Tag Archives: medicine

Synthetic and Patented Cannabinoids

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“Historically, laboratory synthesis of cannabinoids were often based on the structure of herbal cannabinoids, and a large number of analogs have been produced and tested, especially in a group led by Roger Adams as early as 1941 and later in a group led by Raphael Mechoulam.

Newer compounds are no longer related to natural cannabinoids or are based on the structure of the endogenous cannabinoids.

Synthetic cannabinoids are particularly useful in experiments to determine the relationship between the structure and activity of cannabinoid compounds, by making systematic, incremental modifications of cannabinoid molecules.

Medications containing natural or synthetic cannabinoids or cannabinoid analogs:

  • Dronabinol (Marinol), is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), used as an appetite stimulant, anti-emetic, and analgesic
  • Nabilone (Cesamet), a synthetic cannabinoid and an analog of Marinol. It is Schedule II unlike Marinol, which is Schedule III
  • Sativex, a cannabinoid extract oral spray containing THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids used for neuropathic pain and spasticity in Canada and Spain. Sativex develops whole-plant cannabinoid medicines
  • Rimonabant (SR141716), a selective cannabinoid (CB1) receptor antagonist used as an anti-obesity drug under the proprietary name Acomplia. It is also used for smoking cessation

Other notable synthetic cannabinoids include:

  • CP-55940, produced in 1974, this synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist is many times more potent than THC
  • Dimethylheptylpyran
  • HU-210, about 100 times as potent as THC
  • HU-331 a potential anti-cancer drug derived from cannabidiol that specifically inhibits topoisomerase II.
  • SR144528, a CB2 receptor antagonists
  • WIN 55, a potent cannabinoid receptor agonist
  • JWH-133, a potent selective CB2 receptor agonist
  • Levonantradol (Nantrodolum), an anti-emetic and analgesic but not currently in use in medicine”

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Synthetic-and-Patented-Cannabinoids.aspx

Marijuana component can halt brain damage – MSN

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“Extremely low doses of THC – the psychoactive component of marijuana – protects the brain from long-term cognitive damage in case of injury from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), seizures, or toxic drugs, a new study has claimed.

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.

Now, Professor Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University”s Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine in US found the drug has neuroprotective qualities as well.

Sarne”s current research, published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research, 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 jump start 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, Sarne said.

While performing experiments on the biology of cannabis, researchers found 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 behavioural 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.”

More: http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=253106176

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

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“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 marijuana component can protect brain against injury

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Low doses of marijuana component can protect brain against injury

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Though marijuana is a well-known recreational drug, extensive scientific research has been conducted on the therapeutic properties of marijuana in the last decade. 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.

Now Prof. Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University’s Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine says that the drug has neuroprotective qualities as well. 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. 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. Prof. Sarne’s current research, published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research, 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…”

More: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-doses-marijuana-component-brain-injury.html

Evidence: Cannabinoid Therapy Reduces Breast Cancer Tumors

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“Warning: Many alternative treatments are shams with zero proof. Most alternatives make claims that are not backed up by any evidence or hard empirical medical studies, are are not peer-reviewed. 
 
Peer review means your study and its claims will be vetted by a panel of the best doctors and other medical professionals in that field, for critical review. They will try to find fault in its methodology before publication and its recommendations for possible human treatment.
 
For any cannabis-based study strong enough to stand up to this critical review, and for it to be published in a major journal within such a field as cancer research, is incredible. That’s exactly how strong the evidence for cannabis medicine is starting to become.
 
Imagine that. This plant, this “great friend of humanity” which has helped us survive by giving early humans food, fuel, fiber and medicine, and who ancient healers wrote about in 6000 B.C., more than 8,000 years ago, is now coming back to prove itself and to help save us again.
 
And this time we are starting to find the evidence to back up the claims made for this plant over the centuries…”
 

Marijuana Unlikely to Cause Head, Neck, or Lung Cancer – WebMD

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“Marijuana, unlike tobacco and alcohol, does not appear to cause head, neck, or lung cancer, says a researcher from Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore who presented findings from a study here recently at a meeting of internal medicine physicians.

There has been an ongoing debate about whether marijuana is as dangerous as tobacco in terms of cancer development. Daniel E. Ford, MD, tried to sort out the evidence by the lifestyles — including marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol use — of 164 persons who were newly diagnosed with head, neck, or lung cancer compared to a group of 526 healthy persons living in the same area. The average age of patients was 49, while the average age of the healthy volunteers was 44. The cancer patients were all treated at four Baltimore-area hospitals, and the “controls” (healthy comparison group) were selected from a large group of people living in the Baltimore area who had been participating in an ongoing study. Ford tells WebMD that he wanted to find out whether the cancer patients were more likely to smoke marijuana or tobacco or to drink than were the healthy volunteers.

According to Ford, he thought he would find an association between marijuana use and cancer, but “that the association would fall away when we corrected for tobacco use. That was not the case. The association was never there.” And that surprised him because of the way marijuana is smoked: deep inhalations, with the smoke held in for effect. “It seemed natural that there would be some connection,” he tells WebMD.

Based on these findings, Ford says that cancer prevention efforts should “remain focused on tobacco and alcohol, two known carcinogens.””

More: http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20000508/marijuana-unlikely-to-cause-cancer

Update from WebMD:

“Pot Smoking Not Linked to Lung Cancer

Study Shows No Increased Risk for Even the Heaviest Marijuana Smokers.
 
People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer, new research suggests.While a clear increase in cancercancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.Even very heavy, long-term marijuana users who had smoked more than 22,000 joints over a lifetime seemed to have no greater risk than infrequent marijuana users or nonusers.”

More: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20060523/pot-smoking-not-linked-to-lung-cancer

Tommy Chong is cancer-free

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“Comedian and stoner icon TOMMY CHONG is celebrating after he was declared cancer-free. The Cheech & Chong star revealed last June (12) that he was suffering with stage one prostate cancer, but he decided against traditional medicine to treat the disease and instead opted to overhaul his diet and lifestyle.”

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 “Chong has now told fans he has overcome the cancer, and opened up about how he treated the condition.

In a blog post on CelebStoner.com, he writes, “After I came out with the news last June that a cancer doctor told me I had prostrate cancer and suggested a high frequency treatment that is not approved in America and could only be done in Mexico at the cost of $25,000, I immediately looked at alternatives. I contacted my nephew in Vancouver, who was about to become a doctor, and he suggested I meet with a Dr. McKinnon in Victoria, BC (British Columbia).

“That doctor changed my diet and put me on supplements, and within a year I brought my PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) numbers down drastically and eliminated the cancer threat. I also treated the condition with hemp oil (hash oil). With the diet, the supplements and the hash oil, plus a session with a world-renowned healer, Adam Dreamhealer, I’m cancer-free. That’s right, I kicked cancer’s a**! So the magic plant does cure cancer with the right diet and supplements. I’m due for another blood test, MRI, etc., but I feel the best I’ve felt in years.””

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/entertainment/celebrity/Tommy-Chong-is-cancerfree_42071723

Comedian Tommy Chong fighting prostate cancer – CNN

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“(CNN) — Tommy Chong, one-half of the marijuana-loving “Cheech and Chong” comedy duo, is battling prostate cancer, he announced Saturday on CNN.

Having first noticed symptoms about eight years ago while incarcerated for selling drug paraphernalia, Chong said he was diagnosed “about a month ago.” He revealed his condition in an interview about his support for decriminalizing marijuana use and sales.

“I’ve got prostate cancer, and I’m treating it with hemp oil, with cannabis,” he told CNN’s Don Lemon. “So (legalizing marijuana) means a lot more to me than just being able to smoke a joint without being arrested.”

Chong described the cancer “as a slow stage one (that I’ve) had for a long time.” He said that he was drug free for about three years, during which time he began having prostate-related problems. 

“So I know it had nothing to do with cannabis,” he said. “Cannabis is a cure.”

He and his on-screen partner Cheech Marin recorded a series of hot-selling comedy albums in the early 1970s, before hitting the big screen in 1978 with “Up in Smoke.” It was the first of several “Cheech and Chong” films chronicling the adventures and misadventures of the stoner pair. The two continue to tour as a comedic act, with shows scheduled for later this month and the fall, according to their official website.

Besides the “Cheech and Chong” films, Chong has appeared in several TV series, such as “That 70’s Show.” He’s authored several books including “The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint” about his “family business” specializing in handmade bongs, arrest and nine months in federal prison, according to his and Marin’s website.

Chong, 74, explained to CNN that he doesn’t smoke marijuana, which he said he’d quit about a year ago “for health reasons,” to treat his prostate cancer. Rather, he said the ingests the hemp oil “at night, so I won’t be woozy all day.”

“I’m taking it as a medicine,” he said.” 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/09/showbiz/chong-prostate-cancer

Medical Marijuana Patient Clayton Holton Tells His Story.

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“Clayton Holton uses marijuana to help fight Muscular Dystrophy. Help convince the New Hampshire legislature protect patients like Clayton!”

 

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQS3KEGtdBI

“Clayton Holton, 27, suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disorder characterized by degeneration of muscle tissue. This illness manifested itself in early childhood and robbed him of his ability to walk at age 10.  Clayton knows DMD will eventually claim his life, so the purpose of treatment is to keep him alive and help him enjoy a decent quality of life for as long as possible.

Clayton first experienced serious painkillers at age 16 when his wheelchair was struck by a car. The doctors gave him Vicodin. “I blacked out for a day and a half, and I don’t remember any of it,” he explained.

Soon after the wheelchair accident, Clayton tried marijuana as a substitute for Vicodin. The effects were entirely positive. Clayton was able to dramatically reduce his intake of painkillers, and as an added bonus, he found that marijuana took the edge off his anxiety and depression, stimulated his appetite, and helped him maintain a healthier weight.

In December, 2007, Clayton weighed less than 80 pounds.  He was living in a rest home and forced to use Oxycontin rather than marijuana to treat his pain.  Fortunately, in 2008 Clayton was able to visit California for an extended period of time; while there, he had access to high quality marijuana grown for medical use.  As a result, Clayton gained 8 pounds in a few months’ time and was able to stop relying on many of his prescription drugs.

Now that Clayton is back in his home state of New Hampshire, he is forced to use whatever marijuana he is able to procure via the black market.  To make matters worse, the government of his state considers him a common criminal for trying to treat his pain and stimulate his appetite.  He must choose between risking arrest and jail or relieving his suffering. If arrested, Clayton could face up to a year in jail simply for possessing the medicine that helps him live.”

More: http://nhcompassion.org/clayton_holton

“Sign this Petition to Help Medical Cannabis Patients. Here’s the petition, and here are Clayton’s own words on why you should sign it:

Because my weight is down to 63 pounds, and there are many other patients like me who can’t afford to wait.

As a 28-year-old battling muscular dystrophy, I’ve been fighting for my life since I lost my ability to walk at age 13.

I know from personal experience that medical marijuana works for me, having spent a summer in California several years ago. In the months that I was able to use it legally, I gained more than 10 pounds and was able to stop taking prescription pain medicines altogether. There is no cure for my condition, but medical marijuana relieves my pain and stimulates my appetite, dramatically improving my quality of life when I’m able to use it.

I have been asking New Hampshire legislators to allow patients like me to use medical marijuana for nearly a decade, and it finally appears that a medical marijuana bill is going to pass this year. Unfortunately, it appears this law may not be of any benefit to patients like me who are fighting for our lives.

HB 573, which passed overwhelmingly with over 80% support in the House, allows patients to access medical marijuana from one of five state-regulated alternative treatment centers or grow up to three cannabis plants for their own use. The House version of the bill also includes an affirmative defense that patients could raise in court so that they won’t be thrown in jail during the 19 months it will take for the health department to begin issuing ID cards.

The home grow option and full affirmative defense are very important because a patient or caregiver would be able to start growing this summer rather than waiting until at least 2015 for legal protections and access. Sadly, bowing to pressure from the police chiefs’ association, Gov. Maggie Hassan has now insisted that home cultivation be removed from the bill, meaning that patients will have no choice but to buy marijuana from criminals. Her administration also requested changes gutting the affirmative defense so that patients would have no legal protections at all until ID cards are available in late 2014 or early 2015.

This means patients will continue to suffer without legal access to marijuana and with no legal protections. Frankly, I do not expect to live another two years, so for me, this may as well be a death sentence.

Patients in Maine, Vermont, and lots of other states are allowed to cultivate their own plants, and many states have provided protections for patients while regulations are being crafted. Patients like me are NOT criminals, and we should be free to grow our own medicine in the “Live Free or Die” state. Please sign our petition and tell Gov. Hassan patients can’t afford to wait!

Additionally, please call her office at 603-271-2121 and let her know how you feel about this!”

More: http://freekeene.com/2013/05/24/sign-this-petition-to-help-medical-cannabis-patients/ 

Marijuana: The next diabetes drug? – CNN

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“Toking up may help marijuana users to stay slim and lower their risk of developing diabetes, according to the latest study, which suggests that cannabis compounds may help in controlling blood sugar.”

Marijuana may help control blood sugar and help users stay slimmer, researchers say.
 

“Although marijuana has a well-deserved reputation for increasing appetite via what stoners call “the munchies,” the new research, which was published in the American Journal of Medicine, is not the first to find that the drug has a two-faced relationship to weight.

Three prior studies have shown that marijuana users are less likely to be obese, have a lower risk for diabetes and have lower body-mass-index measurements. And these trends occurred despite the fact that they seemed to take in more calories. Why?”

Read more:http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/health/time-marijuana-diabetes/index.html