The people behind a new health clinic in Kelowna are tackling mental health issues while battling a public perception problem at the same time.
There are a lot of negative, preconceived notions when it comes to psychedelic drugs, but EntheoMed CEO Fraser Johnston says the benefits for patients tell a different story.
“There’s a lot of stigma that surrounds these kinds of medications because of what happened in the 60’s,” said Johnston.
“People were taking them without the correct education, support, or safety.”
At the EntheoMed clinic at Gordon and Lawson, a typical patient will be given injections of Ketamine as part of their treatment.
The drug is approved as an anesthetic, but in this setting, it’s considered an “off-label” use.
To qualify, a patient needs a referral from a psychiatrist or family doctor.
“Every patient does a physical and a psychiatric screening to make sure that they are suitable and safe for treatment,” Johnston explained.
“Every patient receives education and also pre-treatment therapy to help them prepare for that experience.”
The clinic is not a dispensary.
“They do their treatment in-clinic with supervision, so we have a doctor and a nurse present and also a psychiatrist in the building.
And then within 48 hours after their treatment, they’ll see that counsellor again,” he said.
Psilocybin (magic mushrooms) are sometimes used at the clinic, but that requires a separate application to Health Canada for each treatment and only patients with severe difficulties are approved.
“So we’re talking end-of-life distress, severe PTSD or severe treatment-resistant depression,” explained Johnston.
He is hoping that Health Canada will relax its restrictions on Psilocybin and other hallucinogens in the future as the positive results for patients demonstrate how well they work.
“Psilocybin and MDMA I believe will be the two other therapeutic molecules that will be coming through.”
One drawback is that a single treatment costs about $1300 and they are not covered by MSP or most health plans.
“We have had some cases where insurance providers have covered the therapy portion of the treatment, but that’s an ongoing battle for us,” said Johnston.
Changing public perception of this kind of treatment isn’t always easy, but it’s happening.
The local Chamber of Commerce recently surprised EntheoMed with an award.
“The Chamber is usually a little more traditional, so it was really cool to see them accept a business like ours,” said Johnston.
He’s confident that successfully treating patients will lead to greater and greater public acceptance.
“It will be the data that will win out in the long run.”
EntheoMed is located at Centuria Plaza, at the corner of Gordon Dr. and Lawson Ave.
