Ella Emhoff’s ‘Big Pain Management List’: Ketamine and 14 Hours of Sleep

Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter has some interesting ideas about how people should deal with chronic pain.

Ella Emhoff, 25, revealed last week that she grew up with a spinal condition that required surgery to fix a “hunchback.” That surgery was successful but left her constantly aching, she said, so she called on her 346,000 followers to share what they do to cope with their own persistent pain.

Emhoff compiled those recommendations into a mega-list the following day, sharing a spreadsheet that included the disclaimer, “These should not be taken as medical advice i am just a girl tryna feel less pain.”

Among the most eye-popping recommendations were ketamine infusions, a 14-hour night’s rest, “mushrooms,” and “complaining.”

Those suggestions were just a handful of dozens on Emhoff’s “big pain management list,” which is now linked as part of her first Instagram story highlight and can be read here. The list is broken down by devices, topicals, exercises, lifestyle, therapies, and books.

The list had no shortage of quirky and questionable ideas, like acupuncture and toe stretchers, but most of the suggestions included medical techniques and devices that are proven to help with pain. That included multiple variations of CBD, like gummies and cream, as well as yoga and stretching.

Other suggestions included lifestyle changes like cutting out alcohol, sugar, and going on an anti-inflammatory diet.

Mike Diamond, an addiction recovery expert, told the Daily Beast that he’s personally seen ketamine infusions “help people who are crippled with chronic pain.” He said the use of ketamine should be administered only by a trained professional, however, which he says he’s seen cost between $300 to $475 per infusion.

Ketamine has been a hot topic since authorities in California charged five people last week with supplying and administering the drug to Matthew Perry. He died of an overdose administered by his personal assistant, one of the five federal prosecutors said had exploited his addiction to enrich themselves. Diamond said ketamine’s recreational use can be particularly dangerous.

“Using street ketamine recreationally it really is the wild, wild west,” he said. “You never know if you’re actually taking the right dose and nowadays you may be getting a bad batch of deadly fentanyl, not ketamine.”

The daughter of second gentleman Doug Emhoff said her pain stems from being born with a tethered spine. That condition meant her spinal cord was abnormally stuck to the inside of her spinal canal before she had surgery to correct it. The condition can cause muscle weakness and motor control issues if not treated.

“Was in and out of doctors and PT for most of my adolescence,” the younger Emhoff, who works as an artist and model, said last week. “Got lower back surgery grew a million inches and now deal with chronic pain.”