Marijuana & Stroke: Pot Compounds Protect Brain, New Meta-Study Shows

“Cannabinoids, chemicals related to those found in cannabis could be effective in restoring neurological function by shrinking the area of the brain affected by stroke, according to a new study led by Dr. Tim England, Honorary Consultant Stroke Physician at the University of Nottingham and Royal Derby Hospital.

Stroke, a leading cause of adult disability in the UK leaves over half of all survivors dependent on others for life. Over one million people are living with the effects of stroke and it is reported that in the UK alone, over 150,000 people have a stroke every year. Finding new treatments to help survivors recover quickly has never been more important.

The authors examined 94 studies evaluating the effects of cannabinoids on 1022 mice, monkeys, and male rats. Cannabinoids can be classified into endocannabinoids that occur naturally in the body, phytocannabinoids that are obtained from plant extracts, and synthetic cannabinoids.

A meta-analysis of experimental studies conducted by the researchers at the University of Nottingham identifies the potential of all three categories of these compounds potential to reduce brain damage caused by stroke and help improve brain function after an attack.

The U.S. government sought a patent in 2001 for the naturally occuring marijuana molecule, cannabidiol, for use as a brain protector during stroke. ”

http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2013/12/11/marijuana-stroke-pot-compounds-protect-brain-new-meta-study-shows/

Chemicals in Marijuana May Help Stroke Victims

NewsBriefs

“Scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) said a chemical in marijuana may protect the brain from damage inflicted by a stroke.

Their study was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Aidan Hampson, et al., “Cannabidiol and Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol Are Neuroprotective Antioxidants,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 7, 1998, Vol. 95, Issue 14, p. 8268; “Pot Chemicals Might Inhibit Breast Tumors, Stroke Damage,” Dallas Morning News, July 13, 1998; Vanessa Thorpe, “Chemicals Help Brain Damage After Stroke,” The Independent (UK), July 19, 1998).

NIMH scientists researched the effects of two cannabinoids, cannabidiol and THC, on the brains of rats. THC is the ingredient in marijuana that causes a psychoactive effect. However, cannabidiol is “a better candidate,” in part, because it does not cause a “high” in the patient, said Aidan Hampson, a neuropharmacologist at NIMH who led the study.

The cannabinoids block a neurochemical, known as glutamate, that leads to the formation of toxic oxidizing molecules that kill brain cells. Glutamate is produced in the brain if the oxygen supply is cut off, for example, as the result of blood clot leading to a stroke.

Researchers found that cannabidiol is a more effective antioxidant than vitamins A and E, which already are known to block the damaging effects of glutamate.”

http://www.ndsn.org/julaug98/medmj1.html

Study: Habitual Marijuana Smoking Not Associated With Increased Risk Of Lung Cancer

eNews Park Forest

“Subjects who regularly inhale cannabis smoke possess no greater risk of contracting lung cancer than do those who consume it occasionally or not at all, according to data published online ahead of print in the International Journal of Cancer.

An international team of investigators from Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States analyzed data from six case-control studies involving over 5,000 subjects (2,159 cases and 2,985 controls) from around the world.

Authors concluded, “Results from our pooled analyses provide little evidence for an increased risk of lung cancer among habitual or long-term cannabis smokers.””

http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/53910-study-habitual-marijuana-smoking-not-associated-with-increased-risk-of-lung-cancer.html

“Cannabis smoking and lung cancer risk: Pooled analysis in the International Lung Cancer Consortium”  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.29036/abstract

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/lung-cancer/

Preliminary, Open-Label, Pilot Study of Add-On Oral Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Marijuana is often used as compassion add-on therapy for treatment-resistant PTSD.

This open-label study evaluates the tolerance and safety of orally absorbable Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for chronic PTSD.

RESULTS:

There were mild adverse effects in three patients, none of which led to treatment discontinuation. The intervention caused a statistically significant improvement in global symptom severity, sleep quality, frequency of nightmares, and PTSD hyperarousal symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS:

Orally absorbable Δ9-THC was safe and well tolerated by patients with chronic PTSD.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24935052

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/

Cannabis very effective as painkiller after a major sugery

Fight For medical Marijuana

“The very existence of cannabis as a substance with possible medical use is a contentious topic, to say the least. Its status as an illicit substance is hotly debated, with proponents from both sides (for and against legalization) engaged in a decades-long battle.

The status of marijuana in the United States as a Schedule I Substance under the Controlled Substances Act means not only that it is highly illegal to possess, but it is classified along the likes of cocaine, heroine, and crystal meth.

Schedule I substances are those that a) have high potential to be abused; b) have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States; and c) are lacking in accepted safety in use under medical supervision.

All of these qualifiers are potentially important in classifying drugs and substances, but many people argue that marijuana does not belong in Schedule I…

Pain after surgery remains a problem in the medical community, and traditional prescribed painkillers often have unpleasant side effects as well as diminishing benefits.

Cannabis extracts work due to the cannabinoid receptors in the human brain.

Cannabinoids from marijuana help to effectively strengthen the body’s ability to reduce pain sensation.”

http://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-cannabis-very-effective-as-painkiller-after-a-major-sugery–n55

Cannabis very effective as painkiller after a major sugery

Cannabinoids Destroy Leukemia Cells, New Study Finds

(Photo: Alternative Medicine Solutions)

“New research from the University of London suggests chemicals in marijuana could be used to fight leukemia.

Published online in Anticancer Research, researchers at the Department of Oncology at St. George’s, University of London studied six different cannabinoids and found each to have anti-cancer action in leukemia cells.

Lead author Wai Liu, Ph.D explained the results of the latest study in Monday’s press release.

These agents are able to interfere with the development of cancerous cells, stopping them in their tracks and preventing them from growing. In some cases, by using specific dosage patterns, they can destroy cancer cells on their own.

The scientists were able to replicate previous findings on the anti-cancer effects of THC – the compound in marijuana responsible for the high.

However, in the latest study, Dr. Liu’s team decided to focus on cannabinoids that lacked psychoactive activity, including cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabigevarin (CBGV).

This study is a critical step in unpicking the mysteries of cannabis as a source of medicine. The cannabinoids examined have minimal, if any, hallucinogenic side effects, and their properties as anti-cancer agents are promising.

The non-psychoactive cannabinoids were shown to inhibit growth of leukemia cells at all stages of the cell cycle. Interestingly, the team observed even greater effects when different cannabinoids were administered together.

“These compounds are inexpensive to produce”

Dr. Liu says drugs derived from cannabis are much cheaper to produce than traditional cancer therapies. He also thinks they could be combined with existing treatments to enhance their effects.

Used in combination with existing treatment, we could discover some highly effective strategies for tackling cancer. Significantly, these compounds are inexpensive to produce and making better use of their unique properties could result in much more cost effective anti-cancer drugs in future.

Dr. Liu’s next study will investigate the potential of cannabinoids when combined with existing treatments as well as different treatment schedules that could maximize their anti-cancer activity.”

http://www.leafscience.com/2013/10/14/cannabinoids-destroy-leukemia-cells-new-study-finds/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/leukemia/

Cannabis oil from marijuana is having success treating COPD

COPD

“COPD is the often used term for “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,” a rather clumsy and vague description for most of us. It includes a few different lung issues, such as emphysema, bronchiectasis and chronic bronchitis. The scary part is that it’s a mystery to our pharmaceutical-dependent medical system. And it gets progressively worse, often leading to death.

It’s third in disease death rates, behind only heart disease and cancer. COPD creates constricted airways in one’s lungs or renders small lung sacks inelastic and unable to fully accommodate breathing cycles; thus, there is obstruction.

COPD symptoms include some or all of the following: losing one’s breath with minor activity, chronic coughing, increased sputum, chest tightness or pain with difficulty breathing, increased lung infections and fatigue. It has been observed to have four stages. Many of those lugging oxygen canisters around are in the last two stages.

The pharmaceuticals prescribed for treating symptoms often have side effects that cause more problems. Big Pharma is still fishing for cures, while COPD diagnoses rates continue rising in our toxic environment.

Medical marijuana to the rescue once again

The treatment situation is so bleak and harmful with mainstream medicine that those desperate to breathe normally and cough up less mucus have desperately turned to medical marijuana for at least some relief without negative side effects.

Smoking marijuana cigarettes is shunned for obvious reasons, but many claim that vaping, or using a vaporizer to inhale cannabis, is useful for COPD without exacerbating the lungs’ inflammatory condition.

But better results have been achieved by ingesting cannabis, especially the potent, highly condensed oil extract that Rick Simpson pioneered in Canada and now in Eastern Europe. Many medical marijuana advocates, especially those in medical-cannabis-friendly states, have learned to make the oil and provide it to those in need.

Most of the cannabis treatment publicity has gone toward cancer, Crohn’s disease, chronic epileptic seizures and glaucoma. Even Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis victims have experienced positive results from various cannabis products with THC applications.

Pharmaceutical-dependent mainstream medicine hasn’t been able to cure any of these diseases or even alleviate symptoms without creating complications, some fatal.

More COPD patients have hopped on the cannabis cure bandwagon with positive results lately. These results include folks with late-stage COPD and severe emphysema.

An anecdotal sampling

At the relatively young age of 36, Jeff Waters was diagnosed with COPD. Eight years later he had to be rushed to an ER during another bout with bronchitis.

Lung scarring was discovered, and his condition was raised to stage 2 COPD. While prescribing several pharmaceuticals, the doctor told him that it would continue to get worse and eventually kill him.

Jeff did continue to get worse. He was unable to climb a flight of stairs and he wound up with stage 3 COPD and an oxygen canister to prove it. Showering and shaving without his oxygen supply turned out to be almost too arduous of a task.

Then an allergic reaction to a prescribed high blood pressure medication put him on life support in ICU with severe pneumonia for a month. After his recovery, he resolved to handle his COPD without mainstream medical interventions.

Jeff found COPD sufferers online who had resolved their COPD issues with cannabis oil. He networked with them and found his own sources for cannabis oil.

After only two months of using the oil, Jeff went off oxygen and all the pharmaceuticals he had been prescribed. He now walks two to five miles daily and claims that cannabis oil has allowed him “to get his life back.””

http://www.naturalnews.com/044664_cannabis_oil_copd_marijuana.html

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/copd-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/

Smoking Marijuana Relieves Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in Patients, with Minor Cognitive Effects

marijuana

“Smoking marijuana has been shown to relieve muscle tightness, called spasticity, and painful symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis, who have been resistant to conventional MS therapies, according to a new study.

“We found that smoked cannabis was superior to placebo in reducing symptoms and pain in patients with treatment-resistant spasticity, or excessive muscle contractions,” Researcher Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom, director of the University of California, San Diego Multiple Sclerosis Center said in a journal news release.”

http://www.medicaldaily.com/smoking-marijuana-relieves-symptoms-multiple-sclerosis-patients-minor-cognitive-effects-240433

“Smoked cannabis for spasticity in multiple sclerosis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3394820/

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/multiple-sclerosis-ms/

Marijuana Helps Relieve MS Pain

“Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that smoking marijuana can help relieve pain, and muscle tightness “spasticity” in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/245430.php

“Smoked cannabis for spasticity in multiple sclerosis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3394820/

Marijuana can treat autoimmune diseases, scientific study states

“Weed enthusiasts are getting their case for nationwide decriminalization of marijuana bolstered considerably by a new scientific study that promises the controversial plant can treat multiple medical maladies.

Scientists at the University of South Carolina have discovered marijuana’s potential to treat autoimmune diseases — such as arthritis, lupus, colitis and multiple sclerosis — in which chronic inflammation plays a pivotal role.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry published the researchers’ findings that state marijuana’s potential key role in fighting these diseases lies in its capacity to suppress certain immune functions, most particularly inflammation.

The study examined whether marijuana’s main active constituent, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), could affect DNA through “epigenetic” pathways.

The group of molecules with the capacity to alter DNA and the functioning of genes it controls is collectively referred to as the epigenome. It includes a group of molecules called histones, which are responsible for inflammation, both beneficial and harmful.

The research team, led by Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti and Xiaoming Yang, found that THC can, indeed, affect DNA expression through epigenetic pathways by altering histones.

As recreational and medical use of marijuana become more acceptable in developed countries, more research is being conducted and more potential health applications are being uncovered.

Marijuana already has a variety of medical uses including treatment of chronic pain, nausea, vomiting and the wasting syndrome experienced by some AIDS patients.”

http://atlantadailyworld.com/2014/06/05/marijuana-can-treat-autoimmune-diseases-scientific-study-states/