Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Many people who suffer from autism have reported lasting improvements after taking MDMA or “ecstasy,” and clinical research into MDMA as a possible treatment for this perplexing medical disorder is now on the horizon.
Autism is a largely mysterious neurodevelopmental disorder that usually manifests in children before the age of 3 as delays in their ability to socially interact and communicate. There are actually several types of autism, which are referred to as “autism spectrum disorders.” All these disorders are characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social interactions, and by restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Autistic children usually appear to completely lack interest in other people and seem to have enormous difficulty learning basic social skills. Signs of the disorder are often apparent in the first few months of life, as many autistic children seem indifferent to other people, not …
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Chemical analogs of the illegal psychedelic drug MDMA, popularly known as 'ecstasy,' may offer hope for victims of blood cancer.
Last month, a modified form of the illegal psychedelic drug MDMA, or “ecstasy” as it is commonly known, was shown to have effects that offer hope as a possible treatment for certain types of blood cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Back in 2006, researchers at the University of Birmingham discovered that MDMA can stop some types of cancer cells from growing, but that the dosages needed to have a therapeutic effect would be dangerously toxic for a human being. However, when researchers at the University of Western Australia collaborated with the researchers in Birmingham, they found a way to increase the cancer-fighting effectiveness of the MDMA molecule a hundred times, producing new, more powerful versions of the drug that …
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Underground psychedelic psychotherapy vastly improved the final days of a remarkable young woman’s battle with colon cancer.
The pain involved in losing a child is arguably the most difficult experience that a human being can face, as it seems to go against the flow of nature. Although we all must face our own death eventually, being confronted with life’s impermanence at an early age can be far more difficult than at the end of a full life span, and watching helplessly as one’s child loses their embodied form is devastating beyond what words can express. This is why, out of love and compassion, we will all do almost anything to help ease the suffering of our children when they are dying--including giving them illegal drugs. The Santa Cruz Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)--which supports medical research into the therapeutic potential…
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Santa Cruz-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies examines experimental treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Several months ago, I reported about how the Santa Cruz-based medical research organization, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), is trailblazing new research into the therapeutic potential of controversial psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, cannabis, ibogaine and LSD and MDMA, which is methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or the chemical name for ecstasy. MAPS is now beginning exciting new research with MDMA, and huge strides are being made toward its goal of developing cannabis and psychedelic drugs into legal prescription medicines. It looks like MDMA will probably be the first shamanic healing tool to make its way into your local neighborhood pharmacy. MAPS is a membership-based, IRS-approved, nonprofit …
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Some of the world’s leading cannabis and psychedelic research organizations are based here in Santa Cruz.
It's no accident that Tom Wolfe's classic book about the Merry Pranksters and the origins of Western psychedelic culture, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Trip, begins in Santa Cruz. Our beautiful seaside town has such a strong psychedelic culture established here that it's influenced virtually every aspect of our city's lifestyle—inspiring alternative forms of spirituality, art, medicine and education, as well as unique fashion styles, increased ecological awareness and enhanced political progressiveness. Santa Cruz has been the home to numerous well-known psychedelic researchers, writers, artists, musicians and many unique, psychedelically inspired cultural institutions that are having a significant influence on the rest of the world were …
Kimberly
2:26 pm on Thursday, December 29, 2011
Too cool! more ›