Posted by Flash (213.122.9.106) on December 17, 2001 at 06:05:22:
In Reply to: Mushrooms?? posted by Sean on December 16, 2001 at 23:39:51:
Everything else pales into insignificance next to them. There are many conditions out there with effective controlling drug therapies, such as diabetes, epilepsy, etc. However dose for dose, none of those treatments are as effective as hallucinogenics are for CH. In some cases a single dose of LSD measured in tens mcg's (10,000th of the dose of conventional medications) is enough to provide a 12 month remission.
In most cases it dose take several doses, usually 2-5 doses in total, and some chronics may have redose monthly, or even fortnightly. However a minute dose once a fortnight to provide a total remission is better than diabetics, and epileptics recieve, and way beyond conventional CH medicines. Off the top of my head I cannot think of a similarily effective treatment for any other condition (although doubtless something similar exists).
Hallucinogens suffer occasionally because people have read the wonder stories (like my own) where a single small dose was enough. The then try a single small dose and give up. Most other drug therapies require at least a couple of weeks of continouous treatment. Having to take 3 doses of shrooms, each 5 days apart is hardly a failure! Some people do not experience total relief. Instead they go from 6 x #10s a day down to 2 x #4s a week. I don't consider that a failure either. Show me any other medication that comes close to matchin that result...
Hallucinogens have a bad rep because some people are still gullible enough to believe in this non-existant line between legal and illegal drugs. The line exists, but only in a legal sense. Aspirin is just as much a drug as LSD. Many popular conventional treatments for CH are essentially fucked around with hallucinogens such as LSD and DMT. The problem is that when they fuck around with them they lose their effectiveness.
Some people are worried that hallucinogens may be harmful, or dangerous. Most common hallucinogens, such as LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT are among the safest and least toxic substances that a human being can ingest. LSD is less toxic than caffiene, nicotene, paracetomal, aspirin, and virtually anything else this side of vitamin A.
Some people are worried that hallucinogens may cause mental illness. News Flash: they are not an on off switch,like all other drugs they can be carefully dosed. Yes they are 'effective' doses at much smaller doses (this is also a good thing since it helps make then even less toxic), but we can still regulate those doses quite easily. The stories about people going insane are mostly urban myths. People who were spiked with something like 400x the dose we use to treat CH did experience problems. However try taking 800 paracetomal tablets, or drinking 400 bottles of beer - what do you expect will happen? At least with LSD those people lived to tell the tale.
Some people are worried that they might jump out of a building. Well for starters the dose we use is onl enough to produce a 3 beer buzz (although some people do take a little more). Second nobody has ever jumped out of a window either directly or indirectly related to ingesting LSD. There was one incident of a CIA scientist that was probably pushed, the rest are either urban legends, or deaths that were acutally attributed to PCP (Angel Dust) a completely unlrelated drug. Hallucinigenics used at the correct dose are among the safest drugs out there. Used at an incorrect dose and they are also among the safest drugs out there.
The next problem with hallucinogens is that yo can go to jail for having them. Nothing we can do about that. Just keep your mouth shut.
Finally the biggest problem is that it takes something like 8 weeks to produce a crop of mushrooms. I have strong feelings about this. If a person can't be bothered putting in the little effort that is required then their head can't be that fuckin sore!
The link attached will tell you everything you need to know about hallucinogenic treatment. Your side of the bargin is to come back and let us know how you got on. To date over 50 people have successfuly experienced sizable remissions by using hallucinogens.
Flash