Re: The age of mushrooms is upon us in medicine

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 62, No. 2, March 2020, Page 47 Letters
By: Chris Little, MD, FRCPC Edward Brooks, MD, FRCPC

Thank you to Dr Mark Elliot for his article outlining the potential benefits of psychedelic compounds now being studied in certain disciplines of medicine and cognitive therapy [BCMJ 2019;61:390-391]. While our colleagues in cardiovascular medicine, oncology, and surgery seem to have enjoyed significant advances in their respective fields, the same cannot be said of those involved in treating depression, addiction, and PTSD, and those working in palliative care.

We share Dr Elliot’s enthusiasm for the potential benefits of these therapies, but also wish to issue a reminder that as we proceed with an open mind we should also remain highly critical. The medical community must not legitimize unfounded theories, and must ensure that any future studies of these compounds abide by the scientific method and prioritize the safety of our patients.

These promising therapies are sure to come under scrutiny by many, both inside and outside the medical community. With this being said, we question Dr Elliot’s mention of the Stoned Ape Theory first postulated by Terence Mc­Kenna and more recently propagated by Paul Stamets on the popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience. Mr Stamets, a mushroom enthusiast, seems to have one foot in the field of mycology as a science and the other in the realm of unfounded and seemingly far-fetched theories. The Stoned Ape Theory postulates that during human evolution our primitive ancestors consumed mind-altering mushrooms, the effects acting as an evolutionary catalyst, supposedly responsible for the higher-level development of language, religion, and music. We, the authors of this letter, have no formal training in mycology or anthropology, but from our brief reading, this theory appears to have no credible evidence to support it and has actually been heavily criticized by the scientific community.

The long-running stigma associated with these psychotropic compounds is in part a reaction to the ardent promotion of pseudoscience by advocates such as Timothy Leary. If these compounds are to be incorporated into mainstream medicine, we owe it to our colleagues and especially our patients to present accurate findings and reject unsubstantiated claims. It is critical that we separate the potential medicinal benefits of these compounds from the cultural and societal biases with which they are often associated.
—Chris Little, MD, FRCPC
Penticton
—Edward Brooks, MD, FRCPC
Victoria

This letter was submitted in response to “The age of mushrooms is upon us in medicine.”

Chris Little, MD, FRCPC, Edward Brooks, MD, FRCPC. Re: The age of mushrooms is upon us in medicine. BCMJ, Vol. 62, No. 2, March, 2020, Page(s) 47 - Letters.


Above is the information needed to cite this article in your paper or presentation. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommends the following citation style, which is the now nearly universally accepted citation style for scientific papers:
Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.

About the ICMJE and citation styles

The ICMJE is small group of editors of general medical journals who first met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which meets annually. The ICMJE created the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals to help authors and editors create and distribute accurate, clear, easily accessible reports of biomedical studies.

An alternate version of ICMJE style is to additionally list the month an issue number, but since most journals use continuous pagination, the shorter form provides sufficient information to locate the reference. The NLM now lists all authors.

BCMJ standard citation style is a slight modification of the ICMJE/NLM style, as follows:

  • Only the first three authors are listed, followed by "et al."
  • There is no period after the journal name.
  • Page numbers are not abbreviated.


For more information on the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, visit www.icmje.org

BCMJ Guidelines for Authors

Leave a Reply