A single dose of hallucinogen extracted from psychedelic mushrooms would be effective in combating the stress and the anxieties of patients affected by Cancer, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Journal of Psychopharmacology. It should be prescribed in addition to psychological support. These findings have been described in two studies.
Two studies confirm the benefits of hallucinogens against stress
Researchers at New York University’s Langone Medical Center in the United States revealed that a single dose of psilocybin (an illicit hallucinogenic substance) very quickly relieved the anxiety of 80% of the 29 study participants. for more than six months. The sick suffered from advanced breast cancer, from blood Where gastrointestinal and were all diagnosed with great psychological distress related to their incurable disease.
Following this treatment, the participants reported an improvement in their quality of life, a benefit of energy, better relations with their family and being more efficient in their professional life.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Maryland) in the United States conducted a similar study with 51 patients which gave equivalent results.
According to scientists, psilocybin activates areas of the brain on which serotonin, a neurotransmitter critical for mood andanxiety.
“Our results represent the strongest indication to date of the clinical benefit of psilocybin therapy, which has the potential to transform care for people with cancer and suffering from psychological distress resulting from their illness, ”said Dr. Stephen Ross, director of the service for drug addiction treatment in the Department of Psychiatry at Langone Medical Center, the lead author.
“If more extensive clinical trials confirm these results, we can then consider the marketing of a safe, effective and inexpensive drug prescribed in a strictly controlled way to relieve the psychological distress which increases the rate of suicides in cancer patients”, estimates Dr. Ross.
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