Psiloscribe

Here's a report on Clusterbuster's appearance at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in L.A. The conference ran from Nov. 2nd to the 5th and was very well attended. Somewhere between 1500 and 2000 people attended. This was a very well organized conference with people from all walks of life attending and enthusiastically involved in making changes. The keynote speakers that opened the conference were the California Lieutenant Governor, Gavin Newsom, Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson (who is running for President) and the Drug Policy Alliance Ex. Director Ethan Nadelmann. Ethan's group is the one that put on the conference and is often on TV talk shows. I was on the Review and Update on Clinical Psychedelic Research panel with some very distinguished people. Left to Right, Ralph Metzner, Rick Doblin, Amanda Fielding, Dr. Charles Grob, and yours truly. Ralph is one of the original psychedelic researchers, working alongside Tim Leary in the 60s and has continued as a professor, researcher and an author since. Rick Doblin of MAPS whom many of you know as being responsible for most of the psychedelic research ongoing worldwide. Amanda Fielding, Ex Director of the Beckley Foundation in the U.K. which is involved in a wide range of research in the UK. Dr. Charles Grob of the UCLA Medical Center has conducted some very important groundbreaking studies using MDMA, Psilocybin and Ayahuasca, and is one of the leading researchers in the US. It was quite the honor to be on a panel with such a distinguished group of people. What I found most rewarding was that the organizers thought enough about cluster sufferers and our story, and the importance of the research, to include us on this panel. We were able to get our story out to a lot of influential people that were more than interested in our work, our condition, and our missions. From the opening of the conference, Kaboom was relentless in lobbying for Clusterbusters and our various missions. Meeting with politicians, researchers and anyone that might be of help to us in the future and would listen. We had several meetings with researchers (some of which approached us following our presentation) to begin discussions on future projects. Some of which are very promising and important. Discussions included possible clinical trials and research on everything from brain imaging to PTSD as well as new treatment options. I cant thank Kaboom enough for her contributions to our progress at the conference and helping gain support for our work. She spent the weekend walking throughout the conference meeting rooms, passing out our informational brochures (which she also designed) and building interest. The presentation made a big impact upon the attendees. Since almost no one there knew anything about clusters (when we started the weekend) we opened with the video clip of Chuck (thank you again Chuck) and it didn't take long for people to understand the importance of the subject. Some people had to leave the room until the video clip was over. All in all, I feel the conference was a huge success for CB in that we gained a great deal of support, including from some very influential people and organizations. Our new contacts will be of help in not only future research but also in what we hole to be able to do in both advocacy work and education. Speaking of which, out next scheduled appearances will be in March in Washington DC. We're working on details now and should have some announcements soon. Bob

I love a heartwarming Thanksgiving story Too bad you weren't listening to the "Hell Freezes Over" version of Hotel California because I think it's a beat or two slower and you may have been able to keep the car under control...... Bob

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. What's nice about this holiday is that it involves everyone, even those from outside the states or those that don't celebrate it, because those of us that do, are very thankful for ALL of you. You're all being thought of and spoken of, around our dinner tables, in glowing terms. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! Bob

Well handled, thank you. Bobw

These are the same people from IamShaman. A quality, trustworthy site, for years.....after all they are from Chicago. bobw

They do take a small fee. A little more than Paypal. Bob

OMG, I havent laughed THAT hard in a LONG time. Thanks

Here is my general answer for this question regarding SSRI's If you were prescribed them for your headaches (clusters, migraines etc) which people often are, and they are not doing any good, which they normally don't, then talk to your doc about a safe way to detox from them and stop them before dosing. If you have been prescribed them for another condition, then I would stay on them and do as Ron suggested and skip the morning dose and bust. I would not up the dose. Especially not on the first dose while on it. Wait to see the results. For some people there may be some blocking but I wouldn't rule out busting or think that it won't work. These meds are a bit tricky and its possible, although not likely, that there could be an enhancing effect or an increase in the length of the dose effects. This is usually associated with the older tricyclics but as we know, everyone is different. So, don't raise the dose to compensate for unknown effects. Bob

Double Donations this week!! They are always adding new merchants so....check back now and then. I do get a check from them every month so, THANK YOU to all that are shopping thru IGive Bob, this week's newsletter is brought to you by Quill.com where 0.4% of your purchase* benefits Clusterbusters, Inc.. New Additions to the iGive Network Costume Express (6% Donation*) Shortcut + coupons: iGive.com/CostumeExpress Reiss Clothing & Accessories (2.4% Donation) Shortcut + coupons: iGive.com/Reiss New Good Works Stories Connie is this month's iGive Super Shopper! Her recent iGive activity has earned over $150 in donations for her cause, Abandoned Animal Rescue. iGive merchant partner HSN is sponsoring this month's Super Shopper and will be sending Connie a $150 Gift Card! [More] Gwen from Loving Animals Providing Smiles says: "iGive has been helping Loving Animals Providing Smiles for over four years. LAPS is an independent, all-volunteer group based in Napa, CA . . . ." [More] The UncommonGoods "Better to Give" program gives a portion of its sales revenue to non profit charities with an emphasis on community and sustainability! Since 1999, they've donated over $300,000 to worthy causes worldwide. [More] The Breast Cancer Site is proud to be partnered with the nonprofit National Breast Cancer Foundation in its mission to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and providing mammograms for those in need. [More] Stats Summary Total raised for all causes at iGive.com: $5,669,800.21 TIP OF THE WEEK October Shopportunities abound! Check out our Halloween & Think Pink categories. FIND US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER EDITOR'S PICKS Shop at these or 900+ stores at iGive.com and do more good. QVC 2% Donation* Sprint $32 Donation* Cheap Tickets $1.20-$10 Donation* GiftsForYouNow 5.2% Donation Personalization Mall 7.2% Donation* E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS To manage your iGive.com newsletter subscriptions and format preferences, please click Settings.

Ya know, if someone came to me and said that the chemicals and growth hormones they are using in cattle were causing our hypothalamus' to grow and cause clusters, I might take note and look into it, but.....even then, I know whey (pun intended) too many vegetarians and Vegans that are basically very healthy people that suffer from cluster headaches. People that had clusters long before tainted meat. The first recorded case of clusters was in the 1700s, long before Super Cows. Long before veggies covered in fertilizers and chemicals. I'm always happy to hear that some one's clusters have stopped. I hope yours are gone forever. Bob

I see we are going to have to start collecting cameras at the door. 8-)

Thanks for pointing these places out. we are on causes in FB. http://www.causes.com/causes/523519-clusterbusters# Bob

You're right CHfather.. After a couple doses of mushrooms there is no reason not to switch to seeds if you're out of mushrooms. The pain free time after the dosing is a good sign. I would suggest continued dosing and if the attacks aren't getting worse on days 4,5, 6......hold off and see if the cycle will fade away completely. Maintenance dosing is recommended between cycles. Depending on how many cycles per year you have and when during the year. Then, if if know the usual time your cycle is going to start, take a dose about a month before that. Even closer if you're very "regular" If you feel ANY signs of the next cycle starting.....burning, tingling, droopy eye.....take a booster dose immediately. Bob

If it's taking 45 minutes to subside, the 02 isnt working or if at all, very little. I would definately order a new mask first off to see if that will help. You need 100% 02 and if you're losing 10-20 because of the mask, it can make a huge difference. And cutting 30 minutes off an attack is.....HUGE After the mask, THE most important thing is starting as soon as there is any indication a hit is coming. Toss away the "oh no, I hope this isnt what I think it is" and sit down, grab the mask, turn on the valve full blast and relax, and take deep breaths. The others have offered the best advice on other things to start doing now. Read the Mushroom FAQ in the Clusterbuster files and scroll down to the detox section and you'll find some other tips. He may be a little afraid of a detox making things worse, (can't live without the imitrex) but many people find the detox to actually reduce the number of attacks. best of luck and thanks from all of us sufferers for looking after "one of us" bob

There will be plenty of 02 at the hotel for everyone. It is being delivered on Wednesday for you early arrivers ;-) Bring your masks.....regulators if you have them.....we'll make sure everyone is taken care of..... ;-) Bob

Kaboom (Elwood): 8-) It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses. Sidekickkk (Jake): 8-) Hit it.

Imitrex killed more people in the first year it was on the market than 3000 years of psilocybin mushroom use, including all the recreational use. The differences are only the billions of dollars of profit that Imitrex brings to the machine. The only profits psychedelics bring to the system are found in the judicial system. Oh well, dont get me started... > Bob

Maybe we should have held the conference on the east coast ;-) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/27/hurricane-irene-mushrooms_n_938423.html?ref=email_share See you all soon!! Bob

Very Cool.... Bob

Haha, I didnt even know Rockford had an airport. Bring some change for the tollway Kyle. Its not a bad drive as I take it quite often. At least you'll have a car in Chicago....;-) Bob

I believe they will be doing a stand up routine at the conference. Keeping up with the KaBoomers!! Hello MTV??

In case those of you that have tried the D3 treatment have missed it, there is a survey up in the Important Topics section of the General Board. Please take a few minutes and let us know how it has worked for you. http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1313857806 Thanks Bob

We are very interested in your experience with the vitamin D3 regimen. If you would take a couple of minutes to answer the questions here, it would be much appreciated, and helpful to others with CH. You can post your answers here (cut and paste questions) or PM them to me or to CHFather. Thank you! To make this survey reliable, we would like to hear from you only if you tested the whole basic D3 regimen: something each day in the ranges of 10,000 International Units of vitamin D3; several calcium citrate tablets; and 3-5 mg. of Omega-3 fish oil. (We’re considering the lemonade/limeade to be optional.) We are just as interested in hearing from you if the D3 didn’t work as we are if it did. 1. Are you: A. Chronic B. Episodic 2. With the understanding that there are many factors affecting CH, do you feel that the D3 regimen: A. Did nothing or nearly nothing for you. B. Eliminated your headaches. C. Helped with the severity of your headaches but didn’t eliminate them. D. Helped with the frequency of your headaches but didn’t eliminate them. E. Seemed to help for a while but then stopped showing anything positive. If this is true for you, how long did this improvement last before stopping? 3. If you experienced positive results, how long were you on the D3 regimen before you experienced them? Thank you very much Bob

Welcome, Hope we can help. If you go to the Clusterbuster Files section and scroll down to the Mushroom FAQ, there are a lot of ideas you can try, (One of them won't be a chiropractor) I used to go to one during cycles though just for the massages which helped some of the muscle problems in the neck. you'll find the propler dosing of the different B vitamins, Melatonin, Ginger tea etc. If you cant bust because of drug testing, I'd probably suggest giving Migranal a chance. Even if you wanted to give it a try while getting ready to try the seeds. Its a DHE, ergot derivative that could help. Its not cheap though unless you have insurance. (that doesnt make it cheap I guess, just makes the high cost paid by someone else) We dont suggest going out to buy mushrooms. It just isnt the way to go. The best way to get your hands on them is to grow them yourself. All the supplies you need can be found at Home depot, Ace Hardware and your local grocery store. The only thing that needs to be ordered are the spores and they are legal to purchase online. Bob

The dilution FunGuy speaks of is this; From the beginning we have concentrated on psychedelic treatments. This includes finding ways of making detoxing a little easier. It involved helping people with 02 instructions, etc. The reason we have mode so much progress over the years has been our collective drive to help others and find better treatments. For the most part though, these refined or different treatments have revolved around, and evolved from, psychedelics. The reason we discovered LSA was as an offshoot of mushrooms. Someone in the Netherlands could not completely end his cycle with mushrooms, could not find LSD and his wife, a med student, found that Rivea Corymbosa seeds and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds contained something similar to LSD. They tried them first for clusters. They worked. We added an LSA FAQ. Someone was experiencing anxiety while doing mushrooms and someone else researched the problem and suggested skullcap. Someone was looking for a way to treat low level hits between doses and others suggested Ginger. The list goes on and on and all the work done can be found on the FAQs. The discovery of BOL was based upon trying to refine the psychedelic treatments. We have made these strides because we have concentrated upon refining the psychedelic treatments. There was never a list of medications that could possibly block the psychedelic treatments. There was a LOT of work involved in finding these things out. I wonder if the medical community has looked at some of these things as closely as we have. I wonder how many people that have had Imitrex fail for them, were also on either steroids or opiates for unrelated conditions. With all the meds I was on over the years, I never had a doctor mention that one could be blocking the efficacy of another. I now know that to be the case, based upon the work by so many in this group. Yes, it is a fine line and it may not be clear to discern but the focus of the group does become blurred at times. We knew that opening up a public board would change things. Those that have been around since the yahoo days can easily see the changes. Message boards ALWAYS evolve. Not always for the better but there are trade offs. The fact that we are now reaching many more people than we had in the past is the most important. If we can do that AND continue to make progress towards better cluster treatments, we will all be happy. Carry on, we still have a lot of work to do. Bob The real one ;-) P.S. The general support here IS very important. Whether it is a poem or a shoulder to cry upon or a suggestion to try Skullcap. It always HAS been important and always will be. We're all here to help people not only survive this affliction but to improve quality of life. One that everyone deserves.