Health Wanted: Psychedelics

HEALTH WANTED, a weekly radio show and podcast produced in partnership with WABE, brings need-to-know public health headlines and breaks down the science behind trending topics.

The Episode

The topic: As interest in the use of psychedelics as health therapeutics grows, research is uncovering their benefits, potential challenges, and cultural history in medicine. This week on Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow speaks with experts Ali John Zarrabi, MD; Roman Politsky, PhD; and Caroline Peacock, DMin, from Emory's Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality to explore the evolving landscape of psychedelic therapy.

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The takeaway: Scientific interest in psychedelics as possible therapeutics began in the early 20th century but waned once the government classified substances like LSD and MDMA as illegal and highly restricted. Today, psychedelics are gaining traction again due to research that highlights their potential therapeutic benefits for mental health conditions like depression and PTSD.

• Psychedelics have a long, complex history, from being used in ancient indigenous healing practices to becoming stigmatized as part of the 1960s counterculture. Their re-emergence in the medical field highlights how perceptions and regulations have fluctuated over time and the effect these have on scientific research progression.
• Recent studies show promising results for psychedelics like psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA, in treating conditions such as PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders. Neuroimaging technology such as MRI allows researchers to study how these substances affect different regions of the brain.
• Indigenous populations have used psychedelics for centuries in spiritual and healing practices. Some modern research works to incorporate spiritual health alongside psychiatric care, such as Emory’s Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality, which explores these intersections. However, there are concerns about appropriation and the commercialization of these substances, which tends to overlook their cultural origins.
• Despite their therapeutic potential, psychedelics still face significant regulatory challenges. This illustrates the complex nature of navigating drug approvals, even in light of positive trial outcomes, and emphasizes the need for comprehensive and transparent research practices.

The Interview

The guests: Ali John Zarrabi, MD; Roman Politsky, PhD; Caroline Peacock, DMin

The key takeaways:

• Many patients seek alternative therapies because they feel let down by the traditional medical system, which often prioritizes quick fixes over emotional and spiritual support. Addressing this gap is crucial for patient well-being and to create a more compassionate healthcare environment.
• The Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality conducts innovative studies on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics while emphasizing safety, ethical practice, and comprehensive patient care. By videotaping and closely monitoring therapy sessions, they aim to refine psychotherapeutic approaches and prove they can be a beneficial option for many patients.
• The center acknowledges the historical roots of psychedelic practices in indigenous cultures and works to ensure that their research respects these traditions. They advocate for partnerships that incorporate spiritual health perspectives and interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance psychedelic therapy research.
• Studying the implementation of psychedelic therapies will help researchers understand the real-world effects outside of controlled clinical settings. Engaging the public and healthcare professionals in discussions about psychedelic treatments can help to create safe, supportive environments where patients can explore these options responsibly.

The Listener Questions 

Why is it difficult to get brand-name estrogen patches?

First, there have been supply chain issues with hormone patches over the last several years. Drug supply chains are a lot more fragile than we really want to admit.

For example, this summer has had a huge shortage of the bottles necessary to do blood cultures to test for sepsis.

The US was facing a shortage last fall, so it’s likely it hasn’t completely recovered.

It could be due to manufacturing issues. Something in the supply chain is lacking and it holds the whole process up, or it could be things like climate change disrupting the growth of the soybeans used to make the patches.

Or it could be because demand has increased. In 2002, a study was published that showed a link between hormone replacement therapy for menopause and an increased risk of breast cancer and blood clots.

People got scared and stopped taking hormones, which had helped with the symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes, weight gain, insomnia, and brain fog, among others.

But since the 2002 paper, more information has come out that suggests the benefits of hormonal replacement therapy outweigh the risks. 

Where did all these new childhood illnesses come from?

It depends on what your definition of “new” is. RSV was identified in 1956. Hand, foot, and mouth disease was first reported in 1957.

So, they are pretty recent when it comes to the invention of time, but you have to remember that these are the dates when the viruses could be seen by modern technology. For a long time, a lot of illnesses all sort of looked the same and couldn’t really be differentiated.

There’s a rule in health that once something can be identified, you see more cases of it because now you know what you’re looking at. But that doesn't mean it wasn’t there before.

But it is true that new viruses or bacteria can sometimes develop. For example, SARS-CoV-2 didn’t exist 5 years ago (even though other coronaviruses did), and the first influenza pandemic did not occur until 1918.

Diseases also develop much faster than we can get rid of them. So far there’s only been one human disease completely eradicated from the world, and that’s smallpox, which took a lot of effort.

Catch all the listener questions and Laurel’s answers on the full episode of Health Wanted by:  

• Streaming at wabe.org or the WABE app
• Subscribing on Apple or Spotify
• Watching on WABE's YouTube channel