“Marijuana, taken in pill or spray form, helps ease certain multiple sclerosis symptoms, while about a dozen other alternative remedies offer no benefit, according to a report by U.S. neurologists.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-24/marijuana-benefits-ms-patients-as-other-remedies-fail.html
“An expert panel organized by the American Academy of Neurology called oral cannabis extract the only complementary and alternative medicine unequivocally effective for helping patients with multiple sclerosis, specifically easing their pain and symptoms of spasticity, medicine possibly for as long as 1 year of treatment.”
“Researchers said medical marijuana seems to be the only “alternative therapy” showing promise for helping those with multiple sclerosis.
Officials at Oregon Health and Science University said research shows therapies like massage and acupuncture aren’t as effective as medical marijuana.”
“The American Academy of Neurology has become one of the first medical organizations in the U.S. to endorse the use of medical marijuana.
In new guidelines published in the journal Neurology, the Academy said oral cannabis, medical marijuana pills and medical marijuana spray may help ease symptoms of muscle spasticity and frequent urination caused by multiple sclerosis (MS).”
“Controlled trial shows improved spasticity, reduced pain after smoking medical marijuana
A clinical study of 30 adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has shown that smoked cannabis may be an effective treatment for spasticity – a common and disabling symptom of this neurological disease.”
“Medical marijuana pills and sprays might ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but most other alternative therapies do little to lessen the pain and muscle rigidity that often accompanies the disease, according to new guidelines.
To reach that conclusion, an expert panel from the American Academy of Neurology reviewed more than 40 years of research on alternative medicine treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS)…
The guidelines are published in the March 25 issue of the journal Neurology.”
“GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH)… touted the extended breadth of its cannabinoid drugs: beyond treating pediatric epilepsy and cancer pain, GWPH says it has the capabilities to treat Type 2 diabetes and schizophrenia. This would position GWPH as a fantastic pharma stock play,..
“As GW continues to progress its clinical work with cannabinoids, our pipeline has the potential to yield, as it did with Epidiolex, a flow of exciting new product candidates in a wide variety of therapeutic areas,” said Dr. Stephen Wright, GW’s Director of Research and Development.
GW has started Phase 2a trial using to treat schizophrenia featuring purified CBD as its active ingredient.”
“It is even more evidence of our need for the government to stop punishing patients for using this relatively safe and non-toxic treatment method … ”
“For years, many Americans with HIV/AIDS have used medical marijuana to relieve some common symptoms associated with the illness such as nausea, vomiting and appetite loss.
Now, a new study published last week in the journal AIDS Researcher and Human Retroviruses found that a daily dosage of marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may actually fight the HIV/AIDS virus itself.”
More: http://www.mintpressnews.com/hivaids-cure-may-be-found-in-marijuana-study/179398/
“Researchers are looking into the use of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana, to help stop the spread of HIV infection.
Hundreds of marijuana researchers have reported that THC was able to pierce the RIV virus in monkeys. That particular virus is almost identical to the HIV virus found in humans, so this news is very encouraging.
The greatest drawbacks to this excellent news are the current laws preventing testing on human candidates.
With the changing of these restrictive laws, HIV infections have a great chance of being cured, with cannabis as a real possible player in the race to stop the disease.”
More: http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/hiv-infections-cured-with-cannabis-a-real-possibility/
“According to a new study published in the journal PloS ONE, researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine discovered that marijuana-like compounds can inhibit the multiplication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in late-stage AIDS by acting on viral receptors…
“We knew that cannabinoid drugs like marijuana can have a therapeutic effect in AIDS patients, but did not understand how they influence the spread of the virus itself. We wanted to explore cannabinoid receptors as a target for pharmaceutical interventions that treat the symptoms of late-stage AIDS and prevent further progression of the disease…”