Medical Cannabis Awareness

1) Multiple Sclerosis                                                                                                        2) Multiple Sclerosis sufferers speak out                                                                           3) Cannabis helps Alzheimers                                                                                          4) Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)                                                                                        5) Parkinson's                      

 FROM: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=4558#research

    An estimated 350,000 people in the United States are living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a painful, debilitating, and sometimes fatal disorder of the central nervous system.

    MS is the most common debilitating neurological disease of young people, often appearing between the ages of 20 and 40, and affecting more women than men. Symptoms vary considerably from person to person; however, one frequently noted is spasticity, which causes pain, spasms, loss of function, and difficulties in nursing care.

    MS exacerbations appear to be caused by abnormal immune activity that causes inflammation and the destruction of myelin (the protective covering of nerve fibers) in the brain or spinal cord. MS most frequently presents at onset as a relapsing and remitting disorder, where symptoms come and go. Current treatment of MS is primarily symptomatic, focusing on such problems as spasticity, pain, fatigue, bladder problems and depression.

    Anecdotal reports and a small controlled study have reported that cannabis improved spasticity and, to some extent, improved tremor in MS patients. Many studies of the pharmacology of cannabis have identified effects on motor systems of the central nervous system that have the potential of affecting tremor and spasticity.  

    A recent carefully controlled study of the efficacy of THC in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, the animal model of MS, demonstrated significant amelioration of these two MS symptoms. Moreover, cannabis has demonstrated effects on immune function that also have the potential of reducing the autoimmune attack that is thought to be the underlying pathogenic process in MS.

    Many MS patients report that cannabis has a startling and profound effect on muscle spasms, tremors, balance, bladder control, speech and eyesight. Many wheelchair-bound patients report that they can walk unaided when they have smoked cannabis.

    A House of Lords reports states that the British Multiple Sclerosis Society (consisting of some 35,000 MS-suffering patients) estimates that as many as 4% of their population already use cannabis for the relief of their symptoms despite the considerable legal risks associated with prohibition.  

  The chairman of the committee went on to state that, "We have seen enough evidence to convince us that a doctor might legitimately want to prescribe cannabis to relieve...the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and that the criminal law ought not to stand in the way."

Research findings on cannabis and MS

    Numerous case studies, surveys and double-blind studies have reported improvement in patients treated with cannabinoids for symptoms including spasticity, chronic pain, tremor, sexual dysfunction, bowel and bladder dysfunctions, vision dimness, dysfunctions of walking and balance (ataxia), and memory loss.  Cannabinoids have been shown in animal models to measurably lessen MS symptoms and may also halt the progression of the disease. 
 

    A recent British survey of MS patients found that 43 percent of respondents used cannabis therapeutically. Among them, nearly three quarters said that cannabis mitigated their spasms, and more than half said it alleviated their pain. A survey published in August 2003 in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences reported that 96 percent of Canadian MS patients believe that cannabis is therapeutically useful for treating the disease.

     Of those who admitted using cannabis medicinally, the majority found it to be beneficial, particularly in the treatment of chronic pain, spasticity, and depression. The accompanying editorial states, "This is an exciting time for cannabinoid research. There is a growing amount of data to suggest that cannabis (marijuana) can alleviate symptoms like muscle spasticity and pain in patients with MS."

A U.K. study published recently in the journal Lancet looked at 630 multiple sclerosis patients after 15 weeks of orally delivered treatment.

    Fifty-seven percent of the patients taking a whole cannabis extract said their pain had eased, compared with 50% who took capsules containing THC and 37% who were given placebo capsules. Patients also reported improved sleep and fewer or less intense muscle spasms and stiffness. Those who could walk were significantly more mobile as measured by a walking test. The investigators also noted there were fewer relapses in the treatment groups; however, the study was not designed to investigate impact on relapses. 

    An accompanying editorial suggests that current data supporting the benefit of cannabinoid treatment of spasticity in MS is now as strong as for any available pharmaceutical agent.

A DOCTOR'S EXPERIENCE:

 Denis Petro, M.D

    As a practicing neurologist, I saw many patients for whom uncontrollable spasticity was a major problem. Unfortunately, there are very few drugs specifically designed to treat spasticity. Moreover, these drugs often cause very serious side effects. . . Dantrium or dantrolene sodium carries a boxed warning in the Physician's Desk Reference because of its very high toxicity. . . The adverse effects associated with Lioresal Baclofen are somewhat less severe, but include possibly lethal consequences, even when the drug is properly prescribed and taken as directed. . .

    Unfortunately, neither Dantrium nor Lioresal are very effective spasm control drugs. Their marginal medical utility, high toxicity, and potential for serious adverse effects, make these drugs difficult to use in spasticity therapy.

    As a result, many physicians routinely prescribe tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, mood elevators, and sedatives to patients experiencing spasticity. While these drugs do not directly reduce spasticity, they may weaken the patient's muscle tone, thus making the spasms less noticeable. Alternatively, they may induce sleep or so tranquilize the patient that normal mental and physical functions are impossible.

    Dr. Petro then related his experience with a twenty-seven year-old MS patient who reported he was smoking marijuana for his symptoms. Dr. Petro and colleagues examined the patient and then asked him to refrain from smoking for six weeks. He continues:

    After six weeks he returned for another examination. At this time, he reported an increase in his symptoms to the point where he had leg pains, increased clonic activity, and uncontrolled leg spasms every night. More disturbing to him was urinary incontinence, which occurred on two occasions during leg spasms.

    On objective examination. . . in layman's terms, this patient's spasticity had increased dramatically in six weeks. This spasticity made his legs extremely rigid, he was finding it increasingly difficult to walk or sleep, and he was losing bladder control. Following our examination, and at the patient's request, he left the clinic then returned one hour later to be examined for a second time.

    This second examination was remarkable. The earlier findings of moderate to severe spasticity could not be elicited. Deep tendon reflexes were brisk, but without spread, ankle clonus was absent, and the plantar response was flexor on the left and equivocal on the right.

   In short, this patient had undergone a stunning transformation. Moreover, this unmistakable improvement had occurred in an incredibly brief period of time-less than an hour separated the two examinations. On questioning, the patient informed us he had smoked part of one marijuana cigarette in the interval between examinations.

 - Denis Petro, M.D., former FDA Review Officer and principal investigator on spasticity and cannabis studies, in testimony submitted before the DEA In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling, October 18, 1987.

Please go to Youtube index (this website) - various testimonies on video by sufferers, carers, doctors, family members etc.

 WORK IN PROGRESS.

 Meanwhile, please check M.C.A. Articles for our reply to a reporter reporting on Alzheimers and Cannabis. 

 David Neubauer, M.D. Wed, Jun 20, 2007

     The medical community's recognition of restless legs syndrome (RLS) has evolved over the past few decades. For years, patients complained to their doctors that they experienced a very uncomfortable and distressing feeling in their legs in the evening when they tried to rest, and eventually their doctors considered RLS to be a disorder.

     RLS often interferes with the ability to fall asleep easily. Usually, patients do not describe it as painful, but more like a "creepy-crawly" sensation that creates a strong and irresistible urge to move the legs. Moving does help, but only for brief moments. Once people suffering with RLS fall asleep, they tend to have involuntary leg kicks.

     The cause of RLS is not completely understood; however, it is thought to be associated with the function of dopamine, a nervous system neurotransmitter. Long ago, it was recognized that people with anemia were more likely to develop RLS, which makes sense because iron plays a role in how dopamine operates in the brain.

     When patients come in with RLS, we check their blood levels of iron and ferritin, which represent the body's capacity to store iron.

     Pregnancy also may cause RLS, but usually the symptoms improve after the baby is delivered. However, some women who have had several children eventually have persistent RLS. Patients with some kidney diseases are more likely to develop RLS, and it can be caused by the use of some medications, especially antidepressants and antipsychotics. It does tend to run in families.

     A variety of medications have been prescribed to try to help RLS patients. For many years, sleep specialists have prescribed medications that enhance dopamine functioning in the brain. These dopamine agonists already were available for the treatment of Parkinson disease, which, for very different reasons, is also associated with abnormalities in brain dopamine activity.

     Some of the pharmaceutical companies that made these medications did the required research studies to gain official FDA approval for the treatment of RLS. Now there is more awareness among the public and medical professionals about RLS, due to medication advertising and other media attention.

     A common question about RLS is whether it is really an actual condition. Certain comedians recently have made fun of the disorder's name and have suggested that it is simply made up. Some people skeptical of the pharmaceutical industry believe that RLS was defined as a disorder just to sell pills. Obviously, none of them suffer with RLS or have family members with the disorder. Researchers are making steady progress in understanding the underlying causes of RLS.

     Health care professionals should check to see whether their patients have RLS. One question is enough to see whether they might have it. A "no" answer rules it out. A "yes" answer should lead to further evaluation. Here's the question: "When you try to relax in the evening, or go to sleep at night, do you ever have unpleasant, restless feelings that can be relieved by walking or movement?"

     There’s really no question about it — RLS is a serious problem for many people. Those with mild symptoms might not need any medication for their symptoms. Fortunately, treatments are available for people with more severe symptoms. If the approved dopamine agonists don’t help or cause bothersome side effects, there are several other medications that might be helpful.

     I am a 48-year-old woman who has used marihuana daily for 27 years, except for a year or two about 15 years ago. I do not smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or take any other drugs. I have always had trouble falling asleep, and as an adult I found that marihuana helped with my insomnia. When I stopped using it 15 years ago, I discovered I had "restless leg syndrome"-something both my parents also had, although it seemed to affect them differently.

     My symptoms are present 24 hours a day but only bothers me when I try to sleep. It is almost as if my leg muscles are constantly pulsing. Also, when I am about to fall off to sleep, my body jerks me back awake as if I am falling off a cliff. This can happen throughout the night every few seconds or minutes, and cannabis seems to alleviate it. One recent night when I did not smoke cannabis, this horrible problem kept me awake all night.

     A neurologist put me on L-dopa (after trying quinine, which gave me no relief), but I had to take it every night, and I did not want to do that because of nausea and other unpleasant side effects. By the way, the neurologist feels that cannabis is a benign drug except for the fact that it is smoked.

Anonymous

 Potential role of cannabinoids in Parkinson's disease

by Sevcik J, Masek K
Institute of Pharmacology,
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, resulting from an oxidative stress. The lack of dopaminergic neurons is reflected by a disturbed balance of the neural circuitry in the basal ganglia.

Cannabinoids might alleviate some parkinsonian symptoms by their remarkable receptor-mediated modulatory action in the basal ganglia output nuclei. Moreover, it was recently observed that some cannabinoids are potent antioxidants that can protect neurons from death even without cannabinoid receptor activation.

It seems that cannabinoids could delay or even stop progressive degeneration of brain dopaminergic systems, a process for which there is presently no prevention. In combination with currently used drugs, cannabinoids might represent, qualitatively, a new approach to the treatment of PD, making it more effective.