Curious Integrative Wellness | Sept 2025

Nutritional & Metabolic Psychiatry

Katherine battled depression for nearly 20 years. Medications helped at times, but the fatigue, brain fog, and low motivation never fully lifted. At CIW, we looked deeper. Testing revealed blood sugar swings and key nutrient deficiencies silently driving her symptoms. Within three months of targeted nutrition, fasting support, and lifestyle strategies, she felt clear, calm, and energized.

This is the promise of nutritional and metabolic psychiatry within an integrative medicine model—healing the mind by supporting the whole body.

What Is Nutritional & Metabolic Psychiatry?

Short answer: It’s an integrative mental health approach that examines how metabolism, nutrition, inflammation, hormones, and mitochondria shape mood, cognition, and resilience.

We ask:

• Are blood sugar fluctuations fueling mood instability?
• Is inflammation driving anxiety or brain fog?
• Could B12, folate, vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, or iron deficiencies be worsening depression?
• Are mitochondrial or hormonal imbalances blocking resilience?

Emerging research links metabolic dysfunction (e.g., insulin resistance, chronic inflammation) with depression and related conditions (Bennett et al., 2023; Penninx et al., 2021). This model enhances standard care by addressing root causes—not replacing medications when they’re needed.

Why Metabolism Matters for Mental Health

• Metabolism ↔ Mood: Adults with type 2 diabetes are almost 2x as likely to experience depression (Anderson et al., 2001). Stabilizing blood sugar and reducing inflammation can improve emotional outcomes (Bennett et al., 2023).
• Nutrient Gaps Are Common: Over 30% of U.S. adults have deficiencies linked to mood and cognition (Mann et al., 2020). Correcting these can improve depressive symptoms and cognitive performance (Sarris et al., 2015).
• Beyond Symptom Relief: Our aim is functional healing—restoring systems so gains last.

Featured snippet target:
Top 3 ways metabolism impacts mental health

1. Blood sugar swings affect mood stability and energy.
2. Inflammation contributes to anxiety and brain fog.
3. Nutrient deficiencies worsen depression and fatigue.

CIW’s Whole-Person Care (Six Dimensions of Vitality)

Brain • Gut • Nervous System • Hormones • Heart • Spirit

 What Your Program Can Include

• Precision functional testing: nutrients, hormones, metabolic markers, gut health
• Targeted nutrition & supplementation: personalized to your biology
• Fasting & lifestyle medicine: circadian support, sleep, movement, recovery
• Therapeutic coaching & nervous-system tools: HRV, breathwork, tapping, stress recovery

This is mental wellness redefined—clarity, vitality, and resilience across the whole person.

Start Your Integrative Medicine Pathway

How it works:

1. Book a Discovery Session → brief consult with our integrative team
2. Receive Your Wellness Blueprint → labs + lifestyle + emotional profile
3. Begin Your Reset → nutrition, metabolic support, coaching, nervous-system tools
4. Track & Thrive → measurable progress (lab re-tests, HRV, symptom scores)

Join

• Integrative Medicine for Mental & Functional Wellness - Health & Wellness Solutions

Who We Serve

• Individuals seeking root-cause healing for anxiety, low mood, burnout, brain fog, gut/hormone issues.
• Providers looking to extend care with functional, nutritional, and lifestyle support.
• Organizations investing in workforce resilience, longevity, and performance.

FAQs

Q1: Is nutritional & metabolic psychiatry a replacement for medication?
A: No. It complements standard care. For many, combining metabolic and nutritional strategies with therapy/medication offers better outcomes (Bennett et al., 2023; Sarris et al., 2015).

Q2: How quickly will I see results?
A: Some notice shifts in 4–12 weeks as blood sugar, inflammation, sleep, and nutrient status improve. Timelines vary by history, adherence, and comorbidities.

Q3: What tests might I need?
A: We personalize, but commonly assess CMP, A1C, insulin, lipids, hs-CRP, thyroid and sex hormones as indicated, vitamin D, B12/folate, ferritin/iron, magnesium, zinc, and targeted GI/microbiome panels.

Q4: Can this help if I have anxiety, ADHD traits, or burnout?
A: Many clients report improved focus, calm, and energy when blood sugar, sleep, micronutrients, and autonomic balance are addressed—paired with coaching and nervous-system tools.

Q5: Do you work with my current clinician?
A: Yes. We collaborate with your prescriber/therapist and share results (with consent) to support integrated care.

Evidence & References (APA 7)

• Anderson, R. J., Freedland, K. E., Clouse, R. E., & Lustman, P. J. (2001). The prevalence of comorbid depression in adults with diabetes: A meta-analysis. Diabetes Care, 24(6), 1069–1078. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.24.6.1069
• Bennett, A., Bann, D., & Maddock, J. (2023). Metabolic dysregulation and common mental health disorders: A systematic review. Molecular Psychiatry, 28(2), 488–503. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01756-9
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2023). Chronic diseases in America. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease
• Mann, J., Truswell, S., & Willett, W. (2020). Nutritional deficiencies in developed countries: Prevalence and clinical impact. Annual Review of Nutrition, 40, 81–102. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-120919-095400
• Penninx, B. W., Milaneschi, Y., Lamers, F., & Vogelzangs, N. (2021). Understanding the somatic consequences of depression: Biological mechanisms and the role of depression subtype. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(1), 151–167. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00938-1
• Sarris, J., Logan, A. C., Akbaraly, T. N., Amminger, G. P., Balanzá-Martínez, V., Freeman, M. P., … Jacka, F. N. (2015). Nutritional medicine as mainstream in psychiatry. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(3), 271–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(14)00051-0