What Is Ketamine Therapy? A Detailed Scientific Guide

What Is Ketamine Therapy? A Detailed Scientific Guide
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If you’ve seen signs for ketamine centers near you or noticed ads for at-home ketamine on social media, you’re probably aware that the psychedelic-like drug is gaining fame as a mental health treatment for certain conditions.

From its five-decade-long history and its potential health benefits, to risks and what to expect if you pursue treatment under your doctor’s guidance, here’s what you should know about ketamine therapy.

Definition of Ketamine Therapy

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic hallucinogen, meaning:

  • Dissociative You may feel disconnected from your own thoughts and feelings, those around you, and your environment.
  • Anesthetic It relieves pain.
  • Hallucinogen You may experience changes in consciousness.
Though ketamine, a Schedule 3 compound under the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) guidelines, is used legally in sedation in medical settings, it’s also used (and sometimes abused) illegally as a recreational drug.

 These two uses are both different from its psychiatric use, which requires a licensed provider to prescribe it as a treatment for a specific condition.
Ketamine therapy, or ketamine-assisted therapy, is a mental health treatment that uses low doses of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the Pacific Neuroscience Institute.

 This may or may not be combined with sessions with a mental health professional trained in ketamine-assisted therapy.
Unlike longer-term psychotherapy treatment, this form of therapy is often shorter and more focused on preparation, processing support during the ketamine session, and reflection after the session.

 A full course of treatment may only last a few weeks.
When low dosages of ketamine are given without therapy support, the approach is limited to a medication treatment regimen.

History of Ketamine Therapy

Ketamine use isn’t new. It started being used in medical care as an anesthetic in the 1970s after it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

At certain dosages, the substance sends people into a dissociative state, has temporary pain-halting properties, and it’s generally considered to be safe.

(Though there are always contraindications and other considerations. More on that below.)
Through clinical research over the decades, the use of ketamine has spread to include psychological treatment, most notably in treatment-resistant depression.

 Randomized controlled trials have found that 60 to 70 percent of people with treatment-resistant depression respond to ketamine.

In 2019, the FDA approved a new nasal spray medication called esketamine (Spravato), a nasal spray form of ketamine, to be used with an oral antidepressant for people with major depressive disorder (MDD) who have treatment-resistant depression.

This announcement outlined the first psychedelic-like drug to be approved for legal use; others, such as psilocybin (known as “magic mushrooms”) and MDMA, are granted a “breakthrough therapy” designation by the FDA to expedite research, but have not yet been approved for clinical use.

 In 2024, the FDA rejected the application for the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, but further studies will continue, and advocates hope that with better research, approval may eventually be granted.

In 2020, esketamine was also FDA-approved for use alongside an oral antidepressant to treat depressive symptoms in adults with MDD with acute suicidal ideation.

In January 2025, the FDA further expanded the indication of Spravato, approving it for use on its own (without an oral antidepressant) for adults with treatment-resistant depression.

In short, to date, only the esketamine form of ketamine is FDA approved for mental health conditions.

Other forms of ketamine, including oral, intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous ketamine, despite not being formally FDA approved, are now widely available through mental health facilities, ketamine centers, as well as online for at-home use — all of which require a doctor’s prescription. Home use of ketamine has exploded in consumer popularity, even though these forms are still not FDA approved.

 Currently, this means that ketamine, outside of esketamine FDA-approved use, is being used off-label. Insurance typically does not cover this form of ketamine treatment.

Potential Health Benefits of Microdosing Psychedelics

Early trials have pointed toward some benefits of psychedelic therapy.
Potential Health Benefits of Microdosing Psychedelics

How Ketamine Therapy Works

As a dissociative anesthetic, “ketamine works on the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain to inhibit the effects of a neurotransmitter called glutamate,” says Reid Robison, MD, a psychedelic psychiatrist and the chief clinical officer at Numinus, a company that offers psychedelic medicine, including ketamine therapy.

As Dr. Robison explains, this process is believed to allow neurons to form new connections and fire together in ways that create novel pathways in the brain, called brain plasticity or neuroplasticity.

 “In depression, the brain’s ability to make connections is impaired. Ketamine reboots this ability and wakes up the dormant, depressed brain pretty rapidly,” he says, in his clinical experience of treating patients.
Ketamine therapy may also help turn off a stressed-out state that the brain can get stuck in. The scientific term for this stressed-out state, Robison says, citing animal research, is lateral habenula burst activity.

 Ketamine was shown to suppress this activity in depressed rats and mice, thereby turning on reward centers linked to mood. “Ketamine [may] hit a reset button in the brain and help people feel quite a bit better rather quickly — even though a single dose doesn’t last forever,” he adds. More research is needed to better elucidate the mechanisms of how ketamine may fully work in humans.
There is evidence that one dose of ketamine can have an antidepressant effect for one week; follow-up IV infusions may last longer, from 18 to 19 days.

 A meta-analysis concluded that ketamine’s antidepressant effects may last longer — up to six weeks following treatment.

Because ketamine distribution for treatment, outside of the FDA-approved Spravato, does not have universally agreed-upon treatment protocols, each clinic or company has their own protocol for how many ketamine sessions are recommended and how follow-up sessions and maintenance doses are handled.

Along with new neural connections, the drug’s dissociative properties may lay the foundation for a perspective shift among people who use it. “As the medicine takes effect, you can have a feeling of being outside of your body or being connected with things beyond your limited sense of self,” says Robison. These can be positive feelings of peace and joy for many with mental health disorders.

But there is a second component to the treatment that is just as important as the medication: therapy.

Recent research has explored how ketamine-assisted psychotherapy may work, in that the drug might potentially support an opening emotionally and shifting of one’s perspective.

 This client-therapist relationship that develops with preparatory and subsequent integration therapy and ketamine sessions may then support adherence to additional sessions to the treatment plan and its overall effectiveness.

“We believe that the combination of medication and therapy is better,” says Robison. He describes ketamine as a bridge that can help take someone out of crisis so that they can successfully engage in therapy. “Think of ketamine as a therapy accelerator,” he says. In therapy, you can then talk to a mental health professional about your experience and what you learned.

Because of potentially enhanced brain plasticity from the drug, you may be better able to make changes to your thought patterns and lifestyle that ultimately move the needle toward improved mental health.

Types of Ketamine Therapy

There are various ways you can obtain ketamine-assisted therapy, including:

  • Esketamine (Spravato) The FDA-approved form of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, Spravato is a nasal spray given in a healthcare office.

  • Intravenous ketamine A ketamine infusion is given via an IV at a ketamine center or medical office.

     You may also have sessions with a psychotherapist to help you process the events.
  • In-office oral ketamine An oral tablet (often delivered sublingually) is given in a medical office, which may include medical supervision during treatment.

     Similar to IV ketamine, this is often offered alongside psychotherapy, which may also be called integration therapy.
  • At-home oral ketamine Ketamine tablets are shipped to one’s home via an online company after receiving a prescription from a healthcare provider.

     Virtual therapy may also be offered along with it.
  • Subcutaneous and intramuscular ketamine is injected either into the fatty tissue beneath the skin or deep into muscle tissue while under medical observation.

Possible Benefits of Ketamine Therapy

As the science surrounding ketamine therapy improves, so too the potential applications of the treatment. Here’s how it may alleviate certain health concerns, according to a sample of the research we found.

Treats Major Depressive Disorder or Treatment-Resistant Depression

Treatment-resistant depression is the FDA-approved use for esketamine (Spravato). When used for major depressive disorder, ketamine can decrease symptoms within 24 hours.

It may work for people who have treatment-resistant depression and who haven’t found relief with conventional treatment, such as antidepressants or psychotherapy. This doesn’t mean that depression is “cured” in a day, but it may help to rapidly lift the fog so patients can benefit from their current treatment regimen.
A meta-analysis concluded that for people with treatment-resistant depression, ketamine as a single dose wasn’t effective in reducing depressive symptoms after seven days, but it was when added to a person’s existing antidepressant treatment and when ketamine doses were repeated.

The researchers concluded that in patients with MDD, two to three weeks of ketamine treatments helped sustain the benefit of the initial dose, and people experienced significantly reduced depression severity compared with a placebo.
In another meta-analysis, ketamine was found to decrease depression in patients with treatment-resistant depression four hours after an infusion, peaking at 24 hours, and continued to have some effect at seven days later, though the researchers noted that more research is needed to understand the long-term effects.

May Help With Chronic PTSD

About 6 in 100 people will experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lives, most commonly war veterans or those who’ve experienced assault, abuse, accidents, or disasters.

PTSD can be notoriously difficult to treat, and in a brief report of a review and meta-analysis, the authors concluded that although there is potential for the use of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, the research is still limited at this time.

 Another review came to similar conclusions.

 Ketamine may work by helping people dissociate from unhealthy thought patterns, clearing space for deeper processing of trauma.

May Be Useful in Anxiety Disorders

Nearly 1 in 3 adults will have an anxiety disorder in their lives.

 Anxiety is an umbrella term for specific disorders such as social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, among others.
Though there is not as much research on the benefits of ketamine for anxiety, a small meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials that looked at various anxiety disorders (social anxiety disorder, PTSD, and obsessive-compulsive disorder) found that the treatment reduced anxiety scores compared to control groups in four of those trials (yet not for PTSD).

 People who received maintenance therapy with ketamine experienced the most sustained benefit.

May Treat Substance Use Disorders

Emerging research suggests that ketamine can be used to treat alcohol, cocaine, or opioid use disorder.

How? Ketamine treatment has been found to improve cravings, enhance one’s motivation to quit, and lessen withdrawal symptoms, according to researchers. Right now, however, more controlled studies with lengthier follow-up are needed to look at larger sample sizes and demographics of people, more controlled studies, and lengthier follow-up to assess the long-term effects of ketamine on substance use issues.

May Help Chronic Pain, Neurologic Conditions, and Palliative Care

Emerging research suggests that ketamine may be useful for chronic pain and neurologic conditions, though further research is needed in these areas.

In a small narrative review of experimental protocols, some patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) who received subanesthetic infusions of ketamine for several days had significant to total pain relief that lasted one to three months.

 A systematic review suggested that subanesthetic ketamine may be a better option than opioids, a more common pain treatment approach, to treat sickle cell patients in sickle crisis.

A small review of three case reports suggests that ketamine improved symptoms in those with dementia and behavioral disturbances like catatonia, agitation, and treatment-resistant depression, though more research is still needed to confirm these findings.

In a small retroactive analysis of eight patients in palliative care in Germany who received an intravenous infusion of S-ketamine, researchers found they had significantly less anxiety in the days afterward compared with to the control group.

 Furthermore, a recent narrative review of nine studies and 12 published case reports, some of which were about patients in palliative care, found positive results when using ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to help with mental health symptoms in patients with serious medical illness.

More research is ongoing, especially in ketamine's use for existential distress.

Ketamine Therapy Safety and Side Effects

For people with the certain mental health concerns mentioned above, ketamine therapy is generally considered safe and effective when practiced under the care of a licensed therapist or doctor.

One recent systematic review and meta-analysis that looked at 36 studies on ketamine and esketamine concluded that both drug forms are effective and safe for people with depression.

 More research, however, needs to be done on the long-term safety of ketamine, the authors noted, and more research should be done on the efficacy of at-home versus in-clinic treatments.
Certain side effects are more likely with ketamine treatment. These are typically mild, short-lived, and usually don’t need to be treated, though they’re good to be aware of. They include:

  • Dissociation
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
It’s important to note that there is increased risk of lower urinary tract symptoms with esketamine and ketamine. However, bladder issues are uncommon at low doses used in esketamine treatments or ketamine assisted therapy.

Cases of cognitive impairment have occurred with high doses of ketamine, yet these were not seen in the clinical trials at typical doses.

And additionally, per Spravato’s website, other side effects may include.

  • Sedation
  • Anxiousness
  • Dizziness
  • Feeling very happy or excited
  • Lack of energy
  • Feeling drunk
  • Numbness
Furthermore, some health conditions may make you ineligible for ketamine use.

  • History of heart problems Ketamine can increase blood pressure, making it potentially dangerous if you have uncontrolled hypertension or a history of heart attack, aneurysm, or aortic dissection.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding It’s not known if ketamine can be passed through breast milk.
  • History of schizophrenia Ketamine can trigger symptoms of schizophrenia.
  • History of bipolar depression There are case reports of ketamine inducing mania.

  • History of liver or kidney disease Some research has found risk of renal function decline in people who chronically abuse ketamine; other case reports show potential injury to the liver.

In addition, never use ketamine if you have been drinking alcohol, as this combination can be fatal.

It’s important to receive clearance from your physician before you use ketamine. If, for example, you have uncontrolled hypertension, develop a plan with your doctor to manage your blood pressure before you seek ketamine treatment, or any of the other conditions above, suggests Carlos De La Hoz, MD, a triple board-certified anesthesiologist and a regenerative medicine and pain management doctor at the Neomedicine Institute in Doral, Florida. The Neomedicine Institute offers ketamine-assisted psychotherapy via infusion.

Also, note that there are drug-to-drug interactions that may make ketamine use unsafe, such as benzodiazepine sedatives and opioid analgesics, as well as stimulants used for ADHD. So it's best to discuss ketamine with your doctor or clinical pharmacist first.

Who Might Want to Try (and Avoid) Ketamine Therapy

The decision to pursue ketamine therapy is a personal one. Here’s who may benefit — and who might want to skip it.

Whom Ketamine Therapy Is For

As mentioned, esketamine is FDA approved for treatment-resistant depression.

 In addition, if you have depression, anxiety, or PTSD and are interested in ketamine therapy, talk to your primary care doctor and mental health provider about how it could work in conjunction with your usual medications for mental health. It also may be indicated for patients acutely experiencing major depression with suicidal ideation.

Who Should Avoid Ketamine Therapy

If you have any of the health concerns listed above or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should avoid ketamine therapy. Furthermore, for those with a history of dependency or have taken frequent high doses of ketamine recreationally, it’s recommended to review this with a medical professional to discuss the potential risks of cumulative exposure and psychological addiction to ketamine.

Tips for Getting Started With Ketamine Therapy

First, if you want to pursue ketamine therapy, you’ll need to get cleared by a primary doctor and a psychiatrist, or a health practitioner who is trained in medical clearance for ketamine therapies.

 At some ketamine in-person and online clinics, you are required to answer a series of screening questions about your physical and mental health; be sure to answer these truthfully so the provider can determine if it’s safe and appropriate for you to try it.

You’ll also need to find a clinic or a company that you are comfortable with. “The best question to ask a clinic is: Do you offer therapy with ketamine treatments?” says Dr. De La Hoz. “I feel that it is unethical and doing a disservice to a client if they are not offered therapy, which is essential in interpreting your experience and how it relates to your life,” he explains.

One concern is that there are a lack of established standards governing ketamine treatments, though there are more offerings through companies like Fluence to provide continuing education programs for licensed clinicians. That said, the increase in the number of companies offering ketamine treatment, both supervised and unsupervised by a clinician or with or without a therapy arm worries some psychiatric experts.

Ideally, the health practitioner and therapist (if present) should monitor the session carefully to watch for side effects, including patient distress. Have a thorough talk with the clinic beforehand to understand their ketamine protocols, how they look for side effects, and if ketamine is a viable and safe option for you. “We hope that there’s more regulation in the future so that ketamine can be beneficial, not something dangerous or abused,” says De La Hoz.

What to Expect Before, During, and After Ketamine Therapy

If you’re considering ketamine therapy, know that the protocol will depend on the individual clinic or company. We're using Neomedicine Institute as an illustrative example of intravenous ketamine, and patient experiences at other providers may vary.

Before

You’ll have a consultation, which includes a screening, which may include a blood pressure check and a look at your psychiatric history, to make sure that ketamine may be safe and effective for your goals. Ideally, you will be connected with a therapist to speak about what you hope to get out of ketamine treatment. Be open about your struggles, your coping mechanisms, whether you’ve tried therapy before, and what has worked and what hasn’t, says Liliana Uribe, PhD, a cognitive behavioral therapist who specializes in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy at Neomedicine Institute.

You may also be given preparation instructions, such as whether and how to fast beforehand, when to schedule transportation, and what expectations to have going into your session.

At your ketamine treatment appointment, you will be prepped appropriately (you may be weighed to determine dosage; if you’re receiving it intravenously, an IV will be started). You will sit or lie down in a room in a comfortable position with an eye mask to reduce light stimulation and headphones to either add supportive music or to cancel or reduce noise from the surrounding environment.

It’s normal to be nervous during your first appointment. “A big thing I’ve seen is an inability to let go. We have an issue with wanting to control every aspect of our environment, and we feel uneasy when something doesn’t go as planned or expected,” says Dr. Uribe. Discuss with a practitioner ahead of time about a sign you can give if you’re particularly nervous during the treatment. (Like a thumbs up or down, for example.)

During

Duration will differ depending on where you go and whether you’re taking the drug orally or doing an infusion. De La Hoz's ketamine infusion sessions are 40 minutes long. In some instances, in addition to routine observation, ketamine will be given to you under medical supervision in which your vital signs are monitored.

Being “under” in ketamine means being in a waking state but resting, says Uribe. This is a dissociative state where you feel detachment from your body and your environment.

“You’re not paralyzed, but you feel a weight over you that makes it difficult to move around and speak,” says Uribe. If you are getting an infusion, the clinician can shut off the infusion at any time if you are uncomfortable, which will bring you back to consciousness.

You’ll likely need multiple ketamine sessions. “Ketamine has a cumulative effect,” says De La Hoz. The number of ketamine sessions needed will vary. Based on his own clinical experience, De La Hoz says, six sessions are typically needed before he understands the full spectrum of a patient’s response — and whether more therapy is necessary.

After

After the ketamine is administered, you’ll have the opportunity to recover. You should be monitored for any adverse reactions, and the practitioner should ensure you're safe to go home. If you are using at-home ketamine, make sure you follow the aftercare directions. If you’re at a clinic, you will need someone to drive you home. Do not drink alcohol after your session.

Uribe suggests seeing treatment as a process. “Use the first session as discovery, and then try to surrender to the experience. After two or three sessions, people are typically more relaxed and open to let go and let the experience take them where it will,” Uribe says.

Ideally, you have integration sessions. These are psychotherapy appointments with a licensed therapist who can talk to you about what you experienced during your ketamine session. Though not all companies require this, experts say this is an integral part of the process and is needed for best results. It may be useful to take time off after the session to recover and process your emotions.

After a predetermined series of sessions, you’ll talk with the referring doctor, treatment team, and therapist about what you may need in the future. “Some patients do a maintenance program, and some do not need it. But most patients continue psychotherapy [with the clinic or one’s own therapist],” says De La Hoz.

What Does Ketamine Therapy Cost?

The cost of ketamine therapy varies widely depending on the type of clinic you go to, if you’re getting psychotherapy alongside it (how many sessions and if they are in-person or virtual), or if you’re ordering from an online company.

If you have commercial insurance coverage, you may need to pay only $10 for Spravato through a savings program, according to the company.

 Monitoring sessions after the medication are required; after a rebate, this may cost $0.

That said, insurance does not pay for other types of ketamine. (Insurance may cover the cost of the psychotherapy sessions and medical evaluation, however. Ask about your specific benefits.) “The cost of treatment is not an insignificant amount of money,” says De La Hoz. One issue is that because of the cost, it may only be available to those with higher incomes. “We have hope that this will become more accessible to all who need it, not just specific populations,” he says.

For an idea of how much this treatment can cost, you can look at various companies, though Everyday Health does not endorse these resources, and you should always check with your healthcare provider before starting any new treatment plan.

  • Mindbloom costs $209 per session for a six-session package for new clients.
  • Numinus charges $250 per session for ketamine treatment and $375 per session for ketamine-assisted therapy.

There are also financing options available with medical credit cards (like CareCredit) or sliding-scale fees offered at some companies that can defray or offset the costs. In some cases, HSA/FSA cards may be used for certain services.

The Takeaway

  • Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic drug that has long been used for anesthesia.
  • In numerous studies over the past two decades, ketamine has emerged as a potential treatment for various mental health disorders — for example, treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder.
  • It is only FDA approved as esketamine (similar to ketamine) for treatment-resistant depression and depression with suicidality, although ketamine is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat other psychiatric disorders.
  • There are various ways ketamine can be given (intravenously, intramuscularly, orally, nasally, or subcutaneously), yet clearly established protocols and standards are not available, and there is variability in how clinics provide ketamine therapy.
  • It’s important that the clinic you go to, or the company you use, screens your physical and psychological health prior to treatment to determine if it’s appropriate for you.

Common Questions & Answers

What is ketamine?
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic hallucinogenic drug. It is used for short-term sedation and anesthesia. It is also sometimes used illegally as a “club drug.” The drug is emerging as a potentially valid mental health treatment for certain conditions and has a long history of clinical use.
Ketamine can be legally used in medical practice. The FDA has approved esketamine (Spravato), a ketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression in major depressive disorder, as well as major depression with suicidal ideation. There are other off-label uses of ketamine, including, for example, oral and intravenous treatments.
When used properly under the guidance of a healthcare practitioner, ketamine treatments may be used to treat clinically diagnosed depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and possibly substance abuse disorders.
The cost of ketamine therapy differs depending on whether or not you’re taking it orally or intravenously, as well as the type of clinic and doctor you’re seeing.
The FDA-approved ketamine nasal spray esketamine (Spravato) may be covered by insurance, but other forms of ketamine are not. Some of the therapy sessions in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy may be eligible for insurance coverage. You’ll need to check with your plan to identify your benefits.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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Justin Laube, MD

Justin Laube, MD

Medical Reviewer

Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.

He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.

He is currently taking a multiyear personal and professional sabbatical to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, disease, and the processes of healing. He is developing a clinical practice for patients with complex trauma, as well as for others going through significant life transitions. He is working on a book distilling the insights from his sabbatical, teaching, and leading retreats on trauma, integrative health, mindfulness, and well-being for health professionals, students, and the community.

Previously, Dr. Laube was an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he provided primary care and integrative East-West medical consultations. As part of the faculty, he completed a medical education fellowship and received a certificate in innovation in curriculum design and evaluation. He was the fellowship director at the Center for East-West Medicine and led courses for physician fellows, residents, and medical students.

Jessica Migala

Author

Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabetes, dermatology, gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, cancer, pregnancy, and gynecology. She was previously an assistant editor at Prevention where she wrote monthly science-based beauty news items and feature stories.

She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including Cosmopolitan, O:The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, Fitness, Family Circle, Health, Prevention, Self, VICE, and more. Migala lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young boys, rescue beagle, and 15 fish. When not reporting, she likes running, bike rides, and a glass of wine (in moderation, of course).