By Harold Mandel
Reprinted with Permission from emaxhealth.com
Researchers have found the hallucinogenic drug known as psilocybin helps to ease existential anxiety which people with life threatening cancer experience.
Cancer is a frightening disease which can be deadly. The pain and anxiety associated with severe cases of cancer is horrible. Researchers have found that a hallucinogenic drug can help eradicate the existential anxiety which is associated with cancer.
Existential anxiety which people with cancer experience can be eased with psilocybin
Johns Hopkins Medicine reports the existential anxiety which people with life threatening cancer experience can be eased with the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin. In this study A substantial majority of people who were suffering from cancer associated anxiety or depression found a great deal of relief for as long as six months from just one large dose of psilocybin. Psilocybin is the active compound which is found in hallucinogenic “magic mushrooms.”
This hallucinogen also was observed to increase life meaning, optimism and quality of life
The researchers from Johns Hopkins reported psilocybin lowered clinician and patient associated anxiety, death anxiety and depressed mood. This hallucinogen also was observed to increase life meaning, optimism and quality of life. The researchers have cautioned that this drug was used under tightly controlled conditions. They therefore do not recommend use of psilocybin outside of such a research setting or outside of a patient care setting.
This study has been published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. In a randomized double-blind trial it was found that psilocybin produced noteworthy and sustained decreases in anxiety and depression in patients who were suffering from life threatening cancer. This is significant because there is often chronic and significant symptoms of anxiety and depression seen in cancer patients. This finding offers new hope to help alleviate suffering in cancer patients.
