Last year, more Americans died of opioid overdoses than of many cancers, gunshot wounds, or even car crashes. In fact, by at least one metric, the epidemic is more dire for Americans than was the Vietnam War: while an average of 11 Americans died per day during the 14 years…
Michael Pollan: Not So Fast on Psychedelic Mushrooms
Only a few days ago, millions of American probably had never heard of psilocybin, the active agent in psychedelic mushrooms, but thanks to Denver, it is about to get its moment in the political sun. On Tuesday, the city’s voters surprised everyone by narrowly approving a ballot initiative that effectively decriminalizes psilocybin,…
Is it safe to drink alcohol while taking prednisone?
Prednisone is a synthetic form of adrenocortical steroid that doctors can prescribe to treat several different conditions. Prednisone can help balance hormones in people whose adrenal glands do not produce enough corticosteroids. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory and can help treat diseases that cause inflammation, such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis. Prednisone…
What is dermatophagia?
Dermatophagia is a psychological condition in which a person compulsively bites, chews, gnaws, or eats their skin. It often affects the skin around people’s fingers. Dermatophagia is an emerging concept in mental health research. For this reason, there have been few studies into precisely what it is and how it differs from…