On today's episode, our guest is Sarah Bacon. She is a writer, rare disease patient & advocate. Most recently, New York Magazine published her covid-19 related story titled "I’m in the High-Risk 2 Percent. It’s Exhausting." LINK: https://www.thecut.com/2020/03/im-in-the-high-risk-2-percent-its-exhausting.html
We asked Sarah, who lives in New York City but is taking refuge in a Florida hotel, to talk about life during covid-19.
Additionally, I was particularly excited to talk about her truly remarkable Washington Post story titled "Anxious and depressed as a scary disease destroyed her lungs, she turned to ecstasy for relief. Here’s what happened."
LINK: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/anxious-and-depressed-as-an-ultrarare-condition-destroyed-her-lungs-she-turned-to-ecstasy-for-relief-heres-what-happened/2019/11/15/cda32bb8-da49-11e9-ac63-3016711543fe_story.html
In the story, Sarah explains that a healer she sees from time to time to quell her anxiety suggested she try MDMA-guided therapy.
The drug, which was banned in 1985, does have risky side effects, Sarah wrote.
In 2017, however, the Food and Drug Administration granted MDMA-assisted psychotherapy a breakthrough-therapy designation for post-traumatic stress disorder, setting it on a fast track for review in clinic trials and potential approval.
As of November 2019, when the story was published, Phase 3 clinical trials were underway across 16 sites in the United States, Canada and Israel. Participants have included first responders, military vets, and flood and sexual assault victims.
As Sarah explained, "During previous, smaller-scale phase 2 clinical trials, for which the data are complete, 68 percent of patients no longer “qualified” for PTSD diagnosis after 12 months, according to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit research group that has funded the trials and worked with the FDA on the program. LINK: https://maps.org/
In the story, Sarah goes on to write that, quote, "My first MDMA-guided therapy session was among the more intense days of my life."
You can find Sarah online here: Twitter: @SarahHogate and Instagram: @Baconiste
