“There is increasing debate about cannabis use for medical purposes, including for symptomatic treatment of chronic pain. We investigated patterns and correlates of cannabis use in a large community sample of people who had been prescribed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain.
Cannabis use for pain relief purposes appears common among people living with chronic non-cancer pain, and users report greater pain relief in combination with opioids than when opioids are used alone.”
“The field of pain medicine is at a crossroads given the epidemic of addiction and overdose deaths from prescription opioids. Cannabis and its active ingredients, cannabinoids, are a much safer therapeutic option.
Despite being slowed by legal restrictions and stigma, research continues to show that when used appropriately, cannabis is safe and effective for many forms of chronic pain and other conditions, and has no overdose levels.
Current literature indicates many chronic pain patients could be treated with cannabis alone or with lower doses of opioids.
To make progress, cannabis needs to be re-branded as a legitimate medicine and rescheduled to a more pharmacologically justifiable class of compounds.
This paper discusses the data supporting re-branding and rescheduling of cannabis.”
“The administration of µ-opioid receptor (MOR), δ-opioid receptor (DOR), and cannabinoid 2 receptor (CB2R) agonists attenuates inflammatory pain.
We investigated whether treatment with the heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin IX (CoPP), could modulate the local effects and expression of MOR, DOR, or CB2R during chronic inflammatory pain…
This study shows that the HO-1 inducer (CoPP) increased the local antinociceptive effects of MOR, DOR, and CB2R agonists during inflammatory pain by altering the peripheral expression of MOR and DOR.
Therefore, the coadministration of CoPP with local morphine, DPDPE, or JWH-015 may be a good strategy for the management of chronic inflammatory pain.”
“Chronic neuropathic pain is often refractory to standard pharmacological treatments.
Although growing evidence supports the use of inhaled cannabis for neuropathic pain, the lack of standard inhaled dosing plays a major obstacle in cannabis becoming a “main stream” pharmacological treatment for neuropathic pain.
The objective of this study was to explore the pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerability, efficacy, and ease of use of a novel portable thermal-metered-dose inhaler (tMDI) for cannabis in a cohort of eight patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain and on a stable analgesic regimen including medicinal cannabis…
This trial suggests the potential use of the Syqe Inhaler device as a smokeless delivery system of medicinal cannabis, producing a Δ9-THC pharmacokinetic profile with low interindividual variation of Cmax, achieving pharmaceutical standards for inhaled drugs.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25118789
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/neuropathic-pain/
“Resistance exercise (RE) is also known as strength training, and it is performed to increase the strength and mass of muscles, bone strength, and metabolism. RE has been increasingly prescribed for pain relief. However, the endogenous mechanisms underlying this antinociceptive effect are still largely unexplored. Thus, we investigated the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in RE-induced antinociception…
The present study suggests that a single session of RE activates the endocannabinoid system to induce antinociception.”
“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-based medications have been demonstrated to relieve pain.
Cannabis medications can be used in patients whose symptoms are not adequately alleviated by conventional treatment.
The clinical effect of the various cannabis-based medications rests primarily on activation of endogenous cannabinoid receptors.
Consumption of therapeutic amounts by adults does not lead to irreversible cognitive impairment.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120807101232.htm
“Medical cannabis effective painkiller” http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Supplements/medical_cannabis_effective_painkiller_0621140829.html
“The medicinal power of Marijuana is well documented throughtout history
Back in 2700 BC, According to Chinese lore, the Emperor Shen Nung, considered the Father of Chinese medicine, in 2700 BC ,discovered the healing properties of Marijuana as well as Ginseng and Ephedra.
Throughout recorded history, the use of Medical Marijuana has been linked to the ancient Egyptians, Persians, Greek civilizations, George Washington, Queen Victoria and even mainstream medicine by the 1840s.
From the 1850s to Y 1942, Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia, an official public standards-setting authority for all prescription and over-the counter medicines, as a treatment for tetanus, cholera, rabies, dysentery, alcoholism, opiate addiction, convulsive disorders, insanity, excessive menstrual bleeding and many other health problems. My father was a Dental doctor and had a license to dispense the drug, pharmacies carried it back then.
During that same time frame prohibition gained popularity, that along with a growing “faith” in federal government.
By Y 1937, the United States passed its 1st federal law against Marijuana despite objections by the American Medical Association (AMA).
In fact, Dr. William C. Woodward, testifying on behalf of the AMA, told the US Congress:
“The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that Marijuana is a dangerous drug.”
He warned that a prohibition “loses sight of the fact that future investigation may show that there are substantial medical uses for Cannabis.”
Today, we see a growing trend of acceptance of Marijuana for its medicinal purposes.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, reversed his Y 2009 opinion against Marijuana when he said, “We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 yrs in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that.”
Now people including lawmakers are seeing the legalization of Marijuana in states like Colorado and Washington for “recreational” purposes. Most Americans are in favor of Medical Marijuana, and the legalization of this drug.
The Big Q: why does the federal government want to ban its usage?
The Big A: it is all about control and money, and there is a major market for it, plus it poses a major threat to the pharmaceutical industry.
Below are just a few of the many health benefits associated with Medical Marijuana:
1. It can stop HIV from spreading throughout the body.
2. It slows the progression of Alzheimer’s.
3. It slows the spread of cancer cells.
4. It is an active pain reliever.
5. It can prevent or help with opiate addiction.
6. It combats depression, anxiety and ADHD.
7. It can treat epilepsy and Tourette’s.
8. It can help with other neurological damage, such as concussions and strokes.
9. It can prevent blindness from glaucoma.
10. Its connected to lower insulin levels in diabetics.
Contrary to popular notions, many patients experience health benefits from Medical Marijuana without “getting stoned.””
http://www.livetradingnews.com/medical-marijuana-helps-cure-chronic-disease-55569.htm#.U6VjgZRX-uY
“Although cannabinoids have been used for millennia for treating pain and other symptoms, their mechanisms of action remain obscure.
With the heralded identification of multiple G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediating cannabinoid effects nearly two decades ago, the mystery of cannabinoid pharmacology was thought to be solved…
Despite the wealth of information on cannabinoid-induced peripheral antihyperalgesic and antinociceptive effects in many pain models, the molecular mechanism(s) for these actions remains unknown.
Although metabotropic cannabinoid receptors have important roles in many pharmacological actions of cannabinoids, recent studies have led to the recognition of a family of at least five ionotropic cannabinoid receptors (ICRs). The known ICRs are members of the family of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and include TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV4, TRPM8 and TRPA1.
Cannabinoid activation of ICRs can result in desensitization of the TRPA1 and TRPV1 channel activities, inhibition of nociceptors and antihyperalgesia and antinociception in certain pain models.
Thus, cannabinoids activate both metabotropic and ionotropic mechanisms to produce peripheral analgesic effects.”