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First f-MRI plots cerebral activation centre in four patients with episodic cluster headache http://www.mendeley.com/research/functional-magnetic-resonance-imaging-in-episodic-cluster-headache "Positron emission tomography and f-MRI may be regarded as little or no importance in a clinical context, they do, however, offer great potential for the exploration of headache physiopathology and the effects of pharmacological treatment." shocked

Nicotine self-administration differentially regulates hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor and arginine vasopressin mRNAs and facilitates stress-induced neuronal activation. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18337407 shocked

Psychedelic drugs may come across as drugs that make you hallucinate or act crazy after you have taken them. There is actually a whole different side of the use of psychedelic drugs that many people donÂ’t know about. Medical doctors are doing research on psychedelic drugs to find out how they may or may not be beneficial to the human body. How do you study the effects of psychedelic drugs on people? How are illegal substances acquired for scientific studies? Why should psychedelic drugs be made into FDA-approved medicines? Why is Ecstasy being studied for medical benefits? What is the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies-MAPS? How is Ecstasy being used to treat post traumatic stress disorder-PTSD? How is Ecstasy used to treat schizophrenia? How might Ecstasy be used to treat survivors of physical or sexual assault? When will mainstream medicine use psychedelics as treatments? Are psychedelic drugs illegal everywhere in the world? How does the US Controlled Substances Act classify psychedelic drugs? Are drugs classified by the amount of bodily harm they do? How does the law deal with psychedelic drug users? When did Ecstasy become an illegal substance? Dr. Julie Holland answers - Psychedelic Drugs As Medicine http://www.videojug.com/interview/psychedelic-drugs-as-medicine-2 Psychedelic Drugs And The Law http://www.videojug.com/interview/psychedelic-drugs-and-the-law shocked

The foods we eat, and many of our most popular psychoactive drugs, come from plants or animals. The ingredients in these plant and animal products are very similar if not identical to the neurotransmitters our brains and bodies use to function normally. This is why the contents of our diets can interact with our neurons to influence brain functioning. Gary Wenk, Ohio State University Seed magazine http://seedmagazine.com/content/print/this_is_your_brain_on_food Gary’s book - Your Brain on Food: How Chemicals Control Your Thoughts and Feelings Described in reviews as “An absolutely fascinating read” demonstrates how, everything we put into our bodies (legal and illegal) has very direct consequences on certain neurotransmitters in the brain and explains ways to influence brain cell functioning through what we consume. Shocked

Interesting new imaging technique - Real-time functional MRI. Visual representation of brain activity and processes – “thoughts, emotions, pain” -- while it is happening. shocked

Hi met la, I know intimately the image that you are seeing “on the internet”. It’s the one showing a brain with a glowing hypothalamus/SCN. It comes from the UCL discovery - Hypothalamic activation in cluster headache attacks. First published in The Lancet 1998. May, Bahra, Buchel, Frackowiak, and Goadsby. http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/155788 I know it intimately because I was the “pain state patient.” A more comprehensive version can be viewed here - http://www.ouch-us.org/chgeneral/hypothalamus/hypothalamus2.htm You may also notice that I use the image as my avatar. Hope this helps shocked

On going in Marseille http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00458770 shocked

Imaging http://www.uke.de/der-vorstand/dekanat/downloads/geschaeftsfuehrung-dekanat/pom0904-4.pdf shocked

Positive correlation data from 13 ECHerÂ’s using FDG-PET and VAS underlines the association between severe episodic pain, depression and disability http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nt4g230;jsessionid=D60169E53B36DAE7A99440F091CBC895#page-1 shocked

"I feel the ocean swaying me Â… washing away all my pains. See where I was wounded, Remember the scar ? Now you canÂ’t see a thing Â… And I donÂ’t feel no painÂ…" Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune shocked

Arran in NS - http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20358-psychedelic-drug-cuts-brain-blood-flow-and-connections.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news It was a delight running into Arran at Breaking Convention last week in Canterbury. He was busy working and even had a film crew in tow. Great to see him doing so well. I brought him up to speed on our recent events since his last publication on us. He remains very much interested in our campaign and we parted agreeing that, it’s likely we shall again be working on a project together in the not too distant future. Incredibly! (and I can’t quite believe it myself, even though in happened to me?) I managed somehow to have a liquid lunch (too late for the food) with Robin directly following his presentation/ Q and A session. I was a little embarrassed walking off to the bar with him, knowing that there were many others there trying to see him. Perhaps it showed how much he is interested in us. He wasn’t much aware of CH or Busters and listened intently to my account. I informed and thanked him that his important work means a great deal to us and congratulated him on his comprehensive results. We spoke a little on what we might correlate from his study and touched briefly on the subject that a similar type of study could answer some of the mysteries of busting. He’s a nice chap. Easy to approach and get along with. I felt privileged that he had afforded me so much time and attention. He was very humble and paid tribute to everyone that played a part it the study, not least Amanda at Beckley. Not only for support but as we all know - nothing happens without the wherewithal. I went along and introduced myself to Amanda. Amanda was very busy as she was only attending for the day and was in many way’s the “star” speaker. It seemed everyone was vying for her attention all at once but I managed somehow (and I have no real idea how?) to have a chat with her. We were getting on great but unfortunately got broke up for some group photos. Poor Amanda was swamped when I eventually caught back up with her. She insisted that I give her my email addy and indicated that we should correspond. We had a great time at the conference. So much happen. There were 600 people there. It was much better than I ever could have imagined. Parts of it were truly amazing and blew us away…..However good the rest of it was …..My chat with Robin was, by far, the highlight of my whole weekend. shocked

Arran in NS - http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20358-psychedelic-drug-cuts-brain-blood-flow-and-connections.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news shocked

See the thread > Research & Scientific News › Psilocybin study shocked

Provoking discussion on the market dynamics of medical psychedelics. Rak Razam moderates a panel discussion at Entheogenesis Australis, Melbourne, Dec 2010. Starring MAPS President Rick Doblin, Steven Bright, Jasen, a practitioner using Ibogaine and Dr. Anna Kokavec. Podcast: Medical Psychedelics - Soma for the masses http://in-a-perfect-world.podomatic.com/entry/2011-03-27T04_08_39-07_00 "As John Halpern's Entheogen Corporation has shown with its exclusive global patent for Bromo-LSD, a non-psychedelic with "broad growth opportunities", corporations are now intending to make money for investors through the patenting of psychedelics." shocked

Canterbury tales - shocked

The Brain - A Secret History, Featuring Dr Michael Mosley taking part in the UK's first scientific trial of psilocybin with Professor David Nutt of Bristol University and a team from Imperial College. Now available on youtube Here is part 1, follow the links to 2,3 and 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvKQAYQT0bE shocked

Here is a great read from Keegan Hamilton at Seattleweekly Ibogaine is a hallucinogen that has helped addicts kick their drug habits. http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-11-17/news/shock-the-junkie Dimitri "Mobengo" Mugianis, Interview and Video - http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2011/01/dimitri_mobengo_mugianis_ibogaine_im_dangerous_with_love.php Unfortunatly Dimitri has been arrested - http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2011/03/dimitri_mobengo_mugianis_iboga.php shocked

A great read on PTSD and MDMA therapy By Jessica Winter at O, The Oprah Magazine Can a Single Pill Change Your Life? http://www.oprah.com/health/PTSD-and-MDMA-Therapy-Medical-Uses-of-Ecstasy shocked

Breaking Convention There are a few UK Busters going along to this gig - A Multidisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness being held at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, between the 2nd and 3rd of April, 2011 http://breakingconvention.co.uk The UKC Psychedelics Society, in association with the Beckley Foundation, the University of Kent School of Anthropology and Conservation, the Greenwich University Psychology Department, and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Four invited symposia Two evening parties with live music, socials and film screenings. Workshops, seminars and presentations from submitted abstracts will run in parallel with the track of invited speakers. Some of the invited speakers – ROBIN CARHART-HARRIS, Ph.D Working for Professor David Nutt and Dr Sue Wilson, RobinÂ’s thesis focused on sleep and serotonin function in ecstasy users. In 2009, working closely with the Beckley Foundation, he successfully coordinated the first clinical study of psilocybin in the UK and the first clinical study of a classic psychedelic drug in the UK for over 40 years. Now at Imperial College London, Sponsored by Beckley Foundation and supported by MAPS and Heffter, Robin aims to discover how psilocin works in the brain by using “BOLD fMRI” measuring increases and decreases in activity in different regions of the brain induced by the drug IVAN CASSELMAN Ph.D. Anthropology. His main research interests are plants which create heightened states of consciousness, social models of psychoactive use and the development of novel natural product therapies CAROLINE CHATWIN, Ph.D. lecturer in criminology at the university of Kent Dr Chatwin has published widely in the field of European drug policy and has a book on this subject coming out in April (Drug Policy Harmonization and the European Union). JON COLE, Ph.D. psychopharmacologist Dr Jon Cole has been working on controlled drugs for the past twenty years. He is currently working extensively in the criminal justice and social policy areas. VAL CURRAN, M.D. Val Curran is Professor of Psychopharmacology and Director of UCL's Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit. She is also research Lead and Hon. Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Drug Services at a north London NHS Foundation Trust, a Principal Editor of Psychopharmacology and a member of the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs Val recently gave a very interesting and informative talk at “High Society” Exhibition at the Wellcome Collection (What is a drug?) PAUL DEVEREUX Paul Devereux, worldwide lecturer and prolific author, including 'THE LONG TRIP - A Prehistory of Psychedelia'. Also blogs on the 'Reality Sandwich' and 'Brainwaving' websites RICK DOBLIN, Ph.D. Executive Director and founder of MAPS, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies KEVIN FEENEY, J.D. Kevin Feeney, J.D., received his law degree from the University of Oregon in 2005, and is currently a student of Anthropology at Washington State University (U.S.A.), where he is studying the religious use of peyote in American Indian traditions. Other research interests include examining legal and regulatory issues surrounding the religious and cultural use of psychoactive substances AMANDA FEILDING. Amanda Feilding is director and founder of the Beckley Foundation, which researches consciousness from an interdisciplinary perspective. It investigates how psychoactive substances work, why people use them, and what is the best way for society to control and integrate their inevitable presence. The Foundation has initiated pioneering research in both the scientific and policy fields, conducting breakthrough research into LSD, psilocybin and cannabis. The aim of the BFÂ’s Drug Policy Programme is to work towards a rational system of regulation which minimises the harms to the health of the individual and society while recognising personal freedoms, and optimising potential benefits to health and well-being. The research project “The Treatment of Cluster Headaches Using 2-Bromo-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” is supported by the Beckley Foundation NEAL MARSHALL GOLDSMITH, Ph.D. Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist, author, and public speaker has curated dozens of successful conferences including Horizons and this yearÂ’s MAPS Psychedelic Science conference. ROLAND GRIFFITHS, M.D. Roland is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His principal research focus in both clinical and preclinical laboratories has been on the behavioral and subjective effects of mood-altering drugs. His research has been largely supported by grants from the U.S. National Institutes on Health and he is author of over 300 journal articles and book chapters. He has an interest in meditation and is the lead investigator of the psilocybin research initiative at Johns Hopkins, which includes studies of psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experience in healthy volunteers and cancer patients, and a pilot study of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation. ANDY LETCHER, Ph.D. Andy Letcher teaches in the Study of Religions at Oxford Brookes University and is a freelance writer and folk musician. He is the author of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom, Recently Andy gave an entertaining and informative talk at the “High Society Exhibition” at the Wellcome Collection (what is a drug?) TORSTEN PASSIE, M.D., Ph.D. Torsten is assistant professor for clinical psychiatry and psychotherapy at Hannover Medical School. is an expert on the pharmacology and clinical/therapeutic use of hallucinogenic drugs. His publications appeared in Journal of Psychopharmacology, Neuropsychobiology, Addiction Biology, Addiction, CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics and others Co author of “Attack Cessation and Remission Induction with 2-Bromo-L SD for Cluster Headache” Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer, Board of Directors of Entheogencorp. BEN SESSA, M.D. Dr Ben Sessa MBBS BSc MRCPsych is a consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist working in Taunton, Somerset with the National Deaf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. He began publishing in medical journals on the subject of psychedelics as a trainee and since then has spoken nationally and internationally to doctors in a campaign to see these fascinating substances return to the mainstream pharmacopeia where their lives began. In 2008 he became a Research Associate under Prof. David Nutt at Bristol University, where he consulted for the ACMD on MDMA before working on the UK's only human hallucinogen study in modern times - being the first person to be legally administered a classical psychedelic drug in this country for 33 years. His papers include From Sacred Plants to Psychotherapy, The History and Re-Emergence of. Psychedelics in Medicine and History of Psychedelic Research in the United Kingdom (available on vimeo and youtube) FRANZ VOLLENWEIDER, M.D. Dr. Franz X. Vollenweider is currently the Vice-Director of Research and Teaching and Director of the “Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging” Research Unit of the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zürich East, and Professor of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine, University of Zürich. He is also the Director of Heffter Research Centre Zürich for Consciousness Studies (HRC-ZH), which he founded in 1998 and incorporated in his research group. Dr. Vollenweider has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers, many of which address the mechanisms of action of psychostimulants, hallucinogens, and entactogens in humans. Available on vimeo and youtube Dr Vollenweider gave a stunning talk - “Neuronal Network and Neurotransmitter Dynamics Underlying Psychedelic-Induced Altered States of Consciousness in Humans” ANNA WALDSTEIN, Ph.D. Anna is a medical anthropologist who studies self-medication with herbal medicines as a form of empowerment and/or resistance to biomedical hegemony CHARLOTTE WALSH. Charlotte Walsh was awarded her LLB and MPhil from Manchester University. She has lectured in law at the University of Leicester for thirteen years, at the intersection of criminal justice, drug policy and neuroscience. Her research focus is on psychedelics and the law, seen from a human rights perspective. She is a founder member of Drug Equality Alliance, an organisation that campaigns for equal rights and protection of all drug users. Two excellent pieces by Charlotte - Magic Mushrooms: from sacred entheogen to Class A Drug (2006) Entertainment & Sports Law, Volume 4, Number 1 Magic Mushrooms and the Law [2005] Criminal Law Review October, 773–783. And a forthcoming piece to look out for Drugs & the Internet: Cyberdelic ®Evolution" (2011) Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. The conference is being covered by the “ashroomwithaview” Podcast. A preview can be heard here - http://ashroomwithaview.podomatic.com Breaking Conventions part1 > episode 34 – part 2 > episode 36 Interview featuring - Dave King, founder of the UKC Psychedelics Society Dr. David Luke Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Greenwich and Director of the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness lecture series Dr. Ben Sessa MD. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Cameron Adams, research fellow and lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Kent. Cameron Adams is an anthropologist studying psychedelic culture. In his own time and with his own funds Cameron is doing short research survey on the medical/healing uses and users of psychedelics. Here - http://ukcpsychedelics.co.uk Come along if you can. Free O2, T-Shirt and Cmasx. shocked

Yakov Spektor discusses the issue and invites comment – Hallucinogens and Drug Policy Yakov Spektor. lawyer, NYC. http://www.tidbitsondrugpolicy.com/?cat=13 Quote – “Generally, I believe that many substances currently listed in Schedule I have medicinal properties – albeit unknown to medical science in its current state. The dangers (or the perceived dangers) of these substances got them into Schedule I in the first place. It would be nice if the reports of possible medical benefits of these substances actually induced FDA, DEA and HHS to assume a more proactive stance in investigating these benefits. After all, the medical science would certainly benefit from having another tool added to to its arsenal of treatments.” shocked

An excellent read by Charlotte Walsh - From sacred entheogen to Class A drug.Charlotte Walsh Lecturer in Law, Faculty of Law, University of Leicester. On July 18th, section 21 of the Drugs Act 2005 came into force: as a result, magic mushrooms are now classified as a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Following a brief look at magic mushrooms and their effects, this paper charts their usage throughout history, from Saharan tribes in ancient times, through the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s, to the boom in (recently halted) internet sales of them in the United Kingdom. This serves as background to detailed consideration of magic mushrooms' recent change in legal status in this country, from non-controlled fungi to Class A drug. The desirability (or otherwise) of this development is analysed, situated within a comparative and international context, with reference to potential unwanted side-effects. Full text here - http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/eslj/issues/volume4/number1/walsh Quote - “A final issue of note is that the newly imposed ban on fresh magic mushrooms holds particular significance for those people who had been using them to self-medicate for the types of headaches associated with serotonin activities in the brain, such as cluster, episodic, chronic or migraine headaches. Some sufferers of these debilitating conditions believe that the ingestion of psycilocybin through taking magic mushrooms can not only abort a single attack, but can also terminate the headache cycle for an extended period of time. The 'Clusterbusters' website, dedicated to disseminating information on this phenomenon, purports to be speaking up for 'those lost in broad based laws' and pleads with governmental and law enforcement agencies 'to consider the yearly loss of thousands of people through suicide, due to chronic pain'. Researchers at Harvard Medical School are currently working towards obtaining official Food and Drug Administration approval to conduct a study into the impact of magic mushrooms on headaches. Such research is supported by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, an organisation based in the United States whose mission it is to sponsor scientific research designed to develop psychedelics into approved prescription medicines. The likelihood of similar such research being approved in the United Kingdom has been lessened due to the fact that the activation of section 21 was accompanied by the Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Amendment Order) 2005. This Order confirms legally that magic mushrooms, like psilocin, are designated as having no recognised medical use. Those headache sufferers who would beg to differ on this point must now make an unenviable choice: whether to carry on using magic mushrooms, thereby risking up to a potential seven years' imprisonment for Class A drug possession; or to stop using them, thus being denied what many of them have found to be the most effective treatment they have come across. Those who make the latter choice believe that they will suffer chronic pain as a consequence. Further, abstinence may be thrust upon many former users, regardless of whether or not they are willing to break the law: magic mushrooms are now considerably harder to come by than prior to their prohibition. The most viable option is now for individuals to go out foraging for them in the wild, exposing themselves not only to heightened risks of poisoning through picking the wrong kind, but also to the full force of the criminal law.” Charlotte will be speaking at “Breaking Conventions” A Multidisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness held at the University of Kent Canterbury UK on April 2nd-3rd 2011 http://breakingconvention.co.uk shocked

Col. Paul Little, M.D Oxygen for headaches soldiersmediacenter shocked

A free public lecture at the University of Bath next Wednesday. Science in Drug Politics: From current oxymoron to future principle, by Prof Nutt http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/health/Sacked-drugs-expert-talk-university/article-3204014-detail/article.html Also speaking at the Queen Square Symposium, UCL Institute of Neurology - http://www.ion.ucl.ac.uk/articles/events/QS2010 shocked

Concerns over bid to ban plants - http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/01/27/plants-lismore-dmt “These plants have been around for ever and have multiple uses and could have very important healing or medicinal qualities for the future.” Robyn Francis, principal of the Permaculture College Australia. shocked

Outcry over ban talk - http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/01/26/outcry-over-ban-talk-wattle-floral-emblem Dominic Feain, Northernstar. Shocked