Alternative Drug Therapy Approach Alleviates Cerebral Palsy Symptoms and Muscle Spasticity

Alternative Drug Therapy Approach Alleviates Cerebral Palsy Symptoms and Muscle Spasticity

Statistics based on medical research indicate that nearly 90% of cerebral palsy is related to brain injury that occurs because of no progressive disturbances (such as oxygen deprivation) during pregnancy. This results in the damage of brain cells that are responsible for muscle movement and control as well as other brain cell types. This condition varies in its severity depending on the treatment and therapy recommended by doctors and medical practitioners. Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder that affects the development of movement and posture permanently, that limits physical activity and it is often accompanied by epilepsy, disturbances of cognition, communication, behavior, perception and secondary musculoskeletal problems. Treatment using medical marijuana seems to alleviate the symptoms of different types of cerebral palsy.

Exposure to some viruses belonging to herpes group B and infections of the urinary and reproductive tract are known to double the risk of developing Cerebral Palsy in a preterm delivery. Less common cases of the problem occur due to lead poisoning, head injuries, and viral infections that occur very early in life. Though the condition is chronic, it is not a progressive condition and one of the most common types where there is excess muscle tone is the spastic type.

Medical Marijuana based drug therapy when administered at early stages and on an ongoing basis seems promising in reducing a majority of the disabilities associated with cerebral palsy. Treatment using cannabis seems to alleviate the symptoms of different types of palsy such as athletic cerebral palsy that leads to involuntary and uncontrolled movements in the affected muscles and ataxic cerebral palsy where children are extremely unsteady and shaky because the brain cells responsible for the sense of balance and depth perception are affected.

Those afflicted with cerebral palsy also benefit immensely from regular and early physical, speech, behavioral, and occupational therapy that can help them lead productive, independent, happy, and healthy lives. A combination of MMJ and these therapies can also help patients who develop resistance or addiction to other prescribed medications that also lead to heavy sedation.

The cannabinoid component in marijuana help patients reduces the spasticity in their muscles because the cannabinoids bind with the cannabinoid receptors in the body. This triggers the release of chemicals that act as muscle relaxants. This is the proposed mechanism that offers relief of spastic muscle control. Numerous medical cases where patients born with severe cognitive delays, epilepsy, total blindness and cerebral palsy have experienced and have reported various levels of relief with medical marijuana.

Why Is Chronic Pain The Most Prevalent Reason For Seeking a Medical Card?

Why Is Chronic Pain The Most Prevalent Reason For Seeking a Medical Card?

In the current era, there is a push towards individual states legalizing marijuana for medicinal use. At this point, 16 states plus the District of Columbia have legalized it and there are over 10 more states with it on the imminent horizon. Federally, it remains illegal and a Schedule 1 narcotic.

One of the ubiquitous reasons for legalizing medicinal marijuana is the debilitating condition of chronic pain. This is the number one reason in every state that has it legalized for usage, and in some states it is the overwhelming favorite. Why?

First of all, let us look at the sheer numbers for chronic pain. The Institute of Medicine came out with a recent study showing that over 100 million Americans (1/3 of the population) suffers from some sort of chronic pain. The cost exceeds $500 billion dollars annually between direct cost, lost work time, disability, etc. It's a mind blowing statistic.

There are two well known types of treatment for chronic pain that exist in the US - traditional and alternative. Traditional includes those treatments that are mainstream, typically reimbursed by insurance, and have significant peer reviewed research backing up their usage. Also traditional treatments often have FDA approval for their use, but not always.

Alternative treatments are those that are not typically reimbursed by insurance, and may not have a lot of research backing them up. This does not demean their potential efficacy for chronic pain, especially when used in conjunction with traditional treatments. It is simply a way of categorizing the two. Some alternative methods include holistic, naturopathic, acupuncture, biofeedback, herbal, and some still include chiropractic and massage in this category. This is changing as more insurance reimburse for them along with more research being available.

Patients end up with chronic pain for innumerable reasons. It could be a failed back surgery that only got rid of 20% of a patient's pain, or a condition such as peripheral neuropathy that has no surgical answer. A patient may have scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis that entail diffuse pain that may or may not be responsive to narcotic medications.

One ubiquitous issue that is seen with chronic pain is narcotics. Most patients, if they are legitimate hard working individuals, despise taking narcotics. They hate having to take more to get the same pain relief (tolerance), and want to be productive, pain free, and able to stay away from a mind altering and addictive substance to do it.

It is not a bad thing to see such a large number of chronic pain patients turning to an alternative method of pain relief, medicinal marijuana. The only bad part about it is when illegitimate patients start using it (think the 18 year old faking back pain to get a medical marijuana card). The incidence of this happening is a very small number of the total.

With the sheer numbers of patients in the US with chronic pain, and the variety of reasons as to why these patients got to that point, means the pool of applicants for medicinal marijuana cards will be much deeper than the other reasons. Giving them an option that is non-addictive, natural, and legal will open up an avenue of hope and optimism than continuing the negativism of narcotic addiction and despair.

The Distressing Problem of Urinary Incontinence Will No Longer Diminish the Quality of Life

The Distressing Problem of Urinary Incontinence Will No Longer Diminish the Quality of Life

A loss of bladder control that may occur due to several biological factors such as primary polydipsia, central or nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, polyuria, etc. is referred to as UI or urinary incontinence. While polyuria usually causes increases the frequency and urgency to urinate, it does not necessarily lead to urinary incontinence.

Colas, caffeine, and other stimulate the bladder. In men over the age of 40, an enlarged prostate or sometimes, even prostate cancer may be responsible for this condition. Radiation and certain types of drugs can also cause incontinence.

Many clinical trials conducted recently indicate that medical cannabis based cannabinoid therapy may reduce the incidence of the distressing, embarrassing, and rather common problem of urinary incontinence. This disorder has a profound impact on the overall quality of life and though it is a treatable medical condition, the underlying embarrassment discourages and prevents people from reporting this problem to medical practitioners.

There are several other diseases such as spina bifida, MS (Multiple Sclerosis), Parkinson's disease as well as spinal cord injury and strokes that may interfere with the function of the nerves in the bladder, thereby leading to an involuntary leakage of urine. These diseases trigger nerve damage, weaken the bladder muscles, and cause inflammation.

More than 1 in 10 Americans over 65 years of age are known to suffer from incontinence and women suffer a lot more than men with this problem. Investigators at Oxford's Centre for Enablement in Britain reported in the February 2003 issue of the journal Clinical Rehabilitation that compared to placebo in patients suffering from MS and spinal cord injury, self-administered doses of whole plant cannabinoid extracts dramatically improved bladder control. These initial findings were followed up by investigators at London's Institute for Neurology in a pilot and open-label study of medical cannabis or MMJ extracts for bladder dysfunction. A group of 15 patients with advanced multiple sclerosis were tested for the effect that medical marijuana had on their symptoms of urinary incontinence.

Investigators reported that following this cannabinoid based therapy; patients noticed that there was a significant decrease in the number, urgency, and volume of incontinence episodes. Additionally, their problem of nocturia and the overall frequency of the episodes also declined to a great extent. The study concluded that medical cannabis based extracts are not only safe but also an effective treatment method for patients with advanced MS who suffered from urinary incontinence and other problems. The results of this study were confirmed in a randomized, multi-center, placebo-controlled trial in 2006 involving 630 patients who were given oral doses of THC or medical marijuana extracts.

Medical researchers reported that from baseline to the end of treatment, the test subjects experienced as much as a thirty eight percent reduction in incontinence episodes. A 33 percent reduction in the severity of the same symptoms was observed in patients who were administered THC. The clinical effect of cannabis in helping patients cope with their symptoms of incontinence was clearly established. At the 2006 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, preclinical data presented also indicated that cannabis analogs can decrease bladder over-activity and bladder inflammation in animals significantly. Following these reports and the data collected, experts are now recommending the use of cannabinoids as potential 'second-line' agents for treating the problem of urinary incontinence in humans.

How To Find Medical Marijuana In Tucson

How To Find Medical Marijuana In Tucson

It was welcome news to many residents in Arizona when proposition 203 was passed in Nov. of 2011. Arizona joined California, Colorado and several other states when it passed a law giving qualified patients the right to consume, cultivate and utilize medicinal marijuana. In order to become qualified, you need to get a marijuana program certification from a Doctor.

You can find several certification centers open for business in Tucson. Just be on-guard of the costs. I paid $100 Dr.'s fee and $150 to the State of Arizona for program registration but have heard of places that are gouging new patients with high service prices. Don't bite. It should not cost more than what I've already written about.

You will have to submit a photo for your card (my Dr. took my picture and emailed it to me with her!), then proceed with the registration process.

My acceptance email notification from Arizona's Department of Health Medical Marijuana Program came within a couple of hours. Once you have confirmation, you're good to go. Just keep your paperwork handy until your card arrives in the mail.

OPTIONS FOR OBTAINING MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Now that you have a card, you definitely want to use another source of meds other than your old black market street-dealer. As a card holder in Tucson you have a couple of options, but staying legal and avoiding legal problems is in and of itself a good way to go.

Nowadays (May 2012), you can tap into the growing patient-to-patient networks that exist in Tucson. The best and most reliable networks for sharing medicinal marijuana, edibles, cookies and candies are Med-Link Mobile and A.B.C. Arizona's Best Caregivers. You can find links at the bottom of this article.

Craigslist is also another source for making patient-to-patient connections so that you can potentially open the door for better selection and variety from the various patient-to-patient medical marijuana networks in Tucson.

Another option is to cultivate the medical marijuana in Tucson yourself. You can grow up to 12 plants somewhere in your house if it's locked and it's away from kids. If you don't have the room, time or interest to cultivate and grow your own medical marijuana, then you can exercise your option to have an Arizona Medical Marijuana Program Registered Caregiver grow it for you. This is usually somebody you know who is also a patient. This opens the door for some nice patient-to-patient strain growing sharing and variety in meds.

ELIMINATING YOUR DEPENDENCY ON TUCSON'S BLACK MARKET

Other than utilizing a patient-to-patient network like Med-Link Mobile to find medical marijuana in Tucson or growing cannabis yourself, your options are limited. The good news is that you can obtain medical marijuana safely and without worry of getting into legal trouble. You can call Med-Link Mobile/A.B.C. Arizona's Best Caregivers in Tucson and join a conscientious and caring group of growers, caregivers and patients.

Alternative Medicine: A Hot Topic in Massachusetts General Election

Alternative Medicine: A Hot Topic in Massachusetts General Election

This November, millions of Americans will vote in what is sure to be one of the landmark elections of our time. With weighty issues like the economy, the disappearing middle class, and LGBT rights being weighed in the Presidential election, other issues are still being played out in the more localized state elections. One of the most interesting local elections will be a proposed bill in Massachusetts to legalize medical marijuana.

After gathering the necessary number of signatures to include the bill in the November elections, the paperwork was filed at the Secretary of State's office on July 3rd.

A vote of "yes" would enact the proposed law eliminating state criminal and civil penalties related to the medical use of marijuana by patients meeting certain conditions. The drug will be produced and distributed by new state-regulated centers. In specific hardship cases, qualified patients will be allowed to grow their own marijuana for personal medical use.

What does this mean for prospective medical marijuana patients in Massachusetts should the bill pass? It means the Bay State will be open to the service of medical marijuana doctors and dispensaries. The bill allows up to 35 dispensaries throughout Massachusetts, capping at 5 per county. Marijuana will be grown and distributed by the state-regulated centers.

Presumptively, the dispensaries would follow a similar format to California's medical marijuana card system, where approval cards have been written into law since the Statewide Medical Cannabis ID Card Program of 2003. Especially in San Francisco, marijuana cards have seen widespread success is regulation, with over 20,000 cards issued.

However, this in no way means that anyone can get a card and walk into a dispensary for recreational drugs. A card is only issued after a written prescription given by a Medical Marijuana doctor and in most states can only be issued on the grounds of certain debilitating illnesses. Conditions that will be allowed under the proposed law in Massachusetts include Parkinson's, cancer, and other illness where marijuana can improve pain management, increase appetite, and have numerous other health benefits.

This vote comes off the heels of a recent decision by the Chicago City Council to decriminalize marijuana possession by reducing the punishment for carrying small amounts from an arrest worthy offense to a fine of between $250 and $500.

Massachusetts had the benefit of learning from 17 other states and the District of Columbia. The hallmark of this initiative is state regulation. Their proposal is in line with current standards in practice within the other states.

By submitting this issue to a vote, Massachusetts has joined the likes of 5 other states with currently pending medical marijuana legislation. This list includes New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri.

Medicinal Smoking: Worth the Effort?

Medicinal Smoking: Worth the Effort?

Medicinal marijuana is a universally controversial issue. Between its schedule I status and the widely existing live proof from patients that it is a real deal, you cannot make up your mind easily as to whether it is acceptable.

Many people who have used marijuana, illegally or by prescription, swear by its effects. It has been described as the single most potent anti-emetic known to man, which is a life-saver for cancer patients on chemotherapy. As with all chronic and/or terminal diseases, pain is a major issue. Marijuana is a powerful analgesic and this is a proven scientific fact. Patient use has claimed marijuana to be more powerful than other pharmacological alternatives that are often described as "do not even work".

The roadblocks on the way to legalizing and respecting medicinal marijuana are countless, some of which are biased and others come from a true place. Smoking marijuana is still considered "doing drugs" and is therefore socially unacceptable. It's human nature not to excuse anyone for crossing the line unless one is faced personally with the same problem, which is why many people continue to condemn medical marijuana use. Besides smoke, tablet, edible and vaporized forms have been formulated, yet, further research is required because several patients on smoked marijuana claim oral forms to be ineffective. Vaporized forms, however, have good feedback from patients but a lot must be done to ensure its safety. Religion also plays a part, but it is not to blame. Religion has not yet said a final say on this matter, simply because we did not yet get past society so we can get to discuss this issue within the walls of a religious estate.

With all these limitations, science was not spared. Research on medicinal marijuana is extremely limited and studies that include the effects of medicinal marijuana use on already terminally ill patients are minimal. Large pharmaceutical companies refuse to research a plant that produces something that will either be too expensive as a final product and won't sell well enough, or worse, will not even get final approval from institutions like the FDA. Add to that the sky-high cost of the experiments required to reach scientific facts and you get a final "No" from almost every research center and pharmaceutical company. However, because of the established fact that people have used this plant and have benefited from it greatly, it would be an unjustifiable bias to limit or discontinue research.

All those factors are why when people talk of a final decision on this matter, regardless of personal opinions, most people would agree with me that the whole issue is inconclusive to date. While several concerns have surrounded this approach of treatment, the only option left is to keep looking for that middle ground, which takes away people's pain without putting them at risks or compromising their overall health, at the same time, answering society's questions and addressing its logical concerns.

"It is time to have more light than heat on the subject" says Dr. Igor Grant, M.D.* and I personally couldn't agree more. While maintaining people's personal freedom of choice to follow their morals, religion and concepts, the effect on the whole society is also a concern, which is why we need to keep an open mind to science, religion and society alike.

*Professor of Psychiatry and Director of CMCR (Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research) at the University of California.

Marijuana Addiction - Steps for Getting Off of Marijuana

The major obstacle to marijuana treatment is the idea that marijuana is not addictive. The majority of people do not understand the increase in potency of marijuana and the high susceptibility of young people due to the maturing of the brain during the teen years.

In stages of change theory contemplation is the initial step in beginning the recovery process. For a person who has developed an addiction sorting the plethora of misinformation can be a major obstacle. The legitimacy of marijuana for medical use is not a justification for recreational use. A person addicted to marijuana must accept the medical and scientific truth about it's impact and not be confused by the legal and political issues.

The second challenge in stages of change is preparation. Preparing for a life without your drug of choice can be a daunting idea. Knowing the facts about potential withdrawal symptoms can help in preparation. Symptoms: loss of appetite, inability to sleep, headache, irritability, anxiety, paranoia, even aggression. These symptoms can persist for several days or weeks depending the level of use prior to beginning recovery.

Recovery begins by building a network of supporters who understand the withdrawal symptoms and will work with the recovering person during the initial period of recovery. Attending a 12-step program and using a sponsor is the most secure support system.

Pick a quit date and meet with your supporters or NA sponsor and discuss their availability during your initial detox period. Let them know that you may need to call and discuss how you are feeling possibly during the night if you are having trouble sleeping. Their role is primarily to listen as you share your experience and spend time with you if necessary. Prepare yourself by adopting the one-day-at-a-time philosophy. Make up your mind as you begin each day that you will not use that day. Don't think about a future without marijuana, this is a very strong negative thought possibly leading to relapse.

When your quit date arrives you enter the third phase of the stages of change. Begin your day with exercise and four 16 oz. bottles of water. Go to the gym or for a jog or long walk, the exercise and water will hasten the removal of marijuana from your system and initiate the release of endorphins giving you a natural lift of spirit. Call one of your supporters every couple of hours throughout the day. Repeat this process daily until the withdrawal symptoms have passed.

Maintaining your abstinence after the withdrawal period can be deceiving. You may not be having physical withdrawal symptoms but you will continue to have thoughts about using. An old adage from AA is sometimes helpful. HALT whenever you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired and identify what you are feeling. These feelings if not identified properly might lead you to seek out marijuana rather than satisfying the appropriate desire.

Continue to call your support system or sponsor whenever you feel out-of-sorts or upset, allow them to help you discuss what your are feeling and discourage the tendency to return to your drug of choice. Avoiding old friends you smoked with and places you used is also helpful.

A short time after stopping you may feel old symptoms coming back of ADD or depression or anxiety that existed prior to your drug use. Don't try to 'deal with it' alone. Seek professional help to get appropriate treatment for the condition. It is not unusual to discover that a preexisting condition was the thing that lead to your initial use of marijuana. A young man told me once "The first time I smoked marijuana was the first time I felt normal" he went on to become a hard core addict. Ask yourself, why didn't I feel normal and address the issue.

Marijuana is much more potent today, don't let the misconceptions of the past keep you stuck in a never ending cycle of addiction

The Importance of Cannabis Extract Medicine

Cannabis is one of the most medicinal plants in the world, and when prepared into extracts, its true power is released. The main problem with the medicinal cannabis movement at this point in time is its focus on smoking cannabis, or even vaporizing it. The bottom line is that's not the right way to use cannabis as medicine, as effective as even that can be. Medicine is not intended to be absorbed in a low concentration through the lungs, it is supposed to go through the digestive system in a highly concentrated form. That is why cannabis extract medicine is the true way to use cannabis as medicine, and its effects greatly exceed what smoked cannabis could ever achieve.

There are two main reasons that cannabis extract medicine is better than smoked cannabis. First, extracts are much more concentrated than regular cannabis buds. It takes about a pound of raw cannabis to make two ounces of cannabis oil, meaning the oil is eight times more concentrated than the cannabis itself. For true healing to occur, the body must be saturated with cannabinoids, and at this concentration, such a saturation is achievable. The second reason the extract medicine is superior to smoked cannabis is its method of absorption. Instead of going through the lungs, it passes through the digestive system, which is designed to absorb nutrients rather than oxygen. This gives the body the full benefits of cannabis and can help the body truly heal from disease, rather than just alleviate the symptoms.

Frankly, it is amazing that smoking cannabis works so much better than many pharmaceuticals, which are always absorbed through the proper medium. By setting a plant on fire, inhaling the resulting smoke, and blowing it out, much more relief can be found than ingesting a pharmaceutical substance that decades of research was put into. The fact that smoking cannabis works better than pharmaceuticals is a testament to its place as humanity's greatest medicine, but what really matters are the effects people have been having with extract medicine. There is an entire movement working to spread the truth that extracts are capable of curing/eliminating or completely controlling serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis, Crohn's, chronic pain, IBS, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, mental disorders, and more. Cannabis works against so many conditions because it functions at a fundamental level, restoring balance to all body systems. Since all disease is an imbalance of some kind, cannabis is the best herb for restoring balance.

I personally know several people who have been cured of cancer and other diseases with cannabis extract medicine. I've seen it work in real life and know that it is the key for humanity's future. Once this truth is brought forward, the world will experience a revolution like no other, which will bring people closer to equality than at any point in history. Whether one believes this or not, it doesn't matter, because everyone will benefit!

How to Get an Exception for the Use of Medical Marijuana When on Probation for DUI

If an individual has been convicted and sentenced of a DUI or any reduction in charges that originally started as a DUI there may be an abstain condition in the sentence.  Such a condition would prohibit the consumption of alcohol and the use of any mood altering drugs not prescribed by a physician.

Many courts take the position that this would include the authorization of medical marijuana.  Many courts feel the authorization of medical marijuana is extremely liberal especially if it is not prescribed by an actual physician.  In addition the Court is trying to prevent individuals from being sentenced to an abstain condition then going out and getting a medical marijuana card and saying it is a prescription and therefore it is okay to use.
If an individual is charged with a DUI or any other offense that may require an abstain condition at the time of sentencing and they currently are authorized to use medical marijuana.  Then at the time of sentencing an exception would need to be made by the Judge to allow such use.  In my experience if an individual provides the following evidence and documentation to the Court at the time of sentencing then they have a greater chance of a Judge making this exception.
Recommending medical provider's name and contact info: This is important because many people simply go to the local hemp fest or make contact with the local street front medical marijuana dispensary to get their card.  If the contact info is provided then it is going to be looked at as more legitimate.
Precise medical condition must be documented: This can be presented in the form of live testimony or a declaration from the physician.  The jurisdictions that authorize the use of medical marijuana set out certain conditions when it may be needed.
Symptoms cannot be relieved by standard treatment or medications: When asking a court for this exception it's important to be able to say other standard treatments are not successful and this is why the medical marijuana was prescribed.
Details of dosage: Having a lifetime supply of pot is not going to look good in front of a Judge.  Having a detailed dosage and a specific plan outlined for the defendant is better.
Prior history was considered: When authorizing medical marijuana a physician should take into account any chemical dependence issues prior to the authorization. This will probably be a Judge biggest concern.
Letter from chemical dependency provider: Again one of the biggest issues a Judge may have with this especially with an alcohol or drug related offense is whether the treatment provider is on board.
Obviously different jurisdictions may have different requirements when it comes to this kind of exception.  However in my experience if the following information is able to be provided by an actual medical doctor, not a nurse, or some other medical personnel in the form of live testimony than a Court would have to honor the authorization.