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Studies probe psychedelic benefits
(Lee Peterson, Daily Breeze, April 13, 2004)
medicine: Researchers at Harbor-UCLA centers will examine the effectiveness of the drug psilocybin for terminal and end-stage cancer patients. . . . Doctors at the Research and Education Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance will study the effectiveness of the active ingredient from "magic mushrooms" in relieving anxiety, depression and pain in terminal or end-stage cancer patients. . . . A University of Arizona research team is investigating the use of the same drug in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. . . . It's been an uphill climb for proponents of the study of illegal drugs like MDMA -- also known as ecstasy -- and psilocybin, given the public's general impression of psychedelic drugs as the domain of counter-culture rebels and reckless pleasure-seekers. . . . But there is evidence, much of it from the 1960s and early '70s--before such research was stopped by the government--that in controlled, clinical settings, certain psychoactive drugs can be beneficial for people suffering from terminal illness or from some psychiatric disorders. . . . That's why Dr. Charles Grob, a psychiatrist at Harbor-UCLA and Harbor-UCLA REI, decided to investigate the potential benefits of psilocybin. . . . "Anxiety is quite common among people with end-stage disease," Grob said. Published studies from the '60s and the early '70s show that psilocybin produced a marked improvement in mood and improved rapport with family and friends. It also led to a dramatic reduction in pain perception and the need for pain medication. . . . "We are very interested to see if we can replicate such findings," Grob said. . . . As opposed to the image of a cancer patient who would be zonked out on hallucinogenic drugs, the old reports indicated that even after the drug had "worn off," the patients used less pain medication, and thus were more lucid. . . . That "after effect," a possible lasting improvement in their psychological state, is one of the more intriguing findings, Grob said. . . . Slowly, however, proponents have witnessed a growing acceptance that more should be done for terminal patients, for example, and that even illegal drugs may hold some promise as medicines. . . . If successful, studies like Grob's will help to generate acceptance for vilified drugs, showing that there are benefits that outweigh risks, said Rick Doblin, president and founder of the Florida-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. . . . Doblin said one reason for the potential for mainstream acceptance is that the proponents have changed their message. . . . "We are making more reasonable claims," Doblin said. Instead of promising spiritual awakenings and such through unbridled recreational use, the proponents of these drugs are talking about relief for cancer patients and those suffering from psychiatric disorders within the context of controlled medical settings. . . . Dr. Rex Greene, an oncologist and expert in end-of-life care, welcomed the study of psilocybin as a possible treatment for cancer patients. . . . "Insofar as a hallucinogenic is used as a tool, properly supervised, it could well be helpful," said Greene, a former South Bay resident who last year, became medical director of the cancer center at Mills Peninsula Medical Center in San Mateo County.

posted by LoZo 3:34 PM