Patient Condition Guide: Cannabis and Fibromyalgia
Leave a Comment
You wince in pain when a light breeze hits your neck or the fabric from loose clothing brushes against your leg. No matter how much you sleep, you wake up feeling exhausted – sometimes your skin feels like it’s sunburned and other times you feel a deep, debilitating ache that makes the smallest tasks an impossible feat.
This is fibromyalgia.
Individuals living with it know all too well how life altering this condition can be. If your doctor has diagnosed you or someone you know with fibromyalgia, you should learn more about this condition and whether cannabis can help.
Here's what you'll learn in this article:
[Click any of the section titles below to jump there]
What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia affects the brain’s reaction to nerve signals that indicate pain. People experience lasting, widespread pain, especially in the muscles, tendons and joints.
That pain can also cause fatigue, trouble sleeping, difficulty remembering certain things, and problems with mood stability.
While people with fibromyalgia may experience pain differently, the most common reports of pain include increased sensitivity in the neck and shoulders, arms, back, hips and various points along the legs.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia often sets in after severe distress on the body, including psychological trauma, but the exact cause is currently unknown. Prolonged stress and tension are thought to play a role, as symptoms typically set in after distress has set off other physical reactions to ongoing stress.
However, other people develop fibromyalgia after a severe illness or infection. Still, there are others who develop this condition without any apparent traumatic cause.
Fibromyalgia might be hereditary, but further genetic research is ongoing. Studies also suggest that women may be more likely to develop it than men, especially during the middle-age years. Still, this condition can affect anyone at just about any life stage.
Individuals with existing osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or ankylosing spondylitis (a form of arthritis that affects the spine) may have a higher risk of developing fibromyalgia, though it’s not considered an autoimmune or inflammation-centric condition.
If the doctor believes you may have fibromyalgia, he or she will perform several tests to check and rule out other conditions. He or she will ask about is whether you’ve experienced widespread pain that has persisted for at least three months.
Your doctor may also order one or more blood tests to make sure you don’t have another condition with overlapping symptoms.
How Is Fibromyalgia Treated?
There’s no cure for fibromyalgia, but your doctor may recommend certain medications to help manage the symptoms. Medications frequently recommended to fibromyalgia patients include pain medications (over-the-counter like acetaminophen and prescription non-narcotic pain relievers), antidepressants, and sleep aids.
In addition to over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals, some sufferers also turn to cannabis to manage some of their symptoms.
Which States Allow Cannabis for Fibromyalgia Treatment?
Though a number of states allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis for chronic pain symptoms, only a handful explicitly consider fibromyalgia to be a qualifying condition. This includes the following states:
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- North Dakota
- Ohio
If you live in one of these five and your doctor has diagnosed you with fibromyalgia, you may be eligible for medical cannabis – but you’ll first need a written recommendation.
You may also be eligible if you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and live in a state that considers chronic pain to be a qualifying condition. Talk to your doctor about using cannabis as a part of your ongoing fibromyalgia treatment plan and discover if it’s right for you.
Current Research on Cannabis and Fibromyalgia
Relieving pain, coping with stress and sleeping well are important for fibromyalgia patients as these factors tend compliment fatigue, cognitive struggles, anxiety and depression.
Though the medical community remains divided on cannabis’ medical efficacy, several select studies offer optimistic results.
A 2016 report by German researchers suggests that naturally occurring cannabinoids found in cannabis may help fibromyalgia patients cope with pain, inflammation and stress. This is an important consideration, as some medical experts believe prolonged stress may contribute to developing fibromyalgia in some individuals.
Studies also suggest that cannabis may be able to help fibromyalgia patients experience less stiffness, better sleep, and a general improvement in well being. Periods of relaxation appear to be an important component to manage overall wellness and improve flaring up symptoms.
Another study that tracked cannabis use across a sample pool of 26 fibromyalgia patients found all participants experienced significant improvements in symptom management and overall quality of life. Half of the participants stopped taking their prescribed pharmaceutical medications altogether due cannabis’ relief. However, further large-scale clinical studies are required.
How Can I Find the Best Cannabis to Meet My Needs?
If your state considers fibromyalgia or its symptoms to be a qualifying condition and your doctor has recommended it, Nugg can help with the rest.
Our specialized Cannabis Concierge service can share their extensive knowledge with you to help choose the cannabis products that are right for you. These experts can even help locate dispensaries in your area! Let us help find the relief you need today!
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only. While the content is accurate and true to the best of our knowledge, the author is not a medical professional. There may be omissions, errors, and mistakes. Never solely rely on the information in this or any post on our site or affiliated sites for medical advice. This post does not create a physician/patient relationship with any of Nugg or NuggMD’s affiliated staff or physicians.
Patient Condition Guide: Cannabis and Chronic Pain
Leave a Comment
Any time you touch a hot frying pan, stub your toe or experience any other painful sensation, your body sends messages through your nervous system between the brain and the injured appendage.
The ability to feel pain is vital to our survival; it’s why we learn at a young age to recoil from something that’s hot to the touch.
This type of pain experience is called acute pain: a typically short-lived sensation limited to a specific location on or within the body. Acute pain is generally treated with over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and it usually tapers off after a few minutes, hours, or days.
Chronic pain and neuropathy are different.
People experiencing chronic pain struggle to find relief, even after several weeks or months of rest and rehab. Individuals living with neuropathy are also at risk of further injury as certain digits or limbs lose sensation; it becomes increasingly easy to fall, suffer external burns, and experience other types of trauma due to neurological numbness.
What you'll learn in this article:
[Click any of the section titles below to jump there]
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is a continuous sensation that does not involve a constant external stimulus. In order to qualify as chronic pain, the sensation must persist for over 12 weeks. Often times, chronic pain is the lingering result of an old injury – the initial wound or sprain has healed, but there’s lasting pain that can persist for months or years.
There are four main categories of chronic pain:
- Mechanical/compressive pain: pain experienced while stretching or touching affected parts of the body. If you have a tumor or a fractured bone, you may experience mechanical pain when you touch the affected area.
- Inflammatory pain: due to internal inflammation caused by arthritis, injury or infection.
- Muscle pain: injury or frequently repeated movement can cause chronic muscle pain in the neck, shoulders, back, arms, hips or legs.
- Neuropathic pain: primarily affects the nervous system and may be caused by several factors.
Most forms of chronic pain vary in terms of how patients experience pain: it may be dull or sharp, achy or burning, constant or intermittent. Neuropathy, on the other hand, is typically experienced as a burning, shooting or stabbing sensation often accompanied by tingling or “pins and needles.” It may also include an intense sensitivity to touch or temperature.
What Causes Chronic Pain and Neuropathy?
Chronic pain is frequently caused by the following:
- Injuries
- Arthritis
- Back problems
- Illness (including cancer)
Chronic pain can also be caused by other conditions. It can even appear without any clear external injury or illness.
Some common causes of neuropathy include, but are not limited to:
- Diabetes
- Traumatic injuries (car accidents, athletic injuries, etc)
- Autoimmune diseases
- Infections
- Organ or thyroid complications
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Alcoholism
- Tumor growth
- Sciatic nerve complications
- Certain pharmaceutical medications, including medications used in chemotherapy
Only your doctor can properly diagnose whether you have chronic pain or neuropathy. He or she will evaluate your symptoms and may perform blood work, imaging examinations (like an MRI or a CT scan), nerve function evaluations, or biopsies.
How Are Chronic Pain and Neuropathy Treated?
If chronic pain is caused by an injury, infection or illness, your doctor will need to treat those underlying ailments in to reduce your pain. In other cases of chronic pain, medication and lifestyle changes (acupuncture, exercise, massage, etc.) may be recommended. There is no single course of action for treating chronic pain, and your doctor will determine what treatment plan is best for you.
Some common medications to treat chronic pain include:
- NSAIDs
- Opioid/Narcotic pharmaceutical medications
- Topical treatments (balms, creams, patches)
- Antidepressants (if the chronic pain is causing depression)
- Sedatives, anxiolytics, and sleep medications (if the pain is causing trouble sleeping)
- Corticosteroids
Doctors treating neuropathic pain may recommend any of the following treatments:
- NSAIDs
- Opioid medications
- Anti-seizure medications
- Antidepressants
- Creams, balms, or salves for topical use
Your neurologist may also recommend physical therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, plasma exchange or surgery, depending on the cause of your neuropathy. In addition to these options, some individuals with chronic pain or neuropathy turn to cannabis for symptom relief.
Which States Allow Cannabis for Chronic Pain and Neuropathy?
Many states allow doctors to recommend MMJ to treat chronic pain. Other states have laws governing medical cannabis use specifically for patients with neuropathy. States that legalize cannabis for all chronic pain include:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
- West Virginia
Of those states, the following permit medical cannabis specifically for neuropathy:
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Montana
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
Current Research About Cannabis and Chronic Pain/Neuropathy
Generally speaking, there haven’t been enough conclusive clinical trials for the medical community to universally accept cannabis as a legitimate treatment option. However, a number of individual studies have shown promise.
One research study found that cannabis produced some neuropathic pain relief for a number of people with neuropathy caused by HIV. Some chronic pain studies found that cannabis helped patients reduce pain, with one study also concluding that some individuals reported greater quality of life scores as a result of their pain relief.
Other studies found that cannabis treatments reduced opioid use/dependence. One report found a 64% reduction in opioid use for chronic pain patients who used cannabis. This aspect of chronic pain treatment may be particularly significant, as opioid use has the potential to cause dependence, addiction, overdose, slowed respiration, lowered heart rate and death.
By contrast, cannabis use may lead to dependence in some, but it doesn’t pose the severe, potentially fatal risks that opiates do.
How Do I Find the Best Cannabis for My Needs?
First, get a diagnosis. If you’ve been diagnosed with chronic pain or neuropathy, talk to your doctor about a treatment plan and find out if cannabis would help your symptoms.
Live in a medical cannabis state? You may qualify for a cannabis rec. If you live in a state with legal recreational marijuana, you can easily access numerous treatment options with or without a doctor.
If you qualify for medical cannabis in your state, learn more from Nugg’s Cannabis Concierge service. The Nugg team can help you find dispensaries and can provide information about individual strains, edibles, topicals and other cannabis products. Reach out to learn more about how you can use cannabis to treat your condition.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only. While the content is accurate and true to the best of our knowledge, the author is not a medical professional. There may be omissions, errors, and mistakes. Therefore, never solely rely on the information in this, or any other post on our site or affiliated sites, for medical advice. This post does not create a physician/patient relationship with any of Nugg or NuggMD’s affiliated staff or physicians.
The Wonder Drug: Medical and Health Benefits of Marijuana
1 Comment
“What, if any, are the medical and health benefits of marijuana?”
It’s a frequently asked question, and rightfully so.
23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of medical marijuana. Spurred on by the increasing information made available from research studies and trials from around the globe, many ‘experts’ are beginning to see cannabis for what it is:
- A potent medicinal drug with the potential to improve overall quality of life; and
- Medicine with limited-to-no side effects (consider all of those pharmaceutical TV advertisements and their list of side-effects a mile long, like Belviq could soon become a thing of the past).
There’s a reason medical marijuana has come to the forefront of America’s attention in recent years. It’s quite literally a miracle plant, a natural ‘wonder drug,’ And for millions, it is a literal life-saver, providing countless health benefits and treatments for ailments. But it isn’t for everyone, and with all the noise surrounding the plant, it can sometimes be difficult to comprehend what the actual health benefits of cannabis are, and how to determine if it’s the right medication for you.
Here you’ll learn about ten ways medicinal cannabis can benefit you and your health.
What you'll learn in this post:
[Click any of the section titles below to jump there]
- Cannabis 101
- Cannabis Can Protect Your Vision
- Cannabis Provides Relief for Cancer & AIDS Patients
- Cannabis for Pain Relief
- Cannabis Decreases Anxiety, Combats PTSD
- Cannabis Counteracts Autoimmune Disorders like Lupus & Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Cannabis Helps Manage Epilepsy & Other Seizure Disorders
- Cannabis Slows Progression of Alzheimer's
- Cannabis Benefits Cancer Treatment
- Cannabis Lessons Side: Effects in Hepatitis C Treatments, Increases Overall Treatment Effectiveness
- Cannabis Calms Parkinson’s Tremors
- Conclusion
Cannabis 101
To start on the right foot, let’s cover some of the basics, or Cannabis 101 as I call it.
What is it? Cannabis is the scientific name for a “tall plant with a stiff upright stem, divided serrated leaves, and glandular hairs,” called the for the marijuana plant.
The cannabis plant produces several naturally occurring compounds called cannabinoids, which react with the human body in different ways. The most famous of these cannabinoids is the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinoid, commonly dubbed “THC.” It’s the psychoactive cannabinoid that gives you that notable “high” feeling when smoked, ingested, vaporized, or applied (sublingually or topically).
In recent years, another cannabinoid called cannabidiol, or “CBD” has become the focal point of significant scientific research. Numerous studies have shown that CBD has medicinal value without the psychoactive characteristics of THC. In other words, it has specific, medical benefits and applications and won’t get you high.
There are several other compounds found in the cannabis plant, but these are still little understood. Hopefully with the reclassification of cannabis (down from its current Schedule I drug ranking), we’ll see increased funding for medical research of cannabis.
For now, as far as science and medicine are concerned, the entire value of cannabis is extracted from its THC and CBD compounds. What’s noteworthy is that the method by which these compounds are delivered to the body hasn’t been a focal point of scientific research. In fact, scientists tend to conduct studies with cannabinoids that have been extracted from the plant or synthesized in a lab. That means there’s little information available as to whether the effects of THC & CBD differ when applied via new cannabis forms like concentrates, waxes and hash. This also poses the question of whether cannabis maintains the same health benefits to users when consumed in different forms.
And that’s important to bear in mind when comparing scientific studies to the experience of the typical user.
Now that you’ve mastered the basics of cannabis let’s explore what else it can do.
Cannabis Can Protect Your Vision
Whether you know someone personally or just watched Zach Galifianakis & Robert Downey Jr. in the film, Due Date, you’re likely aware that cannabis has been shown to improve the lives of glaucoma patients.
Glaucoma is actually a group of eye diseases that cause abnormally high pressure in they eye, damaging the optic nerve, causing significant pain. It’s one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S., can occur at any age (but is most common in adults), offers no warning signs, and causes irreversible vision loss.
The good news is that medical marijuana eases the symptoms of glaucoma, by reducing stress on the optic nerve. In fact, glaucoma was the first condition to be approved for treatment with marijuana, since cannabis prohibition in the 1930’s.
“No adverse effects from the smoking of marijuana have been demonstrated.” Federal Judge James Washington, 1976
Fast forward to the 1970’s, when a man named Robert C. Randall sued the government for the right to treat his glaucoma with marijuana. In 1976, federal Judge James Washington ruled for Randall. He found that “while blindness was shown by competent medical testimony to be the otherwise inevitable result of the defendant’s disease, no adverse effects from the smoking of marijuana have been demonstrated.”
Since then, other, less controversial, treatments have become available, leading the American Glaucoma Society to remove THC from its list of approved treatments. But that doesn’t change the undeniable impact Randall’s case has had in the fight for medical marijuana use.
Cannabis Provides Relief for Cannabis & AIDS Patients
The most widely recognized benefit of cannabis for medical use (and the only one currently accepted by the Food and Drug Administration) is its effectiveness in relieving nausea and loss of appetite. Both conditions are common side-effects experienced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and as well as AIDs patients experiencing its associative “wasting syndrome.”
Researchers found that THC was undeniably effective in reducing nausea and increasing appetite in clinical trials. They also figured out a way to synthesize THC in a lab, thereby avoiding cannabis plant restrictions imposed by the federal government.
Synthetic THC is currently available under the brand names Marinol and Cesamet. Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, Deputy Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the Food and Drug Administration, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives that “These products have undergone FDA’s rigorous approval process and have been determined to be safe and effective for their respective indications.”
The U.S. government cites the availability of synthetic THC as a key reason for their opposition of widespread medical marijuana legalization. By that standard, the availability of synthetic THC should immediately call for the reclassification of cannabis from it’s current status as a Schedule I drug, which effectively claims that there are zero medical benefits of marijuana. But alas, hypocrisy is rampant this day in age.
What the government fails to recognize is the vast accumulation of anecdotal evidence by many cancer and AIDS patients showing synthetic THC is inferior, and unpleasant, when compared to other consumption methods — like smoking the plant itself, which means these patients might not be receiving the full effects and benefits of cannabis.
In fact, it was the great outcry from those same cancer and AIDS patients, seeking relief from their symptoms, which supplied the biggest push for the medical marijuana movement in California. That drive resulted in the first compassionate use law in the U.S., enacted by California voters in 1996.
Cannabis for Pain Relief
Did you know that if someone say they’re “feeling no pain” when using marijuana, studies are suggesting that what they’re saying is literally true? THC and CBD are being closely studied to examine their effectiveness in treating chronic pain. The hope is that these studies will validate the existing anecdotal evidence: that THC, CBD, or similar cannabis compounds are more effective than current opioid pain medications for a variety of conditions including arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, muscular sclerosis, cancer and other neurological conditions.
And even if the cannabinoids are found only to be equally as effective as existing pharmaceuticals, it would still be a landslide victory. Why? Because cannabis doesn’t come with the scary list of nasty side effects that opioids carry. The benefits of marijuana far outweigh any associated side effects, which are very limited and minor in nature.
One case study gave the following insight into the effectiveness of THC vs. CBD in treating his pain.
The patient, a chronic pain sufferer, who regularly uses medical marijuana to alleviate his daily struggles with chronic pain said that the pain (due to arthritis and a rare degenerative condition in the spine) can render him relatively immobile on certain days.
Initially, the patient experimented with virtually every type of cannabis consumption I’ve ever heard of: smoking flower, vaporizing flower, dabbing concentrates, vaporizing concentrates, ingesting edibles, drinking THC-infused beverages (like Sprig soda), applying topical rubs and ointments, etc. to little or no success.
He stated that he had found relief in certain high-THC and high-CBD strains like Blackberry Kush and ACDC (strains high in both THC & CBD tend to make the best pain medicines), but that it wasn’t until trying high-CBD products in the form of sublingual drops that he found his real medicine.
Based on personal experience, the patient advised that sublingual drops were preferred as they don’t imbue users with the typical “high” or “baked” feeling. He, instead, noticed significant pain relief without the psychoactive effects. He reported feeling more comfortable in daily activities, remarking that that the drops had the additional benefit of reducing his smoking consumption to nearly half.
Cannabis Decreases Anxiety, Combats PTSD
A 2010 study by Harvard Medical found that in small doses cannabis reduced anxiety, improving the user’s overall mood and providing a generalized sedative effect, similar to over the counter medications but without the side effects.
It has been approved for treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD across the country, and in New Mexico is the primary reason patients get a license for medical marijuana use.
And the Department of Health and Human Services even signed off on a government proposal aimed at further study into the benefits of marijuana for veterans living with PTSD – the only time the U.S. government has every authorized a proposal that includes either vaporized or smoked marijuana – a classified drug with no “accepted” medical applications!
Naturally occurring cannabinoids, similar to THC, assist the body in controlling the system that causes anxiety and fear in both the brain and the body.
John, a two-tour veteran of the Iraq conflict “swears by it,” as treatment. “It gives me relief from the anxiety but doesn’t leave me fuzzy-minded.” Adding that it, “helps me sleep with no nightmares.”
Because marijuana disrupts the typical sleep cycle by interrupting some of the later stages of REM sleep — the dream state — many sufferers of PTSD find relief from night-time terrors when using cannabis. When REM state is disrupted, the nightmares often are as well, aiding veterans in achieving restorative sleep.
Cannabis Counteracts Autoimmune Disorders like Lupus & Rheumatoid Arthitis
Lupus, the common name for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, is an autoimmune disease characterized by swelling and inflammation of joints in the body, kidney, lung, and heart damage, among other symptoms. With autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, the body’s immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks the healthy tissues in the body.
In 2014 the Journal of Biological Chemistry published research that illustrated how THC can “suppress the body’s immune functions,” and that’s good news for people living with autoimmune diseases like Lupus.
Additional benefits of cannabis use like relief of associated nausea and body pain, make it a desired choice among some patients.
Emma V., a recently diagnosed Lupus patient in the UK, said that cannabis “was really the only choice.” Adding, “I can take one drug [cannabis] and get relief from multiple symptoms and feel well enough to get on with my day, or I can take a handful of tablets [OTC medications] and be useless.”
Cannabis Helps Manage Epilepsy & Other Seizure Disorders
Approximately 1% of the world’s population suffers from some form of epilepsy. And of those nearly 72 million people (more than twice the population of Canada!) it is estimated that between 20-30% of all individuals with epilepsy are not “adequately controlled with conventional drugs.”
In 2003, a study performed by Virginia Commonwealth University found that “cannabinoids work at controlling seizures.” The cannabinoids activate a protein, commonly known as the CB1 receptor, that is responsible for “controlling excitability and regulating relaxation.”
And it’s not just epilepsy.
Patients suffering the symptoms of Dravet’s Syndrome, a severe disorder that causes seizures and developmental delays, are also finding some relief thanks to cannabis use.
Parents of five-year-old Colorado native Charlotte Figi had found little benefit in conventional medications for treating their daughter’s condition. They did, however, see a drop in the frequency and intensity of her seizures – from 300 per week, to just one approximately every seven days – once they began treating her with CBD, the non-psychoactive cannabinoid.
Cannabis Slows Progression of Alzheimer’s
It doesn’t get much scarier than Alzheimer’s Disease. A debilitating, progressive disease with no known cure, stealing memories and experiences from lives around the world. But that could all be changing. A 2006 study done by Kim Janda, of the Scripps Institute in California, found that THC blocks the accumulation of amyloid plaque, the primary marker for Alzheimer’s, better than anything currently used. It does so by blocking the enzyme that makes the plaques. The plaques kill brain cells, causing Alzheimer’s.
“These findings offer convincing evidence that THC possesses remarkable inhibitory qualities,” said Janda in conversation with MSNBC, “especially when compared to AChE inhibitors currently available to patients.”
More recently, a 2014 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, reported similar findings to support the effectiveness of THC in “prohibiting the growth of toxic amyloid plagues.”
Cannabis Benefits Cancer Treatment
We’ve all heard that cannabis is beneficial for cancer patients. The FDA has approved its use (in the form of Nabilone) when prescribed by a doctor anywhere in the U.S., and tens of thousands of cancer patients already use the medicine for relief from harsh chemotherapy, but what if it did something more? What if cannabis could stop cancer? Recent studies say it very possibly can. The mounting evidence supports the potential for THC actually to prevent the spread of the disease.
Researchers at the San Francisco-based California Pacific Medical Center reported that CBD may help to prevent cancer cells from spreading.
The study focuses on ID-1, the gene that has one job: it causes cancer to spread. Pierre Desprez, one of the scientists responsible for the groundbreaking research has spent ‘decades’ studying the gene. Desprez joined forces with fellow scientist Sean McAllister, who was working with the effects of CBD. The pairing resulted in research that shows, “Cannabidiol could essentially ‘turn off’ the ID-1.”
The American Association for Cancer Research also reports that marijuana can impede tumor growth in lungs, breast and brain cancers.
Cannabis Lessons: Side-Effects in Hepatitis C Treatments, Increases Overall Treatment Effectiveness
The treatment for Hepatitis C, a potentially deadly viral infection affecting nearly 4 million Americans, is long, costly and painful to endure. Consisting of months-long therapy of two heavy hitting pharmaceuticals, ribavirin and interferon – the side effects of which include intense fatigue, severe muscle aches, nausea, depression and loss of appetite – causes many patients actually to stop taking the treatment, despite resulting permanent liver damage.
But a 2006 study, published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology reported that 86% of patients who used cannabis, completed their Hepatitis C therapy when compared to 29% of those who did not use cannabis. The study also reported that the effectiveness of the treatment appeared to be enhanced. They said that 54% of patients who used cannabis kept their viral levels low, compared to only 8% of non-users.
Cannabis Calm Parkinson’s Tremors
Israeli researchers recently discovered the benefits of marijuana on Parkinson’s disease tremors and associated pain.
Ruth Djaldetti, MD, of Tel Aviv University Israel, presented the findings of her report at the International Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders. She explained how people living with the debilitating disease ranked their disease on a standardized “Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale.” The UPDRS rating helps medical professionals understand the scope of a patient’s personal difficulties. Before using cannabis, patients reported an average rank of 33. Approximately thirty minutes after using cannabis, these same patients reported a drop to an average rank of 24.
In conversation with Ed Susman of MedPage Today, Dr. Djaldetti said, “We not only saw improvement in tremor in these patients, but also in rigidity and in bradykinesia.” Dr. Djaldetti said she “would recommend use of marijuana to my patients.”
Cannabis has also been reported to be a good sleep aid for many people living with Parkinson’s. But perhaps the most interesting findings were the reports of increased fine motor skills among patients who used cannabis.
Conclusion
The benefits of marijuana are real. With mounting evidence supporting the wide and varied uses of cannabis as a life-enhancing medication, we can only hope it will soon receive the widespread recognition it so readily deserves.