Zygopleural

Meaning bilaterally identical.


I do apologise for missing one of last week's posts. It was a somewhat difficult week, and I was just exhausted by the time it came to blog and so I just shifted Wednesday's post to Friday and forgot to double up. I am, however, very pleased with how well-received the last post was, regarding religion. Though, I think today's might be so pushed against the boundaries that it may be a little too controversial to really blog about. But since when have I adhered to the safe side of things. It is massively unlikely that anyone will agree with me on this topic, but I thoroughly welcome your views.

Drugs. I'm neither pro-drugs or anti-drugs, I just think that I have quite a unique standpoint. Tobacco is a legal drug in England and pretty much worldwide. Tobacco cigarettes contain nicotine (the substance that makes cigarettes so addictive), along with tar (which clogs up your lungs), carbon monoxide (a toxic substance) among several other particularly harmful substances. Many people report a feeling of relaxation when they smoke a cigarette or any other tobacco product (pipes, cigars, etc.), but in actual fact, upon smoking a cigarette, the body mimcs the effect of a stressful situation. Blood pressure and pulse rate is increased, internal temperature rises, it even goes as far as to begin producing adrenaline. I won't go into the ins and outs of the way this works because I'm not a physiologist and I know that there is someone out there who will call me out on every tiny mistake that I make in that respect.

Comparing this to, for example, the effect of marijuana raises quite an interesting point. While it also raises pulse rate, it decreases blood pressure. It does, of course, also impair the ability to remember and the way in which we perceive things, but I'm getting onto that. Physiologically, cannabis is better for you than a similar tobacco-containing compound of the same mass.

The psychological effects of cannabis are the reason that it is becoming illegal across the world, but as far as I know, there is no reason that cannabis cannot be used for a valid and effective psychoanalysis of a patient. I do, of course, mean within reason. I have no wish to walk into the children's wing of a hospital and be knocked back by the smell of second-hand cannabis. I wholeheartedly believe that hallucinogens are a method through which a connection can be established with past and suppressed emotions and memories. For example, give a patient a dose of cannabis just strong enough to induce hallucinations, and place them in a secure, padded, but absolutely undecorated room under 24-hour watch. Without sufficient external stimulation, the hallucinations observed will undoubtedly have been a representation of an internal trauma or extreme of emotion, or merely a memory replaying itself.

A psychiatrist or psychoanalyst could then use these results to analyse the patient. A large number of physical problems are, in fact, psychological issues that have manifested themselves as some sort of physical malady. Of course, cannabis for recreational use might still have to be restricted, but for medicinal purposes, it could be a particular benefit. Maybe I'm talking out of my backside here, but these are only ideas. Musings, if you will. I know it's crazy. Anyways, I'm still exhausted. Things aren't getting easier right now and I'm still just trying to power through a brick wall of pure difficulty. So, I leave you with this:

"I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've worked for me."