoxin illness, CIRS, Lyme disease and other chronic infections, heavy metals, toxic exposures, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS).
- Trained in EMDR and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).
- Provides interviews on podcasts, health summits and lectures internationally.
- Pioneered a unique approach to mental health making her a sought-after speaker on the conventional medicine stage (e.g., AOA and APA).