US Tele-Medicine Blog » cannabis

Cannabinoids in Cancer Treatment

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:45:17 +0000

THC has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration because medical science confirms its use in a broad variety of clinical situations. Specifically a THC-containing drug called Marinol is FDA approved though it does not come close to effectiveness of natural cannabinoids. Synthetic copies of natural substances rarely if ever maintain the same pharmacological effects as the original and we know this to be especially true in the case of marijuana and the chemicals the pharmaceutical companies manufacture to simulate natural cannabinoids.

Marijuana is a very special natural medicine that increases our chances of beating cancer, though contemporary oncologists are mostly interested in it for its ability to mitigate the nasty side effects of chemo and radiation therapy. They would never think of it as an important part of the actual treatment of cancer.

Marijuana, whose botanical name is cannabis, has been used by humans for thousands of years. It was classified as an illegal drug by many countries in the 20th century.

But over the past two decades, there has been a growing movement to legalize it, primarily for medical purposes. Medical marijuana use has surged in the 15 states, including the District of Columbia, that allow its use.

The endocannabinoid system is a set of nerve receptors and related body chemicals that deal with appetite, pain-sensation, mood and memory. The interesting thing about the nerve receptors is that they respond to cannabinoids, one of the components of marijuana. There are many pain-relieving medications available today. Without doubt pain medications[1] are a blessing for the temporary relief of pain as well as for the people who are dying and suffering. The safest pain relievers though are the cannabinoids, which can be used for longer periods of time with fewer side effects and dangers.

I have written several books on cancer and have been championing medical marijuana in my protocols for over five years. I am now writing a book on cannabinoid medicine and even I am surprised with the depth of research that resurrects the popular marijuana medicine from the 1800s and early 1900s.

Medical marijuana is now a cutting-edge medicine—one that has been around the block in the world of medicine and was especially popular in pharmacies until it was made illegal starting in 1913 just after the Federal Reserve Act was passed. The same interests that took control of the money supply took control of the pharmaceutical industry. These fast growing companies needed to make inexpensive drugs and pain medications illegal so they could legally get away with murder from the use of more dangerous synthetic drugs.

All research leads us to the undeniable conclusion that marijuana is the premier cancer medicine mankind has been looking for and finally has found. The problem is that there are special interests whose main interest is that real cures for cancer are never discovered. Actually it’s a mistake to think in terms of cure; it’s better to think in terms of effective treatment, for cancer is a very complicated phenomena with multiple and often concurrent causes. Treatments need to touch down on many if not all the causes to affect a permanent cure.

Everyone who knows of my work knows that I have never recommended single-shot cancer cures. In my book Sodium Bicarbonate – Rich Man’s Poor Man’s Cancer Treatment I made it very clear that I never recommend bicarbonate without magnesium salts or without iodine and several other important anticancer agents.

Oncologists also use sodium bicarbonate when they administer chemotherapy to buffer the poisonous nature of the chemo agents as they are administered.

Until this writing, magnesium chloride remained as the number-one priority in my cancer protocol with bicarbonate coming in second, even though bicarbonate offers more immediate benefit in terms of anti-tumor effects. Medical marijuana has been included with my core recommendations but I am now thrusting it to the forefront.

Despite the legal problems, it is time for the field of medicine to wake up to the true value of marijuana in the treatment of disease. Marijuana has moved into a first-place tie with magnesium chloride in my cancer protocol and I am now recommending that it be used universally. Its effect is just too good and its price too low. Some see goodness and affordability as unimportant but anyone with a humane heart must surely recognize the importance of accepting marijuana as a beneficial therapy. Doctors beware; in an age of financial and economic collapse we will be desperate for inexpensive medicines that are safe and universally available.

In my bicarbonate book I always recommended magnesium to be taken with the baking soda. In Medical Marijuana I will strongly recommend that marijuana be taken with heavy administration of magnesium transdermally, orally, and by IV. Together cannabinoid and magnesium therapies will break the back of contemporary oncology’s predilection to try to cure people by poisoning them with intensely toxic chemicals and radiation.

Modern oncology comes from pharmaceutical companies with a sordid past. Everything about chemotherapy shouts out medical madness. For instance:

“In the past decade and a half, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the following for first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: navelbine, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and docetaxel. In addition, docetaxel was also approved for second-line treatment. In 2006, the FDA also approved a labeling extension for bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech, Inc.). We are repeatedly told that these drugs lead to a statistically significant improvement in survival, usually as demonstrated through one or two randomized controlled trials. What we are less often told is that the overall survival benefit of these drugs is in the realm of six to eight weeks! They hardly do anything in terms of real-life situations. Crudely put, the patient trades some serious toxicity for one to two months of increased survival,” writes Dr. Ralph Moss.

“Doctors who truly care about their patients would do better to take a serious look at what is available in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and advocate forcefully for clinical trials to further test the potential of the most promising less-toxic treatments,” concludes Moss.

My Medical Marijuana book is revolutionary for the medical field not only because it champions the use of marijuana but also because it combines cannabinoid medicine with magnesium and pH medicine. Add iodine into the mix and we have four super-hero medicines that when used together combine to form a protocol that works on the deepest levels of physiology to effect healing and health. Add a few more items like high-dose vitamin C, natural chelators, and superfoods and we already have a powerful anticancer protocol. (In one of my next newsletters probably titled “Natural Allopathic Medicine and Marijuana,” I will lay out in more detail my full protocol.)

Marijuana is obviously useful for many more disorders than most doctors and the government realize. Not only is it a front-line medicinal for radiation exposure and cancer but also for diabetes and a host of neurological conditions. It is also the best and safest pain medication. Marijuana is effective in easing the inflammation of inflammatory bowel disease, and is very beneficial in easing the spasticity of multiple sclerosis.

Different governments and states are arguing whether cannabinoids are appropriate to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with the medical evidence weighing heavily in marijuana’s favor. In this regard we will in depth marijuana’s positive use and contribution to helping with the human world of stress and emotional upset that occur with PTSD and many other disorders including cancer.

Contemporary medicine recognizes how stress is one of the basic causes of disease but it does not recognize how marijuana addresses stress in a way that other drugs cannot.

Modern civilization has made some incredibly deadly mistakes whose consequences are coming down hard on us right now. The biggest mistakes though have to do with how human leadership has been organized these past few thousand years. The elite families that have run down the centuries until their blood turned blue have made a religion of making mistakes. Their dark spirits have cast a great shadow over humanity and have touched down in an especially cruel and inhumane way by rejecting the natural good found in the exceptionally useful hemp plant that not only provides cloth for the shirts on our backs but also an exceptionally safe and effective medicine.

Source for Story:

Dr. Mark Allan Sircus, Ac., OMD, DM (P)

Director International Medical Veritas Association

Doctor of Oriental and Pastoral Medicine

http://publications.imva.info

http://blog.imva.info

Sleep Apnea Helped with Cannabis

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:50:52 +0000

CHICAGO – Sleep apnea is a medical disorder characterized by frequent interruptions in breathing of up to ten seconds or more during sleep. The condition is associated with numerous physiological disorders, including fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack and stroke. Though sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed, it is estimated that approximately four percent of men and two percent of women ages 30 to 60 years old suffer from the disease.

One preclinical study is cited in the scientific literature investigating the role of cannabinoids on sleep-related apnea. Researchers at the University of Illinois (at Chicago) Department of Medicine reported “potent suppression” of sleep-related apnea in rats administered either exogenous or endogenous cannabinoids. Investigators reported that doses of delta-9-THC and the endocannabinoid oleamide each stabilized respiration during sleep, and blocked serotonin-induced exacerbation of sleep apnea in a statistically significant manner. No follow up investigations have taken place assessing the use of cannabinoids to treat this indication.

However, several recent preclinical and clinical trials have reported on the use of THC, natural cannabis extracts, and endocannabinoids to induce sleep and/or improve sleep quality.

Note: These studies were conducted in 2002

UK Drug Expert Says LSD and Cannabis Less Harmful than Alcohol

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:05:53 +0000

LONDON – In what could come as a rude shock to many alcoholics and smokers, the British government’s drug adviser has said that drugs like Ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes.

Criticizing former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s decision to rate cannabis as a Class B drug, David Nutt, the chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, accused him of “distorting and devaluing” scientific research.

Prof Nutt pointed out that smoking cannabis carried a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness, and called for the use of a “harm” index to rate all drugs including alcohol and tobacco.

According to him, alcohol was fifth behind cocaine, heroin, barbiturates and methadone in causing harm, while tobacco was ninth, ahead of cannabis, LSD and Ecstasy.

He blasts the “artificial” separation of alcohol and tobacco from the illegal drugs.

“No one is suggesting that drugs are not harmful. The critical question is one of scale and degree,” the Times Online quoted him, as saying.

“We need a full and open discussion of the evidence and a mature debate about what the drug laws are for – and whether they are doing their job,” he said.

Prof Nutt added: “I think we have to accept young people like to experiment – with drugs and other potentially harmful activities – and what we should be doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this stage of their lives.

“We therefore have to provide more accurate and credible information. If you think that scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong.”

However, James Brokenshire, the Conservative home affairs spokesman, disagreed with Prof Nutt.

He said: “Giving simple labels of levels of harm risk gives a false impression of the dangers, Drugs like GBL [a 'party' drug] can be lethal if taken in combination with alcohol. “Rather than providing clearer evidence on the harms linked to illicit drugs, Professor Nutt is making an overtly political pitch and that isn’t helpful.”

Sleep Apnea Can Be Helped with Cannabis

admin — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:09:52 +0000

However, several recent preclinical and clinical trials have reported on the use of THC, natural cannabis extracts, and endocannabinoids to induce sleep and/or improve sleep quality.

Note: These studies were conducted in 2002

The Old Testament and Cannabis

admin — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:06:34 +0000

The first solid evideCannabis in The Old Testamentnce of the Hebrew use of cannabis was established in 1936 by Sula Benet, a little known Polish etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw.’

The word cannabis was generally thought to be of Scythian origin, but Benet showed that it has a much earlier origin in Semitic languages like Hebrew, and that it appears
several times throughout the Old Testament. Benet explained that “in the original
Hebrew text of the Old Testament there are references to hemp, both as incense,
which was an integral part of religious celebration, and as an intoxicant.”

The first instance of Kaneh Bosum in the Bible is,

“then the Lord said to Moses, “take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of kannabosm, 500 shekels of cassia – all according to the sanctuary shekel – and a hind of olive oil. make these into make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. it will be the sacred anointing oil.” – Exodus 30:22-33

It goes on to suggest it be burned…

“then use it to anoint the tent of the meeting, the ark of the testimony, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. you shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.”

The next direct reference to kaneh-bosm appears in Isaiah, where God is reprimanding the Israelites for, among other things, not supplying him with his due of Cannabis.

“you have not brought any kaneh for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. but you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offences” . - Isaiah 43:23-24

The next Biblical account of cannabis comes under the name kaneh and appears inrelation to King Solomon. In Solomon’s Song of Songs, one of the most beautifully written pieces in the Old Testament, Solomon mentions kaneh in describing his bride.

“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon.
descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon. . .
how delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! how much more pleasing
is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your ointment than any spice!. . .
the fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon. . .your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard, nard and saffron, kaneh and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree.” Song of Songs 4:8-14

Teens Who Smoke Marijuana But Not Tobacco Are Different From Other Teen Groups

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:07:57 +0000

LAUSANNE — A Swiss study suggests that teens who use only cannabis appear to function better than those who also use tobacco, and are more socially driven and have no more psychosocial problems than those who abstain from both substances, according to a new report.

Cannabis or marijuana is the illegal drug most commonly used by youth, according to background information in the article. Cannabis use is associated with the use of other substances, including tobacco and illegal drugs. “The gateway theory hypothesizes that the use of legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol) is the previous step to cannabis consumption,” the authors write. “However, recent research also indicates that cannabis use may precede or be simultaneous to tobacco use and that, in fact, its use may reinforce cigarette smoking or lead to nicotine addiction independently of smoking status.”

J. C. Suris, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, analyzed data from a 2002 national survey of Swiss students aged 16 to 20 years. A total of 5,263 students were included in the analysis, including 455 who smoked marijuana only, 1,703 who smoked marijuana and tobacco and 3,105 who abstained from both substances.

“Our findings in this nationally representative sample of adolescents show that 6 percent of them use cannabis without having used tobacco and that one-fifth of current cannabis users (21.1 percent) declare never having used tobacco,” the authors write.

The survey also found that, compared with students who used both substances, students who smoked marijuana only were more likely to be male (71.6 percent vs. 59.7 percent), play sports (85.5 percent vs. 66.7 percent), live with both parents (78.2 vs. 68.3) and have good grades (77.5 vs. 66.6). However, they were less likely to have been drunk in the past 30 days (40.5 percent vs. 55 percent), have started using cannabis before the age of 15 years (25.9 percent vs. 37.5 percent), to have smoked marijuana more than once or twice during the previous 30 days (44 percent vs. 66 percent) or to use other illegal drugs (8.4 percent vs. 17.9 percent).

Compared with students who abstained from both substances, marijuana users were more likely to be male (71.6 percent vs. 47.7 percent), to have a good relationship with their friends (87.0 percent vs. 83.2 percent), to be sensation-seeking (37.8 percent vs. 21.8 percent) and to play sports (85.5 percent vs. 76.6 percent), and less likely to have a good relationship with their parents (74.1 percent vs. 82.4 percent).

Although teens who smoke both marijuana and tobacco seem to have more psychosocial problems and thus may be worthy targets for preventive intervention, those who smoke marijuana only also should be monitored closely and counseled. “In any case, and even though they do not seem to have great personal, family, or academic problems, the situation of those adolescents who use cannabis but who declare not using tobacco should not be trivialized,” the authors conclude.

This study was supported by a contract from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and the participating cantons.

LSD and Cannabis Less Harmful than Alcohol, says UK Drug Expert

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:39:09 +0000

Criticising former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s decision to rate cannabis as a Class B drug, David Nutt, the chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, accused him of “distorting and devaluing” scientific research.

Prof Nutt pointed out that smoking cannabis carried a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness, and called for the use of a “harm” index to rate all drugs including alcohol and tobacco.

According to him, alcohol was fifth behind cocaine, heroin, barbiturates and methadone in causing harm, while tobacco was ninth, ahead of cannabis, LSD and Ecstasy.

He blasts the “artificial” separation of alcohol and tobacco from the illegal drugs.

“No one is suggesting that drugs are not harmful. The critical question is one of scale and degree,” the Times Online quoted him, as saying.

“We need a full and open discussion of the evidence and a mature debate about what the drug laws are for – and whether they are doing their job,” he said.

“We therefore have to provide more accurate and credible information. If you think that scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong.”

However, James Brokenshire, the Conservative home affairs spokesman, disagreed with Prof Nutt.

Cannabis Helps Sleep Apnea

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:38:13 +0000

Cannabis Helps Sleep Apnea

However, several recent preclinical and clinical trials have reported on the use of THC, natural cannabis extracts, and endocannabinoids to induce sleep and/or improve sleep quality.

Note: These studies were conducted in 2002

Cannabis in The Old Testament

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:34:04 +0000

The first solid evidence of the Hebrew use of cannabis was established in 1936 by Sula Benet, a little known Polish etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw.’

The first instance of Kaneh Bosum in the Bible is,

It goes on to suggest it be burned…

The next direct reference to kaneh-bosm appears in Isaiah, where God is reprimanding the Israelites for, among other things, not supplying him with his due of Cannabis.

“you have not brought any kaneh for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. but you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offences” . - Isaiah 43:23-24

The next Biblical account of cannabis comes under the name kaneh and appears inrelation to King Solomon. In Solomon‘s Song of Songs, one of the most beautifully written pieces in the Old Testament, Solomon mentions kaneh in describing his bride.

External therapy with Cannabinoids Effective in Reducing Pain in Patients with Herpes Zoster

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:44:39 +0000

BERLIN – Researchers at the Clinic for Skin Diseases at the University of Muenster, Germany, investigated the efficacy of an external treatment of chronic pain caused by herpes zoster with a cannabinoid that activates cannabinoid receptors. In an open-label trial, 8 patients with facial neuralgia in herpes zoster received a cream containing the endocannabinoid palmitoylethanolamine. The course of symptoms was scored with a visual analogue scale.

Five of 8 patients (62.5 per cent) experienced a mean pain reduction of 88 per cent. The therapy was well tolerated by all patients. No unpleasant sensations or adverse events occurred. The authors concluded that “topical cannabinoid receptor agonists are an effective and well-tolerated adjuvant therapy option in postherpetic neuralgia.” This cream is already on the market in Germany under the trade name “Physiogel A.I. Crème” used to treat pruritus.

(Source: Phan NQ, Siepmann D, Gralow I, Ständer S. Adjuvant topical therapy with a cannabinoid receptor agonist in facial postherpetic neuralgia. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2009 Sep 10. [Electronic publication ahead of print])

WORLD WIDE MEDICAL CANNABIS NEWS

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:48:16 +0000

Colorado

USA- According to a newspaper report the amount of people registered to legally use cannabis for medicinal purposes in Colorado has nearly tripled in the last year to just above 11,000. That number is expected to grow to 15,000 by year’s end. (Source: Aspen Daily News)

Science: Diabetic neuropathy

UNITED KINGDOM – According to clinical research at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, UK, a standardized cannabis extract (Sativex) did not reduce pain in 30 patients with diabetic neuropathy. In this controlled trial participants received daily Sativex or placebo. There were no significant differences in pain relief and other outcome measures. (Source: Selvarajah D, et al. Diabetes Care. [Electronic publication ahead of print]

Science: Neuropathic pain

ITALY – According to animal research at the University of Naples, Italy, a selective CB2 receptor agonist reduced neuropathic pain after nerve injury. The treatment with the cannabinoid reduced inflammation. (Source: Luongo L, et al. Neurobiol Dis. [Electronic publication ahead of print])

Science: Detection of cannabis use

USA – According to research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, USA, THC may be detectable for more than 6 days after last cannabis use in blood of regular users of cannabis. Of 25 participants nine chronic users (36 per cent) had no measurable THC during 7 days of cannabis abstinence; 16 had at least one positive THC of more than 0.25 ng/ml, but not necessarily on the first day. On day 7, 6 full days after controlled cannabis abstinence, six participants still displayed detectable THC concentrations and all 25 had measurable concentrations of THC-COOH. The highest observed THC concentrations at start of the study (day 1) and day 7 were 7.0 and 3.0 ng/ml, respectively. (Source: Karschner EL, et al. Addiction . [Electronic publication ahead of print])

Science: Cannabis and alcohol use

USA – According to a study at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, USA, with 28 daily cannabis users those with past alcohol abuse or dependence increased their alcohol use during a period of cannabis abstinence. Participants were subjected to a 13-day cannabis abstinence period and those with past problematic alcohol use increased alcohol use by 52 per cent. (Source: Peters EN, et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. [Electronic publication ahead of print])

Science: Heritability of cannabis use

HOLLAND – According to a study at the University of Amsterdam with 3115 twins there was a moderate genetic influence (44 per cent) on initiation of cannabis use. The remaining causes were explained by environmental influences shared by twins (31 per cent) and by environmental factors experienced only by the person investigated (24 per cent). (Source: Vink JM, et al. Addict Behav. [Electronic publication ahead of print])

Science: Anxiety

AUSTRALIA – According to a study at the Schizophrenia Research Institute in Darlinghurst, Australia, chronic but not acute administration of the plant cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) caused anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects in mice. (Source: Long LE, et al. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. [Electronic publication ahead of print])