Photo by Grace Thornton.
Dr. Renee Richesin, right, demonstrates the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, on Shane Hudson, assisted by Shelley Sumner, who is a spravato/TMS technician and marketing and communications manager, at Magnetic Hope in Vestavia Hills.
Dr. Renee Richesin has long had a heart for people with depression. During her years in medical school at UAB and serving as chief resident for their department of psychiatry and neurobiology, she treated many patients struggling with it.
After she graduated, Richesin continued that treatment at a local clinic, helping patients with a holistic approach to healing that encompassed everything from good sleep to healthy thinking patterns to maintaining healthy relationships. She also treated patients with medication when needed.
Many times, those options were effective. But sometimes they weren’t.
“I’ve always treated depression, and there were always patients who didn’t respond to medication and psychotherapy,” she said.
So she was “thrilled” in 2019 to add a new tool to her list of options: transcranial magnetic stimulation, a noninvasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in areas of the brain known to be associated with depression.
“It was my desire to help people who hadn’t gotten better, and Transcranial magnetic stimulation works so well and it’s so safe that I felt like, because there are not many people offering it, that I really needed to focus on offering that service,” she said.
So Richesin, a Vestavia Hills resident, opened Magnetic Hope at 1025 Montgomery Highway in 2022.
For most people, a Transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment lasts less than 20 minutes, she said. “It’s very short, there’s no anesthesia and you can go back to work afterwards or go pick up your kids from school.”
During a session, Richesin uses a 3D camera to map a patient’s head and locate the best place for treatment, then uses an MRI-strength magnet to create the pulses while the patient relaxes and watches TV.
Around 68% of people who undergo Transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment show improvement, and about a third of those get well, according to research on the therapy, Richesin said.
And for those who need more or different help, Magnetic Hope now also offers treatments with Spravato, an esketamine nasal spray. Richesin said it can work well for someone who has treatment-resistant depression or is unable to undergo Transcranial magnetic stimulation because of an underlying condition, such as epilepsy or a metal implant in their head.
Both Transcranial magnetic stimulation and Spravato are FDA approved.
Richesin said she never set out to be a business owner, but it’s “so rewarding” to be able to offer these options to help people who are struggling. She said treatments like these can help prevent suicides and give people their life back.
Richesin said a patient’s friend recently called to let the Magnetic Hope staff know she had seen a huge difference in her friend since starting Transcranial magnetic stimulation and that she was so happy that she had gotten her shopping buddy back.
Richesin said it’s stories like that that drive her practice.
“I can’t not do it,” she said.
For more information, call 205-637-3055 or visit magnetichope.com.
