Ketamine Therapy

Ketamine Therapy and Holistic Healing at Avid

At Avid Sports Medicine, we understand that pain isn’t just physical; it’s mental and emotional too. Our approach blends both aspects of healing, addressing the whole person. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or managing a mental health condition, we provide a comprehensive treatment plan that takes into account how physical and mental pain are deeply connected. Our ketamine therapy complements this philosophy by offering relief for those dealing with both the mental burden of pain and the physical toll it takes on the body.

What is Ketamine Therapy?

Ketamine is a well-researched medication initially developed for surgical anesthesia. Today, it’s repurposed as an innovative treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain. Scientifically, ketamine acts by increasing neuroplasticity, promoting the brain’s ability to form new neural pathways, particularly in areas responsible for mood and pain perception. This helps relieve symptoms much faster than traditional medications, often providing relief within hours or days.

Conditions Treated with Ketamine Therapy

1. Treatment-Resistant Depression

  • Impact: Severe depression unresponsive to standard therapies can feel debilitating, making daily life a struggle.
  • How Ketamine Helps: Ketamine targets the brain’s glutamate system, fostering rapid neuroplasticity and breaking persistent depressive cycles. Most patients notice improvements after just a few treatments.

2. Anxiety Disorders

  • Impact: Chronic anxiety can lead to restlessness, worry, and a diminished quality of life.
  • How Ketamine Helps: By altering how the brain processes fear and anxiety, ketamine helps recalibrate the brain’s responses, providing quick and lasting relief.

3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Impact: PTSD can leave individuals trapped in a cycle of reliving traumatic events.
  • How Ketamine Helps: Ketamine helps reduce the brain’s overactive response to trauma by enhancing neural pathways related to emotional regulation.

4. Chronic Pain

  • Impact: Chronic pain disrupts life, making even simple tasks difficult and exhausting.
  • How Ketamine Helps: Ketamine works as a powerful pain reliever by dampening pain signals and reducing inflammation in the brain and nervous system.

What to Expect During Treatment

Ketamine therapy at Avid is administered over a series of six in-person sessions, typically spaced out over six weeks. Each session lasts 45-60 minutes, followed by a short recovery period. Patients often experience relief early in the process, with many seeing lasting benefits after the full treatment course.
Young smiling slim woman ketamine therapy

Benefits of Ketamine Therapy

Rapid Relief

Improvements are often seen within hours.

Long-Lasting Effects

Benefits may persist long after the treatment course is completed.

Minimal Side Effects

Generally well-tolerated with minimal short-term side effects.

Personalized Care

Treatment plans are tailored to each individual’s unique condition and needs.

Why Choose Avid?

At Avid Sports Medicine, your treatment is more than just a clinical experience—it’s a carefully crafted journey. Our in-person ketamine sessions take place in a serene, supportive environment designed to ensure your comfort. From the moment you walk in, our compassionate team provides the care and attention needed to make your healing as effective as possible. We believe that every patient deserves personalized attention, which is why we customize each treatment to fit your unique situation, creating a truly transformational medical experience.

Ready to start your journey?

Ketamine therapy in San Francisco may be the breakthrough you’ve been searching for. Contact Avid today to schedule a free consultation and take the first step toward reclaiming your life.

Avid Sports Medicine Physicians

Dr. Veronica Jow, MD
Sports Medicine Physician

Dr. Jow is the founder and operator of Avid Sports Medicine. She created Avid as a space where patients could receive care for ALL aspects of movement-related injury under one roof. 

Dr. Jow is a medical doctor who holds board certifications in Internal Medicine and Sports Medicine. While practicing sports medicine for the past 10 years in the Bay Area, she has taken care of the complete range of patients, from elite athletes, as the Associate Team Physician at UC Berkeley, to underserved patients, as a sports medicine specialist in Kaiser Richmond. Whatever the population, she strives to empower patients to recover through empathy, education, and partnership.

Read Dr. Jow’s full bio ›

Our other specialties

Athletic Training

Athletic Trainers are certified healthcare professional who specialize in sports medicine.

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    Physical Therapy

    Physical Therapists are movement experts who help people improve and maintain function and achieve goals.  

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    Chiropractic

    Chiropractors are healthcare practitioners with specific training in the musculoskeletal system, the combination of our bones, muscles and joints.

    Learn more ›

    Sports Massage

    Sports Massage is targeted bodywork and manual manipulation with the specific goal of improving athletic function.

    Learn more ›

    Dr. Jow is one of the best doctors I’ve ever come across. Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable, but she listens deeply and engages you. She treats you like you’re strong and capable and you feel like you’re in the recovery process together. She knows everything there is to know about medicine, but she respects that you know your sport and your body. And you feel that. “
    Sam C.

    Full shot woman stretchig legs ketamine therapy

    Ketamine Therapy
    in San Francisco

    Avid Sports Medicine offers ketamine therapy to neighborhoods in San Francisco, East Bay, North Bay, South Bay, and The Peninsula.

    Whether you’re an Avid or aspiring runner, dancer, cyclist, yogi, swimmer… We empower you to either keep moving or start moving the way you want to.

    Harmstring 1 - Dowel Hip Hinge

    Harmstring 2 - Supine Nerve Glide

    Harmstring 3 - Single Leg Runner's Balance

    Harmstring 4 - Standing Hamstring Curls

    Harmstring 5 - Eccentric Hamstring Curls

    Neck 1 - Chin Tuck

    Neck 2 - Neck CARS Standing

    Neck 3 - SCM Release

    Neck 4 - Levator Stretch

    Knee 1 - Seated Knee CARs

    Knee 2 - Eccentric Quad Extension

    Knee 3 - Kneeling Knee Flexion Isometrics

    Knee 4 - Lunge Slider

    1 - Ankle CARS

    2 - Double Leg Heel Raises

    3 - Heel Raise with Squeeze

    4 - Great Toe CARs

    5 - Running Balance

    Hip 1 - Stretch

    Hip 2 - Side Lying CARs

    Hip 3 - 90_90 Stretch

    Elbow 1 - Elbow CARs

    Elbow 2 - Eccentric Wrist Flexion

    Elbow 3 - Eccentric Wrist Extension

    Elbow 4 - Wrist Flexion Extension

    Elbow 5 - Prayer Wrist Flexion Stretch

    Elbow 6 - Wrist Extension Stretch

    Shoulder 1 - Shoulder CARs

    Shoulder 2 - Scapular CARs

    Shoulder 3 - Swimmer Hovers

    Shoulder 4 - Reactive iso IR

    Shoulder 5 - Reactive iso ER

    Back 1 - Loaded Spinal CARs

    Back 2 - Quadruped Spinal Flexion and Extension

    Back 3 - Anti Rotation Press

    Back 4 - Pelvic tilts with internal rotation

    Hip 1 - Stretch

    Hip 2 - Side Lying CARs

    Hip 3 - 90_90 Stretch