Tag Archives: marijuana

Marijuana Helps 6-Year Old Beat Severe Seizures, Replaces Pharmaceuticals

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“Marijuana Replaces 22 Different Anti-Seizures Pills, Helps Prevent Seizures

As if the medical marijuana industry wasn’t controversial enough—with opponents arguing it encourages drug addiction and crime and supporters citing years of research to the contrary—there are now children benefiting from it. While there are several cases across the country of children being given various forms of cannabis to treat disease and illness, the case of 6-year old Jayden David is getting a particularly heavy dose of attention, where marijuana helped the boy beat severe epileptic seizures.”
 
 

Father successfully treats son’s epilepsy with medical cannabis (marijuana)

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“A California father’s desperate quest to find a viable solution to his young son’s rare form of epilepsy has led him to incredible success in medicinal marijuana. The Los Angeles Times (LAT) reports that Jason David’s son Jayden now functions normally, eats solid food, and takes only four prescription medications for his condition rather than the 22 he had been takingprior to starting the cannabis protocol.Young Jayden suffers from an extremely rare, and potentially fatal, epileptic condition known as Dravet syndrome that is categorized as a “catastrophic form of intractable epilepsy.” For Jayden, symptoms of the condition have included things like intense “grand mal” seizure fits, continuous muscle twitching, inability to respond to or interact with others, difficulty chewing, and frequent screaming episodes.

According to Jayden’s father Jason, Jayden had spent most of his life either sleeping or seizing, which put incredible strain on the family as it unsuccessfully tried using prescription drug after prescription drug to at least ease Jayden’s symptoms. But Jayden’s condition only got progressively worse in response to pharmaceuticals, which led Jason to actually consider committing suicide as he says he simply could no longer bear watching his son suffer in this horrific way.

After praying intensely about the situation and meeting with their local religious congregation for guidance; however, the Davids stumbled upon medical marijuana, and particularly cannabidiol (CBD), one of the many cannabinoid compounds naturally found in certain varieties of marijuana. Following a period of heavy research into the history and effectiveness of CBD, Jason decided it was worth giving the treatment a try with his son — and upon doing so, the Davids observed an almost immediate improvement in Jayden’s condition.” 

 

Medical Marijuana Looked Like This In The 19th Century

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“Well before the start of Marijuana’s official prohibition (1937!), the bountiful health benefits of Cannabis were apparent to those with any sense. Especially Doctors and Indians and Indian Doctors. Doctors and Indians in the 19th century loved to use weed–and all drugs–as part of their magical cures.”

Weed - Medical Marijuana Looked Like This In The 19th Century

“Based on the images shared by io9, the buds powers has deep roots, it’s one of an assortment of hazardous drugs used as medicine in the pre-Dabistoric days. These ones of “weed” in medical, liquid form stood out as just more, ancient proof that Marijuana is simply Medicine.”

More: http://www.marijuana.com/news/2013/05/medical-marijuana-looked-like-this-in-the-19th-century/

Cannabis by product helps reduce effects of Parkinson disease medication

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“Researchers from Brazil’s prestigious University of Sao Paulo have discovered that marihuana contains substances which can help ease the collateral effects of medicines prescribed to patients suffering from Parkinson disease.”

Brazilian researchers have tested the positive effects of canabiodiol 

“Six patients with Parkinson were given during a whole month small doses of “canabiodiol” one of the 400 substances in marihuana, following which encouraging results were confirmed according to scientists from the Riberao Preto Medicine School from the SP University.

“Patients with Parkinson developed improvements in their sleeping alterations, in their psychotic symptoms and could even reduce their trembling” said psychiatrist Jose Alexander Crippa, Neuro-sciences Department professor.

The paper on the discovery was published last November and next year an additional paper with test results on the anxiolytic effects of “canabiodiol” in patients with obsession and compulsion disorders will be released.

A group of voluntary patients with obsessive and compulsive conducts were medicated with the substance 70 minutes before facing situations that forced them into anxiety fits, and “improvements were evident”.”

http://en.mercopress.com/2009/12/30/cannabis-by-product-helps-reduce-effects-of-parkinson-disease-medication

New Study: Cannabinoids Protect the Brain and Heart From Injury

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“Cannabis is in the news again for its purported medicinal benefits, with researchers in Israel last week indicating it may help prevent trauma to the brain in certain circumstances and may also help with cardiac problems. A few months ago an English pharmaceutical company that manufactures cannabinoids announced it was developing a new treatment for epilepsy using them.”

Los Angeles City Council Votes To Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

“Prof. Yosef Sarne in the Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Tel Aviv University says that cannabis has neuro-protective qualities. He has found that extremely low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC- the psychoactive component of marijuana- can protect the brain from long-term cognitive damage in the wake of injury from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), seizures, or toxic drugs.”

More: http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2013/06/09/new-study-cannabinoids-protect-the-brain-and-heart-from-injury/

GW Pharmaceuticals: Giving New Meaning To ‘High Potential’

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“GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) is an UK-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of cannabinoid-based products for a wide range of indications. GW has established a technology platform based on genetically modified cannabis plants and has become a leader in plant-derived cannabinoid therapeutics.

 GW’s lead program is Sativex, a cannabis extract based oromucosal spray whose main actives are the cannabinoids delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabidiol (CBD). It is approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) spasticity in 21 countries outside of the U.S and already marketed in seven countries (eight following Italian launch in Q213).

…While MS spasticity has provided proof-of-concept in the worldwide approvability of Sativex, a more meaningful commercial opportunity is in the treatment of opioid-refractory cancer pain. Sativex has been tested in two Phase II trials in cancer pain. The trials have demonstrated that Sativex is safe and effective when used in addition to opioids in patients whose cancer pain is not sufficiently managed by opioids alone. Based on these results, GW has initiated three Phase III trials. The first two are expected to complete during 2014 and support an FDA filing.”

More: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1490392-gw-pharmaceuticals-giving-new-meaning-to-high-potential

Marijuana Spray Proves Effective as Cancer Pain Treatment

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“A mouth spray containing cannabinoids is effective in reducing pain in cancer patients who are still in pain despite using opioid medicines, according to a new study published in The Journal of Pain.”

 
“The oral mucosal spray known as nabixmols, which is marketed under the trade name Sativex, contains a formulation of cannabinoids, marijuana’s most active ingredients.”
 

More: http://americannewsreport.com/nationalpainreport/marijuana-spray-proves-effective-as-cancer-pain-treatment-8814518.html

Marijuana Derivative May Offer Hope in Cocaine Addiction – TIME

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“A new study in mice has found that activating a receptor affected by marijuana can dramatically reduce cocaine consumption. The research suggests that new anti-addiction drugs might be developed using synthetic versions of cannabidiol (CBD), the marijuana component that activates the receptor—or even by using the purified natural compound itself.

Researchers formerly believed that the receptor, known as CB2, was not found in the brain and that therefore CBD had no psychoactive effects. But a growing body of research suggests otherwise. After THC, CBD is the second most prevalent active compound in marijuana.”

More: http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/26/marijuana-derivative-may-offer-hope-in-cocaine-addiction/

Could Marijuana Treat Schizophrenia?

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“Researchers find cannabidiol is as effective as standard antipsychotic drugs—with fewer side effects.”

A compound found in marijuana can help treat schizophrenia as effectively as standard antipsychotic drugs—and with fewer side effects—according to the results of a new clinical trial, reports The Fix columnist Maia Szalavitz in Time. Researchers at University of Cologne in Germany studied 39 people with schizophrenia, all hospitalized for a psychotic episode. Twenty of the patients were given cannabidiol (CBD), a substance found in marijuana that is associated with its mellowing, anti-anxiety effects (not THC—the main ingredient in marijuana, which has been found to worsen schizophrenia). The other participants were given amisulpride, an antipsychotic medication. At the end of the four-week trial, both groups showed significant clinical improvement in their schizophrenic symptoms. “The results were amazing,” says Daniele Piomelli, professor of pharmacology at the University of California-Irvine and a co-author of the study. “Not only was [CBD] as effective as standard antipsychotics, but it was also essentially free of the typical side effects seen with antipsychotic drugs.” Antipsychotic medications can cause serious, sometimes permanent movement disorders and other side effects such as weight gain and movement problems. In the study, these side effects were observed in those taking amisulpride, but not in those taking CBD. “These exciting findings should stimulate a great deal of research,” says Dr. John Krystal, chair of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, who was not associated with the study. He noted that CBD, in addition to having fewer side effects, also seemed to work better on schizophrenia’s negative symptoms, which are notoriously difficult to treat, including: social withdrawal, blunting of pleasure, and lack of motivation.”

http://www.thefix.com/content/pot-compound-treats-schizophrenia-few-side-effects91717

Marijuana tied to better blood sugar control – NBC

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“People who had used marijuana in the past month had smaller waists and lower levels of insulin resistance – a diabetes precursor – than those who never tried the drug, in a new study.

The findings, based on surveys and blood tests of about 4,700 U.S. adults, aren’t enough to prove marijuana keeps users thin or wards off disease. And among current pot smokers, higher amounts of marijuana use weren’t linked to any added health benefits, researchers reported in The American Journal of Medicine.

“These are preliminary findings,” said Dr. Murray Mittleman, who worked on the study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

“It looks like there may be some favorable effects on blood sugar control, however a lot more needs to be done to have definitive answers on the risks and potential benefits of marijuana usage.”

Although pot smoking is a well-known cause of “the munchies,” some previous studies have found marijuana users tend to weigh less than other people, and one suggested they have a lower rate of diabetes. Trials in mice and rats hint that cannabis and cannabinoid receptors may influence metabolism.”

More: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51981899