Prognosis for Lung Cancer
Lung cancer has a poor prognosis. On average, people with untreated advanced non–small cell lung cancer survive 6 months. Even with treatment, people with extensive small cell lung cancer or advanced non–small cell lung cancer do especially poorly, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 1%. Early diagnosis improves survival. People with early non–small cell lung cancer have a 5-year survival of 50 to 70%. However, people who are treated definitively for an earlier stage lung cancer and survive but continue to smoke are at high risk of developing another lung cancer.
Survivors must have regular checkups, including periodic chest x-rays and CT scans to ensure that the cancer has not returned. Usually, if the cancer returns, it occurs within the first 2 years. However, frequent monitoring is recommended for 5 years after lung cancer treatment, and then people are monitored yearly for the rest of their lives.
Because many people die of lung cancer, planning for terminal care is usually necessary. Advances in end-of-life care, particularly the recognition that anxiety and pain are common in people with incurable lung cancer and that these symptoms can be relieved by appropriate drugs, have led to an increasing number of people being able to die comfortably at home, with or without hospice services
The symptoms of lung cancer depend on its type, its location, and the way it spreads within the lungs, to areas near the lungs, or elsewhere in the body. Some people have no symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
One of the more common symptoms is a persistent cough or, in people who have a chronic cough, a change in the character of the cough. Some people cough up blood or sputum streaked with blood (hemoptysis). Rarely, lung cancer grows into an underlying blood vessel and causes severe bleeding.
Additional nonspecific symptoms of lung cancer include loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, chest pain, and weakness.
Complications of lung cancer
Lung cancer may narrow the airway, causing wheezing. If a tumor blocks an airway, part of the lung that the airway supplies may collapse, a condition called atelectasis. Other consequences of a blocked airway are shortness of breath and pneumonia, which may result in coughing, fever, and chest pain.
If the tumor grows into the chest wall, it may cause persistent, unrelenting chest pain. Fluid containing cancerous cells can accumulate in the space between the lung and the chest wall (a condition referred to as malignant pleural effusion). Large amounts of fluid can lead to shortness of breath and chest pain. If the cancer spreads throughout the lungs, the levels of oxygen in the blood become low, causing shortness of breath and eventually enlargement of the right side of the heart and possible heart failure (a disorder called cor pulmonale).
Lung cancer may grow into certain nerves in the neck, causing a droopy eyelid, small pupil, and reduced perspiration on one side of the face—together these symptoms are called Horner syndrome.
Cancers at the top of the lung may grow into the nerves that supply the arm, making the arm or shoulder painful, numb, and weak. Tumors in this location are often called Pancoast tumors. When the tumor grows into nerves in the center of the chest, the nerve to the voice box may become damaged, making the voice hoarse, and the nerve to the diaphragm may become damaged, causing shortness of breath and low blood oxygen levels.
Lung cancer may grow into or near the esophagus, leading to difficulty swallowing or pain with swallowing.
Lung cancer may grow into the heart or in the midchest (mediastinal) region, causing abnormal heart rhythms, blockage of blood flow into the heart, or fluid in the sac surrounding the heart (pericardial sac).
The cancer may grow into or compress one of the large veins in the chest (the superior vena cava). This condition is called superior vena cava syndrome. Blockage of the superior vena cava causes blood to back up in other veins of the upper body. The veins in the chest wall enlarge. The face, neck, and upper chest wall—including the breasts—can swell, causing pain, and become flushed. The condition can also cause shortness of breath, headache, distorted vision, dizziness, and drowsiness. These symptoms usually worsen when the person bends forward or lies down.
Lung cancer may also spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, most commonly the liver, brain, adrenal glands, spinal cord, or bones. The spread of lung cancer may occur early in the course of disease, especially with small cell lung cancer. Symptoms—such as headache, confusion, seizures, and bone pain—may develop before any lung problems become evident, making an early diagnosis more complicated.
What is Psilocybin Mushrooms?
While there are many types of mushrooms in the world, a few varieties contain a chemical called psilocybin, which can have hallucinogenic effects when ingested.1 Psilocybin mushrooms are native to Central and North America, in countries that include Mexico and the United States.1
While these mushrooms have been used for centuries by indigenous populations for religious and social rites, they became widely used as part of the counterculture movement of the 1960s until they were made illegal in 1968.2
Psilocybin mushrooms may also be called:1,2
Hallucinogenic mushrooms
Magic mushrooms
Shrooms
Psychedelic mushrooms
Though some proponents urge further investigation into psilocybin for potential therapeutic benefits, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) currently lists mushrooms as a Schedule I substance.1,3 Schedule I drugs have a high risk for abuse, no known medical benefits, and are not approved for any use, even under the care of a doctor.1
Psilocybin Mushrooms Effects
Psilocybin interacts with our brain’s serotonergic neurotransmitter system in a way thought to underlie the various physiological and hallucinogenic effects associated with the drug.2,3 Many factors can influence the effects of the drug, including:2
The potency or amount of mushrooms ingested.
Prior experiences with mushrooms.
Your personality.
The setting you are in when you take the drug.
Your mental state at the time of ingestion.
Psilocybin Mushroom Overdose and Withdrawal
Since mushrooms are grown naturally and not synthesized in a lab, it is difficult to monitor and regulate the dosage. It is estimated that a lethal dose would be 1,000 times that of an effective dose, making it highly unlikely for someone to overdose on mushrooms unless an underlying health condition existed.
With no significant physiological dependence associated with the drug, withdrawal is not likely, although it may take a day or two to feel normal after ingesting mushrooms. You may feel lingering effects of the mushrooms, like feeling tired or having difficulty discerning fantasy or dreams from reality.
Microdosing has become increasingly popular over the last decade. A microdosing regimen typically entails the ingestion of a psychedelic substance at a sub-hallucinogenic dose, usually 5–10% of a standard dose. Psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are the most common psychedelics used for microdosing and users commonly follow the Fadiman protocol, which suggests that one should dose every third day to achieve optimal effects (Fadiman, 2011; Hutten et al., 2019). Anecdotal reports and observational studies suggest that microdosing can have antidepressant and anxiolytic effects (Anderson et al., 2019; Cameron et al., 2020; Fadiman and Korb, 2019; Johnstad, 2018; Kaertner et al., 2021; Lea et al., 2020; Petranker et al., 2020; Polito and Stevenson, 2019; Webb et al., 2019). Users with mental health conditions, such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), report microdosing as a form of self-medication (Hutten et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018).
However, the available evidence regarding the efficacy of Microdosing Psilocybin for mental health remains inconsistent. Three of the four existing experimental studies on humans found no evidence for the alleged antidepressant and anxiolytic effects (Bershad et al., 2019; Family et al., 2020; Szigeti et al., 2021). The fourth, Hutten et al. (2020), found that 20 μg LSD increased positive mood but also anxiety. These inconsistencies may well be related to differences in study designs. The observational studies investigated the effects of microdosing longitudinally, either by gathering cross-sectional data from a subpopulation of individuals who regularly practice microdosing, or via prospective observational design that gathered data from before, during, and after a predetermined microdosing period (Bornemann, 2020). These studies did not control for psychedelic substances or dosages. In contrast, three of the four experimental studies focused only on the effects of LSD microdosing compared with placebo and investigated the acute effect of varying doses (Bershad et al.: 6.5, 13 and 26 μg; Family et al.: 5, 10 and 20 μg; Hutten et al.: 5, 10 and 20 μg). Participants of the fourth self-blinded experimental study self-administered psychedelic microdoses of their choice (i.e. primarily LSD and psilocybin), over 4 weeks. The authors assessed both acute and post-acute effects and controlled for varying dose quantities (Szigeti et al., 2021). The two experimental studies investigating the effect of microdosing on rats also reveal mixed results. Horsley et al. (2018) found a modest anxiogenic effect in the elevated-plus maze when the rats were tested 48 h after the third microdose of both psilocin and ketamine. In contrast, Cameron et al. (2019) found no effects of a 2-month dimethyltryptamine (DMT) microdosing protocol on anxiety but did find reduced immobility in the forced swim paradigm, which is considered an antidepressant-like effect, and less freezing behaviour following fear extinction training, which may reflect enhanced fear extinction.
What is PTSD?
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental health condition that some people develop after they experience or witness a traumatic event. The traumatic event may be life-threatening or pose a significant threat to your physical, emotional or spiritual well-being. PTSD affects people of all ages.
People with PTSD have intense and intrusive thoughts and feelings related to the experience that last long after the event. PTSD involves stress responses like:
Anxiety, depressed mood, or feelings of guilt or shame.
Having flashbacks or nightmares.
Avoiding situations, places and activities related to the traumatic event.
These symptoms cause distress and interfere with your daily functioning.
What is a traumatic event?
Trauma or a traumatic event is anything that severely threatens your existence or sense of safety. It doesn’t have to be a single event (like a car accident) — it can be long-term trauma like living through war or frequent abuse. Trauma also doesn’t have to happen directly to you — you could witness a traumatic event. In addition, you could develop PTSD after learning that a traumatic event happened to a loved one.
Examples of traumatic events include (but aren’t limited to):
Serious accidents, like a car accident.
Severe injury or sudden illness.
War and military combat.
Natural disasters, such as a tornado, earthquake, fire or flood.
Physical abuse.
Verbal abuse.
Sexual assault or abuse.
Bullying.
The sudden death of a loved one.
ptsd treatment
Psychotherapy (talk therapy) is the main treatment for PTSD, especially forms of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
This therapy takes place with a trained, licensed mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. They can provide support, education and guidance to you and/or your loved ones to help you function better and increase your well-being.