Growing research finds psychedelics effective in treating disease

[JonLP24]

Gordon McGlothlin, who took his first puff at age 12 behind his family's garage, tried to quit smoking for years, but no cessation technique worked until he used a psychedelic drug.

Researchers with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine gave the 69-year-old a derivative of psychedelic mushrooms similar to LSD, or acid, and watched him "trip" in a therapy room during six-hour sessions.

(Snip)


McGlothlin was part of a group study on the effects of psilocybin, the active hallucinogenic ingredient in "magic mushrooms," on smoking cessation. The study represents a resurgence in research at Johns Hopkins, New York University and other academic institutions looking at whether mind-altering psychedelics, such as LSD, mushrooms and ecstasy can be effective in treating a variety of emotional and addictive disorders.

Scientists have discovered that psychedelic drugs have the potential to relieve clinical depression, anxiety in cancer patients, depression in hospice patients, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-hs-psychedielics-come-back-20160809-story.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Famous people like Cary Grant, Henry Luce, and his wife, Clare Booth Luce used

LSD for treatment decades ago.

http://www.utne.com/science-and-technology/lsd-therapy-golden-age-in-hollywood.aspx

https://books.google.com/books?id=_oq8djFLFL0C&pg=PT109&lpg=PT109&dq=lsd+%2B+treatment+%2B+luce&source=bl&ots=_3cQ5cCwyk&sig=DiEMNGYlr30--uTVp0dtrc7eO9c&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmnaTg3eTOAhXCpx4KHRf4DrYQ6AEIYjAI#v=onepage&q=lsd%20%2B%20treatment%20%2B%20luce&f=false

[DirkGently]

2. Fascinating. n/t

[truebluegreen]

3. Here's more on the subject:

https://m.

It's about time science start looking at these substances.

[Laffy Kat]

4. I can remember reading about potential therapeutic effects of psilocybin years ago.

It takes so long for studies to be written, protocoled, approved, etc. Sheesh.

[Warpy]

5. Mainstream medical research was smothered in its infancy

by Nixon and his damned war against the American people, er, war on drugs. With all psychedelics classified into an unobtainable category, research had to be abandoned unless researchers were willing to serve jail terms for giving their subjects banned items.

Pueblo tribes, however, managed to keep the peyote ceremonies going underground and they report success in treating alcoholism and addiction, increasing compliance with tribal AA meetings to maintain sobriety between ceremonies.

There is a huge amount of potential with all the Schedule 1 drugs. Even heroin is used in other countries for patients with horrific pain from things like bone cancer with no obvious ill effects.

It's time to grow up and leave Nixon's stupid paranoia about hippies and POC behind and get rid of his drug war. It's time to let medical research proceed and to treat the few people who run into trouble with drugs with health care, not prison.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Agreed.

100%

[Richard D]

6. There's some very interesting research . . .

being conducted by maps.com. (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies).

They are getting amazing results in treating Vets for PTSD using MDMA.

[Warren DeMontague]

7. Leary and Alpert had success treating alcoholism with LSD early on in their research.

Until Middle 'Merika drug and morals panic took over.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

9. I've tried alcohol, marijuana (didn't like it ala Bill Clinton) and LSD.

I tried LSD once as a teenager. Some other kid gave me two little pieces of paper with cartoon characters on them and instructed me to place them under my tongue. MOST HAPPINESS EVER!

It was like a religious experience for me, feeling like the universe was full of love. I remember having all kinds of ideas that seemed like revelations at the time, but I later remembered some of it and realized it didn't really make sense. I certainly didn't feel "hooked" on it later despite enjoying it.

People were laughing hysterically at my huge pupils. I later looked at myself in a bathroom mirror and it looked like my irises were black because the pupils were so gigantic.

I heard that some people don't have pleasant experiences, however, and it can change for the same person from one time to the next. I was very lucky, perhaps.

[JonLP24]

10. I had a very similar experience

Though I never tried LSD I have done alcohol and weed but I don't like recreational or legal drugs but my experience was similar to yours.