Psychedelic Medicine [2 volumes]: New Evidence for Hallucinogenic Substances as Treatments (Praeger Perspectives)
Experts including physicians and psychiatrists at some of the most respected medical schools in the nation, show how psychedelics may alleviate symptoms or spur cures for disorders from AIDS to arthritis to post traumatic stress disorder. Spiritual uses are also addressed and the perceived benefits described. Medical and legal issues for therapeutic uses are also presented. The psychedelic drugs explained in these pages for potential health use include:• Ayahuasca• LSD• Marijuana• MDMA/Ecstasy• Psyilocybin• Peyote• Appendices list a sample of sites where medical research with psychedelics is underway, and describe prominent advocates and organizations pushing to further this research."Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogenic Substances as TreatmentS≪/i>….in two volumes, brings together much of the contemporary knowledge related to hallucinogens in a way that it will appeal to the scientific community, and will contribute to the increasing interest that is being paid to this group of drugs….These weighty tomes, of well over 750 pages between them are clearly very well presented. The layout is clear, the syntax is formal and accomplished, the chapters are extensively referenced, and the index is detailed."-Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing"This is one of the few recent books that treat this subject in a scholarly way and is recommended for all medical and academic libraries. Public libraries should also purchase it because such material is scarce in other books."-Library Journal"When hallucinogenic drugs are mentioned, one is more likely to think of drugs of abuse, mind-altering drugs, or drugs subject to governmental regulation than of drugs that may have a therapeutic application. For this reason, this two-volume treatise serves a useful purpose not only in providing an update on the limited number of hallucinogenic drugs that already have some therapeutic application (based on relatively limited research), but also by covering the history of these mind-altering drugs and the cultural, social, political, legal, economic, and ethical factors that have encumbered research on these compounds. The work is well organized, with chapters written by medical and legal professionals active in the field…. Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers."-Choice"[T]his extensive two-volume tome currently serves as ^Ithe^R authoritative reference text on psychedelic medicines, particularly with regard to the advances made in the last ten years….No corners have been cut with the essays either, each of which have been written specifically for this book and, collectively, they offer a comprehensive range of insights to this anthology. Although almost wholly positive, this treatise on the possible benefits of psychedelic agents in the treatment of psychological disease still offers a reasoned and balanced approach….^IPsychedelic Medicine^R has a great deal of timely information to offer physical and mental health professionals and students, as well as all those working in recreational drug research, policy, treatment and intervention, whether involved with psychedelics or not."-Drugs and Alcoholism Today"[W]e are in the second stage of a three-stage process of psychedelic re-evolution. The first stage ended in demonization, now we are in the reconceptualization phase, and eventually will move to the integration stage. Psychedelics have reached middle age, as have my fellow baby boomers. It is up to us, with the help of scholarly research and publications like these volumes, to educate society about the value of psychedelics."-The Erowid Review