Jun 21, 2017

Using Special K to treat depression in L.A.'s 'Silicon Beach'

Victoria Arocho / AP

A clinic in Los Angeles is using ketamine, also known as the club drug Special K, to treat depression, according to a report from Wired.

Also used as an animal tranquilizer, ketamine is being given to patients in low doses at the Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles, at a cost of $600 to $750 per infusion. Due primarily to the price, tech professionals from L.A.'s "Silicon Beach" are the primary customers.

How it works: One entrepreneur who frequents the clinic, Sean Spencer, told Wired the infusions last "50 to 55 minutes and cause mild hallucinations", but result in "ultimate peace." Steve Mandel, the L.A. clinic's anesthesiologist, has seen over 600 patients and reported improvements in 83 percent of them.

A word of caution: Other doctors argue there's still too much to learn about the drug to use it to treat patients. Ketamine is not currently FDA approved to treat depression.

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Updated 8 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 20,724,799 — Total deaths: 751,399— Total recoveries: 12,873,188 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 5,234,800 — Total deaths: 166,750 — Total recoveries: 1,755,225 — Total tests: 63,731,305 — Map.
Politics: House Democrats to investigate scientist leading "Operation Warp Speed" vaccine project — McConnell announces Senate will not hold votes until Sept. 8 unless stimulus deal is reached.
2020: Biden calls for 3-month national mask mandate — Biden and Harris to receive coronavirus briefings 4 times a week.
States: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to drop lawsuit over Atlanta's mask mandate.
Business: Why the CARES Act makes 2020 the best year for companies to lose money.
Public health: Cases are falling, but don't get too comfortable.

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Axios-SurveyMonkey poll: Harris boosting Biden ticket with key voters

Data: SurveyMonkey poll of 2,847 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 11–12, 2020 with ±3% margin of error; Chart: Naema Ahmed/Axios

Kamala Harris is accomplishing what Joe Biden's campaign hoped she would in her first two days as his running mate — doing no harm, while exciting parts of the base with whom Biden needs the most help.

The big picture: Black women especially, but also Black men, Hispanics and Democrats and independents across the board say they are more likely to vote for Biden with Harris on the ticket, according to a new Axios-SurveyMonkey poll.

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39 mins ago - Technology

Epic sues Apple over developer tax as Fortnite is pulled from App Store

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Fortnite maker Epic Games on Thursday escalated its battle over Apple's App Store tactics, suing the tech giant over antitrust claims while also baiting Apple into dropping Fortnite from the App Store.

The big picture: Epic is just one of several developers clashing with Apple. They argue the company harms competition by taking a cut of up to 30% on in-app purchases and subscriptions and blocking most developers from getting around the tax by charging their users directly.

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