Synopsis: The sad truth is that most physicians in the U.S. aren’t too knowledgeable at helping a person detox and recover from a substance dependence (even doctors that work at MAT programs, medical detox facilities, and $10,000-per-day rehabs). Dr. Ken Starr of Ken Starr MD Wellness Group discusses this topic with host, Matt Finch, in this 152nd episode of the show.
To listen to Dr. Starr’s first interview on NAD+ and other biohacking protocols for detox and recovery, click here.
About Ken Starr, MD
Dr. Starr trained in emergency medicine and worked full time in the ER for almost 20 years.
- Around 2010, he relocated from Eugene, Oregon to California.
- It was around this time that he started to become more and more interested in addiction medicine.
- It soon became apparent to Dr. Starr that in his community there weren’t enough choices for people to get treatment for substance use disorders.
- When a friend of his in Portland told him he had been prescribing Suboxone in his psychiatric practice, Dr. Starr’s interest was piqued.
And when Dr. Starr’s older brother died from an overdose, it just became crystal clear that he needed to be focusing on drug and alcohol treatment.
Dr. Starr started doing Suboxone prescribing around 2011 to prevent people from overdosing and dying on heroin.
The Birth of Ken Starr MD Wellness Group
Later he teamed up with a woman he met that was a counselor, in recovery, and had experience with programming and running groups, and they created a company together with the goal of expanding services beyond simply prescribing Suboxone for opioid use disorder.
Ken Starr MD Wellness Group grew quickly because they were really the only people doing it in the area, they weren’t expensive, and they took great care of people.
And that’s how things started.
- Fast forward 9-10 years, and now they’re the largest drug and alcohol program in the county, and it’s possible that they’re the biggest in all of the three surrounding counties as well.
- They currently have a 4,000 square foot building, hundreds of patients, and a great reputation.
Over the years, Dr. Starr has become board certified in addiction medicine twice, he became a fellow in the American Board of Addiction Medicine, and their company got CARF-accredited and state licensed.
Dr. Starr got started with and continues to use the traditional treatment pathway, but several years ago their main focus became “Bio-Hacking Recovery,” giving people alternative treatments like NAD+ Therapy, IV Nutrient Therapy, as well as educating patients on nutrition, exercise, meditation, supplementation, and other alternative modalities for addiction recovery.
Clean Supplements
Dr. Starr has even taken the biochemical domain of recovery a step further by formulating a line of premium supplements called CLEAN, which can help patients accelerate recovery and feel their best faster.
- Click here to visit GetCleanSupplements.com, and Dr. Starr created a special coupon code for podcast listeners to save 10% off their entire order.
- Simply enter the coupon code Elevation while you’re checking out to get the discount.
Dr. Starr’s treatment facility is unique in this respect because there are not a lot of people doing what they’re doing.
There simply isn’t a lot of money in it, as the main way to make money is in residential treatment, which some people absolutely need, however, there is also a superabundance of people that do very well using outpatient or intensive outpatient treatment, which is what Ken Starr MD Wellness Group offers.
Here are some of the main topics discussed in this episode:
- Dr. Starr’s experience treating SUD patients before he was trained and board-certified in addiction
- Common stigma towards people with SUD coming from physicians
- Why doctors typically don’t know much about detoxing patients from drugs and alcohol
- Very limited training to doctors regarding addiction and withdrawal protocols
- The lack of board-certified addiction doctors in drug rehabs and MAT facilities
- The concept of repairing and rewiring the brain using natural therapies
- The dogma of “evidence-based-treatment-only” vs “results-based-treatment” and being open-minded
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Ken Starr MD Wellness Group on Social Media:
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