The old post about magic mushrooms and MS
In October 2019, we wrote a post about how magic mushrooms (shrooms) might play a role in reducing the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. The old post, which deals mainly with stress reduction and increasing BDNF, can be read at the following link:
Update in 2023
After a lot of questions from people suffering from MS and further developments, it is time for an update on psilocybin and MS. After we posted the earlier post, a small study has been done with psilocybin in people with MS. This 2019 study examined the effects of psilocybin on depressive symptoms and quality of life in people with advanced MS. Results showed that psilocybin reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety and that the improvement in quality of life persisted for up to 5 weeks after treatment in some participants. Unfortunately, there has been no further study of psilocybin's effect on MS.
Our experience with persons with MS
We often notice an improvement in mood in our former clients with MS, just as we did in the small-scale 2019 study. A better state of mind often also helps to cope better with MS. Also, in some, stress reduction can help lower MS symptoms. In theory, psilocybin can reduce MS damage by increasing neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. This is triggered by increasing BDNF by psilocybin. However, we do not have long trajectories where we can follow people with MS. All our experiences are based on single sessions and anecdotal evidence. For now, everything is a theory.
The theory behind psilocybin and MS
Besides stress reduction and improved mood, which can already mean a lot in MS, BDNF plays a big role. By taking a medium to high dose of psilocybin (15-45mg), psilocybin will show a lot of activity on the 5HT2a receptors after conversion to psilocin. Due to this increased activity, a lot of BDNF is produced.
BDNF is a neurotrophin that stimulates the repair of neurons and the creation of new nerve connections. Creating more new connections than are broken by MS could theoretically slow or even reverse MS. However, there is no scientific evidence yet that BNDF works in people with MS. A study conducted in mice with MS-like disease found that treatment with BDNF reduced the disease and reduced inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system. Another study in human cell cultures suggested that BDNF may have neuroprotective effects against the inflammatory response seen in MS. Thus, it strongly appears that BDNF plays a role in MS.
So how often would you have to do a psilocybin session?
We advise clients without MS not to do higher-dose psychedelic sessions more often than once every 1 or 2 months. For individuals with MS, we tell them to stick to at least a two-week interval. If follow-up sessions are done too soon there is a chance of tolerance. Preferably, the time interval is between 2 and 10 weeks.
A guided psilocybin session
Want guidance on your higher-dose psilocybin session? We can help you! We recommend filling out the intake form below completely. With this we screen for health and safety. Furthermore, we will also advise which drug and dosage seems best. Also, the intake will form the basis for advice during the preparation for the psychedelic session. The intake can be found via the link below:
Increasing BDNF can also be done in other ways
Although psilocybin, DMT and LSD can very strongly increase BNDF there are other things you can do that increase this to a lesser extent. The best thing to do is to do as many good things at once as possible. There are also some things that you should avoid doing correctly. A list of these things regarding BDNF is in the article below:
Read how to increase BDNF here
Significant BDNF increase without psychedelics
Japan's PeptiGrowth has a signal substance in the works that you can take as an alternative. So you no longer have to go on a psychedelic trip to increase BDNF. Of course, this has its advantages and disadvantages since the psychedelic experience can contribute to the change in mood. The advantage is that without tripping, you can still increase BDNF significantly. The name of the alternative is called TrkB agonist peptide. It seems advisable to us to follow the science regarding psilocybin and the TrkB agonist peptide and, if studies show that we are on the right track, to do a psilocybin session once a month interspersed with a period with this new TrkB agonist peptide. This peptide is expected to become available for research in March 2023.
What else can you do?
In MS, the immune system attacks its own nerve cells. Here, the fatty myelin is what is attacked by the immune system's own immune system. So it may be that something is in the myelin that doesn't belong there. It has been suggested many times that heavy metals may well be accumulated in fatty substances. It is advisable to limit the intake of fat-soluble pollutants such as the heavy metals and microplastics.
Myelin is made by special cells called oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system (nerves that run throughout the body). These cells produce and maintain the myelin layer through a complex process known as myelination. Myelination involves making claims on substances from your diet such as vitamin B12, iron and healthy fats. Healthy fats are very important, however, the problem these days is that we ingest an excess of unhealthy fats. Furthermore, the healthy fats we ingest become unhealthy by heating it. Consequently, these fats oxidize and contribute to inflammation in tissues and perhaps myelin. With MS, this makes it extra important to ingest healthy fats.
Read more about healthy fats and chronic inflammation here
