Causes or Cures Dr. Martín Polanco on Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT for PTSD & More: Results & Risks
Psychedelics are in the spotlight. Some call them dangerous, others call them life-saving, and many believe they could reshape the future of mental health care. In this episode, Dr. Eeks talks with Martín Polanco MD, founder of The Mission Within Foundation and considered the most experienced ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT physician in North America. Over the past 25 years, he has treated more than 5,000 people — including over 1,300 veterans and special operators — giving him unmatched clinical credibility in a field often clouded by hype, controversy, and hope.
Dr. Polanco shares his perspective on why veterans and frontline workers struggling with overlapping mental health challenges — PTSD, addiction, depression, traumatic brain injury — are increasingly turning to these psychedelic medicines when conventional options fall short.
This episode covers:
- What ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT are, how they work in the brain, and what sets them apart from other psychedelics.
- Why mental health conditions rarely show up one at a time, and how these medicines may help with complex, co-occurring issues.
- How Dr. Polanco’s center guides people through treatment, integration, and long-term support — and why integration is just as important as the medicine itself.
- Results in veterans and first responders: what’s been seen, how long benefits last, and the factors that sustain recovery.
- The real risks, especially cardiac risks, and the safety protocols in place to minimize them.
- Misconceptions about psychedelic therapy and where skepticism is justified.
- The launch of the Mission Within Foundation, which has already raised over $2 million to provide psychedelic therapy scholarships for veterans and first responders.
- Why partnerships with institutions like UT Austin Dell Medical School are critical for building a scientific evidence base and wider acceptance.
- And finally: whether ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT are ready for mainstream mental health care, or if the science still needs to catch up.
This is a candid conversation about possibility, risk, and the urgent need for new tools in mental health.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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