The FDA's approval of esketamine (which is a derivative of the anesthetic drug ketamine) for treatment of depression has been hailed as a ‘game changer’ in the treatment of major depressive disorders. The exact mechanism of action of this drug still remains mostly unknown. There has been a rush of theories mostly focused on the neurotransmitter glutamate. As a psychiatrist who has practiced and followed the research over the last three decades, I am unconvinced by this explanation and its reductionistic, pseudoscientific description.

Let’s face it:...

When a physician claims a holistic/ integrative approach to medical care, she usually faces either admiration or incredulity and disgust. I can attest to that from personal experience and my additional training by the integrative/holistic board.

The polarizing response is understandable. On one hand we have science deniers who look at all the life saving advances of evidence based/scientific medicine with suspicion, and use buzz words such as “holistic” as a way of discounting sound science. At the other extreme are the hard core positivists who regard any integration...