They're Not Joking: Laughing Gas For Depression
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - 19:40
in Health & Medicine
In modern times, nitrous oxide is a pollutant or a way to make an old custom Nissan go really fast, but it was once common as an anesthetic in medicine and dentistry and that is how it got its common name - laughing gas. In a small pilot study, it was shown to have another modern use - as a treatment for depression.In 20 patients who had treatment-resistant clinical depression, the researchers found that two-thirds experienced an improvement in symptoms after receiving nitrous oxide. In comparison, one-third of the same patients reported improved symptoms after treatment with a placebo. The patients were evaluated on the day of and day after each treatment. read more
