Psychedelic Drugs Could Be Used As Anxiety Cure

In a breakthrough analysis, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Tuesday, scientists write that psychedelic drugs, including LSD, MDMA and "magic mushrooms" can help patients who suffer from addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

Psychotherapy along with small doses of LSD can bring down anxiety that stems from terminal illness, according to Medical Daily.

Moreover, the researchers re-examined a small study looking at the positive effects of psilocybin mushrooms for alcohol addiction.

"We're hoping to reduce the kind of stigma, for lack of a better word, around this area of scientific investigation," said Evan Wood, one of the authors of the study. "I think there has to be some acknowledgment that the traditional approach that's been taken in mental health hasn't really been effective."

Psychedelic drugs are very powerful compounds which influence the thinking and feeling of patients. They have either positive or negative effects on the brain, depending on how they are used.

While the benefits were evident even in the 1950s and 60s, the failure of scientists to enforce ethical rules and principles put some strict restrictions on the drugs.

"We need a bit of a rethink," Wood said. "The re-emerging paradigm of psychedelic medicine may open clinical doors and therapeutic doors long closed," according to hngn

Due to recent discoveries of positive therapeutic effects of the psychedelic drugs, scientists are beginning a rethink, according to CBS News.

"In the right context, these drugs can help people a lot, especially people who have disorders that we generally treat poorly, such as end-of-life distress, PTSD, and addiction issues involving tobacco or alcohol," said study co-author Matthew Johnson. Johnson is an associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. He said that "people should not go out on their own to treat themselves with these drugs. These drugs need to be researched according to a strict regulatory process, the same as you would develop any drug."