Do Magic Mushrooms have medicinal value?

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Do Magic Mushrooms have medicinal value?

• Joshua Root

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Psilocybin Facts

• Contained in many different mushrooms.
• Originated in East Africa
• serotonin (5-HT)-2A/2C receptor agonist
• ILLEGAL!

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Effects

• Psilocin
• Duration of 3-8 hours

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Effects Continued

• Physical effects
• Increase in heart rate
• Elevated blood pressure
• Dilated Pupil
• Nausea
• Coldness and weakness in limbs

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Effects Continued

• Emotional effects
• Strongly dependent on setting
• Mood swings
• Exaggeration of mood at ingestion

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Effects Continued

• Sensory effects
• Visual
• Auditory
• Synthesia
• stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway
  leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a
  second sensory or cognitive pathway

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Proposed Medicinal Uses

• Psychotherapy
• 1950s
• Modern proposals
• OCD
• Cluster Headaches
• Body dysmorphic disorder

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Treatment of OCD

• OCD
• 4th most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder
• Complications
• Depression, suicidal tendencies, panic, substance
  abuse, and interpersonal difficulties
• Dysregulation of Serotonin
• 5-HT reuptake inhibitors

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OCD Treatment Findings

• Dr. Francisco Moreno
• Completely removed symptoms
• 4-24 hours
• Jeremy
• Fear of contamination
• Symptoms relieved

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Treatment of Cluster Headaches

• Triggered by a few different causes
• Interruption of sleep pattern, certain
  medication, abnormal hormone levels, and heavy
  smoking and drinking alcohol
• Results
• 53 participants
• 85 aborted attack
• 95 reported extension in remission
• 42 benefited from sub hallucagenic doses

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Treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder

• Mr. A
• Relieved symptoms
• Mrs. B
• Relieved symptoms

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Critiques and Comments

• Duration of positive results
• Not a drug that can be used all the time
• Less toxic than aspirin

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• http//www.doitnow.org/pages/132.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_mushrooms
  Medicinal_use
• http//www.maps.org/research/psilo/azproto.html
• http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16801660
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disor
  der
• http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16304852/
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6210694.stm
• http//www.shroomery.org/6233/Psychedelic-Mushroom
  s-Just-another-Drug-or-a-Powerful-Medicine