FunctionalOlfactio
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Shalom Life speaks to Mimi Peleg, a clinical research assistant at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, on the effects MDMA has in battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
By: Gideon Greenbaum-Shinder
Published: October 21st, 2013 in Health » Israel
"...
Founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin, Ph.D., MAPS is a non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
Shalom Life had a chance to speak to Ohio native Mimi Peleg, who serves as a clinical research assistant for MAPS, about their ongoing research.
Particularly, we asked the Te Aviv resident, and Director of Large Scale Cannabis Training for Mechkar, Israel's federal government-approved medical marijuana distribution centre (which she helped create and develop after making aliyah), about monitoring the clinical trial that studies the effect of MDMA-assisted therapy on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
"Scientists have come to view psychedelics as the most powerful tool we possess in treating PTSD, radically changing the old picture of the drug," Peleg writes in an article published by Greenbridge Medical Services.
According to The Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma (ICTP), she writes, an estimated 9% of Israelis suffer from PTSD. "While this is in the mid-range of PTSD rates in areas near Israel, it is three times the rate of PTSD in the U.S. and other Western countries. Israel’s high rate could be due to the many wars, presence of first and second generation Holocaust Survivors, and numerous other factors."
Supervising and monitoring protocol, Peleg ensures that all factors are up to code in the testing process. Working with drugs that are often seen as unorthodox in the general community, I ask her what is it like to work under such scrutiny.
"I like it," Peleg replies casually. "We want to improve ourselves, we know the world is looking for new ways and we want the worlds help. People will soon realize that our work didn’t cause a [negative] revolution, other than a revolution of health."
She adds that MAPS is simply hoping for psychologists to be able to use MDMA as a controlled tool, rather than looking to legalize it and hold late-night dance parties. "MAPS envisions a world where psychedelics and marijuana are safely and legally available for beneficial uses, and where research is governed by rigorous scientific evaluation of their risks and benefits."
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, better known as MDMA, was initially developed in 1912 by Anton Köllisch, a scientist at the German chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck, while investigating ways to stop abnormal bleeding. In the 1970s, several psychiatrists used the chemical to augment communication with their patients. This practice ended quickly when MDMA became better known as a street drug; the compound was prohibited in the US in 1985.
Certain taboo's and predisposed forms of judgement tend to keep support tentative for this organization in the mainstream; however MAPS is slowly making headway. "The people that were destined to donate to psychedelic research are doing so, the taboo is actually being turned around all the time especially now that this research has been featured in NY Times, ABC News, BBC News and many more," Peleg says.
She also accredits founder Rick Doblin for these perceptual advances as well as their current funding. "MAPS actually got a 5 million dollar donation last year," she tells me. The organization is currently conducting studies of MDMA and psychotherapy in five clinical trials around the world: Switzerland, Australia, the UK, Canada, and the U.S.
MDMA is commonly heralded by the reputation of it’s impure cousin, a street form called 'ecstasy'. MAPS now has a growing statistical base to disprove common opinion that all illegal substances are simple poison pills to be avoided. In fact, Peleg says that "OVER 600 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH MDMA TREATMENT BASED THERAPY WITH AN 86% SUCCESS RATE," far outstripping conventional methods of treatment.
The organization is currently "undertaking a 10 year, $15 million plan to make MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine, and is currently the only organization in the world funding clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy." They also make every effort to recruit Israeli combat soldiers with PTSD.
..."
Full article:
http://us.shalomlife.com/health/20795/exclusive-should-mdma-be-legalized-for-medicinal-purposes/
--------------------
http://www.shulginresearch.org
http://www.freeleonardpickard.org
http://www.maps.org
http://www.erowid.org
By: Gideon Greenbaum-Shinder
Published: October 21st, 2013 in Health » Israel
"...
Founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin, Ph.D., MAPS is a non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
Shalom Life had a chance to speak to Ohio native Mimi Peleg, who serves as a clinical research assistant for MAPS, about their ongoing research.
Particularly, we asked the Te Aviv resident, and Director of Large Scale Cannabis Training for Mechkar, Israel's federal government-approved medical marijuana distribution centre (which she helped create and develop after making aliyah), about monitoring the clinical trial that studies the effect of MDMA-assisted therapy on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
"Scientists have come to view psychedelics as the most powerful tool we possess in treating PTSD, radically changing the old picture of the drug," Peleg writes in an article published by Greenbridge Medical Services.
According to The Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma (ICTP), she writes, an estimated 9% of Israelis suffer from PTSD. "While this is in the mid-range of PTSD rates in areas near Israel, it is three times the rate of PTSD in the U.S. and other Western countries. Israel’s high rate could be due to the many wars, presence of first and second generation Holocaust Survivors, and numerous other factors."
Supervising and monitoring protocol, Peleg ensures that all factors are up to code in the testing process. Working with drugs that are often seen as unorthodox in the general community, I ask her what is it like to work under such scrutiny.
"I like it," Peleg replies casually. "We want to improve ourselves, we know the world is looking for new ways and we want the worlds help. People will soon realize that our work didn’t cause a [negative] revolution, other than a revolution of health."
She adds that MAPS is simply hoping for psychologists to be able to use MDMA as a controlled tool, rather than looking to legalize it and hold late-night dance parties. "MAPS envisions a world where psychedelics and marijuana are safely and legally available for beneficial uses, and where research is governed by rigorous scientific evaluation of their risks and benefits."
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, better known as MDMA, was initially developed in 1912 by Anton Köllisch, a scientist at the German chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck, while investigating ways to stop abnormal bleeding. In the 1970s, several psychiatrists used the chemical to augment communication with their patients. This practice ended quickly when MDMA became better known as a street drug; the compound was prohibited in the US in 1985.
Certain taboo's and predisposed forms of judgement tend to keep support tentative for this organization in the mainstream; however MAPS is slowly making headway. "The people that were destined to donate to psychedelic research are doing so, the taboo is actually being turned around all the time especially now that this research has been featured in NY Times, ABC News, BBC News and many more," Peleg says.
She also accredits founder Rick Doblin for these perceptual advances as well as their current funding. "MAPS actually got a 5 million dollar donation last year," she tells me. The organization is currently conducting studies of MDMA and psychotherapy in five clinical trials around the world: Switzerland, Australia, the UK, Canada, and the U.S.
MDMA is commonly heralded by the reputation of it’s impure cousin, a street form called 'ecstasy'. MAPS now has a growing statistical base to disprove common opinion that all illegal substances are simple poison pills to be avoided. In fact, Peleg says that "OVER 600 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH MDMA TREATMENT BASED THERAPY WITH AN 86% SUCCESS RATE," far outstripping conventional methods of treatment.
The organization is currently "undertaking a 10 year, $15 million plan to make MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine, and is currently the only organization in the world funding clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy." They also make every effort to recruit Israeli combat soldiers with PTSD.
..."
Full article:
http://us.shalomlife.com/health/20795/exclusive-should-mdma-be-legalized-for-medicinal-purposes/
--------------------
http://www.shulginresearch.org
http://www.freeleonardpickard.org
http://www.maps.org
http://www.erowid.org
