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Zoomies Canada is an online dispensary offering magic mushrooms in Canada that caters to people with various kinds of health issues. The brand looks into a recent study on how psilocybin has long-lasting benefits on one’s self-grooming behaviour derived from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This repetitive condition you may notice from people constantly biting their nails or cutting their own skin when extreme emotions hit occurs in 0.93% of the population aged 15 or older. 

Individuals with OCD are more likely to experience depression, bipolar disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Hope may still be around the corner as new study emerges.

Key Takeaways:

  • People with obsessive-compulsive disorder feature a repetitive pattern of unwanted behaviours, thoughts, and fear.
  • Mice treated with synthetic and natural psilocybin reduced self-grooming.
  • Psilocybin can change how your brain works, which may lead to feelings of oneness, reduced repetitive thoughts, and altered consciousness.

Understanding OCD and Compulsive Grooming by Definition

OCD

According to a study by Hebrew University researchers, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a highly prevalent condition that can cause severe disability. It features a repetitive pattern of unwanted behaviours, thoughts, and fear. This medical issue has two specific areas: Obsessions and Compulsions.

  1. Obsessions are irrational and unrealistic worries that bother a person, even though they know these worries are unlikely to happen.
  2. Compulsions are repetitive actions or thoughts that people feel driven to do to relieve anxiety or prevent bad things from happening. Even though they know these actions are unnecessary, they feel compelled to do them.

Compulsions go beyond repetitive actions. Excessive grooming is one. Sometimes, People with OCD might wash their hands repeatedly, check things over and over, count, or repeat phrases to calm their anxiety. While this can be positive at some point, their persistent actions can cause them harm and further affect their quality of life. 

This behaviour not only affects a person’s self-esteem but can also hinder how they engage with others or perform routine tasks.

The Study’s In Vivo Trial

A group of Hebrew University researchers have chosen mice to perform an in vivo examination of psilocybin’s effects on these conditions. They explained that mice lack a specific gene (SAPAP3), which exhibits behaviours similar to OCD in humans, such as excessive grooming and anxiety. Since psilocybin may treat the condition in humans, researchers have studied its potential to alleviate these symptoms in mice.

Side Discussion: Psilocybin

It is a psychedelic compound naturally occurring in magic mushrooms. Its chemical makeup resembles the neurotransmitter that plays a role in cognitive and bodily function. Once ingested, the intestines convert them into psilocin, the active form of its deriving compound. Psilocin then interacts with 5-HT2A receptors to mediate many of the compound’s psychoactive effects in the body.

Effects

  • Altered Perception: Experience mind-expanding effects, such as perceptual hallucinations, a sense of heightened awareness or distortion of time, and nervous energy.
  • Emotional and Cognitive Shifts: Some users report experiencing profound insights into their thoughts. Stimulates natural behaviour or life situations that often lead to personal growth.
  • Ego Dissolution: Higher doses of the substance may lead to a sense of “ego dissolution,” where the boundaries between self and the world seem to dissolve. Leads to feelings of being one with nature or the universe.

This substance gained attention from medical institutions because of its therapeutic potential. Its benefits primarily target mental health symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and OCD.

The Study’s Groundbreaking Approach with Psilocybin

The proponents of the study undertook a randomized controlled trial of psilocybin (PSIL) in 28 male and 22 female SAPAP3 KO mice. Researchers randomly assigned the subjects to receive a single intraperitoneal injection of PSIL (4.4mg per kg), psychedelic mushroom extracts, or placebo. They observed these subjects over 21 days to see if the substance reduced their repetitive behaviours.

Groundbreaking Single Dose

OCD relies on medications or therapy that require long-term use. This research investigates whether a single dose of PSIL could offer long-lasting benefits that traditional treatments couldn’t perform immediately. 

The study found that mice treated with PSIL or psychedelic mushroom extract experienced a significant reduction in excessive grooming behaviours compared to the control group. These effects lasted for several weeks. With these findings, researchers suggested that a single dose of synthetic or natural PSIL may have long-lasting benefits for treating OCD-like symptoms in the subjects.

  • Mice treated with vehicles manifested an increase in self-grooming, while the other two groups, driven by natural and synthetic, did not manifest and reduced self-grooming.
  • Over 3 weeks, there was a significant improvement in the secondary outcome measures such as head-body twitches and anxiety.
  • Mice that didn’t respond to the placebo showed improvement after a single dose of PSIL.

Other Related Studies

A notable open-label study explored the effects of psilocybin on patients with OCD. All nine participants, who received multiple doses ranging from sub-hallucinogenic to fully hallucinogenic, experienced reductions in symptoms that persisted for at least 24 hours.

Additional evidence for psilocybin’s potential in treating comes from case reports, a pilot study on serotonin reuptake inhibitor-resistant body dysmorphic disorder, and preclinical studies involving marble-burying behaviour in rodents.

The Science Behind Psilocybin’s Effect on OCD-like Behaviour

This magic mushroom substance interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain, but its effects are more complex. It appears to modulate activity in various regions of the brain, including those involved in perception, emotion, and the sense of self. Experts see this as effective in treating compulsions.

Default Mode Network (DMN)

The DMN of brain regions is active when the mind is at rest and not focused on external stimuli. This network is associated with self-reflection, the ego, and a sense of continuity of self. Patients with obsessive and compulsive actions exhibited increased functional connectivity in the precuneus, a brain region associated with retrieving and manipulating past experiences to solve present problems and plan for the future.The psychoactive compound suppresses the activity of the DMN, which may be related to the experience of ego dissolution, suppression of repetitive action and thoughts, and altered states of consciousness.

Magic Mushrooms: Fast-Acting & Long-Lasting Alternative

While traditional mental health medications can take weeks to show improvement, psilocybin can offer results within hours or days. A single dose can provide lasting effects and eliminate the need for daily medication. By addressing obsessive-compulsive actions, it alleviates associated anxiety and other disorders.

Zoomies Canada is a trusted dispensary offering shrooms online for recreational and medical purposes. We acknowledge the cubes and their therapeutic potential in treating mental health symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and possibly OCD. We also provide customers with useful educational blogs to tackle persisting medical issues today and mushroom-based treatments for overall health wellness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does taking the active substance impact motor skills?

Yes. It may impair coordination, and cause slowed reaction time. These impairments only last long during the trip. It does not linger post-use.

Is the brain more unified while under the influence?

Yes. A separate study that scanned the brain while under magic mushrooms revealed a harmonious mental state. Some experts say it’s an “entropic” state of mind because of heightened complexity and unpredictability in neural activity.

Do I still need therapy after a psychedelic experience to manage my obsessive-compulsive condition?

Yes, combining shroom use with therapy is highly beneficial. A therapist can help you process your experiences and apply the insights gained to improve your mental health.

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