Psychedelics for Physical Wellness
“A new study has found that people who have taken a classic psychedelic even once have a
“lower incidence of heart disease and diabetes"…
The researchers suspect that … it is that psychedelic use promotes a healthier lifestyle through behavioral changes.
Since ancient times, practitioners of traditional medicine across the globe have turned to plants and fungi with psychedelic properties in the hopes of healing the mind and spirit. New research suggests a link between psychedelics and a healthy body, as well.”
“The research follows an earlier analysis of the same data by Dr. Simonsson and senior investigator Prof. Peter S. Hendricks. Dr. Simonsson explained that it
“found associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and lower odds of being overweight, as well as lower odds of having hypertension in the past year.”
Addressing the connection between psychedelics, heart disease, and diabetes, Dr. Simonsson cited another study.
“There is an in-depth review paper [ Teixeira, P. J., et al. (2021). Psychedelics and Health Behaviour Change. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 36(1), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811211008554 ] suggesting that psychedelics — if administered in the proper context — may be conducive to good physical health by promoting positive lifestyle change. This is our working hypothesis, too.”
Whatever the causal link, if any, the study authors write that their investigation demonstrates the need for “further research to investigate potential causal pathways of classic psychedelics on cardiometabolic health (i.e., lifestyle changes, mental health benefits, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory characteristics, and affinity to specific serotonin receptor subtypes).”
Berman, RobbY. (2021, November 3). Psychedelics linked to lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/psychedelic-use-and-lower-heart-disease-diabetes-risk-is-there-a-link
“There are several mechanisms through which classic psychedelics might influence cardiometabolic health. First, research suggests that classic psychedelics may facilitate healthy lifestyle changes associated with a beneficial impact on cardiometabolic risk factors (e.g., diet, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and exercise). Second, classic psychedelics administered in a safe and supportive setting have been shown to improve mental health conditions associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Third, classic psychedelics have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of importance for both mental and cardiometabolic health. Fourth, classic psychedelics have high affinity to serotonin receptor subtypes associated with cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., serotonin 2A and 2C receptors). In sum, classic psychedelics could have both direct and indirect effects that lead to better cardiometabolic health.”
Simonsson, O., Osika, W., Carhart-Harris, R., & Hendricks, P. S. (2021). Associations between Lifetime Classic psychedelic use and cardiometabolic diseases. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93787-4
Cancer
We know that psychedelics are effective in treating existential distress due to death and dying, but there is new evidence that psychedelic therapies may also assist with treating and even curing the cancer itself.
The above evidence suggests that psychedelic use may lower cancer risk - as well as benefiting physical health - stating that: “The association between lifetime classic psychedelic use and having a heart condition and/or cancer in the past 12 months approached conventional levels of significance, with lower odds of having a heart condition and/or cancer in the past 12 months for respondents who had tried a classic psychedelic at least once…”
Simonsson, O., & al, et. (2021, March 9). Associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and markers of physical health. Sage Journals. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349958816_Associations_between_lifetime_classic_psychedelic_use_and_markers_of_physical_health
There is ample evidence for ayahuasca’s anti-cancer effects. “Human clinical studies showed that ayahuasca can alter the number and distribution of blood immune cells in a way that can increase the antiviral and anti-tumor immunity of the consumer. Ayahuasca also influences the distribution of lymphocyte subpopulation: CD4 lymphocytes decrease and the number of natural killer cells increase significantly with time. The possible anti-cancer activity of the decoction makes it a promising candidate for further researches in novel pharmacotherapies.”
Frecska, E., Bokor, P., & Winkelman, M. (2016a). The therapeutic potentials of ayahuasca: Possible effects against various diseases of civilization. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2016.00035
“Recent evidence suggests that DMT, a well-known hallucinogen, may be an endogenous sigma-1 agonist. DMT is a substrate for the serotonin transporter and the vesicular monoamine transporter 2, which may allow its accumulation in neurons to the micromolar levels needed for sigma-1 receptor activation. DMT is stored in vesicles and inhibits the enzyme indole-N-methyl transferase (INMT), which is localized to postsynaptic sites of C-terminals of mouse motoneurons. INMT may be a candidate gene in the prevention of cancer progression …
Although small-molecule ligands targeting sigma-1 and/or sigma-2 receptors have been known to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, induce tumor cell death and suppress tumor growth, the mechanisms involved in cell death have not been well-defined …
Sigma-1 and sigma-2 receptors are overexpressed in a large variety of tumors and can activate apoptotic pathways. Sigma ligands are potentially useful as anticancer drugs… Investigators noticed that treatment of tumor cell lines with certain sigma-1 ligands visibly diminished cell size.”
Finally, “potent and subtype-selective radioligands for PET imaging of sigma receptors have become available, and may be used for tumor detection, tumor staging, evaluation of therapeutic strategies and anti-tumor drug development.”
van Waarde, A., et al. (2015). Potential applications for sigma receptor ligands in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 1848(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2014.08.022
“Combining Chemotherapy with Psilocybin and Cannabis
Back in September this year the journal Drug Science, Policy and Law published a paper by a small team of medical researchers hailing from the U.K. and the U.S. They had found that a breast cancer patient may have put the disease into remission by taking cannabis oil and magic mushrooms alongside her course of traditional chemotherapy …
The patient, a 49-year old woman named Nicole DiMonda, had been diagnosed in 2018 with stage IV breast cancer. It had unfortunately metastasized to her lymph nodes, liver and bones. With this bleak prognosis, she was quickly put on a course of chemotherapy. However, she decided, personally, to also begin taking both cannabis oil and psilocybin microdoses. The psilocybin was administered to her by a trained therapist.
The Patient’s Cancer Disappeared After several months of these treatments, DiMonda was tested again. The doctors were perplexed to find that all of her tumors had disappeared. The chemotherapy was halted, but she continued to take the psilocybin and cannabis oil. Seven months later, tested again, her cancer was still gone. As a result, DiMonda decided to halve her cannabis oil use and stop the psilocybin microdosing altogether …
New Research Brings Exciting Results
Additionally, in March this year Cannabotech, a biotech company, developed a supplement called CannaboBreast containing the compounds of psilocybin and cannabis. This was studied in cell models. They found that it was able to reduce the amount of chemotherapy treatments needed, as well as being 6 times more effective at killing cancer cells when used with chemotherapy. It is currently being tested on different subtypes of breast cancer, with an adapted treatment for each one. This research lends further gravitas to the findings of the study of which Nicole DiMonda was part.”
Did Psilocybin & Cannabis Help Treat This Woman’s Breast Cancer? Wholecelium. (2023, May 4). https://www.wholecelium.com/blog/did-psilocybin-cannabis-help-treat-this-womans-breast-cancer/
“STUDY SHOWS NON-PSYCHEDELIC CANNABINOIDS IN CANNABIS ARE EFFECTIVE ANTI-CANCER DRUGS
New research has shown that the non-psychedelic components of cannabis could act as effective anti-cancer agents.
The anti-cancer properties of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychedelic component of cannabis, has been recognised for many years, but research into similar cannabis-derived compounds, known as cannabinoids, has been limited.
The study was carried out by a team at St George’s, University of London. It has been published in the journal Anticancer Research.
The team, led by Dr Wai Liu and colleagues carried out laboratory investigations using a number of cannabinoids, either alone or in combination with each other, to measure their anti-cancer actions in relation to leukaemia.
Of six cannabinoids studied, CBD, cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabigevarin (CBGV) in their neutral forms and their acid forms, each demonstrated anti-cancer properties as effective as those seen in THC. Importantly, they had an increased effect on cancer cells when combined with each other.
Dr Liu said: “This study is a critical step in unpicking the mysteries of cannabis as a source of medicine. The cannabinoids examined have minimal, if any, psychedelic side effects, and their properties as anti-cancer agents are promising.
“These agents are able to interfere with the development of cancerous cells, stopping them in their tracks and preventing them from growing. In some cases, by using specific dosage patterns, they can destroy cancer cells on their own.””
Study shows non-psychedelic cannabinoids in cannabis are effective anti-cancer drugs. www.CureYourOwnCancer.org. (2013, October 14). https://www.cureyourowncancer.org/study-shows-non-psychedelic-cannabinoids-in-cannabis-are-effective-anti-cancer-drugs.html
Schenberg, E. (2013, October 18). Ayahuasca and cancer treatment. SAGE open medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26770688/
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Ayahuasca has evidence for efficacy in “neuropsychiatric illnesses such as
Alzheimer’s disease,
Parkinson’s disease,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis {ALS},
bipolar disorder,
and in other illnesses of civilization such as
atherosclerosis,
diabetes,
cancer,
autoimmune, and
cardiovascular disorders.
All of these disorders may have common mechanism: failure of protein homeostasis. Deficits in ER-proteostasis lead to the formation of misfolded proteins characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases. Originally UPR has a cell protective effect: it prevents overload of ER lumen with newly synthesized proteins and activates degradation of misfolded proteins. However, misfolded proteins directly enter from ER into mitochondria and after prolonged UPR activation they cause dysfunction in energy production. Targeting Sig-1R by agonists may regulate ER stress and UPR, manage ER perturbations, regulate the formation of toxic misfolded proteins, and prevent the cell-killing apoptotic pathways. Similar effects are expected from the endogenous Sig-1R ligand …DMT”…
However, it is not purely DMT responsible for ayahuasca's beneficial effects. “There is more to ayahuasca’s therapeutic potentials besides its DMT content and above the neurobiological level. The psychological aspects will be discussed later. Here we address the other important active agents of ayahuasca, the β-carboline alkaloids, which act as selective, reversible MAO-A inhibitors with almost no effect on MAO-B. MAO inhibition is crucial as without the β-carbolines the DMT content of orally ingested ayahuasca would be broken down before crossing the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, the fact that MAO is located inside cells bound to the outer membrane of mitochondria in proximity of the Sig-1R raises the possibility that the synergy between the active compounds of ayahuasca happens not only at the periphery, but also inside neurons and glial cells. Without this intraneuronal MAO inhibition less DMT would reach the Sig-1R at the MAM. Furthermore, there are indications that the β-carboline alkaloids themselves have medicinal properties such as anthelmintic, antimicrobial, and vasorelaxant effects, in addition to ethnopsychiatric, sociopsychotherapeutic, and rehabilitative functions. Harmala alkaloids have demonstrated strong psychoactive properties, and they act as stimulants on the central nervous system. Osório’s team attributed an observed antidepressant effect of ayahuasca to these alkaloids, which is in line with ethnographic observations suggesting that many native users of ayahuasca ascribe sacramental respect to the B. caapi and not the DMT containing plant constituents.”
Frecska, E., Bokor, P., & Winkelman, M. (2016). The therapeutic potentials of ayahuasca: Possible effects against various diseases of civilization. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2016.00035