Magic Mushrooms & Cancer
- A study published last month in the journal JAMA Oncology suggests that psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) helps reduce depression in cancer patients.
- Researchers found that 50% of patients studied experienced a total remission of their depression symptoms, and 30% were shown to have continued improvements by eight weeks.
- Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in some mushrooms. According to the Third Wave Co., which advocates for the use of psychedelics, humans have long been using these mushrooms for spiritual and religious experiences.
- People often become extremely emotional after getting a cancer diagnosis feeling stressed, anxious, angry or all of the above. These feelings are completely normal.
- SurvivorNet has great mental health resources for you, including more films that will inspire you.
The study, published last month in the journal JAMA Oncology, offers some uplifting developments in helping cancer patients cope with the enormous journey they’re on.
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The study, which chiefly measured improvement through the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), found that 50% of the patients experienced a total remission of their depression symptoms.
Additionally, 30% revealed to have shown continued improvements by eight weeks.
“To our knowledge, this is the first psilocybin therapy trial conducted in a community cancer setting rather than a psychiatric hospital or academic center,” the study’s investigators stated in the research letter.
“With an innovative study design of treating cohorts simultaneously, using 1 therapist per patient, and providing group therapy support, participants experienced clinically meaningful, rapid, and sustained improvement in symptoms of depression over 8 weeks following a single treatment of psilocybin therapy. This occurred in patients with both curable and metastatic cancer.”
Meanwhile, oncologist and lead investigator Dr. Manish Agrawal told Medscape Medical News, “I have never seen anything that can affect somebody’s attitude and the way they think about themselves and their emotional health in such a short span.”
Still, Dr. Agrawal recognizes that more work needs to be done in studying psilocybin as a treatment for cancer depression.
“I’m cautious because the days are still early and it’s not a magic bullet, but the stories of transformation are profound,” added Agrawal, who is the CEO of Sunstone Therapies in Rockville, Maryland, which is working to create psychedelic treatment centers for those battling cancer.
Magic Mushrooms & Cancer
Humans have been using magic mushrooms, which psilocybin is naturally found in, for religious and spiritual experiences for a long time some historians even believe it's been centuries.
But over the past few years, evidence has started emerging to suggest that psilocybin can be useful for treating depression and anxiety. For people dealing with cancer, depression and anxiety are often a part of the journey.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in some mushrooms. According to the Third Wave Co., which advocates the at-times controversial use of psychedelics, humans have long been using these mushrooms for spiritual and religious experiences.
And with regard to using psilocybin in end-of-life care, Seattle-based palliative care physician Dr. Sunil Aggarwal previously told SurvivorNet, “The science and evidence and the knowledge base are very clear.
“We know that in well-designed controlled studies, cancer patients using psilocybin in a supervised fashion with preparation, guidance, support, and integration afterward can have pretty remarkable and sustained relief of non-physical suffering.”
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He pointed out that psilocybin has shown improvement when it comes to depressed moods and the feelings of hopelessness or existential distress that people living with cancer can sometimes experience.
"It's sort of this multi-layer psycho-spiritual response that could be of great benefit to people with cancer or any type of life-threatening illness," Dr. Aggarwal said a few years ago, back when a group of attorneys and eight states sided with cancer patients in a lawsuit seeking legal access to psilocybin.
Dr. Anna Beck, an oncologist and director of end-of-life care at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, says the emotional response to cancer is so great that tradition methods are not enough.
She previously told NPR station KUER-FM, “You can't throw medications for anxiety or depression at this kind of existential distress; you need something that's really kind of out of the box.”
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"Psychedelic medicine is the only thing that has been shown to make a difference in terms of alleviating some of the existential distress (felt by cancer patients),” she added.
Coping With the Psychological Aspects of Cancer
People are often extremely emotional after getting a cancer diagnosis they may be stressed, anxious, angry or all of the above. Patients should know that all of these feelings are completely normal.
The unique challenge is figuring out how to deal with these emotions in a way that fits your lifestyle.
A Major Step in the Cancer Journey: Learning to Deal With Vulnerability
Dr. William Breitbart, chief of the Psychiatry Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explained to SurvivorNet in an earlier interview that a majority of emotion comes from people feeling vulnerable and not understanding how to deal with it.
“Shame comes from this sense of vulnerability, right? There's something wrong with me because I'm human and I'm susceptible to illness, and now I have an illness,” Dr. Breitbart said.
“What I will often point out to people is that we have the ability to choose how we respond to this vulnerability. We can be ashamed of it or we can use it to create a sense of empathy. I'm imperfect, and now I understand other people who are imperfect.”
How to Cope With Anxiety & Depression
As the effects of psychedelic drugs on cancer patients continue to be studied, it’s unlikely you’re going to get your hands on magic mushrooms to help you with the emotions that come with cancer. Therefore, it’s good to know the coping options that exist.
Adjusting to Your New Normal After a Cancer Diagnosis
“Depression and anxiety are (the) worst at the beginning,” Dr. David Wise, a medical oncologist at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “This is largely because there is no plan in place yet.”
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), research has revealed that approximately 25 percent of people with cancer suffer from depression.
And the National Alliance of Mental Illness states that anxiety disorders are “the most mental health concern in the United States” with more than 40 million adults having an anxiety disorder.
Handling Fear When You Get the Diagnosis
Treatment options can vary for people struggling with mental health. Some people get better with the help of a psychologist and getting on medication, others see notice improvement by simply implementing some lifestyle changes, such as prioritizing exercise and reducing alcohol intake.
Those struggling should know that they are not alone about one in five American adults has experienced some sort of mental health issue, according to mentalhealth.gov. However, what worked to help someone else cope may not necessarily help you as treatment must be individualized.
To maintain a positive mindset and address mental health struggles you may be having, treatment may include:
- Seeking professional help from a psychiatrist or therapist
- Learning healthy coping skills
- Medication such as antidepressants
- Adding more physical activity to your routine
- Adjusting your sleep schedule
- Connecting with others via support groups
- Mindfulness and meditation
Dealing with Grief Related To Health Problems
“Depression and stress make it harder to treat cancer [and] make it harder to tolerate the treatments,” Dr. Scott Irwin, director of supportive care services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
“Actually, there's data that if you have extra stress or depression that you may not recover or you have a higher risk of recurrence, so in treating the depression, we're actually impacting the cancer care outcomes.”
Dr. Irwin continued, “We all get depressed from time to time or we have a bad day…that's part of normal human emotion. And sometimes it gets to the point where that depression can be a little bit overwhelming and we help them through therapy.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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