Metabolic Psychiatry & Integrative Mental Health

Metabolic psychiatry is an emerging field that examines the relationship between metabolic function and mental health.

Factors such as insulin resistance, hormonal function, gut health, inflammation, nutrition, and energy metabolism may influence brain function, mood, attention, and emotional regulation.

At Marathon Wellness, we explore these connections through personalized clinical assessments and evidence-informed interventions.

Our goal is not simply to address symptoms, but to better understand the biological, lifestyle, and environmental factors that may influence mental health.

What Is Metabolic Psychiatry?

Mental health is not just about the mind. Increasing evidence highlights the important connections between brain function, metabolic health, nutrition, inflammation, hormones, sleep, and emotional well-being.

At Marathon Wellness, we integrate emerging insights from metabolic psychiatry, nutritional psychiatry, functional medicine, and lifestyle medicine to take a broader look at the biological and environmental factors that may contribute to mental health challenges.

Led by triple board-certified physician Rachel Kermen, MD, our personalized approach is designed to complement conventional mental health treatment while helping individuals identify potentially modifiable contributors to their symptoms.

Mental Health Concerns We Address

• Depression and low mood: Exploring nutritional, metabolic, hormonal, and lifestyle factors that may contribute to depressive symptoms.

• Anxiety and chronic stress: Supporting nervous system regulation, stress resilience, and overall emotional well-being.

• ADHD and attention difficulties: Evaluating factors that may affect attention, executive function, motivation, and emotional regulation.

• Cognitive fatigue and brain fog: Identifying potentially modifiable contributors to reduced mental clarity and cognitive performance.

• Sleep and mood disturbances: Addressing the relationship between sleep quality, circadian rhythms, and mental wellness.

• Perimenopausal mental health changes: Exploring the interaction between hormonal transitions, sleep, mood, and cognitive symptoms.

Our approach may also support individuals who have experienced an incomplete response to conventional treatment and are interested in complementary strategies.

Our integrative mental health services may benefit individuals experiencing:

Looking Beyond Symptoms: A Root-Cause Approach

Mental health symptoms are often influenced by multiple interacting factors.

Our comprehensive assessment may explore:

• Metabolic health: Blood glucose regulation, insulin resistance, lipid status, and cardiometabolic function.

• Nutritional status: Vitamin B12, folate, iron, vitamin D, B6, zinc, magnesium, omega fatty acids, and other nutrients when indicated.

• Hormonal influences: Thyroid function, reproductive hormone transitions, and other relevant endocrine factors.

• Inflammation and gut health: Potential associations between systemic inflammation, gastrointestinal health, and mental well-being.

• Genetic influences: Selected genomic and pharmacogenetic insights when clinically appropriate.

• Sleep and stress physiology: Sleep patterns, circadian rhythm, chronic stress, and autonomic regulation.

• Lifestyle and environmental factors: Nutrition, physical activity, substance exposures, relationships, and everyday stressors.

Advanced laboratory and genetic testing is individualized and is not required for every patient.

Personalized Integrative Mental Health Strategies

Based on your clinical history, testing, and goals, we develop a personalized care plan that may incorporate:

• Nutritional psychiatry and individualized dietary recommendations.

• Metabolic health and blood glucose optimization.

• Evaluation and correction of identified nutritional deficiencies.

• Targeted supplementation when clinically appropriate.

• Exercise and lifestyle medicine.

• Sleep optimization.

• Mindfulness, breathwork, and stress-management techniques.

• Vagal regulation and other mind-body strategies.

• Longitudinal monitoring of symptoms and relevant health measures.

For selected patients, specialized nutritional approaches, including ketogenic metabolic therapy, may be discussed when appropriate, with attention to the current evidence and necessary clinical supervision.

Our recommendations are designed to work alongside, rather than replace, conventional psychiatric medications, psychotherapy, or other established mental health treatments.

Why Choose Marathon Wellness?

Rachel Kermen, MD, brings together extensive experience in neurologic care with advanced training in integrative medicine, lifestyle medicine, nutritional approaches, and metabolic mental health.

As a triple board-certified physician, she approaches mental and brain health through a comprehensive medical framework.

Our multidisciplinary team includes an experienced functional medicine nutritionist and health coach who help translate individualized recommendations into practical, sustainable lifestyle changes.

We offer virtual physician-led laboratory consultation visits and comprehensive membership programs designed to provide personalized care over time.

Explore a More Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health

If you are interested in understanding how nutrition, metabolic health, genetics, and lifestyle factors may influence your emotional and cognitive well-being, we invite you to connect with Marathon Wellness.

Schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call to explore whether our integrative mental health services are a good fit for your needs.

Metabolic psychiatry is an emerging field, and evidence supporting individual interventions varies. Our services complement conventional psychiatric and psychological care and do not replace urgent or specialized mental health treatment.