Tag: Posttraumatic stress disorder

Psychedelic Posted on

Jordi Riba looks back on more than fifteen years of ayahuasca research

The research conducted by Jordi Riba, a Spanish pharmacologist working at Sant Pau hospital in Barcelona, revolves mostly around ayahuasca. He has a background in botany, chemistry, pharmacology and neuroscience. In an interview with the OPEN Foundation, he summarises the main findings of his work on the Amazonian psychedelic brew. In the second part, he refutes some of the controversy stirred up by a recent article about cannabis he co-authored. Jordi Riba will be among the speakers at our ICPR 2016 conference on psychedelics research. How did you wind up in the psychedelic field? I was always interested in the biochemistry of the brain, so any substances that interacted with the central nervous system had an interest for me. I did a lot of research […] Read More

Marijuana Posted on

Recent Studies Find Cannabis Highly Effective Against Depression, PTSD

Recent scientific studies regarding the use of cannabis (marijuana) and its healing powers are further disproving the government’s biased and inaccurate stance against its medical use. The government refers to marijuana as a “gateway” drug to harder substances and schedules it along side them even though it has proven to be safer than alcohol. Taking these claims into consideration, scientists across the country have taken it upon themselves to research the chemical makeup of marijuana and prove to the public the benefits that it holds. Through the research of endocannabinoids, a stress-regulating chemical found in the brain that is also found in marijuana, scientists are producing evidence to prove that marijuana usage could benefit those who suffer from depression. Chronic depression is one of the […] Read More

Immune System Posted on

In a world with no antibiotics, how did doctors treat infections?

Bloodletting was treatment for infection in the past. The development of antibiotics and other antimicrobial therapies is arguably the greatest achievement of modern medicine. However, overuse and misuse of antimicrobial therapy predictably leads to resistance in microorganisms. Alternative therapies have been used to treat infections since antiquity, but none are as reliably safe and effective as modern antimicrobial therapy. So how were infections treated before antimicrobials were developed in the early 20th century? Blood, leeches and knives Bloodletting was used as a medical therapy for over 3,000 years. It originated in Egypt in 1000 B.C. and was used until the middle of the 20th century. Medical texts from antiquity all the way up until 1940s recommend bloodletting for a wide variety of conditions, but particularly […] Read More

GMO Coverup Posted on

WHO cancer division to rule on widespread herbicide’s carcinogenic hazard

The World Health Organization is set to deliver a verdict on the potential danger of 2,4-D herbicides widely used in the agribusiness, and which was one of the key components of Agent Orange used during US herbicidal warfare in Vietnam. The move by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a research arm of WHO, to examine the chemical comes shortly after the agency classified glyphosate or Roundup herbicide, produced by Monsanto, as “probably” cancerogenic. Now the stage is set to determine the possible health risk posed by the 2,4-D. Some 24 IARC scientists are due to deliver the verdict after examining pro and con studies on the issue. Their week-long meeting is scheduled to start on June 2 in Lyon, France. Produced mainly […] Read More

Phobias Posted on

Weird Phobias People Really Suffer From

Let’s face it. Oftentimes, you pretend to be physically or emotionally tough, but however ‘lionhearted’ you believe you are, there is still ‘chicken heartedness’ in you. People have different trigger thresholds, the point at which fear develops into a full-blown phobia. The fear of height, open spaces, driving – you may now battling against these jitters as everyone is no exception to feeling afraid of anything. Check out the fears behind these bizarre phobias you may not even know you have: Nomophobia – The fear of losing a mobile phone You checked your pockets and found out your phone wasn’t there. Then, you realized you left it at home. You began to worry about the texts and calls you’re missing out because it’s not in your hands. […] Read More

Drug's Posted on

2013: Medical Marijuana Can be a Much-Needed Miracle for Vets With PTSD

Staff Sargent Mike Whiter says prescription drugs are contributing to veteran suicides—and marijuana saves lives. After Staff Sargent Mike Whiter returned home from serving his country, he tried to kill himself three times. Whiter served in the US Marines for 11 years, including combat tours in Kosovo and Iraq. After his medical discharge, Whiter sought help from the Veterans Administration for his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as well as his physical injuries. “They put me on 36 different medications in 6 years,” recalls Whiter. “I was on methadone and morphine, benzos, klonopin, xanax, SSRIs…You name a drug, I’ve been on it. I couldn’t sleep, I was having nightmares, I couldn’t leave my house – I was afraid to leave my house.” Whiter believes that […] Read More