What Does MDMA Feel Like Exactly? [Risks, Effects & More]
Medical Editor: Dr. Benjamin Malcolm, PharmD, MPH, BCPP Ecstasy…Molly…MDMA…party amphetamine or psychiatric wonder drug? Our understanding of the actions of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) as an agent of healing is coming full circle: From early use on couple’s therapy couches during the 1970s to the recreational use in raves that landed MDMA as an illegal substance, to […]
Are Psilocybin Mushrooms the Magic Cure for Cluster Headaches?
Medical Editor: Dr. David Cox, PhD, ABPP Cluster headaches can be so painful that those who experience them may develop suicidal ideation. They’ve been described as more painful than anesthesia-free childbirth or amputation. While there are current legal treatments available, many of them are ineffective or unavailable to most patients. Those that do work can […]
Can Ketamine Therapy Help With Suicidal Ideation?
Medical Editor: Dr. David Cox, PhD, ABPP Suicidal ideation is a painful and possibly deadly side effect of conditions such as PTSD and depression. One’s life is interrupted by violent imagery, feelings of emptiness, and in more extreme cases, even detailed written suicide plans. However, despite the intensity of these experiences, suicidal ideation does necessarily […]
Essential Oils and Psychedelics
Medical Editor: Dr. Benjamin Malcolm, PharmD, MPH, BCPP Most essential oils are plant extracts created by steam distillation. Newer methods such as CO2 extraction are also being used. When inhaled, essential oils stimulate the olfactory nerves and the olfactory cortex, the part of our brain which perceives smell. Information we take in through our sense […]
Psychedelics and Endurance Sports: Friend or Foe?
When one thinks of psychedelic medicine, images of an ayahuasca circle and spiritual insight come to mind. However, increasingly, the use of psychedelics for performance enhancement has become popular. Taking psychedelics, in particular, through the form of microdosing, is popular in the tech world for cognitive performance enhancement. Artists are another group who benefit professionally […]
Psychedelics and Christianity
Before Christianity became one of the world’s major religions, psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics played an important role in the ancient evolution of human religions. Due to psychedelic medicine’s ability to bring about spiritual realizations, even those so powerful that an Atheist welcomes a higher power, one would think that Christianity and psychedelics could be […]
Why Combat Veterans are Seeking Out Psychedelics for PTSD
Medical Editors: Dr. David Cox, PhD, ABPP and Medical Editor: Hilary Morris, MA, LPC Do psychedelics work for PTSD? What is PTSD? The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) defines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as being exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. […]
