Interview with Dr. Kate Salama - A Women’s Health Integrative Psychiatrist in Denver, Colorado

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Kate Salama, an integrative psychiatrist practicing here in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Salama and I share similar views about how taking a holistic approach to health care is desperately needed in our modern, broken system. Functional medicine doctors and your Tendwell providers do a great job of treating the whole person to promote relief from chronic illness and improved well-being across many domains, physical as well as mental. But sometimes patients need a sharper and deeper focus on the mental and emotional aspects of health. In those cases your care team should include an integrative psychiatrist, like Dr. Salama.

I highly recommend Dr. Salama’s practice. You can find out more about her at her website: https://www.katesalama.com/. I know you will enjoy the interview.

Q1: Hi Dr. Salama, would you please tell me a little about the focus of your current psychiatry practice and why you have set your practice up in this way?

Sure! I have a reproductive psychiatry practice based in Denver, CO. Reproductive psychiatrists sit at the intersection of hormonal change and mood, and help women maintain wellness during reproductive transitions and periods of hormonal flux. In my practice, I commonly see women who have premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), are struggling with fertility or going through fertility treatment, are pregnant, postpartum, have experienced pregnancy loss or traumatic childbirth, or are going through perimenopause. Most of my patients see me regularly, anywhere from every 2 weeks to every 3 months. I also offer one time reproductive psychiatry consultations for women who have another long term provider, but are interested in expertise recommendations on how to prepare their mental health and medication regimen for pregnancy or postpartum. I have found that with the current set up of my practice, I am able to provide high touch care, which certainly leads to better outcomes for my patients.  

Q2: What led you to develop an interest in women’s health?

In medical school, I was fascinated by both OB/GYN and psychiatry. Ultimately, I chose psychiatry because I loved how much time I could spend with each patient, acting as witness to his/her joys, traumas, disappointments, fears. Also a surgical lifestyle was not for me. I started to see that pregnancy and postpartum were not necessarily protective periods for a woman’s mental health and so many women were desperately seeking out guidance on how to maintain wellness during periods of hormonal fluctuation. I did a rotation during medical school with a physician who had done residencies in both OB/GYN and psychiatry and was uniquely positioned to treat women at this intersection. I loved my time with her and the way she was able to act preventively through the pre-conception period and pregnancy to stave off mental health decompensation. Throughout my residency in NYC, I sought out as many opportunities as possible to learn more about women’s health and reproductive psychiatry, ultimately deciding to do a reproductive psychiatry fellowship after residency. This work has only become more meaningful since having my own kids.

Q3: How did you come to have an interest in integrative and functional medicine?

When I started my private practice, I felt limited by my conventional, academic training. Too many patients were not getting better, or were trading off improvement in mood for weight gain or sexual side effects.  I was also inspired by my Colorado patients, who were clearly looking for more than a prescription. I was pulled towards treatments that focus on the whole person and make use of lifestyle approaches, often combined with judicious use of prescription medication, to achieve optimal health. I completed the Institute of Functional Medicine’s Hormone Advanced Practice Module and I receive ongoing training and mentorship in integrative psychiatry through a psychiatrist in LA, so I am continuing to learn and hone my skills!

Q5: As a functional practitioner myself, I find that diet and modifiable lifestyle factors are the backbone of many integrative treatments. What types of recommendations are you sharing with clients who are considering a pregnancy? For those who are dealing with the ups and downs of perimenopause?

I help women preparing for pregnancy to optimize physical and emotional health. We can do this through nutrition modification, sleep support, elimination of toxins, and addition of supplements that improve egg quality. Women in the perinatal period naturally want to reduce burden of prescription medication. By adding in integrative support first and then peeling back medication, women are much more likely to maintain emotional stability. I think conventional medicine falls short during perimenopause, where women are dealing with physical and emotional chaos. There are so many great integrative interventions for hormone balancing- I have seen a lot of success with nutritional strategies, exercise modification, and supplement protocols. I also love helping women learn more about their menstrual cycles and identify physical and emotional patterns throughout the month. We then use this information to individualize cycle syncing strategies, which is the practice of adjusting diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits based on the phase of the cycle you are in. So much of the work is helping women to develop small habits that they can successfully maintain over time.

Q6: Have you always lived here in Denver? Where else has your practice and life taken you?

I am pretty new to Denver- I moved here in 2020 during COVID. I grew up in New Jersey and trained in New York City and then Boston before moving out west!

Q7: Will you share some things you do to keep yourself healthy?

Yes, moving out to Denver was definitely lifestyle informed. I love hiking, biking, getting into the mountains, and being in the sun! I have a regular yoga practice at home as well. I prioritize getting 8 hours of sleep every night, which makes a big difference for me in terms of mood and energy the next day.