In mid-2023, YouTuber-turned-pro-boxer Jake Paul made a startling statement. The athlete spoke about the mental benefits of the psychedelic ayahuasca. Even more surprising was that Paul said Aaron Rodgers, four-time NFL MVP, was with him when he tried the alternative medicine in Peru. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger has written about how psychedelics like ayahuasca are changing depression treatment.

Aaron Rodgers has gone on record, saying that ayahuasca therapy helped him win back-to-back MVPs after a slump in 2019. Paul also touted the benefits he felt after his first trip to Peru. However, 76-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a quantifiable example of such alternative treatments. While Arnie isn’t a fan of these substances, he gave his readers unbiased facts.

What does the science say?

“It was never about the magic tea; it was about people’s expectations about life and how that influences happiness,” Arnold Schwarzenegger told his readers who asked about ayahuasca. However, in the edition of Arnold’s Pump Club, he eliminated his personal bias. Instead, Schwarzenegger’s team highlighted recent research.

Recent research has shown that “psychedelics have many potential positive outcomes, and might be more effective at treating depression than traditional anti-depressants.” The newsletter further revealed that scientists conducted the study with individuals battling depression. Doctors prescribed “psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms)” to some.

To others, they prescribed an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), commonly used for treating depression. When the subjects paired the prescribed drugs with therapy, the group using psilocybin benefited just as much as those using the SSRI. However, in some measures, the magic mushroom ingredient outperformed the SSRI.

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Scientists found that 70% of the subjects on psilocybin responded to treatment compared to 48% of responders on the SSRI. “The rate of remission was higher in the psilocybin group,” as well. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t want anyone planning to try out the alternative treatment to think that the psychedelic brew alone was the solution.

What Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks

The 76-year-old fitness icon is skeptical of psychedelic teas like ayahuasca. In a previous edition of Arnie’s newsletter, he explained that he didn’t know if the people returning to these treatments were finding what they were looking for. “My understanding is that most of them are repeat customers.”

Schwarzenegger believes that people still have to put in the work and make positive changes alongside treatment. It’s important to remember that even during the studies, traditional and alternative methods were paired with therapy. Hence, despite studies showing the benefits of psychedelic treatments, Arnold Schwarzenegger advised his readers not to rely solely on alternative treatments.

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