A doctor's view of psychedelics

Also: Could this cheap drug slow down aging? [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  April 23, 2024 Hi CommonHealth reader, Can you imagine taking a psychedelic drug during a therapy session? It could be an option for more people in the future. The FDA is weighing approval this year for MDMA, sometimes called Molly or ecstasy, combined with therapy, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. While details for how it would be regulated are still TBD, the prospect of a green light has generated lots of anticipation among proponents of psychedelic-assisted therapy. They believe MDMA — and other psychoactive substances — hold the potential to [revolutionize treatments]( for a range of mental and behavioral [health conditions]( from PTSD to depression to substance abuse. My colleague Deborah Becker has long been fascinated by psychedelics — and the hopes for their healing potential. She even followed a man who [traveled from Massachusetts to Mexico]( in 2018 to take ibogaine, a psychoactive [plant root](. He was hoping it would help disrupt his addiction to opioids. Deb told me the treatment did help, for a time. Tragically, the man died of an overdose several years later. Deb recently spoke with Dr. Jerrold Rosenbaum, director of the [Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics at Massachusetts General Hospital](. Although he doesn't view psychedelics as a miracle cure, he does think they will provide “additional tools for treating people that we haven't been able to help.” Part of the promise of psychedelics, Rosenbaum said, is their ability to give the brain a kind of “reset.” They appear to help the brain form new synapses — the points of connection between neurons. “This occurs with learning and exercise, antidepressants and other things,” Rosenbaum told Deb. “But with psychedelics, it seems to be that you sort of get a surge, and we think that may be an important part of how psychedelics allow people to change. Another thing researchers are noticing: Psychedelics can temporarily turn off communication between certain parts of the brain. “There's something about all these changes in connectivity — new connections, disruption in old ones and then the reset — that seems to allow some people to feel relief,” Rosenbaum said. He also weighed in on the campaign for a ballot measure in Massachusetts seeking to decriminalize several psychedelic substances, and create a state commission to regulate and tax their use. (One notable caution Rosenbaum mentioned is that for a small group of people, psychedelics may carry a risk of triggering psychosis.) You can [read more highlights from Deb’s interview here](. Elisabeth Harrison Managing Editor For News Content Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [A cheap drug may slow down aging. A study will determine if it works]( Studies suggest people who take metformin for diabetes may be at lower risk for cancer, heart disease and dementia. Now researchers aim to test if it prevents age-related diseases in healthy people. [Read more.]( [A cheap drug may slow down aging. A study will determine if it works]( Studies suggest people who take metformin for diabetes may be at lower risk for cancer, heart disease and dementia. 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