Psilocybin Therapy Fighting CTE in the UFC
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Psilocybin Therapy Fighting CTE in the UFC through John Hopkins leads the research on the positive effects of entheogens like LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient that causes the hallucinating effects).
Psilocybin Therapy Fighting CTE in the UFC
The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research received governing approval from the United States government in early 2000. As a result, they now have over 60 peer-reviewed research papers.
The U.S. government still has psilocybin (psilocybin therapy) classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no medical uses and high risk for abuse.
Nevertheless, psychedelics’ stigma is being treated differently, and people’s outlook on them is changing quickly.
Just last year, in 2020, Oregon passed a bill and legalized psilocybin therapy.
In addition, John Hopkin’s researchers have shown through psilocybin therapy therapeutic effects of people who suffer from anxiety, depression, addiction, and end-of-life therapy caused by a terminal illness or old age.
The UFC, the primary funder of a pro athlete brain study done by the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, recently donated another $1 million to research and psilocybin therapy.
In addition, the UFC is recruiting current and past fighters to be a part of these studies for the Lou Ruvo Center and John Hopkins.
The UFC fighters who are being part of these studies are looking into microdosing psilocybin for therapy.
Psilocybin Therapy Creates Neurogenesis
Microdosing psilocybin therapy is where a doctor will take a drug being studied and administer small amounts low enough to have full-body effects, most likely, but sufficient to provide a cellular response to be studied.
Psilocybin therapy has been shown to produce neurogenesis – the growth of new brain cells.
It will be interesting to see if the damaged brain cells in fighters can be revered or replaced by new ones by taking psilocybin therapy.
Psilocybin therapy also would help fighters dealing with anxiety, depression, addiction, anger and other symptoms associated with brain damage.
“Johns Hopkins is deeply committed to exploring innovative treatments for our patients. Our scientists have shown that psychedelics have real potential as medicine, and this new center will help us explore that potential.”– Paul B. Rothman, M.D., Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
“Once you’ve produced the scientific data that’s necessary to make a drug into medicine, you’ve gone a long way towards mainstreaming the acceptance of these drugs as having beneficial properties. And then the step to legalization is not that far behind that.” – Rick Doblin (Multudisplanaery Association of Psychedelic Studies MAPS)
“Part of what psychedelics do is they decondition you from cultural values. This is what makes it such a political hot potato. Since all culture is a kind of con game, the most dangerous candy you can hand out is one which causes people to start questioning the rules of the game.” Terrance Mckenna
Sources:
https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/
