The advocates of proposition 19, the bill that tried to legalize cannabis in California, must be turning cartwheels at the news coming out of University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. It?s especially ironic coming just a few weeks after the Federal raid and almost complete shutdown of Oaksterdam University, the privately run school in Oakland, California that teaches students how to grow and harvest the much derided herb.
A clinic trial of 30 adult patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis appears to have demonstrated its ability to reduce spasticity and pain, when compared to a placebo.
Multiple Sclerosis is a degenerative disease that affects the lining of the nerve fibers and reduces their ability to transmit properly, a little like an electrical cable with worn insulation. It can also cause ulceration on the brain. Like Parkinson?s and Alzheimer?s it?s a slow and degenerative disease, without a cure, thus the best hope for doctors is finding treatments that reduce symptoms and slow the progression.
The findings of principal investigator Jody Corey-Bloom, MD, PhD, professor of neurosciences and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at UC San Diego, and her colleagues will be published in Canadian Medical Association Journal this month.
In short, the trial was conducted by dividing the group in two parts, one half smoked placebo cannabis for three days, while the remaining half had the real thing. The scientists then swapped over the supply so the placebo group smoked the real thing and visa versa. The researchers didn?t mention whether or not anyone cheating by scoring their own supplies on top.
Cannabis truly helps multiple sclerosis sufferers
Cannabis may loosen the stiff and spastic muscles of multiple sclerosis sufferers, and not just their minds, a follow-up study has found.
The results contradict findings from the first phase of the study, where improvements seemed to be largely due to ?good moods?.
?There does seem to be evidence of some benefit from cannabis in the longer term that we didn?t anticipate in the short term study,? says John Zajicek, at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK, and one of the research team.
In 2003, Zajicek and his colleagues published results on the largest study to date of cannabinoids and MS. The trial included 630 advanced-stage MS patients who took either cannabinoid compounds or a placebo for 15 weeks.
Compared with those on placebos, patients who received active compounds said they both felt less pain and less muscle spasticity - the spasms characteristic of this neurodegenerative disease.
There have been previous studies that looked into the possibility of treating neurological conditions with cannabis, but they mainly focused on oral treatments, presumably because smoking was considered unhealthy. However, with a recent report showing that cannabis smokers are not affected nearly as badly as tobacco smokers, which has been attributed to its anti inflammatory properties, and taking into account that most people enjoy smoking cannabis far more than they do eating it, this new study makes more sense. There were also reports amongst the pot smoking community that cannabis was seen to relieve symptoms.
Researchers used what is known as the Ashford scale to better assess the intensity of muscle tone by grading resistance in range of motion and rigidity. The secondary study of pain levels was measured using a visual analogue scale. Physical performance was assessed by sending the patients on a timed walk, and they were also questioned about their ?highness? to assess cognitive function.
Corey-Bloom said :
?We found that smoked cannabis was superior to placebo in reducing symptoms and pain in patients with treatment-resistant spasticity, or excessive muscle contractions.?
Although cannabis is generally well tolerated, researchers noted the need for more wide ranging studies over longer time periods. They also commented on the reduced cognitive function on concentration and attention span, and postulate the idea of using lower doses to assess if the same medical results can be achieved with less side effects.
CANNABIS AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
An estimated 350,000 people in the United States are living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a debilitating and sometimes fatal disorder of the central nervous system. MS is the most common debilitating neurological disease of young people, often appearing between the ages of 20 and 40, affecting more women than men. Current treatment of MS is primarily symptomatic, focusing on such problems as spasticity, pain, fatigue, bladder problems and depression.
MS is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that manifests due to the immune system attacking the myelin of neurons and dendrites. As the disease progresses, normal neurotransmission is inhibited and such additional symptoms develop as: pain, spasms, spasticity, limb tremor, fatigue, and incontinence. All of the disease symptoms have a large negative impact on the quality of life of MS patients. MS most frequently presents at onset as a relapsing and remitting disorder, where symptoms come and go.
MS exacerbations appear to be caused by abnormal immune activity that causes inflammation and the destruction of myelin (the protective covering of nerve fibers) in the brain or spinal cord. After repeated attack from the immune system, nerves lose plasticity, which creates stress in nerve tissue.
This stress leaves nerve tissue vulnerable to progressive damage and death.
Although symptom-specific treatments exist, these are often associated with adverse side effects.
This has prompted many people who suffer from MS to seek alternative therapies. Cannabinoids, the active ingredients in cannabis, have demonstrated the ability to control aspects of MS disease progression.
Anecdotal reports on the self medication of cannabis to treat MS are supported by recent advances in the understanding of the biology of cannabis and the cannabinoid receptors.
Controlled studies have found that cannabis and cannabinoids can control such symptoms as pain, spasms, spasticity, and incontinence.?
The leading effects of prolonged neurodegeneration in MS cause permanent disabilities. This neurodenergation has yet to be effectively treated.
Initial neurodegeneration occurs with inflammation, cannabis and cannabinoids have been shown to have neuroprotective effects during immune attacks on the CNS.
This is the fifth cannabis study in a row from University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research to show positive results in treating neuropathic pain. We can only hope that the Feds are not planning to raid the facility for promoting an illegal drug, as they did in Oakland.
Igor Grant, MD, director of the CMCR, which provided funding for the study concluded:
?The study by Corey Bloom and her colleagues adds to a growing body of evidence that cannabis has therapeutic value for selected indications, and may be an adjunct or alternative for patients whose spasticity or pain is not optimally managed.?
###
Written by Rupert Shepherd
Provided by ArmMed Media
| ?Comments | [ + Post Your Own ]? |
Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.
There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]
slim dunkin slim dunkin will rogers ohio university ohio university keystone xl pipeline idaho potato bowl
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.