#including ptsd and addiction since the 50s!

[anotherpapercut]

it is kind of wild seeing posts where people are like refuting the idea that psychedelics can be healing/medicinal/spiritual/generally anything other than purely recreational based on one experience they had. why are you guys Richard Nixon

[scientia-rex]

For the most part, my approach to prescribing hormones is “sure,” but I will note that the one thing I lean HARD on patients about is smoking. If you’re transgender, and you’re on hormones, the number one thing we want to protect is your cardiovascular health. That’s frankly the number one thing I want to protect in all my patients, but anyone taking exogenous hormones is at higher baseline risk. And the best thing you can do for your heart is DON’T SMOKE. It’s a bitch to quit, and I didn’t even smoke much or long before I quit in my late teens, and I STILL didn’t enjoy quitting and had smoking dreams for years. It’s harder to quit than just about anything else up to and including crack and heroin, and that’s coming from a patient of mine who recently passed in her early 60s who’d done all of those things—for years and years—but eventually was able to quit everything except smoking. And that killed her. She developed severe COPD and eventually called to say her blood oxygen saturation was dipping into the 70s, which is incompatible with life. She was lucid enough to decline medical care, including refusing to call 911 or go to the ER. A week later, after both I and one of our outreach nurses had contacted her to ask her to please go to the ER, I got a notification that she’d been found dead. She had been so frustrated that she wasn’t a candidate for a lung transplant.

One of my oldest trans patients is in her late 50s. She’s had blood clots that went to the lungs. Repeatedly. Smoking raises that risk. Estrogen raises that risk. She’s a veteran with PTSD; of course she smoked.

These aren’t theoretical. These are humans I’ve cared for over years of their lives. I have been rooting for them—my beloved former addict, who spoke without shame about her years of homelessness and drug use in the city; my queer elders, who are slowly trading in their motorcycles for power scooters. I want everyone to live their fullest, best life.

Smoking doesn’t fit into that. Please don’t smoke. I don’t want you to die like that—not now and not later. I want you to have the future that you may not be able to see yet, but exists.

Since I moved home as an out queer, word got out, and there’s a whole apartment complex of lesbians in their 60s to their 80s who come see me—sitting next to their wives in the office, nagging about blood pressure meds, tattling about not having gotten the shingles shot they said they would. To be clear, when I was growing up in town, I knew no lesbians. Not one. I knew one gay kid in my class, which eventually turned into two. We were it. To see these women living decades with their wives and being able to squabble like any couple in my office over who was supposed to bring their home blood pressure cuff in for us to check it… it means the world to me.

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

His avoidance

I read this quote a few days ago and it reminded me of these two:

Source: Marriage.com YES! MARRIAGE DOT COM LOLOLOL!

So since I already went over her avoidant behavior 🔗 that might have as well cost us SYDCARMY this season:

Now I am gonna be fair because Carmy is avoidant too but differently. They are like "50 shades of I DON'T WANNA DEAL WITH MY FEELINGS, I RATHER COOK".

And in the bonus track, I will focus on the only great part of being a master avoidant.

So, Carmy... His avoidant behavior is a different shade of avoidance because while also being a defense mechanism, it is rooted in his C-PTSD, which he described in the AA meeting S1 monologue pretty well. He grew up in a totally different environment than Syd 🔗 but he also felt lonely and that scared him emotionally.

Avoidance resulted from that emotional scaring process that affects him even to this day. C-PTSD and PTSD are not the same, so it's important not to misdiagnose the two. Also, C-PTSD can cause autobiographical memory gaps but it only affects functional memory.

That being said, Carmy is extremely self-aware because he is an introvert. My theory also includes his AUADHD type, but I will not dive into that neurodivergency in this post, I will focus on his introverted type and avoidant behavior. That self-awareness is what differentiates him the most from Sydney who is an ambivert (extra-introvert). She defaults to denial, and he defaults to sublimation.

I went over his sublimation several times:

Here 🔗

Here 🔗

And here 🔗

Yeah... I gave it some thought ok?

Carmy doesn't avoid feeling, he avoids acknowledging, but he's not in full-on denial, he just dances around an idea, a concept he's fully aware of, and then decides to disregard it thinking that by doing so it will disappear. It doesn't and then it becomes ART.

It becomes ANGER.

It becomes INSOMNIA.

Just like in Syd's case, it becomes PANIC/ANXIETY.

It becomes ADDICTION.

It becomes silence that feels like something crashing his chest and not letting him say the words he wants to say OR cry. It becomes PARALISYS.

And he runs away from it by cooking or sketching, smoking, etc. Instead of facing it even if it hurts, elaborating on it and letting it out verbally, crying his heart out if necessary, and eventually healing.

I am positive that ended in 03x10 when he was strong enough to confront his nemesis and then have a good cry, finally!!! I was sooo happy for him, it broke my heart, but I was happy. He's finally on the mend.

Carmy will continue avoiding feelings he doesn't feel ready to cope with, deflecting and diverting to other stuff to fool himself, sure!

But this will not traumatize him anymore.

He will go about it differently now that he can let out certain things that were stuck in him for far too long. This will also enable other "un-stuck" processes, such as finally leaving C behind after having an adult conversation / giving that relationship the closure it deserves, which he has been avoiding since last season.

But for that, he will have to quit avoiding the reason why he stalled it in the first place, which I explained → here 🔗

I am sure S4 will be all about that because that's exactly where he ended last season, so it's the logical progression:

I bet everything on his success.

Avoidants are masters of the unspoken communication

Bonus track: Both Carmy and Syd are masters of unspoken communication, that's also why they end up overdoing it, they end up abusing that skill they have and it turns counterproductive. But it is a skill nonetheless. THOSE LOOKS, THOSE SILENCES, THAT UNSPOKEN LOVE, THEY CAN SAY IT ALL WITHOUT PRONOUNCING A SINGLE WORD OR BETWEEN THE LINES OF THE FEW WORDS THEY SAY. THEIR TRADE MARK. THEY MASTER SILENCES AND INFLECTIONS LIKE NO OTHERS. THEY CAN SAY IT ALL "DIFFERENTLY".

They got this. Let's give them more time. S4 is gonna be all about them learning to use their words "properly" after they stop avoiding the conversation they owe each other.

Remember to follow my tag #Gingerpovs 💋

[lesbianslovebts]

I am trying my damned hardest to cope right now, but I have to get some anger out first. I hate being disabled. I hate living in a house full of disabled people. I hate surviving instead of living.

I am autistic. I have anxiety, depression, and PTSD. I am an abuse survivor. Trying over 5 different antidepressants and going on birth control for menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea made me gain over 100 pounds between ages 12 and 15. I am immunocompromised. I get a sinus infection that lasts for 4-8 weeks every year. When I was younger, I had bone removed from my face because of chronic sinusitis. They had to put me on one antibiotic after another as a kid. The pediatric ones stopped working, so I ended up on adult antibiotics despite the risk for joint damage. I even had a PICC line put in when I was 8 to pump antibiotics right into my heart. I've had multiple cauterizations to stop severe nosebleeds. One time, the bleeding was so bad that trying to stop it from coming out my nose made it come out my mouth and eyes instead, and my eardrums almost ruptured. When I had Covid-19 in 2021, it lasted for 3 months. I developed seasonal allergies just this year. I have chronic migraine, which at this point is more than half the days in a week. I have GERD and IBS. Insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome. I no longer have tonsils, adenoids, or a gallbladder. I have chronic muscle pain.

My gramma has lived with us since I was 5. She smoked for 50 years and has had a heart attack, strokes, triple bypass surgery, stents, blood transfusions, aneurysm, COPD, staph infections, inch-deep craters in her leg, sepsis, amputation, type 2 diabetes, no teeth, celiac disease, glaucoma, sleep apnea, and countless episodes of heart failure and fluid in her lungs. We think dementia is coming next. She almost burned the house down a while back. Not to mention anxiety, depression, obsessions, and so on.

My mom has chronic vestibular migraine, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, anxiety, depression, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, IBS, GERD, and recently started bleeding out her ass, which could be simple hemorrhoids or colon cancer. 🙃

My dad was an abusive alcoholic, so I cut him off. He is autistic and has Dupuytren's contracture so severe that he can't open his hands and can barely use his thumbs and index fingers, horrible allergies, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction, obviously.

My brother is a type 1 diabetic with a phobia of low blood sugars, which means he purposefully avoided taking the appropriate amount of insulin since he was a teenager. Combined with a diabetic-specific eating disorder, his A1C has been regularly over twice what it should be for over a decade, which has led to the following: diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, complete kidney failure (on dialysis), neuropathy in his legs and feet, no teeth, chronic pain, chronic fluid buildup, and malnutrition. Not to mention Dupuytren's contracture, ADHD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and addiction.

And it may be silly to count my pets in with the people, but my dog and two cats are all 17. I've had them since I was 10. The dog has a severe heart murmur, is deaf, and takes several meds, but she's still happy, does brief zoomies once a day after a good shit, and lives to eat. Both cats are arthritic, which is to be expected of such old ladies. One has a sore on her chin that won't heal, and I'm about to spend $1k on her to see if it's solvable or time to make decisions. 🙃

Every single one of us in this house, animals included, are disabled. My mom and I worked so hard to make this a safe, clean space for us after moving out of the filthy, broken house we were in for 15 years, where we all suffered trauma. But ever since my mom let my brother move in due to his health issues, the house has gone to shit. I am the only one who cleans, and I just can't keep up with it. The only safe, clean space for me is my own room, where I imprison myself to survive.

All this, and I still haven't committed suicide because I am dying to live a better life. I have worked too fucking hard to get here. I remind myself of this, of the progress I've made, of my accomplishments, of what I want to see and learn and do, of what and whom I love. But Dear God, I am praying for a break, for some rest, for some peace, for all of us.

[undercoverwizardfanfiction]

I posted 53 times in 2022

21 posts created (40%)

32 posts reblogged (60%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@undercoverwizardninjaturtle

@jadethest0ne

@undercoverwizardfanfiction

@starrcrossrose

@void-inked-pen

I tagged 23 of my posts in 2022

#rottmnt - 22 posts

#rottmnt fanfiction - 14 posts

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles - 14 posts

#undercoverwizardninjaturtle - 11 posts

#donnie - 11 posts

#tmnt - 9 posts

#leo - 9 posts

#rottmnt fantasy au - 6 posts

#rise of teenage mutant ninja turtles - 5 posts

#teenage mutant ninja turtles - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 50 characters

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtle fanfiction

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Title: Glass Shell

Verse: ROTTMNT

Summary: Afterall, aren’t we all in various stages of falling apart?

Characters: Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael

Pairings:

Warnings: PTSD, meltdown, nightmares, past trauma

@hoshisoul and @soldierofsirens thank you both :)

Being a record-breaking insomniac, Leo is always finicky if he wakes up before he’s ready. Normally the process includes twelve alarms, turning off the heated blanket he had started using for the top half of his body and the slightly warmer second heated blanket he used for the bottom half and letting nature do its work (if he’s lucky, he’d be up by noon). What he doesn’t like is having an empty bag dropped entirely on his face. For a moment all he can do was shoot up in a sitting position and swipe at his face furiously till he’s able to catch it and pull it off. He pushes up his eye mask and rubs at his face as he reads the bag.

“Naturally sourced fair trade premium coffee beans?” He looks up to his assailant. “Raph, I keep telling you coffee is a gateway drug and our grocery bills can’t afford another caffeine addict—”

“That's not—no, I don’t have the physical strength to fight Donnie for coffee every morning,” Raph says with a shake of his head, as though the very thought of it was enough to give him nightmares. “No, I wanted to talk to you, ’cause I think something might be happening and I’m not sure. I’ve been wrong in the past; I’ve made things worse in the past—” Raph starts tapping his forefingers as his talking speeds up. “And—and I don't want to overstep, but I can't stop thinking about it and—and I thought I’d come to you since you’re better about this—”

“Buddy, buddy, you’re at a 10 right now, I need you to be at a 3,” Leo pulls his water jug off his bedside and takes a sip. “Maybe a 2. “

Raph's face twists up in frustration, but he closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths and opens his eyes again. He starts pacing across the small space between Leo’s bed and the door, gesturing with his hands.

“OK, so we got groceries two days ago. I remember because you always buy an extra three boxes of cookies. One for dipping into sour cream while you shop, one for Pops so he doesn’t eat your cookies, and one for the drive home, ’cause, and I quote: ‘I just did my chore for the week and I deserve this.’” Raph pauses and looks at him. “You know, how you’re still alive is beyond me.”

“Pizza Supreme in the Sky wouldn’t gift me to the world and take me away so easy.'' Leo grins. Now that he’s waking up more, he stretches out his arms and legs in almost a catlike manner and yawns. “OK, OK, so we went grocery shopping. So what?”

“So, every week Donnie gets four large bags of overpriced coffee from that vegan store on the other side of town because the one we used to go to banned you both.”

“We’ve been over this. If they didn’t want us to ride a robot bear through their vegan honey aisle they should have put up a sign—”

“—SO I went to throw it in the recycling bin. And I saw there were already, like, four bags in there. That doesn’t seem healthy.”

Ah, worried big brother Raph is a classic. Leo can’t help but smile and reach out, wrapping his smaller hand around Raphs larger finger, which instinctively wraps around his.

“OK, OK, big guy, come here. Come listen to Wisonardo.” He manages to scoot over to let Raph sit down next to him before he gets up on his knees and starts kneading his shoulder. But upon realizing his fingers didn’t have the strength to make a difference, he switches to his elbows. “I know you love to worry. It’s your favorite thing to do other than collecting Teddy Bear Town coupons and anxiety. And the fact you haven't been hovering over him is great and I’m proud of you… I mean yeah, that much coffee would kill a T-Rex. But Donnie—'' Four bags was a lot of coffee, was he not sleeping at all? “That is a lot for him, but we’ve all been going through a lot with the Invasion, and I think this is just how he’s coping. I think.”

See the full post

111 notes - Posted September 20, 2022

#4

An EDIT i made based on images from the ROTTMNT season 1 finale

141 notes - Posted August 14, 2022

#3

HEY! It’s Charmy here, over on the SaveROTTMNT server we’re gauging interest to see if anyone is interested in participating in a ROTTMNT movie zine! If you’re interested let me know, we need artists, writers and maybe a few mods. Just let me know and we’ll see how it goes!

143 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

#2

I don’t normally draw but I’ve been practicing, I still consider myself a writer by trade but it’s fun to try new things

based on this post

486 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I’ve said it once I’ll say it again for those in the back. Because even I , who post REGULARLY, have been getting these messages lately

👏STOP👏HARASSING👏CREATORS👏

“But they’re taking forever-😭”

THEN YOU’LL WAIT FOREVER

“They’re my favorite creator-“

THEN STOP HARASSING THEM AND BE SUPPORTIVE DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO ADMIT WHEN YOU LOOSE INTEREST IN A PROJECT? IF YOU REALLY SUPPORT THEM THEN YOU’LL SUPPORT THEM EVEN IF THEYRE NOT GIVING YOU ANYTHING

“They left it on such a cliffhanger-“

THAT DOESN’T CONSTITUTE THE RIGHT TO THREATEN PEOPLE DENNIS

I DONT CARE YOUR ARGUMENT BECAME INVALID WHEN YOU STARTED BULLYING PEOPLE. LET PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES STOP HARASSING THEM

This has been Charmy saying “stop being a jerk”😘

1,319 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thaoworra]

Laomerica 50 Now Open!

In the Lao language, democracy is ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ “Pa-xa Ti-pa-tai”. The idea of diaspora, or Lao living outside of Laos is often considered as ລາວນອກ “Lao Nawk” two ideas that are relatively new to the Lao people.

2023-2025 marks the 50th anniversary since the end of the US Secret War in Laos and the transition from the Royal Lao Government to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and the start of a journey for many with roots in Laos around the world, including the US.

How have these communities transitioned from monarchy to democracy? This is a question we are exploring in Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Central Library in downtown with an exhibit of over 80 items reflecting over 100 years of history in Southeast Asia, the US and across the globe. This exhibit runs until September 27th on the 2nd floor in the Cargill Gallery, at 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401 on most days starting at 9AM until 8PM (M-T) and 5PM (F-Su).  This exhibit is free to the public and is suitable for families of all ages. You can see some of the images from the opening week here.

Minnesota has the third largest Laotian refugee population in the United States, which includes over 13,000 ethnic Lao, Khmu, Tai Dam, Iu Mien and others, and over 60,000 Hmong per Census 2020 and the American Community Survey. Our history with Minnesota in many ways began with Vice-President Hubert Humphrey’s historic visit to Laos in 1966, and our global stories are still intertwined with Minnesota’s history in many unexpected ways. For example, the United States dropped more bombs on Laos than on any other country in the 20th century, and 80 percent of all bombing casualties in Laos were civilians. The war is estimated to have killed 10 percent of the population. Over 30% of Laos remains contaminated with cluster bombs, many initially manufactured in Minnesota. Many fled to the United States because of their role in assisting the US during the Vietnam War, but few Americans know the full story.

As a community, fewer than 14% successfully graduate college and fewer than 1% go on to a Masters degree or higher. Many live in low-income multigenerational households with limited English, with an estimated 30% below the Federal poverty line.

Over the decades the community grappled with culture shock, anti-Asian racism, gang issues, early teen pregnancy, untreated PTSD and depression, substance abuse and gambling addictions, extreme domestic violence concerns, police brutality, challenges and gender equity issues. These issues were particularly challenging during the pandemic.

At the same time, Minnesota has served as the home to internationally recognized writers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs and community builders who’ve represented Laos and Minnesota at the Olympics, the Smithsonian, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Library of Congress and many other institutions.

While Laos has often been described as a quiet peaceful Eden, much of its history is marked by turmoil and invasion, occupation and upheaval. Lao arts often searched for the best of their traditions, celebrating harmony and nature, the search for truth, wisdom and compassion, and the rejection of violence. More easily said than done at times. Over the last 5 years we gathered archival photographs, visual art, short films, textiles, ephemera, rare books, and cultural objects that reflect the inner and outer lives of our community, not only focusing on our memories, traditions and customs, but our dreams and visions for our community in both Minnesota and across the globe.

We hope you'll join us and tell others about this ground-breaking exhibit, one of the first of its kind in the Minnesota library system. "Laomerica 50: Democracy and Diaspora" coincides with Lao American Artist Heritage Month in August.

Related events include:

Wednesday, August 7, 6-8 p.m. – Artist Reception at Minneapolis Central Library Doty Board Room

Saturday, August 10, Noon-3 p.m. – Artists in Focus: A community conversation and reflection with Lao artists Bay Koulabdara, Tou Her, and Bryan Thao Worra at Minneapolis Central Library Pohlad Hall

Saturday, September 14, 1-3 p.m. – Nakavi Lao Poet Convention at Minneapolis Central Library Pohlad Hall

Sunday, September 15, 1-4p.m. – Laomerica Film Festival at Minneapolis Central Library Pohlad Hall

1-2 p.m. Lao American Short Films

2-4 p.m. Origin Story: The Documentary

Friday, September 27, 3-5 p.m. – Closing Reception at Minneapolis Central Library Doty Board Room

Several of these programs are made possible through money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. These were made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

[your-dietician]

Palo Santo raises $50 mln for largest-ever venture capital fund focused purely on psychedelic medicine

New Post has been published on https://medianwire.com/palo-santo-raises-50-mln-for-largest-ever-venture-capital-fund-focused-purely-on-psychedelic-medicine/

Palo Santo raises $50 mln for largest-ever venture capital fund focused purely on psychedelic medicine

Venture capital fund Palo Santo is closing its oversubscribed debut fund with $50 million of commitments in what the two-year-old firm describes as the largest pure-play venture capital pool dedicated to developing FDA-approved psychedelic drugs, MarketWatch has learned.

While $50 million would be considered a smaller-sized venture capital fund compared to others in the broad technology or biotech sectors, Palo Alto is playing in a tiny industry thus far.

But with MDMA, also known as Molly or ecstasy, as well as magic mushrooms, or psilocybin, gaining traction as a potential medicine, Palo Santo sees an opportunity to back development of new medicines.

“This is becoming a biotech business [and] it needs to take a sophisticated, life sciences approach to make sure these compounds get through the FDA and hopefully reimbursed by insurance,” Daniel Goldberg, co-founder and partner at Palo Santo, told MarketWatch. “It’s been crucial that we’re playing in that sandbox.”

Goldberg said he’s benefitted from MDMA to treat his post-traumatic stress from living in the community exposed to the bloodshed in the July, 2021, Highland Park Shooting in Illinois that killed seven and wounded 30 people.

“I was lucky to have access and to be able to work with psychedelics and it was helpful,” Goldberg said. “It made me realize that we have to move this along as fast as possible. Our work is…making sure we get medicines that can help people and are safe and make them accessible. It’s a great thing for a lot of people but it’s not regulated.” 

Also Read: ‘Magic mushrooms’ may help alcoholics drink 83% less — or stop drinking entirely, research suggests

The firm raised the majority of its $50 million debut fund prior to the financial markets downturn of 2022, but it drew in about 40% of the fund this year. Palo Santo has already deployed $25 million of the fund in in 20 core portfolio companies including Tactogen, Beckley Psytech, Bexson Biomedical, Delix Therapeutics, Fluence, Ksana Health, Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, and Journey Clinical.

Valuations of target companies got richer in 2021 amid bullish private market conditions and as other firms saw the positive research. While some institutional investors threw money at the sector, some of the companies that won funding weren’t ready to grow successfully.

“We’re proud to have taken passes on companies that are now penny stocks,” Goldberg said. “We can show investors not only are we doing well in a very tough market, we’ve also avoided disasters from a frothy market.”

Goldberg traced his interest in the field to about five years ago when he attended a lecture by Michael Pollan, author of “How to Change Your Mind”. He realized there was a deep bench of scientists and researchers working to achieve wider acceptance and use of psychedelics to treat addiction, depression, PTSD and other ills, but with little ethical or scalable investment in the space. 

“We thought we stumbled upon a real secret,” said Goldberg, who decided to bring to bear his experience to the budding space as co-founder and principal of Bridge Venture Fund and Bridge Investments since 1998.

For his part, Tim Schlidt, co-founder and partner at Palo Santo, had been doing life sciences and healthcare services work at private equity firm Madison Dearborn partners and noticed favorable academic studies on psychedelics at Johns Hopkins and other places as well, starting about four years ago and started talking to his friend Goldberg about it.

“When we looked at the data, we said, ‘This is a game changer’,” Schlidt said. “That began a long exploration of meeting people and getting to know the academics. We saw the COVID-19 pandemic as a mental illness wave. That’s panned out and you’re seeing a renewed focus on mental health care.”

Unlike anti-depressants and other medications that patients must take every day, MDMA has been proposed as a vehicle for a fixed set of therapy sessions with trained professionals in the room.

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, has been conducting Phase 3 trials of MDMA, which may be out in the market for therapeutic uses by 2024 or 2025. MAPS data has shown that 67% of participants no longer have PTSD after three sessions in the Phase 3 trials.

Besides the founder’s combined pool of experience in private equity and venture capital, its roster of advisors including Charles D. Nichols, John D. McCorvy, Dr. Julie Holland, Dr. John F. Greden, and Dr. Stephen Wright, Gretchen Temeles and David Sherman. 

Nichols is a professor at the LSU School of Medicine who has conducted research and given speeches on on psychedelic medicine and Holland is a medical advisor on clinical studies on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder and an advisor to MAPS.

“A big differentiator was having Chuck Nichols, Julie Holland and our other advisors, so we carved out a name for ourselves as a validator in the space,” Schlidt said.

Palo Santo is closing its fund amid healthy activity in the psychedelic drug space.

The FDA under the Biden administration has fast-tracked MDMA treatment for potential approval. MAPS continues to conduct Phase 3 trials for the medicine.

While psilocybin (psychedelic mushrooms) are becoming legal for adult use consumers in states such as Oregon, Palo Santo is focused on treatments approved by the FDA that can then tap the existing distribution ecosystem for government-approved, regulated medicines. 

Small cap company MindMed MNMD, +0.33% has held a Phase 2 placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated trial of LSD as a treatment for anxiety and and published a paper on the study in the peer-reviewed Biological Psychiatry. 

MindMed has received backing from Jake Freeman, a 20-year-old investor who made $110 million by purchasing shares of Meme stock Bed, Bath & Beyond BBBY, +4.55% over the summer.

Also Read: Stock of psychedelics company MindMed slides 50% after it sells fresh shares

Read the full article here

[aion-rsa]

Why Tom Holland Was Terrified of Playing a Bank Robber in Cherry

https://ift.tt/3aIcnLv

All of a sudden Tom Holland is everywhere. He’s got two movies out right now–the sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking and the drug/crime drama Cherry–and the latter is making its premiere on Apple TV+ this weekend after a limited run in theaters. He also recently wrapped production on the long-developing adaptation of the Uncharted video game franchise, and he’s currently working with director Jon Watts again on their third standalone Spider-Man adventure together, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In Cherry, based on the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by Nico Walker, Holland stars as the title character, a young Cleveland man who joins the Army after his girlfriend (Ciara Bravo) announces she is going away to college. He returns home from Iraq with PTSD, develops an opioid addiction, and eventually turns to bank robbery to support his habit.

The often harrowing film is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, making it the first motion picture directed by the Cleveland-born brothers since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Cherry marks Holland’s fourth collaboration with the Russos, following Endgame, Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), but his first time working with them without a superhero costume.

Cherry is also one of two recent movies, the other being last year’s grim The Devil All The Time, in which the British actor steps away from his generally sunny, innocent demeanor to take on a darker, more tormented character. We touched on that, working with the Russos, researching the world of addiction, and more–including little nuggets on No Way Home and Uncharted–when we hopped on Zoom recently with the young Mr. Holland.

Den of Geek: What did you respond to in the character of Cherry, as well as the script? What was your emotional and visceral response to his story?

Tom Holland: I think my initial response was that I was terrified of the idea of playing this character. It’s the type of role I’ve definitely never done before, and I was a little sort of apprehensive and questioned whether I could do it. Knowing that the Russo brothers were going to be there to support me through the job is what kind of tipped me over the edge into saying yes. But my initial response was, “I don’t think I’m the right person for this job because I don’t know if I can do that.”

You probably had a level of trust established with the Russos from working on the three Marvel pictures you did together. Did that make you feel comfortable right away?

Yeah. Absolutely. Still, I had that element of awe when it came to the Russos because they were the directors of the Avengers films, and I was still very much the new kid on the block when I was making those films. It was really nice for me to get to know them both on a more personal level and, obviously, that level of trust grew as the film progressed. It grew and it grew and it grew, and it’s now to the point where Joe and Anthony could ring me up, and I would be on set for them in a heartbeat. The trust between the three of us definitely grew.

How is their style of directing different on this? Was there more of a personal rapport because of the fact that they’re not dealing with the same kind of visual effects as in the Marvel movies or servicing 50 different characters?

I felt a little spoiled to be honest, because I was getting their utmost attention. But I mean, their direction style didn’t change in the way that they spoke to people, in the way that they addressed people, in the way that they treated people on set. But the style in which they would use the camera or the way they would get you to portray or work in a certain scene is very different because, obviously, it’s a very different type of film.

But from a logistical standpoint of how they made the film, they were basically the same two guys, just having fun. It’s nice to see two people who are so in love with cinema just having a good old play and figuring it out as they go along.

Was it interesting and maybe refreshing for you to do a film where you’re not in the Spider-Man suit for so much of the movie, and you’re not acting against a green screen?

Absolutely. Working on green screen and blue screens and wearing a spandex Spider-Man suit is amazing, and it’s awesome and I love it, but there’s something freeing about everything on set is what is in the shot, what is in the story. I don’t have to imagine anything, because everything is a tangible asset and is right there in front of me. It’s a different process, and I love both equally. But it was nice to kind of have a change of pace and dive into something a little bit smaller.

How was it working with Ciara on her first feature film? Was it easy to establish the rapport with her?

We were so lucky with Ciara. I remember when I watched her audition tape, when the boys had cast her, and they sent it to me just to say, “By the way, this is the girl who’s going to play Emily,” for the first time in my career, I was so intimidated. She just has this gravitas that she brought to the character in her take that was so amazing.

I was really excited to work with her and I was really happy when I found out that her and I were very similar and had a lot in common. We became very, very good friends, which was so valuable for us, because this film was such a difficult film to make, physically and emotionally. The fact that we got along so well meant that we could help each other through the process. She was like my emotional support person, and I was hers, and it was great. We were a little team.

Do you take a role like this, or something like The Devil All the Time, knowing that these are going to not just challenge you as an actor, but show a whole different side of you to an audience that maybe only knows you as Spider-Man?

I love playing Spider-Man, and I think it comes with its own set of challenges. I think sometimes people overlook that superhero films do require performance, a character arc, building up a backstory, an objective of where you want to go. It’s just these films are very different. They’re very different in style, but they’re not very different in the way that you make them. The process of making a film is pretty similar. They just spend less money, and it’s less blue screen. But, yeah. I enjoyed the sort of creative freedom of making a film a little bit darker.

Read more

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Did you get to meet and talk with Nico Walker? I know you did meet with some people with addiction problems, as well as some veterans.

I’ve never actually met with Nico. We were supposed to meet a few weeks ago, but for some reason, our schedules kind of got a bit jumbled up, and we couldn’t get together. But I hope to meet him. He’s obviously the one person that I’m really nervous about watching the film, because we took a portion of his life, and we turned it into this piece of art, and I hope it’s something that he likes.

But we did loads of research when it came to speaking to veterans and people suffering from PTSD and substance abuse, and it was so valuable in the making of this film, because I couldn’t have made this an authentic experience for the audience without having that information from those people. I’m very grateful that the men and women I spoke to were very open to talk about the things that they’d been through, which were sometimes very harrowing.

What did you learn that maybe you hadn’t known before and were able to apply to the part?

Wow. I could go on and on. I think one of the biggest things for me that helped drive a lot of the motivation in the scene was that once you’re hooked on heroin, all you can think about is getting more heroin. It was a really good kind of catalyst to tell these stories authentically. I think that was one of the most valuable things I took away from my research.

What was the most physically challenging aspect of the shoot?

The most physically demanding portion of the film was dope life, when I was losing all the weight, and I was skinny, and I was having to starve myself. And robbing the banks was tiring, because I was so weak from being so skinny and frail, I guess. So that would easily be the more physically demanding aspect of the film.

Apple TV+

You also play this character as he ages over 15 years. Is it fair to say this is the first time you’ve actually played a character who’s aged over that kind of span of time?

Absolutely. On The Lost City of Z, a James Gray film I did, there was quite a large progression in age, but I was no way the lead of that film. A lot of my stuff sort of happened off camera. Obviously in Cherry, you are with this character from the beginning to the end. That meant that I had to do a lot of the growing on screen, and it was difficult. It was tricky, because trying to play older, to me, felt very fake. That’s where I was so lucky to have my amazing makeup artist, Rachael Speke. She did a wonderful job of aging me up throughout the course of the film.

It was difficult, and I just had to trust the Russos and that they knew what they wanted and they were happy with what they were getting. But it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do.

Is that something that you would like to apply to other characters? As you continue to play Spider-Man, would you like to see him age a little more noticeably, if it’s appropriate?

Yeah. Peter Parker is a character that everyone knows and loves. It would be really interesting to sort of find a side to him that people haven’t seen before. Whether or not we do that, I don’t know.

What can you say about Spider-Man: No Way Home in terms of how it expands the MCU and how it evolves Peter’s character?

Well, there’s not really much I can say, obviously. What I can say is that I’m having the time of my life making it. It’s so fun being back with Jacob [Batalon] and Zendaya, and [director] Jon Watts. The film is incredibly ambitious, and I’m delighted to say that we’re succeeding in making it. It’s going really well. We watched a fight scene that we had shot a few weeks ago, and I’ve never seen a fight scene quite like it in the MCU. I’m really excited for audiences to see that.

You also just recently wrapped Uncharted. What do you think people will see in that if they’re not fans of the video game?

Well, an interesting idea and one that I really think lends itself to our film, is that when you watch a video game film–if you’re a fan of the games–I often wonder, “Why would you watch the film?” Because it’s less immersive. You can go and be that character. Why would I just want to watch that character?

But what we’ve got is we’re telling the prequel story of how the character, Nathan Drake, became this worldwide known character. For the fans that love the games, they’re getting an aspect of the story that they’ve never seen before. And the people that haven’t played the games are getting a really nice introduction to a character. It kind of works for everyone.

It’s a really fun film, and the action is amazing, easily some of the coolest action I’ve done so far. I had a lovely chat with Tom Rothman, the chairman of Sony, he saw the film, and he’s over the moon with it. If the boss man is happy, then everyone is happy. We’re really good.

Cherry premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 12.

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The post Why Tom Holland Was Terrified of Playing a Bank Robber in Cherry appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[scripttorture]

Hi! Thank you so much for this blog; it's been so helpful! I have a character who is a recovering addict. She is essentially kidnapped by the police and held for 3-4 days, beaten, starved and kept awake using sound torture. Her torturer also threatens to induce an involuntary relapse. Do you have any resources for how to care for someone after starvation and torture? Preventing refeeding syndrome, support for ptsd symptoms? Thank you again!

The jury is still out on what the best care after torture is. The experts haven’t come to an agreement yet and a lot of people are still trialling different approaches to see if we can improve what we do.

 That said; there are a lot of things around how torture typically occurs that effect this. They essentially make it harder for us to reach proper conclusions. These factors include (but may not be limited to):

The length of time it takes for a torture survivor to see a specialist. The average when Rejali was writing was ten years.

The financial vulnerability of survivors. Symptoms make it harder for many survivors to work and they may have been the breadwinner.

Loss of secure housing. Many torture survivors are forced to move/have their homes destroyed.

Lack of understanding/prejudice against the mentally ill preventing doctors putting survivors forward for treatment.

Cultural feelings of shame preventing survivors from seeking treatment.

Social isolation which can lead to symptoms worsening.

Continued threats/pressure on survivors from the group that tortured them.

Social vulnerability which can lead to survivors being targetted for further exploitation/abuse.

 Your character is unusual for having access to professional treatment straight away.

 And that time factor makes a difference. We know from studies of PTSD in other fields that early access to treatment/intervention after a traumatic event reduces the risk of PTSD. But I can’t really say for sure how immediate treatment would effect a torture survivors because we don’t really know.

 My guess is that immediate access to psychiatric care would help in the long term. But it’s also highly likely that this would be the first torture case these particular professionals had seen. And unless the survivors or others tell them they may not recognise this as torture.

 I’m basing that statement on journalist interviews with doctors at a particular hospital in Europe post World War 2. The hospital saw numerous patients dropped off in the dead of night with similar patterns of obvious scarring injuries. And the doctors said it took them months to realise it was torture.

  Scriptshrink’s blog is over here. Since I’m not a mental health professional myself I think it’s better to consult her blog about how particular mental illnesses are best treated.

 And since there isn’t a consensus in the field for how to treat torture survivors specifically (and it’s unlikely the character would be seeing someone who’d treated torture victims at all, let alone so fast), I think it’s sensible to assume they’d default to best practice for treating each individual illnesses.

 That would be complicated. We are talking about multiple symptoms interacting with each other. But a lot of these diseases are comorbid ‘in the wild’ without torture being a factor.

 Since we don’t know the best response for torture survivors I think the best solution for the story is to be honest about that: we don’t know. And show the other characters trying their best.

 I will say that survivors do get better. It takes time and it doesn’t mean their symptoms vanish. But they do go on to have happy and successful lives with their mental illnesses. And most of them do that without specialist treatment because they can’t access it.

 Your character could reasonably reach that point of knowing how to live with her conditions earlier, in years instead of decades.

 I have some posts under tags like ‘recovery’ that might be helpful for you. You could also consult ScriptTraumaSurvivor’s archived blog over here.

 The starvation part of the ask is easier because there is a lot more research to draw from.

 For refeeding syndrome specifically there’s a free NHS guide over here. There’s a longer and more detailed adult refeeding guide from the NHS here (thank you Wales).

 The World Health organisation has a lot of resources on famine, food insecurity and starvation. There’s a whole page of resources on their website here. (That page is also available in other languages.) They’ve got a whole free book on famine over here.

 And there’s also the Minnesota starvation experiment which you can find an ugly but free version of here.

 The short version via the NHS guidelines is that your character is ‘at risk’ but not in the highest risk category. Which means that it might be safe for them to just resume eating normally but they’d probably need to be monitored in hospital for a week or so.

 If the patient is eating normally then refeeding syndrome is less likely. I don’t know the full reasons as to why but it seems to be to do with how appetite changes during starvation (ie the body is pretty good at signalling how much and what kind of food it needs).

 For the group your character is in the NHS advice is to give full fluid vitamin and electolyte requirements straight away while giving 50% of energy/calorie food requirements for the first two days. Then if no problems occur giving the patient as much food as they want until they recover.

 Wrapping up if you haven’t already have a look at the masterpost on sleep deprivation over here.

 I hope that helps. :)

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[summahsunlight]

can you do 5,10 and 46 in angst for Poe. Really like your oneshots:)

Hi anon! Thanks for the request! It is super angsty. Hope you like it!🥺

Title: Damage

Rating: M (for mentions of addiction) 

Word Count: 2071

Pairing: Modern!Poe x Reader

Summary: From 50 Angsty Questions Prompt list (here), #5″Hasn’t this addiction done enough damage?”, “#10 “Do you know what a gunshot wound feels like?”, and #46 “Do you want to die?”

Warnings: Mentions PTSD and addition, swearing, this is probably the most angst filled one yet... it hurts 💔

Poe woke in a cold sweat; sitting up in bed, gasping and clutching his heart.

Nightmares had been common once he’d been released from the hospital six months ago; in the hospital they had given him sedatives to help him sleep. He didn’t have that luxury at home. He was lucky he got two to three hours of sleep a night at home. Shifting, Poe glanced at you, praying that you had not woken up with him.  It wouldn’t be fair if you suffered sleepless nights because of him. Thankfully, you were still asleep.

The movement sent a shockwave of pain up his back and Poe winced.  Biting down on his lip, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and made his way through the dark to the master bathroom. Not bothering to flick the light on, Poe shuffled around in the medicine cabinet looking for the prescription pain meds his doctor had prescribed him after his surgery.

He came up empty. The only thing he could find on the shelf were some left over flu meds from that winter and a bottle of generic Advil. Maybe he had left his meds downstairs in the kitchen.  

It was excoriating climbing down the stairs. He just needed his meds, once he had his meds the pain would stop and maybe he’d be able to sleep. Poe did turn the kitchen light on and began the long process of searching through each and every cabinet for the bottle of pills. But, as it became more and more apparent that he’d run out, he started slamming the cabinets shut in desperation. What the fuck was he going to do without his meds?

“Poe?” your sleepy voice called down the stairs. “Are you okay?”

“Just great!” Poe snapped, angrily. “Actually, I’m fucking great!”

Cautiously you proceeded into the kitchen. Poe had tossed everything out of half the cabinets in his search--and you knew exactly what he was looking for--you’d watched his addiction to the pain medication consume him for the last month. When you voiced your concerns to Poe’s doctor, the prescription had not been refilled, inside he’d referred Poe to a therapist.  “Are you in pain?”

Poe glared at you, fists clenched. “Of course I’m in pain. I’m always in fucking pain, Y/N. Do you know what a gunshot wound feels like? It’s fucking painful! So, yeah, I guess you can say I’m in pain!”

You anxiously glanced around the kitchen. You were used to his anger. He had a lot of it the last six months. No one blamed him. He’d been performing a routine patrol with his unit in Syria when they been ambushed. Poe had been shot three times, the worse one in his back--the bullet narrowly missing his spinal cord.  “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do? Maybe I can rub some of that cream I use on my legs after working out on your back?”

“Wow, you honestly think that natural shit is going to help?” Poe scoffed. “I wasn’t doing yoga; I was shot in the back with a 22 caliber pistol.”

“How about some Motrin?” You suggested, softly. “Your doctor said you could take some of that to ease the pain.”

“I need my fucking medication that you convinced my doctor I didn’t need anymore. Now when I call, he refuses to return them.  The nurses keep referring me to a pain specialist.  I don’t want a specialist, I don’t need a specialist, I just need the damn pills!”

“Those pills are killing you, Poe! You’re dependent on them, even when you aren’t in pain! The doctor, the nurses, they’re just trying to help you.”

Poe kicked the pile of plastic containers he’d tossed from the cabinets. “If they wanted to help me, they’d listen to me when I said that the pain was getting worse, not better! They’d take my word over yours! Not ignore my suffering! Those pills are not killing me, they’re helping me function!”

You felt tears welded in your eyes.  He’d been aggressive and angry since coming off of the medication. The doctor had warned you of this.  You just wanted to help him, but just like tonight, when you offered to help, he shouted at you, pushed you away.  The relationship you both cherished so much was beginning to crumble under the constant strain of his addiction.  “Hasn’t this addiction done enough damage?”

Suddenly all the fight left his body.  Poe saw the tears running rivers down your cheeks.  “You’re right,” he whispered. “Tomorrow, I’ll be out of your hair.  I’m sure I can find an old Army buddy to take me in for a few days until I find a place of my own.  Maybe...maybe you should keep BeeBee.”

“I don’t...I don’t want you to leave,” you cried.

“What else can I do?” Poe questioned. “Our relationship is broken.”

“Broken beyond repair?”

“Not much left to fix, Y/N.”

He was just giving up on you; in retrospect, you should have seen this coming. The grief counselor at the hospital that had worked with Poe while he was recovering had warned you that this might happen. PTSD and addiction didn’t just tear the person up who was a victim of it--it tore up their families as well. And the fact that Poe was giving up his beloved corgi, BeeBee, to you, just signified that perhaps he was giving up on life.

Poe ran his hands through his thick curls.  If he could have left right at that moment, he would have, but he couldn’t think of anyone that would open their door for him at three in the morning.  Growling in frustration, Poe glanced at the stairs, knowing he was going to have to climb them in order to go pack his things. He was just going to have to grit his teeth and fight through the pain.

You stood in the kitchen, containers scattered about, watching as Poe sized the stairs up.  Please, please don’t leave, you wanted to scream at him.  If he left, you knew that he wouldn’t make it.  He would be another statistic. “Do you want to die?”

Refusing to look at you, Poe paused at the bottom of the stairs. Did he? At first, when he woke up in the field hospital, he’d been happy to still be alive--until he found out he was one of the only survivors of the ambush.  Three of his brothers had not made it.  Survivor’s guilt, that had been the fancy term the counselor used. “Somedays I think it would have been better if I’d died.”

“Would it have been better for me? The grief I would have been in...”

“You’re in pain now. And I’m alive.”

“I’m only in pain because I love you and I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’ve already lost me.”

Crying, you moved towards him, noticing that he still refused to look at you. “No! No, I haven’t, Poe! What you went through was terrible, but you need to realize that you’re sick and you need help.” You gently grabbed his hands, lacing your fingers through his. “Please, Poe, please let me help you. Don’t you remember that one time you told me we could do anything we put our minds too?”

Poe’s jaw twitched. In the dim light of the kitchen you could see tears reflecting in his chocolate brown eyes. Suddenly, he wrapped his fingers around yours, and squeezed your hands hard. “What if I never get better?”

You set your jaw, now both of you were crying. “Poe, you will and you don’t have to do it alone. We can fight this together. Tomorrow, we’ll go see the pain specialist, we’ll make an appointment with the therapist... and I’ll go with, to as many appointments as you want me to go to, even if I just sit in the waiting room waiting for you.  I got quite good at waiting for you while you were deployed.”

This was usually the part of the fight that Poe scoffed at you, declared that he didn’t need a therapist, and storm back to bed. And you were expecting it to go this way... but then he looked at you, looked at you like you were his lifeline.. and something snapped inside of him. “After everything I’ve done and said, you’d still wait for me?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t you wait for me?”

“Forever if I had too.”

Letting go his hands, you hugged him, tightly.  Poe wrapped his arms around you and buried his face in your hair. You could hear him softly crying and it broke your heart, but this was the first step towards healing, wasn’t it? “What do you need from me?” you whispered, leaning into his embrace.

Poe closed his eyes, letting the tears run freely down his cheeks. “Maybe that natural shit you use after yoga...and some Motrin. Let’s...let’s start with that.”

You smiled against his shoulder and nodded. “Okay. Baby steps. My dad always said slow and steady wins the race.”

“I want... oh God, love, I want to get better...”Poe sobbed.

“Poe, baby, you will,” you assured him, rubbing the back of his neck. “I promise, I’ll be there every step of the way--I’m not giving up on you.”

He finally believed you, after months of fighting himself, fighting his doctors--fighting with you--he finally believed that no one was giving up on him. That had to include himself too. Poe had to believe himself if he was going to get better.  He couldn’t give up.  

You helped him back up the stairs to your bedroom, helped him sit on the bed while you went and retrieved the pain cream from your yoga bag, then went into the master bathroom to find the Motrin.

Joining him in the bedroom, you saw that BeeBee had climbed up onto the bed and had his head in Poe’s lap, his high brown eyes looking up at his human with adoration. Poe was languidly scratching the dog behind his ears. You sat down on the bed behind him and lifted up his tee shirt, squirting some of the cream in your hand, you began to massage it into his tense muscles--over the scar in his back where the Army surgeon had removed the bullet that almost ended his life.

Poe hummed in appreciation. “That stuff smells fucking awful,” he snapped, even as it began to tingle and dull the pain.

Chuckling you held his shirt up while it dried. “Yeah... but it’s working, right?”

“Yeah. Even if I smell like a disinfectant.”

“Still want the Motrin?”

“Sure.”

Releasing his shirt, you handed him a glass of water and two pills. “We’ll start with two, okay? If it doesn’t help in an hour, I’ll give you another one.”

He nodded taking the pills.  Poe finished the water and handed you the glass, watching as you set it down on the nightstand. “I want to get better,” he told you, again, “I don’t... I can’t live like this anymore.  You were right all along, I should have... I should have listened to you... but I didn’t want... you asked me if I wanted to die. No. I want to live, sweetheart. But the nightmares...the pills... the pain... that isn’t... that isn’t living.”

You pushed his hair back from his forehead and then kissed him, tenderly. After a year of watching him fall apart, especially these last six months that he had been home, this was the first sign that he wanted to fight back, that he didn’t want to let his PTSD or his addiction to the pain killers ruin his life. “I love you, Poe. Battle scars and all.”

Poe sighed, sadly. He grabbed you into his arms and laid down, BeeBee ruffed and climbed over you, curling up against Poe’s back before falling back to sleep.  For the first time in a long time, Poe felt a real smile tug at the corners of his mouth.  It was one that was filled with the sadness he still felt, but he had  BeeBee, he had you--he knew that it was a long road he had to travel to get back to something that resembled the man he used to be--however, as he watched you fall asleep against his chest, he knew he wouldn’t be walking that path alone.

[lgbtqiahistoricalromance]

Deb! Do you have a list of your top fav m/m romances???

Ok, so I have had this ask in my box forever, and I think I finally have an almost complete list…Happy Reading!! @posh-boy-clever-boy

Single Titles

Downtime by Tamara Allen (A sleuth and a librarian in a time travel investigation.)

The Reluctant Berserker by Alex Beecroft (Read this one for Beecroft’s amazing use of language to paint a picture, and a new take on the roles of warriors and bards.)

Think of England by KJ Charles (Portuguese Jewish MC and the sleuthing former soldier that aids him in this wonderful case investigation.)

Merrick & William (sequel) by Claire Cray (1799 NY; one of the most unusual romances I’ve read, it does have an elemental of the paranormal, but it’s woven in gently and the scenes are full of great tension)

A Private Gentleman by Heidi Cullinan (MC with PTSD from childhood trauma and vision issues, and MC with speech and addiction issues; not an easy read, but so sweet)

The Gentleman and the Lamplighter by Summer Devon (A widower and the man he keeps encountering at night, when he cannot sleep. Novella length.)

The Pillar by Kim Fielding (This one has a beautiful story of two men healing one another, and includes a lot of unique details not often found in historicals; features a lot of botan.)

Briarley by Astor Glenn Gray (WWI, May/December retelling of Beauty and the Beast)

The Replacement Husband by Eliot Grayson (Sweet May/December romance in an alt Regency era)

The Bibliophile by Drew Marvin Fraye (1880′s frontier May/December romances)

Stoker & Bash by Selina Kray (Two novels so far, and some great, witty interactions in this one.)

A Margin of Promise by Emma Lanner (Younger MC in love with an older man he’s basically idolized since youth; this one will keep you guessing to the end, because it’s a bit of a triangle. One of the sweetest romances I’ve ever read, and I wish the author had written more.)

The Forgotten Man by Ryan Loveless (1930′s Chanukah romance between a widower with a child, and a fellow returning soldier.)

Behind Closed Doors: Indecent Proposals Book One by Jude Lucens (Demisexual MC, Biracial MC from prequel novella, several poly relationships, WOC/biracial/poly author)

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Biracial MC with a physical disability and the reprobate best friend that loves him. Romance, adventure, healing, and a kick ass dose of assistance from one MC’s ace sister.)

We Met in Dreams by Rowan McAllister (May/December cusp between a younger man with mental health issues, and the apparition that comes to care for him. Plot twist on this one.)

The Blue Ribbon by Katherine Marlowe (A grumpy chemistry professor must return to his family inn, and ends up running across a wily highwayman. Includes a nice case solving spree.)

The Butler and the Groom by Katherine Marlowe (MC of color that is trying to work his way up in the household, and the stable groom that wants to teach him there is more to life than work; the ending on this one is a delight.)

A Wager Of Love by Katherine Marlowe (Poetry, philosophy, friends-to-lovers, and just an all around sweet romance between two young man that make a wager on whether love is real.)

A Scot’s Surrender by Lily Maxton (The Townsends Book Three) (One very guarded MC, and one that is always trying to protect his family-because they cause a lot of mayhem. Funny and also a bit heartbreaking in places.)

The Black Sheep and the Rotten Apple by KA Merikan (A highwayman that is an absolute cinnamon roll, and the rapscallion young man he kidnaps for ransom. Slightly dubcon in one scene, but Julian is also a tease.)

The Art of Pleasure by KA Merikan (One young man that worries about losing his essence, and how he learns the ins and outs of pleasure with other men.)

The Wrong Kind of Angel by Ruby Moone (One of the first published m/m romances I read, and still a favorite. A soldier determined to live a quiet life where he can’t get into trouble, and the escaped rent boy that brings life back into his world.)

The Mistletoe Kiss by Ruby Moone (May/December romance between an older man with a physical disability and the young returned soldier that he hires to work in his bookshop. Christmas novel, but so sweet, I’ve read it probably 15 times.)

Memories by Ruby Moone (Two soldiers cross paths in an enemies-to-lovers scenario that isn’t at all what it seems. Strong elements of PTSD, but a great novel on healing all sorts of wounds.)

The Moth and Moon by Glenn Quigley (Alt reality 1700′s England, with larger MCS in their 40s and 50s)

A Complicated Affair by Kian Rhodes (Ignore the cover, because it’s nothing like the novel. Read this May/December romance for the wonderful ending that makes of research on law and medicine.)

Madcap Masquerade by Persephone Roth (May/December romance between the older MC that has the money to save the estate of the younger, and the young MC that poses as his own sister so she can marry someone else.)

Earthly Pleasure by Sara Trevor (Alt Regency era; this one is great for the alt theological angle and the outcome)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Deanna Wadsworth (Retelling with Ichabod and Brom in an enemies-to-lovers trope, part of a series of “twisted” retellings, the ending keeps it from being strictly erotica)

A Little Sin by Sionnach Wintergreen (1920′s rural Texas; WWI vet and veterinarian w/PTSD MC and a widowed sheriff; extra points for intelligent and plot-moving WOC)

Series…

All the series books by KJ Charles

The Duke & The Dandy series by Zakarrie Clarke

Surrey SFS series by Nicola Davidson

All the series books by Jordan L Hawk

SciFi Regency series by JL Langley

All the series books by Cat Sebastian

Dark is the Night series by Kelley York and Rowan Altwood

[bestcbdoilforanxietyblog]

Can CBD Oil Benefit You?

Foundation

CBD (Cannabidiol) oil is gotten from hemp. Numerous individuals mistake hemp for pot, yet hemp is a totally different plant. Weed and hemp may have the equivalent logical name, Cannabis sativa, however they are not the equivalent.

Maryjane is developed essentially for its psychoactive cannabinoid, a concoction compound called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, for recreational and therapeutic use. Weed contains both THC and CBD.

Hemp contains just a hint of THC, under 0.3% contrasted with pot's robust 5-35%. The fundamental cannabinoid in hemp is CBD, however there are more than 100 different cannabinoids in hemp, just as intensifies that produce tastes and fragrances called terpenes (for example citrusy smell of oranges, one of a kind fragrance of pine trees, or sweet blossom smell of lavender).

For a large number of years, hemp has been developed for nourishment, garments, fiber, and fuel. It is one of the world's most established trained harvests. In the good 'ol days, hemp was an indispensable harvest in the U.S. During the 1700s, frontier ranchers developed hemp predominantly for its solid fiber.

In any case, hemp creation went to a sudden end when the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed. Standard frames of mind towards cannabis started to influence significantly towards the negative. Hemp turned into the "insidious weed" since it has indistinguishable species from maryjane despite the fact that it doesn't contain pot's bottomless THC.Read more Best Cbd oil For Anxiety

Throughout the years, many have conjectured that the genuine explanation behind the counter cannabis battle came down to the stress that hemp could turn into a minimal effort substitute for paper mash. American industrialist William Randolph Hearst and the DuPont family had significant interests in the timber and paper businesses. They started a slanderous attack to wreck the rewarding hemp showcase for dread that the ascent of hemp would undermine their benefits. All things considered, years after the fact, it became realized that hemp doesn't contain a sufficiently high convergence of cellulose to be a compelling paper substitute.

Eighty long years after the fact, hemp at long last recovered its legitimate status in the U.S. after the section of the 2018 Farm Bill. Hemp, characterized as cannabis with under 0.3% THC, is expelled from Schedule I controlled substances. Hemp-inferred items are lawful unbelievably long from authorized hemp cultivators. An ever increasing number of colleges and clinics have started to examine it. Americans would now be able to utilize CBD legitimately. It tends to be requested on the web and delivered to each of the 50 states.

Maryjane laws are likewise changing at a fast pace across America. Despite the fact that it is as yet illicit on the government level, numerous states have sanctioned pot. For the rest of the states, some have permitted it for restorative use and some recreational use.

The Human Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

Cannabinoids made by our own bodies are called endocannabinoids (the prefix "endo" signifies inside). During the 1990s, analysts made an amazing revelation that the ECS assumes a significant job in our general wellbeing.

The ECS keeps up steady correspondence with each organ framework in the body.

This correspondence includes detachment particles called endocannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors on each phone that acknowledges them. Consider it a "key and lock" framework. The receptors are locks and the endocannabinoids are keys that dilemma to these receptors and open them.

There are two principle kinds of receptors inside the ECS - cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2).

Analysts discovered in excess of 1,000 receptors in the body. CB1 receptors are found to a great extent on nerve cells in the cerebrum and spinal line, just as the eye and retina. CB2 receptors are transcendently found in the invulnerable framework and in the organs and tissues, for example, mind, spleen, platelets, gastrointestinal, and urinary tracts.

The body produces two sorts of endocannabinoids - anandamide and 2-AG. These are moved into the cells through the CB1 and CB2 receptors. As we age, the body turns out to be less effective in creating anandamide and 2-AG. The best possible working of the ECS likewise relies upon the sufficiency of omega-3 in the eating regimen.

Numerous individuals have encountered the vibe great sensation or "high" after strenuous exercise. The lifted state of mind originates from the arrival of endorphins. Specialists currently realize that it is additionally from an expansion in anandamide, which targets predominantly the CB1 receptors and, to a lesser degree, the CB2 receptors.

The other endocannabinoid, 2-AG, transmits flags over the synapses and actuates both CB1 and CB2 receptors. 2-AG bolsters mind wellbeing, insusceptible wellbeing, just as insulin affectability.

Scientists have now found that both endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-AG, considerably affect an assortment of capacities including hunger, vitality and equalization, invulnerability, memory, digestion, sensory system, rest, and stress reaction.

Proof For CBD Health Benefits

The Cannabis plant contains more than 100 cannabinoids. These mixes intently look like the human endocannaboids. The fundamental cannabinoid in hemp is CBD, and in cannabis, THC.

In contrast to THC, CBD doesn't tie straightforwardly into our cannabinoid receptors. By the by, it stimulates the movement of both CB1 and CB2 receptors without straightforwardly taking advantage of them. An investigation by the National Institute of Health found that CBD makes the body discharge more endocannabinoids, particularly 2-AG. In addition, CBD hinders the debasement of anandamide.

Researchers are presently starting to find huge numbers of CBD's medical advantages:

Adolescence Eilepsy

CBD has been touted for a wide assortment of wellbeing interests, yet the most grounded logical proof is for its viability in treating two uncommon medication safe youth epilepsy conditions, in particular Lennox-Gastaut disorder (LGS) and Dravet disorder (DS). The FDA has as of late affirmed the first ever CBD-determined medication Epidiolex for these conditions. In various examinations, CBD had the option to lessen the quantity of seizures, and sometimes it had the option to stop them out and out.

Help with discomfort

CBD may offer a possibility for treating various sorts of incessant agony: fibromyalgia, gout, HIV, different sclerosis, neuropathic, and rheumatoid joint pain. Concentrates found that applying CBD oil legitimately on the issue zone assists with bringing down torment and aggravation. CBD works by affecting cannabinoid receptor movement in the body, decreasing irritation, and cooperating with synapses.

Analysts likewise found that subjects didn't develop a resistance with the impacts of CBD, so there was no compelling reason to expand measurements persistently. In contrast to some torment meds, CBD isn't addictive and doesn't have any inebriating impacts, offering a lot of help for individuals who have incessant agony.

An oral splash called Sativex, which is a blend of CBD and THC, has been endorsed in various nations in Europe and Canada (yet not in the U.S.) to treat agony and muscle fits identified with numerous sclerosis.

Another controlled investigation found that Sativex altogether improved agony during development, torment very still, and rest quality in individuals with rheumatoid joint pain.

Uneasiness and Depression

Clinical preliminaries have uncovered that both weed and CBD might be viable in lessening various types of tension including summed up nervousness issue, alarm issue, social uneasiness issue, over the top habitual issue, and post-awful pressure issue (PTSD).

Not exclusively did members in the examinations felt good, they additionally announced decreased intellectual hindrance and uneasiness. Researchers recommend that notwithstanding affecting the endocannabinoid framework, CBD may impact receptors engaged with the tweak of serotonin, a compound emissary that assumes a job in uneasiness guideline.

Likewise, a few investigations indicated that CBD facilitates sorrow and assists with insane issue like schizophrenia. (It would be ideal if you note that pot doesn't help with either and may really intensify psychosis.)

Malignant growth Related Symptoms

Analysts found that malignant growth patients treated with CBD and THC, the psychoactive compound from cannabis, experienced noteworthy decrease in torment. Also, a balanced mix of CBD and THC directed through mouth shower decreased reactions related with malignant growth medicines like sickness, heaving, and loss of craving.

At present, more research should be done on whether CBD alone can create the equivalent gainful results.

Various cell culture contemplates found that cannabinoids can help moderate tumor development, lessen tumor attack, and instigate tumor cell passing in different kinds of malignant growth, including cerebrum, blood, bosom, colon, pancreatic, and prostate.

Researchers accept that CBD most likely works by keeping disease cells from vitality, making them increasingly delicate to the body's insusceptible reaction, and by hindering a newfound cannabinoid-related malignant growth pathway. Be that as it may, human preliminaries are required before further ends can be drawn.

Other Potential CBD Benefits

Brings down circulatory strain (alert if taking pulse prescription).

Brings down LDL (terrible) cholesterol and all out cholesterol.

Brings down uric corrosive levels and lessens gout manifestations.

Encourages with sleep deprivation because of unwinding and tension decreasing impacts.

Causes individuals to stop smoking and is a promising treatment for those with narcotic fixation.

Mitigates neurodegenerative conditions as parkinson Alzheimer's, and ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Some exploration recommends CBD could shield synapses from harm and oxidative pressure. Early outcomes have been comprehensively positive yet more investigations are vital.

Lessens probability of creating type 1 and type 2 diabetes, particularly at the early illness organizes (no human preliminaries yet).

Decreases irritation and indications of fiery gut ailment (no human preliminaries yet).

[talk-nature-to-me]

What does it mean to be disabled?

Why don’t you get a job? That’s a question that I have heard by a few people. Most everyone assumes that I am not disabled in any way. I can walk, I can talk, I can go to the bathroom, I can pick things up, I can see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and I can go out to public places. I have a dog that I help take care of, a gf that I spend time with, and friends that I talk to and occasionally hang out with. So why would I and people similar to me possibly be considered disabled?

Well lets started with the definition of disabled: “having a physical or mental condition that limits movements, senses, or activities” and to get disability benefits you need “a disabling condition that will last more than 12 months or result in death”. As you probably already know, people of any race, religion, gender, sexuality, height, weight, and age can be disabled. Please understand that it is a very common misconception that disabled people need assistance to walk. Some disabled people can walk on their own all the time, some need help some of the time, some need a wheelchair part or half of the time, some need a wheelchair all of the time, and some are bedridden. 

Here is an incomplete list of disabling conditions:

Addison’s Disease

Aging

Albinism

Alcoholism

Alzheimer’s 

Amputation

ALS

Anxiety

Arthritis 

Ataxia

ADHD

Auditory Processing Disorder

Autism

Back impairment

Bipolar

Bladder impairment

Bleeding disorder

Blindness

Brain injury

Burn injury

Cancer

Cataplexy

Cerebral Palsy 

Charcot-Marie-Tooth

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic pain

Colorblindness

Cumulative trauma

Deafness

Depression

Diabetes

Drug addiction

Dystonia

Eating Disorders

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Electrical sensitivity

Endometriosis

Epilepsy

Essential Tremors

FAS

Fibromyalgia

GERD

GI disordrs

Graves’ disease

Guillain Barre’ syndrome

Hearing impairment

Heart conditon

Hepatitis

HIV

Huntington’s disease

Intellectual impairment

Learning disability

Leg impairment

Low vision

Lupus

Lyme Disease

Marfan syndrome

Mental health impairments

MIgraine

Multiple chemical sensitivities

Multiple Sclerosis

Muscular Dystrophy

Myasthenia Gravis

Obesity

OCD

Paraplegia

Parkinson’s

Personality Disorder’s

Phobias

POTS

Polio

PTSD 

Pregnancy(an exclusion to 12 months)

Quadriplegia

Raynaud’s disease

RSD

Renal/Kidney disease

Respiratory impairments

Sarcoidosis

Schizophrenia

SAD

Shingles

Sickle cell anemia

Skin conditions

Sleep disorders

Speech impairments

Spina Bifida

Stroke

Thyroid disorders

Tourette syndrome

Vertigo

So as you can see, disability can be invisible

Disability can be invisible

Disability can be invisible

Anyways, back to my disability story. Yesterday, I managed to do a sink full of dishes I hadn’t been able to do, wash and dry four loads of laundry (not even fold them), collect all the indoor trash, and sweep the back patio over the course of six hours. This was with many breaks, advil, and afterwards a nice, hot bath with CBD butter and epsom salt. This morning I woke up in moderate neck, back, stomach, shoulder, and thigh pain. More advil it was, even though it eats away at my already bad stomach, because it’s the only over the counter pain medicine that works for me. And this time it didn't even help.

Now imagine not just 6 hours, but 8 hours a day with only one break. For 5 days a week. For 50 weeks a year. Sometimes I’ll have a good day and think “I’m doing so good I could go get a job!” and then I’ll get depressed and be like “there’s no way”. Back at the end of when I did have a job and my GI issues got worse and my autoimmune issues came into play, 25 hours a week would have me in bed crying after every shift. I would go home early from shifts from unimaginable costochondritis pain that felt like electric stabbing shocks. I wasn’t able to do anything but work and do basic hygiene. 

My daily life consists of urgent and painful trips to the bathroom, bouts of nausea and dizziness, having less money than I need, chronic pain in my muscles, joints, nerves, back, chest, stomach, intestines, and legs, severe dehydration, taking various medications (and more to come), and not enough energy to get all my basic chores done.

On top of all that physical stuff, I have anxiety, depression, and PTSD that is so bad that it has led to psychosis. I get panic attacks every time I get behind the wheel of a car, and therefore I can't drive. I have PTSD flashbacks from abuse that leave me sobbing. I have spent countless nights and hours crying in my bed or in the shower. I'm on medications that are helping, but I still have a looooong way to go.

You may ask: but don't you go out and do things? Yes I do. I have good days with little to no issues, normal days with some issues, and bad days with most to all issues. But I specifically do my shopping on my normal or good days and specifically do the physically exerting activities I need to do on my good days. I won't go out and do stuff or invite you over on my bad days unless we're really close and then you'll truly know what this is like.

That was just my average daily life, this does not include the other events that have happened in past 6 months including:

Losing 15 lbs unintentionally and being unable to gain it back, making me 2 lbs from under weight

Having several period cramps that were so bad I couldn't walk/talk correctly

Going to the ER for severe dehydration that caused me to have a bp of 76/22 and therefore I could hardly remain conscious

About a dozen doctors visits

Two pain episodes that were so bad I wanted to die

Three random finger joint dislocations

Three hallucinations

15 mouth sores in one day (not from an allergy)

Trying to commit suicide/going inpatient

Having a dizzy/weakness spell that caused me to fall in the shower

The only diagnosises I have so far are anxiety, depression, PTSD, costochondritis, and anemia. But the doctors also think I have endometriosis, Crohn's, and an autoimmune disease. I can't get disability without an actual diagnosis. I have been dealing with chronic pain for the past 6 years, since I was 15. And I am still here with a daily invisible struggle. I am going to have a rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, gynecologist, and diagnostics appointment. But some of these medical things can be expensive. Thank god I am still on my parents insurance.

I will keep fighting, I will keep perservering, I will keep moving forward everyday. I am skinny, am pretty, I am smart, I am "normal". I can walk, I can talk, I can go to the bathroom, I can pick things up, I can see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and I can go out to public places. I have a dog that I help take care of, a gf that I spend time with, and friends that I talk to and occasionally hang out with. I will have stabbing chest pains from breathing while having a conversation with you and you will never notice. And then I will go to the bathroom and take some advil.

Please share your disability stories

To help out some disabilities or struggles disabled people face:

Hotlines/helplines:

In general

1) they are available to call 24/7

2) they are 100% confidential

3) they are free

United States Elder Abuse

1-866-363-4276Child Abuse /Dept of Social Services 1-800-342-3720

Alcohol Treatment Referral 1-800-252-6465

Cocaine addiction 1-800-262-2463

Drug Abuse 1-800-662-4357

National Association for Children of Alcoholics 1-888-554-2627

Ecstasy Addiction 1-800-468-6933

American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345

National Cancer institute 1-800-422-6237

Elder Care Locator 1-800-677-1116

Want to know Jesus? 1-800-NEED-HIM

Social Security Administration 1-800-772-1213

Crisis Pregnancy 1-800-67-BABY-6

National Domestic Violence 1-800-799-SAFE

Elder Abuse 1-800-252-8966

Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention 1-800-931-2237

Eating Disorders Center 1-888-236-1188

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders 1-847-831-3438

Compulsive Gambling 1-410-332-0402

GriefShare 1-800-395-5755

Homeless 1-800-231-6946

American Family Housing 1-888-600-4357

LGBTQIA+ Helpline 1-800-398-GAYS

Gay and Lesbian National Hotline 1-888-843-4564

Poison Control (they will help with overdoses) 1-800-942-5969

S.A.F.E. (Self Abuse Finally Ends) 1-800-DONT-CUT

Project Know (sex addiction) 1-888-892-1840

Sex Addicts Anonymous 1-800-477-8191

Suicide Hotline 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) or

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Suicide Prevention 1-800-827-7571

Deaf Hotline 1-800-799-4TTY

Crisis Intervention (717) 851-5320 or 1-800-673-249

If you have a disability please feel free to reach out to me

[sabrinacavanagh]

How Can You Help with the Opioid Crisis?

What is the Opioid Crisis in America?

Since 1999, the opioid crisis in America has been responsible for over 1 million deaths. Opioid crisis deaths are due to opiates such as fentanyl – 50 times more potent than heroin (also an opioid), and pose an economic burden of up to $1.02 trillion!

This makes it a critical target of intervention in terms of reducing the economic and healthcare burden. First responders including policemen, firefighters and paramedics are usually the first point of contact for someone in a crisis. However, typically this system is not efficient enough to handle the crisis. Stigma towards addiction is sometimes not only an issue found in the general public, but also by emergency first responders, particularly when they are experiencing burnout and overload in the number of people seeking care.

Where Do People Get Opioids?

People who are addicted to opioids get these powerful drugs by one of two means:

Legally: These include prescription painkilling drugs such as Oxicodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Codeine, Fentanyl.

Or Illegaly: Heroin, illicitly manufactured fentanyl and morphine.

Why Do People Take Opiates?

These drugs give users a feeling euphoria, pain relief and sedation. They are extremely addictive, and after the first dose, one experiences a “high” that is so extreme, that typically when taking the next doses, one is unable to achieve this high again, and addiction results to the physiological need for the drug, and well defined withdrawal symptoms when stopping it.

In terms of how detrimental the opioid crisis in America is, the numbers are staggering. This image below demonstrates the opioid epidemic by the numbers according to the US department of Human Services in 2019:

How is the Opioid Crisis Affecting Us?

With COVID-19 still raging its war on people worldwide, this has caused a surge in opioid misuse, due to rising mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and PTSD. Access to services has reduced drastically too. This makes finding critical interventions to help the opioid crisis essential right now.

You may be asking “That’s awful, but how can I help?”

Here are some examples of steps you can help to improve the opioid crisis, and you don’t have to even leave your house!

Increase awareness and reduce stigma towards opioid use:

People with addictions typically experience stigma when it comes to their condition. This may prevent them from getting the necessary help that they need. It is essential to recognize that someone with opioid addiction is struggling, and this is a medical issue that needs to be addressed and can be treated. If you are on social media; Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, post about opioid addiction awareness loud and clear!

Ideas for what you can post on Social Media include:

What the opioid crisis is

What the signs and symptoms are

Where someone can get professional help

Call centers and helplines

If you would like more information concerning opioid overdose, you can check out the CDC’s Rx Awareness Campaign.

If you know someone with opioid addiction, inform yourself of possible treatment options:

If someone you know is willing to get help for opioid addiction, the first step is to direct them to a physician or health professional. This person may be able to direct the person to a medical specialist in addiction medicine, and get them the help they need!

Support cutting edge opioid treatments and intervention strategies with your vote:

When it comes to the ballot, your vote can change how crises are dealt with in the political sphere. Always make sure you register to vote, and vote for the person who is most in support, and demonstrates intellectually that they have ideas regarding the opioid crisis in America.

Buy a Locking Medication Bags

Buying locking medication bags and giving them to people who are prescribed opioids can help them to keep their medication secure. Having a lock on a bag seems like a very simple strategy but it is in fact very effective at warding off people that may attempt to prescription opioids.

If you are a doctor, or someone who is eligible to prescribe opioids – ADHERE TO OPIOID PRESCRIPTION REGULATIONS.

The opioid crisis in America has long been linked to medical professionals over-prescribing opioids. It is essential that you do not become part of the problem, or if you recognize you are, to stop it immediately.

If you want more ideas on how you can help, the CDC has plenty of resources.

In summary, the opioid crisis in America is a critical target of intervention when it comes to improving the lives of Americans, and reducing the economic burden on the country. Every day American’s can take part in reducing this burden by spreading awareness, directing people they know towards places of help, supporting cutting edge treatment and strategies by voting, and by medical professionals reducing their burden on this crisis by handling opioid prescriptions responsibly.

[adderallmaster]

Adderall and Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders in the world, and Adderall xr 30  is one of the most popular prescription drugs available. Due to the anxiety’s prevalence and how well-known Adderall’s attention-boosting effects are, it is understandable that some people might attempt to use the drug to treat this mental health disorder. However,  it cannot treat anxiety and can actually make symptoms worse.

Does Adderall XR Help with Anxiety?

It is important to note that prescribing Adderall for anxiety is uncommon. Can it help with anxiety, though? No, and it often makes symptoms of anxiety worse.

Adderall xr 30 is not an anti-anxiety medication but rather a stimulant that boosts a person’s attention span, motivation and energy. The drug, a combination of levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine, is frequently abused by students for long study sessions to remain attentive and fend off drowsiness.

Anxiety Disorders that Co-Occur with ADHD or Narcolepsy

As noted, Adderall is typically not prescribed for anxiety, however, the drug might be prescribed for people with anxiety when the disorder co-occurs with ADHD or narcolepsy. In some cases, ADHD or narcolepsy can have effects that lead to anxiety. Examples include when someone has poor performance at school or work due to not paying attention, or when regular daytime drowsiness interferes with completing daily tasks.

A 2010 study on the prevalence of mood disorders in people who have narcolepsy revealed a significant crossover. More than half of the patients with narcolepsy had panic attacks or symptoms of an anxiety disorder. There is also a correlation between ADHD and anxiety: Approximately 50% of adults who struggle with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder. Adderall for Other Anxiety Disorders

Depending on the type of anxiety someone has, Adderall could provide short-term relief from the effects of certain mental health disorders. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists the five anxiety disorders as:

  Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Panic Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Social Anxiety Disorder (also called Social Phobia)

While it can provide short-term relief for some anxiety disorders, the way it interacts with the brain’s chemistry can also cause increased anxiety.

Does Adderall Cause Anxiety?

Adderall increases the number of neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemicals (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) can boost a person’s mood and cause people to feel high while under the effects of Adderall XR 30mg. The increased brain activity that occurs when someone uses stimulants (like Adderall) can lead to anxiety.

For some people, Adderall 30 mg causes anxiety more indirectly. Since it increases feel-good neurotransmitter levels in the brain, people can experience negative feelings as the drug’s effects wear off. The number of neurotransmitters reduces as the body readjusts its chemical balance. The boost in energy can be replaced with overwhelming drowsiness. A person’s temporarily improved self-confidence can diminish in favor of increased anxiety due to lower-than-usual self-esteem. This process is called withdrawal.

Additionally, if someone takes it consistently, they could develop a chemical dependence on the drug. This reliance can form addiction and cause people to feel anxious when not using the drug.

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Managing Anxiety Caused by Adderall

Like any drug, the effects of Adderall xr  are not permanent. People must continue to use the drug if they want to continue experiencing increased energy, attentiveness, and self-confidence.

When someone develops anxiety as a side effect due to using Adderall, they should contact their doctor to discuss how to manage their anxiety. Anti-anxiety medications, such as Xanax and Valium, can help but are highly addictive as well. Less addictive medications like sertraline and fluoxetine are more likely to be prescribed instead. These are long-term medications with no addictive potential and strong evidence for their positive effects on anxiety.

If use leads to anxiety, stopping the use of the drug could end the anxious feelings. However, if a dependence formed, the person could experience withdrawal symptoms, including even more anxiety due to the low amount of feel-good chemicals in the brain.

Getting Help for Co-Occurring Addiction & Anxiety

A person with a dual diagnosis of addiction and mental illness could develop either condition first. There is not a standard order in which the disorders are generally diagnosed. While it is unclear which usually develops first, mental illness and addiction often influence one another.

When considering treatment options, it is important to address both disorders. Dual diagnosis treatment will provide the patient with a means to control their substance use disorder while also providing the resources necessary to relieve the symptoms of their mental health disorder.

If you or a loved one are struggling with a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, Phosphorus312.com. The Recovery Village has dual diagnosis treatment programs that can address both diagnoses. To learn more about our comprehensive treatment plans, visit https://www.phosphorus312.com to speak with a representative.

[hempoilfrog1]

CBD Oil for OCD: How to use and Dosage?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or better known as OCD has been a topic of jokes, but in reality, it is never a laughing matter. And it is more common than most people think.

A study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health revealed that 1.2 percent of all adults in the US have been diagnosed with OCD, out of which over 80 percent are seriously suffering due to this condition. Read Here: Does CBD Oil Really Help Anxiety And Relieve Stress?

Fortunately, there are various medications available for those suffering from it. And recently, there has been a growing interest in the potential benefit of CBD oil for OCD. In this article, we shall dive into the possible benefits and use of CBD oil for OCD.

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OCD: What Exactly Is It?

Looking at the records, 1 in 40 adults and 1 out of 100 children have OCD. And since the 90s, the number of cases only kept on expanding, leading to extensive research in this area.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a form of anxiety disorder that involves frequent and recurring obsessions and thoughts. It usually causes an individual to develop a strong urge to do things compulsively or repetitively— often called tics.

The urges and obsessions of those affected can become highly disruptive to their normal life, making changes in routines, social interaction, and productivity more difficult than normal.

Most people with OCD have compulsions and obsessions in combination together, while a few others only experience one of these conditions.

Common Obsessive Thoughts

Each person has various obsessive thoughts. Most of the time, however, for those suffering from OCD, they usually include:

Order and symmetry or the idea that everything needs to be “perfectly” aligned

Daily stress and angst

Superstitious or the excessive attention to something that’s considered unhappy or happy

Excessive concentration on moral or religious ideas

Violently intrusive or sexually explicit thoughts and images

An increased concern of losing control which causes harm to self or others

Fear in contaminating oneself or others with dirt and germs

Harmful thoughts toward yourself

Fear of forgetting an important date

Read More:

CBD Oil for OCD: How to use and Dosage?

Is Network Marketing a Good Career for Anyone?

Reasons Why CTFO Is one of the best CBD MLM Companies

Does Hemp Oil For Stretch Marks Really Work?

Does CBD Oil Really Help Anxiety And Relieve Stress?

Common Compulsive Behaviors

Compulsive behaviors, on the other hand, are used in an attempt to reduce the anxiety that an individual feels from their obsessive thought. A person will often repeat such behaviors which can help reduce their levels of anxiety, but only temporarily. The most common compulsive behaviors include:

Waste collection such as empty containers or old newspapers

Excessive organizing or sorting of things

Self-induced required activity

Spending a lot of time cleaning or washing

Excessive checking of things such as switches, appliances, and locks

Tapping, counting, or repeating of certain words or nonsense

Checking loved ones repeatedly to make sure they’re safe

Counting things over and over

Clearing throat more frequently

Skin-picking or excoriation

Nervous ticks such as muscle spasms or blinking

Hair pulling or trichotillomania Gambling addictions

The Causes of OCD

Anxiety and fear are both normal responses. We use such responses to cope with threats for our survival, such as coming face to face with threatening animals.

Feelings of anxiety and fear should be short-lived and only appropriate for the situation. Thus, the level of stress and anxiety that we experience should be enough to offer us an advantage for running away or getting out of danger, for instance running away or fighting off a threatening animal, but not too much that will make us freeze in fear.

Now, once the danger or threat is gone and we are back to safety, the feelings of stress and anxiety should also subside.

However, when the stress response becomes dysfunctional in various ways, then it can lead to anxiety disorders like OCD.

So, what are the signs of dysfunctional stress response?

An excessive intensity of the stress response for the level of the danger involved

Stress response lasts too long

The stress response activates more often that you need it to

Any issues with your stress response can result in problems over time which is referred to as poor stress adaptation. Meaning, your ability to adapt and react to stresses is no longer working properly.

Anxiety is the common term for this form of neurological disorder, however, there are several conditions associated with a dysfunctional stress adaption including:

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Post-traumatic disorder

Panic disorder

Social anxiety disorder

General anxiety disorder

Medications For OCD

There are some psychiatric medicationsthat can help in controlling OCD. Most often, the antidepressants are the first to be prescribed.

Some of the medications for anxiety and OCD approved by the FDA include:

Anticonvulsant (Clonazepam)

Partial 5-HT1A receptor agonists

Tricyclic antidepressants (Doxepin, Amitriptyline)

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (Khedezla, Pristiq)

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Zoloft)

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (Emsam, Nardil, Marplan)

Benzodiazepines (Librium, Klonopin, Xanax)

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CBD Oil For OCD: Is It Effective?

First off, let’s understand about CBD.

CBD or cannabidiol is a cannabinoid compound derived from the cannabis plant (both marijuana and hemp varieties of cannabis). It is the non-psychoactive sibling of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), meaning it will not give you the feeling of high, separating CBD from other controlled substances.

CBD has also been legalized across all 50 states of the United States, thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill. Thus, people are allowed to consume and buy CBD products in the US. Still, it is recommended that you check with the laws of your state before purchasing CBD-infused products.

So, what makes CBD popular?

Its numerous potential health benefits!

CBD is being studied for its potential ability to reduce pains and aches, control epileptic seizures, neuroprotective properties, improving heart health, and relieving anxiety and depression among others.

Although there have not yet been any specific studies published on the potential benefits of CBD for people suffering from OCD, there has been plenty of research that highlights its benefits on anxiety, in general.

In a 2015 preclinical study understanding the potential treatment of CBD for anxiety disorders concluded that CBD demonstrated efficacy in reducing the anxiety behaviors relevant to several disorders including OCD, PD, GAD, SAD, and PTSD, with its notable lack of anxiogenic effects.

The benefits of CBD oil for OCD and anxiety as a whole include:

Enhancing the endocannabinoid system to regulate the activity of the central nervous system

Regulating serotonin levels in order to support mood

Improving symptoms of OCD such as muscle tension and insomnia

Increasing the GABA levels in order to produce a calming effect on your mind

Most of the studies conducted on CBD investigating its effects on anxiety have discovered and successfully mapped out some of its specific biochemical processes to produce such benefits.

CBD activates the TRPV1 or the vanilloid pain receptors

CBD interacts with the ECS (both CB1 and CB2 receptors)

CBD activates the 5HT1A or the serotonin receptors

All these receptor systems have been shown to be playing a major role in the regulation of fear as well as other anxiety-related behaviors.

By supporting the dysfunctional stress-response system, we can relieve the underlying cause of OCD as well as other anxiety disorders. The main goal is to lower the excessive or inappropriate stress reactions and help the stress-response mechanism to shut down faster after the stressful episode.

And CBD studies shows that it can help with the goals. Although more specific studies are needed to explore the benefits of CBD oil for OCD, current findings already look promising.

Risks and Side Effects of CBD

In general, CBD is considered safe. However, some individuals who take CBD can also experience some side effects such as:

Changes in weight

Changes in appetite

Fatigue

Diarrhea

In addition, CBD can also interact with dietary supplements and other medications that you are taking. It is especially recommended that you exercise caution if you are taking blood thinner medications which come with the “grapefruit warning”. This is because both CBD and grapefruit interact with the same enzyme which is crucial to drug metabolism.

One mice study showed that CBD-rich cannabis extract can also increase the risk of liver toxicity. However, take note that in the study, mice were force-fed large doses of CBD.

In addition, you should not stop taking any medications that you are already using without consulting with your doctor first. Using CBD oil for OCD can help, however, you could also experience withdrawal symptoms when you suddenly stop your prescription medications.

The symptoms of withdrawal include:

Fogginess

Nausea

Dizziness

Irritability

Getting Started With CBD Oil For OCD

If you decided to try out CBD oil for OCD, then here are some things you need to follow.

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1) Choosing A CBD Product

CBD products come in various forms.

There are capsules, tinctures, oils, topicals, and edibles. Each one has its own set of pros and cons and is not all are suitable for every individual. However, the most common choice is CBD oil. CBD oil can be added to your beverages or food, consumed directly via the tongue, used in

aromatherapy via oil diffusers, and smoked via vape pens. IT usually comes with droppers for you to measure your own dosage.

However, edibles and capsules are also both excellent forms of CBD since they are a less obvious way of consuming CBD. Furthermore, they make dosing even easier since they come pre-measured for specific doses.

Topicals which include creams and lotions, on the other hand, can be applied directly to the skin. However, these forms of CBD are mostly recommended for treating underlying skin conditions such as inflammations that cause eczema and acne.

2) Research and Read Reviews

Once you have decided on the type of CBD product that you want, it is time to search the market for high-quality manufacturers and sellers.

Not all CBD products are the same.

Since the CBD industry is still unregulated, there are lots of cheap and poor-quality CBD products that do not contain any CBD at all or contains only artificial ingredients.

Make sure to do your homework and research through various companies and manufacturers. Have a look through reviews of the companies and products that you are interested in buying then compare in potency, price, and overall quality.

Check out their website and see if the company offers 3rd party lab testing of the CBD products to ensure their efficacy and potency.

3) Assessing The Optimal Starting Dosage

Everybody reacts to CBD differently. Some individuals will only need a small dose to feel its effects while others need a bigger dosage for its effects to be felt. This all depends on your genes, weight, and the specific set of symptoms you want to relieve.

Thus, there’s no single dosage that we can recommend.

Generally speaking, individuals with moderate to mild OCD report medium to low strength dosage is enough to offer relief of their symptoms. However, for the more severe OCD sufferers, a higher strength might be needed to deliver the same benefits.

Below is a chart that lists the general dosage requirements according to the desired strength and weight. Keep in mind that these are just guidelines.

The dose can still vary a lot from one person to another. Thus, always start with the low dosage, gradually building up to a higher dose once you know how it affects you individually.

Daily Dosage of CBD Oil for OCD by Strength and Weight

Weight by poundsLow StrengthMedium StrengthHigh Strength10010mg30mg60mg12513mg38mg75mg15015mg45mg90mg17517mg52mg105mg20020mg60mg120mg22522mg67mg135mg25025mg75mg150mg

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Final Thoughts

There are still no specific and dedicated studies that understand or investigate the use of CBD oil for OCD. Thus, we can’t conclusively say whether or not CBD oil helps with OCD.

However, there are plenty of studies published on the benefits of CBD for general anxiety. And since OCD is a type of anxiety and involves many of the same symptoms and underlying pathologies to other kinds of anxiety, it is highly likely that CBD oil supplementation can improve the symptoms of OCD.

Should you choose to use CBD oil for your OCD, make sure that you find only the highest quality product from reputable companies and manufacturers. Follow our above guideline on the recommended dosage and how to use CBD oil. Lastly, in order to get the most out of your CBD supplementation, it is recommended that you consult with your doctor first.

The post CBD Oil for OCD: How to use and Dosage? appeared first on Sell CBD Oils.

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