Tuesday, August 6, 2013

New study: Magic Mushrooms Repair Brain Damage From Extreme Trauma

A new study by The University of South Florida has found that low doses of the active ingredient in magic mushrooms repairs brain damage caused by extreme trauma, offering renewed hope to millions of sufferers of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).

The study confirms previous research by Imperial College London, that psilocybin, a naturally occurring compound present in "shrooms", stimulates new brain cell growth and erases frightening memories. Mice conditioned to fear electric shock when hearing a noise associated with the shock "simply lost their fear", says Dr. Juan Sanchez-Ramos, who co-authored the study. A low dose of psilocybin led them to overcome "fear conditioning" and the freeze response associated with it faster than the group of mice on Ketanserin (a drug that counteracts the receptor that binds psilocybin in the brain) and a control group on saline.


An estimated 5 percent of Americans - more than 13 million people - have PTSD at any given time, according to the PTSD Alliance. The condition more often associated with combat veterans, is twice as likely to develop in women because they tend to experience interpersonal violence (such as domestic violence, rape and abuse) more often than men.

PTSD is not just psychological

Common symptoms, such as hyper-vigilance, memory fragmentation, flashbacks, dissociation, nightmares and fight or flight responses to 'triggers', are generally thought to be psychological and therefore treatable by learning to change thought processes. But new research suggests that they may in fact be the result of long term physiological mutations to the brain.

In the South Florida University study, the mice treated with low doses of psilocybin grew healthy new brain cells and their overactive medial prefrontal cortex regions (common in PTSD sufferers) were restored to normal functionality.

Further independent studies (http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com ) have shown that the hippocampus part of the brain is damaged by extreme stress and that this is specific to PTSD and not associated with anxiety or panic disorders.

Dr. Sanchez-Ramos acknowledged that there was no way of knowing whether the mice in the experiment experienced altered states of consciousness or hallucinations - commonly experienced with magic mushrooms, but he believed the doses were too low to cause psychoactive effects.

Decriminalisation of psilocybin could help millions

Previous studies have shown that low doses of psilocybin produce no consciousness state altering effects. Administered in the correct amount, psilocybin could therefore be assumed to safely treat PTSD with minimal risk of adverse side effects. Magic mushrooms could help millions recover from the debilitating cycles of fight and flight and other conditioned biological responses caused by extreme trauma, if only they weren't listed as a dangerous Schedule 1 drug with no medical benefits.

Meanwhile, doctors are authorised to dispense powerful, side-effect laden pharmaceutical drugs to army vets and others suffering from the symptoms of PTSD without any evidence that these treatments actually work, according to a major review by the committee of the Institute of Medicine on the topic.

The situation is so bad that an average of 18 American veterans commits suicide every day (http://www.naturalnews.com), linked to the sharp rise in prescription drugs, depression, and other psychological conditions. Safe, natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals such as homeopathic and herbal remedies have been found to alleviate symptoms (http://www.naturalnews.com). Meditation has also been shown to reduce high activity levels in the amygdala (the brain's emotional centre) experienced in PTSD sufferers as anxiety, stress and phobias.

Sources used in this article:

http://www.ptsdalliance.org

http://intellihub.com

http://digitaljournal.com

http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com

About the author:
Anna Bragga is a freelance journalist and owner of public relations company, Conscience Communications
www.annabragga.com
www.consciencecommunications.co.uk

Originally posted on: Natural News

12 comments:

  1. There have been a number of studies which strongly suggest that hallucinogens can be of great help in CURING (as opposed to treating) a variety of mental/emotional problems. I am aware of at least one book, "LSD: The Problem-Solving Drug" which appeared in 1967 and touched on a number of successful experiments, including some with PTSD patients.

    Unfortunately, serious research (at least "above ground") seems to have stopped at about that point. Legal restrictions have almost certainly been a serious obstacle, but researchers have also faced difficulty in being taken seriously. John Lilly's experiments with ketamine largely discredited him in many circles, yet ketamine is now used increasingly as a fast-acting and durable treatment for clinical depression.

    20% of our current pharmacopeia originates in plants or other natural substances. It is high time that those which have been forgotten be given serious attention once again. 100 years ago, there were any number of "grannies" and similar folks who made up teas and the like for every ailment under the sun and cured people while mainstream medicine still employed bleeding as a treatment and had barely learned anesthesia and the rudiments of controlling infection. Those old "recipes" deserve an objective review. Some, at least, undoubtedly have uses in the modern world.

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    1. Pick through a copy of the Firefox collection and you will find many old-time recipes... some seem like they will/do work... mixed in along with some that are funny and/or illogical.

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  2. Don't know if Anna Bragga will read this comment or not, but I recently wrote an article about Psilocybin and the possitive benefits it posesses to cure depression and anxiety. Was wondering if she would be willing to help me publish it?

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  3. Too bad BIG PHARMA and the GOVT want to keep natural cures and helpful things and only make money from "the pill/insurance" govt perspective!!!

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  4. My Dr and nurse violated every patients rights law s on the books and so far they're getting away with it. Jumped me in o.r. to get permission for a class they'd already let in. Totally kicked off the worst case of ptsd imaginable. M brought it down a notch with willpower, methods, and 89%dark chocolate. Justice would help a lot. I'm not taking that bullshit cymbalta the shrink gave me.

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  5. Psychodelics? Absolutely! There has been knowledge for the last half century of the curative powers behind so many of them.

    Homeopathy? Bah!! Humbug!!!

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  6. If that is the case, I advise everyone to move to The Netherlands, because shrooms aren't legal there, but their 'light' counterpart the magic chocolate bar is. It actually contains a small dosage of the active ingredient of shrooms.

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  7. This is truly amazing. My late husband suffered from PTSD and it is debilitating! What a difference this could make!

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  8. I think we should go to the ends of the earth to find a cure for PTSD to help our returning Military. Be it legal or otherwise. When my son returned from Iraq, a walking living disaster, he was prescribed so much legal medication that he was incapable of functioning. At times was so "doped" up he could hardly speak and stumbled around like a drunk. It was the worse time we have ever gone through. I feared each day that suicide would be next. He is now off of most of their medication. For a long time he self medicated himself with alcohol which seemed to help the most except that he was drunk most of the time. He is finally getting better with intensive counseling and group therapy. Certain situations still throw him but he handles them better. I thank God daily that he is still alive. I don't think enough is being done for those who gave so much!

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  9. I have said this for a long time. I believe they have helped me resolve a lot of issues over the years. I always thought it was because the psychoactive ingredients often make a person reflect on themselves and others, and through that, they were able to make better decisions and deal with the traumatic issues that have held them back for so long. Now, science is coming out with a different theory on how, but still the same result. I am part genius. ^.^

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  10. ***BULLSHIT ALERT*** don't let big pharma know(sssh)...

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