poned plans to ban the herbal supplement kratom, which scien- tists say may be useful to combat addiction and chronic pain. Johnson says researchers are “in our infancy” in figuring out


how hallucinogens may help. Like most antidepressants, the drugs affect how the brain uses serotonin -- a chemical related to mood, memory, and sleep. But unlike antidepressants, hal- lucinogens appear to change how different parts of the brain communicate with each other, Johnson says. That may be why many people who have taken hallucinogens come away with “a radically altered sense of self” and a greater sense of open- mindedness, he says. What researchers are trying to understand is how long- lasting those brain changes may be, and how that might help with depression, anxiety, and addiction.


MDMA in particular produces a euphoric effect and in- creases empathy and emotional openness, says Brad Burge, a spokesman for the California-based MAPS. Those traits can help ease the state of “constant hyper-arousal” that PTSD patients have as they try to beat back memories of their trauma, he says. Burge says the MDMA being tested is nothing like what is commonly sold as “ecstasy” or “Molly” on the street. Those are cut with other substances, such as methamphetamine or other psychoactive drugs like ketamine, and one analysis of seized drugs found nearly half contained no MDMA at all. Study participants will have a series of psychotherapy ses-


sions and receive the drug twice during the study period. The idea is to provide a “chemical safety net” for patients, “where they can talk and process those feelings more openly,” Burge says.


“They’re less afraid,” he says. Their trauma “becomes some- thing they can think about and talk about and process in a more


Don’t just manage your symptoms. Find the causes and eliminate them at


A VIEW TO YOUR HEALTH CranioSacral is a light touch therapy that can relieve:


Migraines and Headaches Chronic Neck and Back Pain Stress-Related Disorders


PTSD • TMJ •Chronic Fatigue Fibromyalgia and more...


Dale Kanterman, BCND, is Upledger trained


Thermography quantifies changes in breast tissue 100% safe - no radiation


No bodily contact • No compression Results intrepreted by MDs


Additional Services Include:


Digestive Issues • Thyroid Dysfunction • Emotional Balancing Brain & Memory • Stress • Hormone Imbalances Parasites & Yeast Control • Detoxification • Education


336-763-2459


www.GreensboroThermography.com www.AViewToYourHealth.com


32


2309 W. Cone Blvd., Suite 201 - Greensboro NaturalTriad.com


open way. It’s not just an instantaneous cure in these experimen- tal sessions, but follow-up sessions without MDMA are also important to making sure that people are able to take those les- sons and really internalize them. People don’t just go home and everything’s fine.” The drug’s effects typically last 4 to 7 hours, with side effects that can include muscle tension, increased blood pressure, and occasional anxiety. Because of that, participants will stay at a clinic overnight after getting the drug, Burge says. MDMA also floods the brain’s receptors with serotonin and oxytocin, a hormone linked to reducing stress and improving trust, Burge says. It helps to calm their heightened fear respons- es, he says. The group hopes to start its trial in mid-2017, he says.


'A Lot of Hoops to Jump Through' Not everyone responds well to the sensory distortions the drugs produce. They sometimes result in deep distress, anxiety and terror -- the proverbial “bad trip.” In addition, the physical effects of the drugs can include increased blood pressure, nausea, dehydration, and muscle tension.


Because most of the drugs are listed as Schedule I drugs by the DEA -- meaning they have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse -- getting research studies approved can be difficult, Johnson and Burge say. Burge says it took his organization 10 years to get research into MDMA to a phase III clinical trial. “You have an entire array of institutions that need to sign off


-- the FDA; the DEA; at a university, the institutional review board,” Johnson says. “There are a lot of hoops to jump through." The FDA allows Schedule I drugs, which include marijuana, to be used for clinical research under a process known as an Investigational New Drug application, agency spokeswoman Sandy Walsh says. When a study gets approved, the drugs in- volved “are subject to the most stringent restrictions” and have to be stored and kept track of under rules approved by the DEA. DEA spokesman Russ Baer says anyone who wants to study


a Schedule I drug has to submit their proposed research protocols to the agency. Everyone involved in handling the drug has to be registered with the DEA, which judges whether the study plans will keep the drugs under control. “Since we’re not scientists, we’re not evaluating the veracity


of the scientific research project,” Baer says -- that’s the job of the FDA and any other research agencies involved. “What we’re required to do is to make sure there are appropriate safeguards in place to ensure security protocols are maintained, to make sure any controlled substance is not subject to theft or diversion from legitimate science on one hand to the black market on the other.” There are more than 400 research projects now underway


involving marijuana alone, Baer says, and he’s not aware of any drug study the agency has rejected or halted. In addition, he said the agency has been having talks with scientists about streamlin- ing the agency’s approval process. “We support scientific research. We want to remove any sort


of bureaucratic hurdles that may have existed in the past,” Baer says.


Reprinted with permnission from WebMD.com. WebMD Health News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on January 13, 2017.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48