Mental Health & ADHD — A Metabolic Approach

You've tried SSRIs, SNRIs, stimulants, therapy. Maybe they helped a little. Maybe they made things worse. Maybe you're still struggling, still searching for answers.

Here's what most psychiatrists and therapists miss: Your brain doesn't exist in isolation. It's connected to your gut (90% of serotonin is made there), your hormones (thyroid affects mood, cortisol affects anxiety), your immune system (inflammation causes depression), and your mitochondria (brain fog = energy crisis in neurons).

At Rooted Health Clinic, we practice metabolic psychiatry—treating mental health by addressing metabolism, inflammation, gut health, and nutrition first. Not instead of medication—alongside it, or sometimes replacing it entirely.

We don't replace your psychiatrist or therapist. We work alongside them—addressing the metabolic and physical root causes they're not trained to see.

What We Treat

Depression Not just "low serotonin." Depression is often driven by inflammation, gut dysfunction, thyroid problems, nutrient deficiencies, or mitochondrial dysfunction. We treat the cause.

Anxiety & Panic Attacks Not just "in your head." Anxiety is often caused by gut-brain axis dysfunction, blood sugar dysregulation, cortisol imbalances, magnesium deficiency, or histamine intolerance.

ADHD (Adult & Pediatric) Not just a dopamine problem. ADHD symptoms are worsened by gut dysfunction, food sensitivities, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar crashes, and sleep problems.

Brain Fog Not normal aging. Brain fog is caused by inflammation, thyroid dysfunction, gut issues, mold toxins, or nutrient deficiencies.

Bipolar Disorder Mood swings aren't just neurotransmitter imbalances. Metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, and mitochondrial problems worsen bipolar symptoms. We support conventional treatment with metabolic optimization.

OCD & Intrusive Thoughts Often driven by gut dysfunction (PANDAS/PANS), inflammation, or neurotransmitter imbalances. We treat the root cause.

PTSD & Trauma Trauma affects the body, not just the mind. HPA axis dysfunction, inflammation, and gut health all play a role in PTSD symptoms.

Our Approach: Treat the Metabolism, Heal the Brain

We start with what works—diet, gut healing, lifestyle—then add testing when needed.

Step 1: Start With Proven Metabolic Interventions

Ketogenic Diet — The Foundation of Metabolic Psychiatry This isn't a fad. Dr. Chris Palmer at Harvard has shown that ketogenic diets can treat depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD by:

• Stabilizing blood sugar (no crashes = no mood swings)

• Reducing brain inflammation

• Improving mitochondrial function (brain cells make more energy)• Increasing GABA (calming neurotransmitter)

• Stabilizing glutamate (excitatory neurotransmitter)

We guide you through implementing a therapeutic ketogenic diet tailored to your condition. For many patients, this alone produces dramatic improvement.

Gut Healing — Fix the Gut-Brain Axis 90% of serotonin is made in your gut. Dysbiosis (bad bacteria overgrowth), leaky gut, and gut inflammation directly affect mood, anxiety, and cognition.

We start with:

• Elimination diet (remove gluten, dairy, sugar for 4-6 weeks)

• Probiotics + prebiotics (restore healthy gut bacteria)

• Anti-inflammatory support (omega-3s, curcumin, vitamin D)

• Gut-healing nutrients (L-glutamine, zinc, collagen)

Many patients see anxiety, brain fog, and mood improve significantly just from healing the gut.

Blood Sugar Stabilization Blood sugar crashes cause anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, brain fog, and poor focus. We stabilize blood sugar with:

• Low-glycemic, high-protein meals

• Eliminate refined carbs and sugar

• Frequent small meals or intermittent fasting (depending on your metabolism)

Anti-Inflammatory Diet Chronic inflammation drives depression. We reduce inflammation with:

• Remove inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, sugar, seed oils)

• Increase omega-3s (fatty fish, fish oil supplements)

• Eat antioxidant-rich vegetables

• Curcumin, resveratrol, vitamin D

Mitochondrial Support Your brain uses 20% of your body's energy. When mitochondria fail, brain function declines. We support mitochondria with:

• CoQ10 (ubiquinol form for better absorption)

• L-Carnitine (helps mitochondria burn fat for fuel)

• NAD+ precursors (nicotinamide riboside or NMN)

• B-complex vitamins (especially B1, B2, B3 for energy production)

• Magnesium (critical for ATP production)

• Alpha-lipoic acid (mitochondrial antioxidant)

Targeted Supplementation Neurotransmitters require specific nutrients to function. We optimize:

• Omega-3 fatty acids (essential for depression, ADHD, anxiety)

• Magnesium (critical for anxiety, sleep, and focus)

• Methylfolate + methylB12 (active forms for neurotransmitter production)

• Vitamin D (therapeutic dosing if deficient)

• Zinc (especially for ADHD and immune function)

• SAMe (for depression and methylation support)

• L-theanine (for anxiety and focus)

• Ashwagandha (adaptogen for cortisol regulation)Hormone Optimization Mental health is deeply connected to hormones:

• Thyroid (low T3 causes depression, brain fog, anxiety)

• Cortisol (HPA axis dysfunction worsens anxiety, mood swings)

• Sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone affect mood)

We optimize hormones when dysfunction is present.

Sleep Restoration Poor sleep worsens every mental health condition. We address:

• Sleep hygiene (light exposure, screen time, caffeine timing)

• Melatonin production (optimize circadian rhythm)

• Magnesium, glycine, L-theanine for sleep quality

• Address cortisol timing (high cortisol at night prevents sleep)

Step 2: Test When Initial Protocols Don't Fully Resolve Symptoms

If you're significantly better but plateauing, or if symptoms suggest specific imbalances, we test strategically:

Inflammatory Markers:

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP), ESR — measures systemic inflammation

• Cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha) — if severe depression or treatment-resistant

Nutrient Panels:

• Vitamin D, B12, folate, magnesium, zinc, omega-3 index

• Homocysteine (methylation marker)

• Iron panel (ferritin, TIBC, serum iron)

Thyroid Function:

• Comprehensive panel: TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, antibodies

• Many people are hypothyroid with "normal" TSH

Hormone Testing:

• Cortisol patterns (4-point salivary cortisol to assess HPA axis)

• Sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA)

Gut Testing (if needed):

• Comprehensive stool test (GI-MAP or similar) — dysbiosis, infections, inflammation

• SIBO breath test — if bloating, anxiety, brain fog

• Food sensitivity testing — if elimination diet unclear

Mitochondrial Function:

• Organic Acids Test (OAT) — shows mitochondrial efficiency, nutrient deficiencies, neurotransmitter metabolites

MTHFR/Methylation:

• Genetic testing if family history of depression, poor response to SSRIs

Heavy Metals/Toxins:

• If exposure history or treatment-resistant symptoms

Testing is optional and only recommended when initial protocols don't fully resolve symptoms. Many patients improve dramatically without expensive testing.

What to Expect

First Visit (60-90 minutes)

We'll review your full history: symptoms, medications, what you've tried, family history, gut health, sleep, diet, stress. We'll discuss metabolic psychiatry, ketogenic diet, and create a personalized plan. You'll leave with clear action steps.Follow-Up Care

We see you regularly (every 2-4 weeks initially) to monitor progress and adjust protocols. Mental health recovery is a process—usually 2-3 months to see significant improvement, sometimes 4-6 months for full remission. But many patients notice changes within weeks.

Working With Your Current Providers

We coordinate with your psychiatrist, therapist, or primary care doctor. We don't recommend stopping medications without discussing with your prescribing provider first. Many patients are able to reduce or eliminate medications over time as metabolic health improves—but that's a gradual, supervised process.

Membership Model

We don't accept insurance because insurance doesn't pay for the time mental health patients need. Our Direct Primary Care membership gives you:

• Unlimited office visits — as often as needed

• Text/email access to Dr. Altman — questions don't wait for appointments

• Wholesale supplements — significant savings

• Affordable labs — through LabCorp direct billing

Membership Pricing:

• Pediatric (0-17): $185/month

• Adult (18-64): $245/month

• Senior (65+): $225/month

Testing and specialty treatments are additional, but you'll never be surprised—we discuss costs upfront.

Success Stories

"Keto changed everything." "I've had treatment-resistant depression for 15 years. Multiple SSRIs, therapy, nothing worked long-term. Dr. Altman put me on a ketogenic diet and within 6 weeks I felt better than I have in a decade. My psychiatrist was shocked. I'm still on a low dose of my antidepressant but I finally feel like myself again." — A.B., Temple, TX

"My son's ADHD is manageable now." "We removed gluten and dairy, started omega-3s and magnesium, focused on sleep. Within a month his focus improved dramatically. He's still on a low dose of stimulants but we reduced it by half. Dr. Altman gave us tools that actually work." — M.L., Salado, TX

"I'm not anxious all the time anymore." "Gut healing and blood sugar stabilization were game-changers. I didn't realize how much my diet was driving my anxiety. I'm off SSRIs now and feel better than I did on them." — K.S., Killeen, TX

FAQ

Do I need to stop my psychiatric medications? No. We work with your current medications and optimize metabolic health alongside them. Many patients are able to reduce medications over time, but that's a gradual, supervised process coordinated with your psychiatrist.

Will a ketogenic diet really help my depression/ADHD? Yes. The research from Harvard and other institutions shows remarkable results. It's not just weight loss—it's metabolic therapy for the brain. We guide you through implementation.Do I have to do an elimination diet? We strongly recommend it for 4-6 weeks. Food sensitivities and gut inflammation worsen mental health symptoms. Many patients see dramatic improvement from diet alone.

Can you treat children with ADHD? Yes. We use dietary interventions, supplementation, gut healing, and sleep optimization first. Many kids improve significantly without medication or with much lower doses. Our pediatric membership is $185/month.

How long until I feel better? Most patients notice improvement within 2-4 weeks. Significant improvement usually takes 2-3 months. Full remission or stability can take 4-6 months. Recovery is a process.

Do you prescribe psychiatric medications? No. We're a functional medicine clinic. We work alongside your psychiatrist or primary care doctor who manages psychiatric medications. We address the metabolic root causes.

What if I can't afford testing? We start with diet, lifestyle, and targeted supplements first. Testing is optional and only recommended when initial protocols don't fully resolve symptoms. Many patients improve dramatically without testing.

Will my insurance cover this? We don't accept insurance, but you can use HSA/FSA funds for membership and services. Our membership model exists so we can spend the time you need—insurance doesn't pay for 60-90 minute appointments.

Can I do this remotely? Yes, we offer telemedicine for Texas residents. Mental health care works well via video visits.

Ready to Treat the Root Cause?

You don't have to live like this. Mental health conditions are treatable when you address metabolism, inflammation, and gut health.

Schedule Your Consultation Call or text: 254-780-0023 Email: hello@elitefamilycare.sprucecare.com

Location: Rooted Health Clinic 1401 N Stagecoach Rd Salado, TX 76571

We serve patients in Salado, Temple, Killeen, Belton, Georgetown, Waco, and surrounding Central Texas communities.

This is metabolic psychiatry. This is how you heal your brain.