The United States has become a nation full of pill poppers… (See articles here, here and here!)

A fact that largely comes as the result of a group of ‘really smart people’ attempting to find artificial, unnatural cures to naturally off-balanced problems by creating a pill/drug which will magically cure *insert whatever you want here because EVERYTHING applies*.

However it is this push through artificial means that comes, more often than not, at the expense of our souls.

Cause really, LSD for example, as a treatment for anything, much less alcohol…

Seriously?!

Please tell me I am not the only one that sees the problem here.

[via Nature] The powerful hallucinogen LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) has potential as a treatment for alcoholism, according to a retrospective analysis of studies published in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The study¹, by neuroscientist Teri Krebs and clinical psychologist Pål-Ørjan Johansen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, is the first-ever quantitative meta-analysis of LSD–alcoholism clinical trials. The researchers sifted through thousands of records to collect data from randomized, double-blind trials that compared one dose of LSD to a placebo.

Of 536 participants in six trials, 59% of people receiving LSD reported lower levels of alcohol misuse, compared to 38% of people who received a placebo. “We were surprised that the effect was so clear and consistent,” says Krebs. She says that the problem with most studies done at that time was that there were too few participants, which limited statistical power. “But when you combine the data in a meta-analysis, we have more than 500 patients and there is definitely an effect,” she says. In general, the reported benefits lasted three to six months. Their findings are published today in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. [Read More]

And as if that wasn’t insane enough…

I have an even better artificial “cure through chemistry” for you!

Racism.

Yeah, apparently there is a pill for that now.

[via Gizmodo] Racism-Curing Pills Are Apparently a Thing Now?

Researchers at Oxford University claim to have discovered a “cure” for racism, in pill form. It only (supposedly!) stamps out biologically-inherent discrimination, apparently, so if someone’s been Clockwork Oranged into a life of hate, maybe it won’t be so helpful. But, to repeat: RACISM-CURING PILL.

Propranolol is a beta-blocker that’s used to reduce blood pressure, but the Oxford study found that it has the peripheral side effect of reducing subconscious racism, which is triggered by the autonomic nervous system. The study took 36 white males and gave half 40mg of Propranolol, and half a placebo. Then after two hours they were made to categorize words like “happy” and “evil,” and also black and white people’s faces. There was a statistically relevant enough difference in the groups to lead the scientists to believe that the drug can actually have an effect on racial bias. [Read More]

Uh huh.

Yeah.

And if you believe that?

Oh…

I have some wonderful beach front property in Arizona to sell you.