Marijuana: Miracle Cure For Crohn’s Disease?

“Crohn’s disease is a autoimmunity deficiency in the gastronomical tract that can cause anything from mild stomach pains to vomiting and in extreme cases, chronic bloody diarrhea. There’s no cure for the disorder but now, researchers in Israel say they’ve found evidence that marijuana causes complete remission of the disease.

This news comes the Meir Medical Center in Israel, which treated 21 patients suffering from Crohn’s disease. 11 of the patients smoked two joints per day of cannabis sativa, which the researchers believed would provide anti-inflammatory relief, while the other (unlucky) 10 were only given a placebo. “The marijuana plant Cannabis sativa has been reported to produce beneficial effects for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, but this has not been investigated in controlled trials,” the researchers argued. “We performed a prospective trial to determine whether cannabis can induce remission in patients with Crohn’s disease.”

Five of the 11 patients who smoked the weed, the study, which was published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, states, acheived “total remission” of their disease, whereas only four of the 10 patients who didn’t smoke the pot reported only slight improvement of their condition. Needless to say, the study, while promising, only seems to suggest that more research should be undertaken. “Further studies, with larger patient groups and a nonsmoking mode of intake, are warranted,” the scientists argued.”

 http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/07/marijuana_miracle_cure_for_cro.php

[Marihuana and cannobinoids as medicaments].

“Biological activity of cannabinoids is caused by binding to two cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. Psychoactive is not only tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but also: cannabidiol, cannabigerol or cannabichromen.

Formerly, the usefulness of hemp was assessed in the relation to temporary appeasement of the symptoms of some ailments as nausea or vomiting.

Present discoveries indicates that cannabis-based drugs has shown ability to alleviate of autoimmunological disorders such as: Multiple sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or inflammatory bowel disease.

Another studies indicates that cannabinoids play role in treatment of neurological disorders like Alzheimer disease or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or even can reduce spreading of tumor cells.

Cannabinoids stand out high safety profile considering acute toxicity, it is low possibility of deadly overdosing and side-effects are comprise in range of tolerated side-effects of other medications.

In some countries marinol and nabilone are used as anti vomiting and nausea drug. First cannabis-based drug containg naturally occurring cannabinoids is Sativex. Sativex is delivered in an mucosal spray for patients suffering from spasticity in MS, pain relevant with cancer and neuropathic pain of various origin.

Cannabis side-effects varies and depend from several factors like administrated dose, rout of administration and present state of mind. After sudden break from long-lasting use, withdrawal symptoms can appear, although they entirely disappear after a week or two.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23421098

Alcohol-cancer link stronger than ever – News

“Alcohol-cancer link stronger than ever”  http://health.msn.co.nz/healthnews/8689975/alcohol-cancer-link-stronger-than-ever

“Study supports alcohol, breast cancer link”  http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/study-supports-alcohol-breast-cancer-link-201111033747

“Alcohol Use Linked to More Cancers”  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/02/18/alcohol-use-linked-to-more-cancers.aspx#!

“The Alcoholic-Cancer Link: Study Shows Even One Drink a Day Could Be Risky”  http://www.everydayhealth.com/cancer/alcoholic-cancer-link-study-shows-one-drink-per-day-raises-risk.aspx

“Alcohol Behind Rise in Breast Cancer Among Women”  http://www.medindia.net/news/alcohol-behind-rise-in-breast-cancer-among-women-122089-1.htm

“Alcohol Linked to Cancer Risk in Women. Study Shows Even Low-to-Moderate Drinking Raises Risk of Cancer.”  http://women.webmd.com/news/20090224/alcohol-linked-to-cancer-risk-in-women

“Why Drinking Alcohol Is Linked to Breast Cancer”  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423162245.htm

“Alcohol And Genetic Factors Linked To Breast Cancer Risk”  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103911.php

“Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Study Finds” http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/01/alcohol-linked-to-breast-cancer-diagnosis-study-finds/

“Many cancer deaths traced to alcohol” http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/15/many-cancer-deaths-traced-to-alcohol/

“Light drinking linked to breast cancer risk”  http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/medical/health/medical/breastcancer/story/2011-11-01/Light-drinking-linked-to-slight-breast-cancer-risk/51030414/1

“Moderate Drinking Linked to Breast Cancer”  http://www.livescience.com/4421-moderate-drinking-linked-breast-cancer.html

“Heavy Drinking Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer”  http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/cancer/articles/2009/07/13/heavy-drinking-linked-to-aggressive-prostate-cancer

“Many Cancer Deaths Traced to Alcohol”  http://www.livescience.com/27259-alcohol-causes-cancer-deaths.html

“Alcohol Plays A Huge Role In Cancer Deaths In The U.S.”  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256472.php

“Study Shows Link Between Alcohol & Breast Cancer”  http://www.nbc26.com/news/206493561.html

“Alcohol Consumption Boosts Breast Cancer Risk”  http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/06/03/alcohol-consumption-boosts-breast-cancer-risk/

“Even Moderate Drinking Can Boost Chance of Breast Cancer Recurrence”  http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCallPlusBreastCancerNews/moderate-drinking-linked-breast-cancer-recurrence/story?id=9306082

“Breast cancer link to small amount of alcohol”  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15539450

“Alcohol link to bowel cancer risk”  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6921998.stm

“Alcohol Linked To Breast Cancer”  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-529131.html

“Light drinking linked to breast cancer risk”  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500165_162-20128877/light-drinking-linked-to-breast-cancer-risk/

“Review describes link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer”  http://www.news-medical.net/news/20121024/Review-describes-link-between-alcohol-consumption-and-breast-cancer.aspx

“Breast cancer leading cause of alcohol-attributable death in New Zealand women” http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-07-breast-cancer-alcohol-attributable-death-zealand.html

“Alcoholism is linked to higher rates of general and cancer-related deaths” http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-alcoholism-linked-higher-cancer-related-deaths.html

“Smoking, heavy drinking linked to earlier onset of pancreatic cancer”  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-heavy-linked-earlier-onset-pancreatic.html

“Heavy alcohol consumption linked to lung cancer”   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-heavy-alcohol-consumption-linked-lung.html

“Alcohol Use Linked to Risk for Hormone-Sensitive Breast Cancers”  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/727432

“Alcohol Linked to Colorectal Cancer Risk”  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749886

“Heavy Alcohol Use Linked to Colon Cancer Risk”  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/463001

“Link Between Pancreatic Cancer and Alcohol, Tobacco Use”  http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/771688

“Heavy Drinking Linked to Pancreatic Cancer”  http://www.webmd.com/cancer/pancreatic-cancer/news/20110314/heavy-drinking-linked-to-pancreatic-cancer?page=2

“No Amount of Alcohol Is Safe. “Responsible drinking” has become a 21st-century mantra for how most people view alcohol consumption. But when it comes to cancer, no amount of alcohol is safe.” http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/824237

“Even moderate drinking may substantially raise risk of dying from cancer: study”  http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/moderate-drinking-raises-cancer-death-risk-study-article-1.1265529

“Light drinking linked to breast cancer, study finds”  http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/light-drinking-linked-to-breast-cancer-study-finds/2011/11/01/gIQASythdM_video.html

“A Drink a Day Raises Cancer Risk, Study Says”  http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/a-drink-a-day-raises-cancer-risk-study-says/

“Even a drink a day boosts cancer death risk, alcohol study finds”  http://www.nbcnews.com/health/even-drink-day-boosts-cancer-death-risk-alcohol-study-finds-1C8381639?franchiseSlug=healthmain

“Drinking linked to endometrial cancer risk”  http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20889546/ns/health-cancer/t/drinking-linked-endometrial-cancer-risk/

“Does drinking alcohol increase the risk of cancer? Overall, alcohol consumption is one of the top 10 contributors to sickness and death from injuries, motor vehicle crashes, homicides and suicides, sexual assaults, sexually transmitted infections from unsafe sex, falls, birth defects, depression, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, and sleep disorders. Additionally, there is a lot of evidence that drinking alcohol increases the risk of several cancers.”  http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/expertvoices/post/2013/06/26/does-drinking-alcohol-increase-the-risk-of-cancer.aspx

“Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk: New Findings… Epidemiological studies have consistently found that heavy drinking can increase the risk of liver, head and neck, and esophageal cancers, and even moderate drinking has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.”  http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/causes/breast/alcoholuse0408

“Marijuana… Cannabis sativais an annual plant that grows wild in warm and tropical climates throughout the world and is cultivated commercially. The leaves and buds of the plant have been used in herbal remedies for centuries… As of 2012, there are reports online suggesting that marijuana oil or “hemp” oil can cure cancer, as well as diabetes, ulcers, arthritis, migraines, insomnia, infections, and many other diseases.” http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/marijuana

Amphiregulin is a factor for resistance of glioma cells to cannabinoid-induced apoptosis.

“Gliomas, one of the most malignant forms of cancer, exhibit high resistance to conventional therapies. Identification of the molecular mechanisms responsible for this resistance is therefore of great interest to improve the efficacy of the treatments against these tumors. Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of marijuana, and other cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in animal models of cancer, including glioma, an effect that relies, at least in part, on the ability of these compounds to induce apoptosis of tumor cells.

…we identified the epidermal growth factor receptor ligand amphiregulin as a candidate factor to mediate the resistance of glioma cells to cannabinoid treatment… in vivo silencing of amphiregulin rendered the resistant tumors xenografts sensitive to cannabinoid antitumoral action.

Amphiregulin expression was associated with increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation, which mediated the resistance to THC by blunting the expression of p8 and TRB3-two genes involved in cannabinoid-induced apoptosis of glioma cells.

 Our findings therefore identify Amphirregulin as a factor for resistance of glioma cells to THC-induced apoptosis and contribute to unraveling the molecular bases underlying the emerging notion that targeted inhibition of the EGFR pathway can improve the efficacy of antitumoral therapies.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19229996

Stimulation of the midkine/ALK axis renders glioma cells resistant to cannabinoid antitumoral action

“Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient of marijuana, and other cannabinoids inhibit tumor growth in animal models of cancer, including glioma, an effect that relies, at least in part, on the stimulation of autophagy-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. 

…Altogether, our findings identify Mdk as a pivotal factor involved in the resistance of glioma cells to THC pro-autophagic and antitumoral action, and suggest that selective targeting of the Mdk/ALK axis could help to improve the efficacy of antitumoral therapies for gliomas.”

Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3131933/

Stimulation of ALK by the growth factor midkine renders glioma cells resistant to autophagy-mediated cell death

“Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component of marijuana, promotes cancer cell death via autophagy stimulation.

We find that activation of the tyrosine kinase receptor ALK by its ligand midkine interferes with the signaling mechanism by which THC promotes autophagy-mediated glioma cell death.”

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21593591

Marijuana Chemical May Fight Brain Cancer – CBSNews

“The active chemical in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves, researchers in Spain report.

Guillermo Velasco and colleagues at Complutense University in Spain have found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, causes brain cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy. Autophagy is the breakdown of a cell that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.

The team discovered that cannabinoids such as THC had anticancer effects in mice with human brain cancer cells and people with brain tumors . When mice with the human brain cancer cells received the THC, the tumor growth shrank.

Two patients enrolled in a clinical trial received THC directly to the brain as an experimental treatment for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme , a highly aggressive brain tumor. Biopsies taken before and after treatment helped track their progress. After receiving the THC, there was evidence of increased autophagy activity.

The findings appear in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The patients did not have any toxic effects from the treatment. Previous studies of THC for the treatment of cancer have also found the therapy to be well tolerated, according to background information in journal article.

Study authors say their findings could lead to new strategies for preventing tumor growth.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500368_162-4913095.html

“Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells…These findings describe a mechanism by which THC can promote the autophagic death of human and mouse cancer cells and provide evidence that cannabinoid administration may be an effective therapeutic strategy for targeting human cancers.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673842/

 

Marijuana’s Link to Schizophrenia Debated – American News report

“With the growing use of medical marijuana to treat chronic pain and other health problems, the debate over the medical effects of the drug on the human mind continue to make their way through the medical community.

The latest salvo comes from researchers in Australia and England.  At the center of the debate is the possible relationship between marijuana (cannabis) and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Castle cites one study that indicated people with schizophrenia had a lifetime rate of cannabis exposure of 97 percent – meaning almost all of them have tried the drug.  Yet, he also notes that most people who use cannabis do not develop schizophrenia, and that many people diagnosed with schizophrenia have never used cannabis.

“Therefore, it is likely that cannabis exposure is a ‘component cause’ that interacts with other factors to ‘cause’ schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, but is neither necessary nor sufficient to do so alone,” Castle wrote.

However, the authors of the accompanying article are not as convinced that the prevailing scientific evidence proves a relationship exists between pot use and schizophrenia.”

More: http://americannewsreport.com/marijuanas-link-to-schizophrenia-debated-8817482

A false link between marijuana and mental illness

“The article published today in “Health News” makes the claim that smoking marijuana is “linked” to early onset of mental illness.

However, although the article implies some sort of cause and effect, that conclusion has no scientific basis. In fact, the authors of the study don’t even bother investigating whether marijuana use causes mental illness or if people with mental illness have a higher rate of smoking marijuana than the general public.

If marijuana caused mental illness, then cultures that have a higher rate of marijuana smoking than the U.S. should have a higher rate of mental illness. But in fact, the opposite is true. Cultures with higher rates of marijuana consumption have lower rates of mental illness than the United States. This would indicate that rather than marijuana causing mental illness, as your article implies, it is people with mental illness who are self medicating with marijuana in order to alleviate their symptoms.

This (more correct) reading of the data, however, does not fit the narrative being presented by the politicians who are making their careers by “getting tough” on marijuana smokers, nor does it fit the narrative of the manufacturers of the currently legal psychotropic drugs, like Prozac and Zoloft, who stand to lose billions of dollars if medical marijuana is legalized, and who funnel millions of dollars to those politicians who present their dubious science as fact.

Had your newspaper even taken the time to Google the Archive of General Psychiatry, you would have found that the “study” you cited was conducted by the “Genetic Risk and Outcome in Psychosis (GROUP) Investigators,” who publish only articles against medical marijuana. That alone should raise a red flag to anyone with a basic understanding of scientific research. When someone conducts numerous studies and publishes many articles that all draw the same conclusion, whether the evidence leads to that conclusion or not, the critical eye should suspect some ulterior motive at work. It’s not possible to keep an open mind when you have an axe to grind.”

William Smith, Baltimore

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-02-09/news/bs-ed-marijuana-letter-20110209_1_mental-illness-medical-marijuana-lower-rates

Cannabis/schizophrenia link questioned

“The Swiss government is questioning the results of a study showing a link between marijuana use and schizophrenia.

The Zurich University study showed a higher incidence of schizophrenia in the 1990s in the age groups most likely to use cannabis, Swissinfo said Wednesday.

“We know from other experimental studies that cannabis can cause psychosis, but we have now established a clear link to schizophrenia for the first time,” study co-author Wulf Rossler said.

Swissinfo said the Federal Health Office is questioning the report, saying the patients’ drug histories and other medical details remained unknown.

“It does not uncover the medical history of the patients, for instance the consumption of psychotic substances or other factors that could lead to psychotic illnesses,” the health office in a statement.”

http://phys.org/news104659898.html