Page 24 - FINAL San Diego Woman interactive

Women of Distinction

and what often happens is that caregivers in depressed brains. Previous treatments for
forget to take care of one person - themselves. depression and anxiety included a cocktail of
I set out to try to stop this from happening.” medications, many of which had frightening
Dr. Inamdar started her college education side effects.
in India, and then traveled to the US where she The success rate for TMS is significantly
earned her Ph.D and her MD at the University higher than that of medication. TMS has a 70-
of South Dakota School of Medicine. She is 75% success rate where medication success
a board-certified child, adolescent and adult rates are 30-40%. If you think about the reality
psychiatrist and founded Achieve Medical of these statistics, you can understand why
Center. She has over 20 years of expertise in TMS is a much better option than medication.
the diagnosis and management of psychiatric Dr. Inamdar explains, “If you take 80 milligrams
disorders. of Prozac, only a fraction reaches your brain,
“I guess I was always a nerd. We have this the rest is circulating through peripheral body
standing joke in our family because all of my parts affecting the liver, GI system and causes
three boys are very athletic. They are into weight gain, sexual side effects, sedation and
lacrosse, football, crew and basketball. So, sometimes just feelings like a zombie.”
they joke that mom’s sport is Scrabble, which I Their latest TMS treatment is their Nexstim,
guess is pretty nerdy, but I love it. My love for it which is an MRI guided neuro navigation
started back in school, where I was the spelling TMS. Achieve TMS is currently the only center
bee champion.” in Southern California with this technology.
An interesting fact that few people know Nexstim is used for major depressive disorders,
about Dr. Inamdar is that she has an adven- migraines and OCD, with many more indica-
turous side, way more exciting than scrabble, tions coming by early 2020, including smoking
“Yes, besides being a brain doctor, I always cessation and opioid addiction. A patient has a
wanted to be a race car driver growing up. I brain MRI first, which allows treatment to be as
Photos by Dawn Nicoli/Nicoli Productions guess this is more proof that we are always exact a process as possible since the proce-
dealing with nature vs. nurture. I was born dure is now based on your brain and not just
genetically wanting adventures, wanting to do a brain. I personally spoke with patients of Dr.
Dr. Shashita new things, wanting to push the boundaries. Inamdar and was thrilled to see the excite-
ment from those who had suffered for years
That has always been my thing.”
This fact is quite obvious when you con- with major depression, and anxiety and now
INAMDAR sider what Dr. Inamdar has done in her field of they were leading normal lives because of this
psychiatry. She has always been on the cutting
amazing procedure.
edge of technology. “Throughout my life when-
Dr. Inamdar opened her center focusing on
ever anyone told me I couldn’t do something; I TMS treatments, but her ultimate goal was to
ACHIEVING MEDICAL made a point of proving them wrong.” not only treat a patient’s psychological needs
Dr. Inamdar has certainly done that. She
EXCELLENCE opened Achieve TMS several years ago to help but to treat the entire person, which was the
impetus for Achieve. “There are so many tools
patients with psychological problems which available to us now, so we can be certain that
By Judith A. Habert were severely impacting their lives. TMS, or we are using the best course of treatment
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, is an FDA for every patient that we see. What we have
approved treatment for depression, anxiety, learned is that you have to get to know your
and OCD. It is a safe, localized, and non-inva- patients before you do anything for them, and
Dr. Shashita Inamdar grew up in a culture sive treatment that uses magnetic pulses that with the way current medical treatment is, a
of giving to others. Born in Mumbai India, her penetrate the cerebral cortex to help stimulate physician cannot do this. Corporate medical
Mom was a high school teacher and a huge the mood center of the brain. To understand centers limit the time a physician can spend
influence in her life. Her grandfather and great how TMS works in laymen’s terms Dr. Inamdar with each patient, and in that designated time,
grandfather also played a large part in forming explains, “Depression is like gridlock on the it is impossible to fully examine a patient from
who Dr. Inamdar would become. Her great freeway. Nothing moves and you’re stuck. TMS both a physical and mental standpoint. At
uncle was the police commissioner and they essentially opens up new lanes so that traffic Achieve Concierge our initial consultation is
were all big supporters of Mahatma Gandhi can move freely. TMS depolarizes neurons in generally between 75-90 minutes.”
and the Freedom Fighters, even going so far as the brain and revs up the production of neu- “Before a patient sets foot in our center, I
to donate most of their land and wealth to the rotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, have thoroughly reviewed all of their medical
movement. Dr. Inamdar grew up in a culture and norepinephrine through neural conduc- records. When patients come into Achieve,
of giving and a culture of community service, tion. As a result, you feel better, you sleep bet- they receive a full executive medical and
so it was not surprising that she would take a ter, and you are no longer stuck in darkness.” neuropsychiatric physical. If a patient needs
similar path in life. The actual procedure begins with each pa- a prescription renewed, we do it within 24
Dr. Inamdar knew that she wanted to go tient receiving an initial brain mapping so that hours. When they come in for their evaluation
into the medical field. “I always wanted to the mood center of the brain is precisely iden- appointment, they are seen by either me or
do something involving the brain. It was so tified and targeted. A cushioned helmet with one of our other Concierge MDs. Then we get
intriguing to me. There was another reason a magnetic coil is placed on the patient’s head a full comprehensive lab workup, as we realize
that played a part in my career choice as well. by a trained and certified technician. Magnetic that you cannot separate the brain from the
Over the years, I have had three close friends pulses are then directed into the mood center body. The labs may immediately reveal a solu-
commit suicide. They were doctors and medi- of the brain where they stimulate and depo- tion for the problems they are experiencing,
cal students. They were caregivers, all of them, larize cortical neurons that are underactive plus we need a baseline on each new patient,

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