S2 E33 Back to Basics: Natural Remedies

Episode discussion topics

• We're on the hunt for solutions and having access to the solutions of our choice. The natural world is full of problems and more importantly, solutions to these problems. Natural remedies have been time-tested through the processes of evolution and natural selection and deserve our attention.
• Go for a swim! "Regular swimming has been shown to improve memory, cognitive function, immune response, and mood. Swimming may also help repair damage from stress and forge new neural connections in the brain."
  
• Psilocybin is a champ when it comes to relieving the symptoms of both depression and anxiety. In fact, things are starting to move fast in the world of studies on the drug. Researchers' appetites were made wet back in 2016 when a ground-breaking study at the time showed that a single dose administered under the care of psychiatric medical doctors provided relief from depression in cancer patients for years. As recently as November 2020, John Hopkins University School of Medicine produced a study that shows even more remarkable promise for this brain wonder drug, quoted below:

“The magnitude of the effect we saw was about four times larger than what clinical trials have shown for traditional antidepressants on the market,” says  Alan Davis, Ph.D.,  adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Because most other depression treatments take weeks or months to work and may have undesirable effects, this could be a game changer if these findings hold up in future ‘gold-standard’ placebo-controlled clinical trials.” Psychedelic Treatment with Psilocybin Relieves Major Depression, Study Shows.

• More than that even... This article from Nature mentions treatments for PTSD in addition to the others we already covered. What's also notable in this article is a nifty little table that shows the number of studies being undertaken in recent years on this subject. 2020 was a boom year with 17 studies including 13 focused on Psilocybin, 3 featuring MDMA (a.k.a Molly or Extasy), and 1 on good old LSD. Now those last two we're not so sure how natural they are, for the record. The chart goes back to 2010, so check it out if you like infographics.
• One timely piece on this subject comes to us from the New York Times and provides some of the business going on behind the scenes,  "Psilocybin and MDMA are poised to be the hottest new therapeutics since Prozac. Universities want in, and so does Wall Street. Some worry a push to loosen access could bring unintended consequences." Just as the subheading suggests, it will be interesting to see what comes in the wake of all these newly destabilizing forces that might upend the mental health industry and have far-reaching implications for ending prohibition by the U.S. Federal Government. Here's a quote that shows how quickly things are moving now...

"More than a dozen start-ups have jumped into the fray, and the handful of companies that have gone public are collectively valued at more than $2 billion... Compass Pathways, a Nasdaq-listed health care company that has raised $240 million, is conducting 22 clinical trials across 10 countries of psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression."

• Addiction is an issue all on its own, complex and varried. No specific type of consumption is more or less addictive to people who have "non-addictive" personalities. Those people should be free to have choices. Yes, relatively among the things that people get addicted to, some are more addictive than others and it is also true that "old habits die hard." However we must also consider that when people can be addicted to food, alcohol, narcotics, opioids, sex, etc. what is most addictive, is the escapism that these experiences offer in place of a truly fulfilling life. A truly fulfilling life is one when you go to bed and fall asleep fast because you're excited to wake up in the morning. Not because it's Christmas, but because you're alive and you have something left to do to which you're looking forward to finishing.
• Call to Action: At Citizen Do Good, we believe that increasing access to choices helps to fuel our freedom of choice!  Let us not only trust in the very young, very astute scientific method but also the age-old wisdom that comes from generations of exploring nature for ourselves - experientially.  After all, we knew as a matter of fact, before science, that mother's milk is way more nourishing than any substitute we can concoct.
• Make an informed opinion by learning more now. Use some of the resources we've shared and consider exploring how you might gain more awareness experientially if such an opportunity arises. One of the most critical components of all these studies is that people feel comfortable relying on doctors, it feels safer and that's a key. You should ensure you have a trusted, safe, and secure environment any time you explore new things - unless you're climbing Everest. Even then, you'd be relieved a bit by having a guide, solid equipment, and some training or practice ahead of time. Hopefully, this analogy makes sense.
• What about the law? Similar to how marijuana is being made legal state by state in American fashion, an end to the prohibition on other schedule 1 substances will likely be won state by state at the ballot box or through legislatures. That's what we do in our Republic absent of major pressure in D.C. by unseen forces. Someone at Bloomberg agrees with this assessment. In contrast, a somewhat more hopeful tone is coming from Rolling Stone who attempts to answer the question of whether the current Democratic majority will pick up the mantle.
• Case in point, as of July 2021, California's legislature is working up a bill to do just that: California advances decriminalizing psychedelic substances. So at least the states are getting on the move and like Marijuana back in the 1990s, it looks like the west coast is on the cutting edge.

Your hosts: Michael V. Piscitelli and Raymond Wong Jr.

More info

• The war on drugs ended up being a war on Americans. It was good for business and white supremacy. NPR has a timely series named, "The War On Drugs: 50 Years Later," dedicated to providing more perspective in this space.
• What about Marijuana? We haven't highlighted it because now 37 states have some form of legalized access to this gateway drug. Gateway to legalization and decriminalization for all the inmates on the Federal Schedule 1 drug row.  As far as medicine, it definitely can help overcome a lack of appetite and help insomniacs get some sleep. I don't think we need to consult medical advice to know that's true.
• Prohibition (the alcoholic one) - we will need to do an episode on just this and the IRS. Coming soon.
• Gene Editing - also another episode we promise to bring you in the future. In short, it seems like CRISPR-CAS9 isn't the only game in town. More to come.
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• Intro music sampled from “Okay Class” by Ozzy Jock under creative commons license through freemusicarchive.org.
  
• Other music provided royalty-free through Fesliyan Studios Inc.