Brain Damage can be Prevented by Low Doses Of Marijuana – MedIndia

“Researchers at Tel Aviv University have found that extremely low doses of THC – the psychoactive component of marijuana – protects the brain from long-term cognitive damage in the wake of injury from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), seizures, or toxic drugs.

Brain damage can have consequences ranging from mild cognitive deficits to severe neurological damage.Previous studies focused on injecting high doses of THC within a very short time frame – approximately 30 minutes – before or after injury.

The current research by Prof. Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University’s Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine demonstrates that even extremely low doses of THC – around 1,000 to 10,000 times less than that in a conventional marijuana cigarette – administered over a wide window of 1 to 7 days before or 1 to 3 days after injury can jumpstart biochemical processes which protect brain cells and preserve cognitive function over time.

This treatment, especially in light of the long time frame for administration and the low dosage, could be applicable to many cases of brain injury and be safer over time, Prof. Sarne said.

While performing experiments on the biology of cannabis, Prof. Sarne and his fellow researchers discovered that low doses of the drug had a big impact on cell signalling, preventing cell death and promoting growth factors. This finding led to a series of experiments designed to test the neuroprotective ability of THC in response to various brain injuries.

In the lab, the researchers injected mice with a single low dose of THC either before or after exposing them to brain trauma. A control group of mice sustained brain injury but did not receive the THC treatment. When the mice were examined 3 to 7 weeks after initial injury, recipients of the THC treatment performed better in behavioral tests measuring learning and memory. Additionally, biochemical studies showed heightened amounts of neuroprotective chemicals in the treatment group compared to the control group.

The use of THC can prevent long-term cognitive damage that results from brain injury, the researchers concluded.

One explanation for this effect is pre- and post-conditioning, whereby the drug causes minute damage to the brain to build resistance and trigger protective measures in the face of much more severe injury, explained Prof. Sarne.

The low dosage of THC is crucial to initiating this process without causing too much initial damage.

According to Prof. Sarne, there are several practical benefits to this treatment plan. Due to the long therapeutic time window, this treatment can be used not only to treat injury after the fact, but also to prevent injury that might occur in the future.

For example, cardiopulmonary heart-lung machines used in open heart surgery carry the risk of interrupting the blood supply to the brain, and the drug can be delivered beforehand as a preventive measure. In addition, the low dosage makes it safe for regular use in patients at constant risk of brain injury, such as epileptics or people at a high risk of heart attack.

Prof. Sarne is now working in collaboration with Prof. Edith Hochhauser of the Rabin Medical Center to test the ability of low doses of THC to prevent damage to the heart. Preliminary results indicate that they will find the same protective phenomenon in relation to cardiac ischemia, in which the heart muscle receives insufficient blood flow.

His research findings were published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research.” 

 

Low Doses of THC (Cannabis) Can Halt Brain Damage, Study Suggests – ScienceDaily

“The use of THC can prevent long-term cognitive damage that results from brain injury, the researchers conclude.

Preventative and long-term use

According to Prof. Sarne, there are several practical benefits to this treatment plan. Due to the long therapeutic time window, this treatment can be used not only to treat injury after the fact, but also to prevent injury that might occur in the future. For example, cardiopulmonary heart-lung machines used in open heart surgery carry the risk of interrupting the blood supply to the brain, and the drug can be delivered beforehand as a preventive measure. In addition, the low dosage makes it safe for regular use in patients at constant risk of brain injury, such as epileptics or people at a high risk of heart attack.

Prof. Sarne is now working in collaboration with Prof. Edith Hochhauser of the Rabin Medical Center to test the ability of low doses of THC to prevent damage to the heart. Preliminary results indicate that they will find the same protective phenomenon in relation to cardiac ischemia, in which the heart muscle receives insufficient blood flow.”

More: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130530132531.htm

THC Can Prevent Brain Damage – Study

“Marijuana became popular as a recreational drug and as its legalization movement became more popular, studies were conducted on its therapeutic properties. Medical cannabis is often used by sufferers of chronic ailments, including cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder, to combat pain, insomnia, lack of appetite, and other symptoms. But self-reported milder symptoms often claim that only marijuana helps…

Prof. Yosef Sarne in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Tel Aviv University says that the drug can go beyond symptoms – it also has neuroprotective qualities. He has found that extremely low doses of THC — the psychoactive component of marijuana — protects the brain from long-term cognitive damage in the wake of injury from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), seizures, or toxic drugs…

The use of THC can prevent long-term cognitive damage that results from brain injury, the researchers conclude…

According to Sarne, there are several practical benefits to this treatment plan. Due to the long therapeutic time window, this treatment can be used not only to treat injury after the fact, but also to prevent injury that might occur in the future. For example, cardiopulmonary heart-lung machines used in open heart surgery carry the risk of interrupting the blood supply to the brain, and the drug can be delivered beforehand as a preventive measure. In addition, the low dosage makes it safe for regular use in patients at constant risk of brain injury, such as epileptics or people at a high risk of heart attack.

Sarne is now working with Prof. Edith Hochhauser of the Rabin Medical Center to test the ability of low doses of THC to prevent damage to the heart. Preliminary results indicate that they will find the same protective phenomenon in relation to cardiac ischemia, in which the heart muscle receives insufficient blood flow.”

More: http://www.science20.com/news_articles/thc_can_prevent_brain_damage_study-113512

Tommy Chong: Marijuana Legalization Boosts Economy, Weed Cures Prostate Cancer, According To Cheech’s Friend – But How? [REPORT]

“Tommy Chong and his partner Richard “Cheech” Marin have built an entire career out of stoner comedy and marijuana-centric counterculture jokes, but now Tommy Chong is getting a little more serious about marijuana legalization and politics than he ever did before in Cheech & Chong’s 42-year entertainment career.”

Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin (Image: Reuters)

“Tommy Chong, 74, is a public advocate for the legalization of marijuana. He believes legalizing the drug on a federal level would bring about “numerous benefits,” including giving a lift to the U.S. economy – if the plant were to be taxed, of course.

In addition to the benefits to the economy, Tommy Chong believes in potential medical uses – medical uses that have been proven to the point where several states have legalized the drug. Almost 20 states have passed laws supporting the legalization of medical marijuana (with 12 states pending legislation!) Colorado and Washington have now totally legalized it.
 

Tommy Chong has personal ties to the medical usage of marijuana. Last June, Chong announced that he was suffering with stage one prostate cancer. However, he decided to forego traditional medicine and instead decided to overhaul his diet and lifestyle.

And now, Tommy Chong is cancer-free.”

More: http://www.idesigntimes.com/articles/5392/20130516/tommy-chong-marijuana-legalization-legalize-boosts-economy-celebrity-weed-post-ganja-cures-cancer-treats-treatment-prostate-cheech-friend-how-stoner-comedy-entertainment-movies-tv.htm

Marijuana might be able to treat your terrible case of the runs – MSN

“Seems there’s no end to the list of maladies medical marijuana can’t treat.”

Close-up of Marijuana Plant (© Adam Weiss/Getty Images) 

“The latest: diarrhea, the awful affliction that sounds like “dire rear” for a reason. According to the pot aficionados behind The Weed Blog (who mightn’t be the most unbiased sources on the matter), cannabis-derived products have been used to treat diarrhea in India since at least the late 1800s. These products reportedly cause diarrhea and its symptoms to subside, and — surprise, surprise — help patients regain their appetites. Around 3.5 million people die from diarrhea and its nasty effects every year, so these alleged benefits of pot aren’t just useful to stoners who could fake the runs to score a medical marijuana prescription.”
 

Cannabinoid receptor antagonists: pharmacological opportunities, clinical experience, and translational prognosis.

Abstract

“The endogenous cannabinoid (CB) (endocannabinoid) signaling system is involved in a variety of (patho)physiological processes, primarily by virtue of natural, arachidonic acid-derived lipids (endocannabinoids) that activate G protein-coupled CB1 and CB2 receptors. A hyperactive endocannabinoid system appears to contribute to the etiology of several disease states that constitute significant global threats to human health. Consequently, mounting interest surrounds the design and profiling of receptor-targeted CB antagonists as pharmacotherapeutics that attenuate endocannabinoid transmission for salutary gain. Experimental and clinical evidence supports the therapeutic potential of CB1 receptor antagonists to treat overweight/obesity, obesity-related cardiometabolic disorders, and substance abuse. Laboratory data suggest that CB2 receptor antagonists might be effective immunomodulatory and, perhaps, anti-inflammatory drugs. One CB1 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist, rimonabant, has emerged as the first-in-class drug approved outside the United States for weight control. Select follow-on agents (taranabant, otenabant, surinabant, rosonabant, SLV-319, AVE1625, V24343) have also been studied in the clinic. However, rimonabant’s market withdrawal in the European Union and suspension of rimonabant’s, taranabant’s, and otenabant’s ongoing development programs have highlighted some adverse clinical side effects (especially nausea and psychiatric disturbances) of CB1 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists. Novel CB1 receptor ligands that are peripherally directed and/or exhibit neutral antagonism (the latter not affecting constitutive CB1 receptor signaling) may optimize the benefits of CB1 receptor antagonists while minimizing any risk. Indeed, CB1 receptor-neutral antagonists appear from preclinical data to offer efficacy comparable to or better than that of prototype CB1 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists, with less propensity to induce nausea. Continued pharmacological profiling, as the prelude to first-in-man testing of CB1 receptor antagonists with unique modes of targeting/pharmacological action, represents an exciting translational frontier in the critical path to CB receptor blockers as medicines.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19249987