Saturday, August 17, 2013

If cannabis contributes to (this) mood elevation, should patients be deprived of it?

Dr Lester Grinspoon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For 40 years, he acted as Senior Psychiatrist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and supports the use of marijuana for a variety of ailments.


If you want to learn more about treating chronic pain with cannabis, visit this website:


If you want to learn more about the medical uses of marijuana, here are some sources:

Abrams, D. I., Jay, C. A., Shade, S. B., Vizoso, H., Reda, H., Press, S., et al. (2007). Cannabis in painful HIV-associated sensory neuropathy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Neurology, 68(7), 515-521.
Ellis, R. J., Toperoff, W., Vaida, F., van den Brande, G., Gonzales, J., Gouaux, B., et al. (2008). Smoked medicinal cannabis for neuropathic pain in HIV: a randomized, crossover clinical trial. Neuropsychopharmacology, 34(3), 672-680.
Russo, E. B. (2008). Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 4(1), 245-259.
Russo, E. B., Guy, G. W., & Robson, P. J. (2007). Cannabis, Pain, and Sleep: Lessons from Therapeutic Clinical Trials of Sativex((R)), a Cannabis-Based Medicine. Chem Biodivers, 4(8), 1729-1743.
Wallace, M., Schulteis, G., Atkinson, J. H., Wolfson, T., Lazzaretto, D., Bentley, H., et al. (2007). Dose-dependent effects of smoked cannabis on capsaicin-induced pain and hyperalgesia in healthy volunteers. Anesthesiology, 107(5), 785-796.
Additional Research
Karsak, M., Gaffal, E., Date, R., Wang-Eckhardt, L., Rehnelt, J., Petrosino, S., et al. (2007). Attenuation of allergic contact dermatitis through the endocannabinoid system. Science, 316(5830), 1494-1497.
Lynch, M. E., & Clark, A. J. (2003). Cannabis reduces opioid dose in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain. J Pain Symptom Manage, 25(6), 496-498.
Lynch, M. E., Young, J., & Clark, A. J. (2006). A case series of patients using medicinal marihuana for management of chronic pain under the Canadian Marihuana Medical Access Regulations. J Pain Symptom Manage, 32(5), 497-501.
Neff, G. W., O’Brien, C. B., Reddy, K. R., Bergasa, N. V., Regev, A., Molina, E., et al. (2002). Preliminary observation with dronabinol in patients with intractable pruritus secondary to cholestatic liver disease. Am J Gastroenterol, 97(8), 2117-2119.
Notcutt, W., Price, M., Miller, R., Newport, S., Phillips, C., Simmonds, S., et al. (2004). Initial experiences with medicinal extracts of cannabis for chronic pain: results from 34 “N of 1″ studies. Anaesthesia, 59, 440-452.
Notcutt, W. G., Sharief, M., Mutiboko, I., Hawkes, C., Bolt, J., & Sarantis, N. (2006). Cannabis based medicine (Sativex) for chronic pain due to multiple sclerosis or other neurological dysfunction: a randomised controlled trial. European Journal of Pain, (in press).
Nurmikko, T. J., Serpell, M. G., Hoggart, B., Toomey, P. J., & Morlion, B. J. (2005). A multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of oro-mucosal cannabis-based medicine in the treatment of neuropathic pain characterized by allodynia. Neurology, 64(6, Suppl. 1), A374.
Pertwee, R. G. (2001a). Cannabinoid receptors and pain. Prog Neurobiol, 63(5), 569-611.
Rog, D. J., Nurmiko, T., Friede, T., & Young, C. (2005). Randomized controlled trial of cannabis based medicine in central neuropathic pain due to multiple sclerosis. Neurology, 65(6), 812-819.
Russo, E. B. (2004). Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): Can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions? Neuroendocrinol Lett, 25(1-2), 31-39.
Russo, E. B. (2006). The role of cannabis and cannabinoids in pain management. In B. E. Cole & M. Boswell (Eds.), Weiner’s Pain Management: A Practical Guide for Clinicians.(7th ed., pp. 823-844). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Wilsey, B., Marcotte, T., Tsodikov, A., Millman, J., Bentley, H., Gouaux, B., et al. (2008). A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial of Cannabis Cigarettes in Neuropathic Pain. J Pain, 9(6):506-21.




Friday, August 9, 2013

DCIPA, UHA Need to Follow A Well Known Doctor's Lead!

Yesterday, well know doctor, Sanjay Gupta had the courage to admit he had been duped by the DEA and its war on marijuana.  After listening to the science, the good doctor realized that we have been lied to because the Schedule I designation of marijuana is not based on science.  

Our local doctors need to listen to what Dr. Gupta has to say.  It does not take a brain surgeon to understand the medical benefits of THC.  It is true that not all medical practices need to know the science behind the effective use of this medication, but we should be able to expect our local community doctors to refrain from making uninformed medical opinions and using them to drive local medical practices, like the current situation in Douglas County.

Doctors in our community need to start living up to patient expectations that their medical opinions are based on science and what is in the best interest of each patient, which includes taking into consideration patient choice.  The issue of medical marijuana is a start.  Many of the doctors in our community may have been misguided like Dr. Gupta.  If so, it seems to be good time to follow the TV doctor's lead.


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57597645/sanjay-gupta-backs-medical-marijuana-apologizes-for-previous-views/


http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/09/health/gupta-weed-reaction/index.html