About Dr. Mary Braud
Your Partner in Metabolic Psychiatry and Root-Cause Healing
For years, you may have been told that your depression, anxiety, or relentless fatigue is simply the result of a “chemical imbalance” in your brain, a problem that can only be managed by a lifetime of prescription adjustments. You have likely experienced the exhausting cycle of trying one medication after another, only to find that they numb your feelings or trade your symptoms for frustrating side effects like brain fog, weight gain, and chronic exhaustion.
You might be asking yourself, “Is this just my life now? Am I destined to just survive instead of truly living?”
I want you to know that your mental health symptoms are not separate from your physical body. They are your body’s warning signals, trying to tell you that something deeper is out of balance. When we look beneath the surface to address the root physical causes of brain dysfunction, true healing is not only possible, but it is within your reach.
My Journey
I became a physician because I genuinely believed I could help people heal. I trained at Louisiana State University Medical School, completed residencies in pediatrics and general psychiatry, and went on to specialize in child and adolescent psychiatry. For years, I worked in community mental health, sitting across from children, teenagers, and adults who were suffering deeply and trusting me to help them get better.
But the longer I practiced, the harder that trust became to hold.
I watched patients cycle through medications that dulled their symptoms without ever addressing the reasons behind them. I saw people gain weight, lose energy, and feel increasingly disconnected from themselves, all while being told this was the best medicine had to offer. I felt the weight of that alongside them. And I could not stop asking the question that conventional training had never prepared me to answer: why is this person struggling in the first place?
That question changed everything. In 2007, I began pursuing answers outside the conventional model. That search led me to the Institute for Functional Medicine, where I completed my certification in 2014. For the first time, I had a framework that matched what I had always believed: that the brain and the body are inseparable, and lasting mental health requires understanding both.
Today, my practice is built on that belief. I do not look at you as a diagnosis to be managed. I look at you as a whole person with a story, a biology, and a genuine capacity to heal. My role is not to “fix” you. It is to walk alongside you, help you understand what your body has been trying to tell you, and build a path of health for both your mind and your body.
Walking Alongside You
My approach is not just a clinical philosophy I teach, but a way of living that I embody every day. Since 2017, I have used a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic lifestyle to optimize my own health and energy. To ensure my patients receive the safest and most advanced guidance in metabolic therapies, I completed Dr. Georgia Ede’s intensive training program, Ketogenic Diets for Mental Health Clinician Training, in 2023.
When you work with me, you are partnering with someone who understands both the scientific complexity of metabolic psychiatry and the daily, practical reality of living it.
You do not have to settle for a life of simply managing symptoms. You do not have to keep dredging through quicksand, feeling like your life belongs to someone else. Let’s find the root cause of your symptoms together, so you can finally live your life on your terms, healthy, vibrant, and free.