Multiple Sclerosis

Medical Cannabis Treats Multiple Sclerosis and Associated Neuropathic Pain

February 16, 2020 Multiple Sclerosis

Therapeutic impact of orally administered cannabinoid oil extracts in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis animal model of multiple sclerosis

In Summary

A recent study has revealed the validity of treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and associated neuropathic pain (NNP) with medical cannabis. The therapeutic benefits of cannabis for MS and NNP was demonstrated by treating an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis animal model with cannabis which revealed an improved score on a neurological disability assessment and behavioral assessment. The authors describe this study as a critical step in advancing the literature describing the therapeutic effects of medical cannabis by validating the merit of such therapeutic effects.

Highlighted in this study is the importance of the ratio of cannabinoids when treating various ailments. The vast array of cannabinoids has a myriad of effects on the body depending on how which receptor of the endocannabinoid they act on, how they act on that receptor, and how they interact with other cannabinoids that were taken simultaneously. Cannabidiol (CBD) is frequently recommended to help minimize feelings of anxiety, whereas tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can actually worsen anxiety at higher doses. When consuming cannabis a patient should always be careful to note the ratio and effect of each cannabinoid.

The study is available for review or download here

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Psychiatric Disorders Reduce Survival Among Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disease Patients

September 4, 2019 Adult, Aging, Anti-inflammatory properties, Anxiety, Arthritis, Autoimmunity, Bipolar Disorder, Cannabis Science, Case Study, CED Clinic, Depression, IBS, Mental Health, Multiple Sclerosis

Psychiatric comorbidity increases mortality in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

Summary Information:

A new study finds that a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, and/or bipolar disorder increases mortality rates for patients of one of three immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID):

1) multiple sclerosis (MS), or

2) inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or

3) rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Depression and bipolar disorder can cause poor health behaviors in patients, as depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders are “associated with increased inflammation and immune dysregulation.” Suicide risk and attempts are increased among IMID patients with mental illness, compared with IMID patients who are not also suffering from one of these additional battles. Given that cannabis has shown promise in treating both inflammation and a range of psychiatric disorders, there is reason to be optimistic for further cannabis research to uncover multifunctional treatment options.

Dr Caplan and the #MDTake:

Clinically, it’s rare to see medical patients who have only one concern. Sure, there are some who are hoping that cannabis will help them to treat seizures, headaches, anxiety, sleep troubles, or terrible back pain, but more often, it is a combination of several troubles that each add to a cumulative tipping point.

Naturally, very few individual systems act alone. When a body part is injured, sleeping (or not sleeping) effects the course of illness. Similarly, feeling less anxious, or improving sleep, may make symptoms of a struggle with consistent headaches seem more tolerable. Even when there aren’t direct connections between symptoms, a treatment which implements a systemic treatment can have multiplied benefits.

Many patients have found that cannabis offers them a way to attack more than one problem, with a single actor. Some with Diabetes are finding that some formulations are not only helping them reduce blood sugar levels, but also reducing appetite. Similarly, some patients with ADD are turning to cannabis options which may help them focus, without their ability to get to sleep at night.

To a related note, many elderly patients are treated with too many medications. Modern Western medical treatment often compels patients into silos of treatments by isolated specialists, who are not always monitoring the patient as a being beyond individual organ systems. Medications, such as cannabis, which have the opportunity to treat more than one system, without multiplying the risk of potential drug-drug interactions presents a much safer approach to care

View this review (yellow link) or download:

Psychiatric comorbidity increases mortality in immune-mediated inflammatory diseasesDownload

This paper is also stored here: http://bit.ly/2MRDfiP inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Cannabis is a Safe and Effect for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia

July 9, 2019 Anti-inflammatory properties, Arthritis, Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Cannabis Science, CBD, Fibromyalgia, Future Medicine, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Pain, Occasional Use, Pain, Placebo-Controlled, Science, Synthetic Cannabinoids, THC

Safety and Efficacy of Medical Cannabis in Fibromyalgia

A recent study has concluded that cannabis is a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from fibromyalgia symptoms.

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and issues sleeping. Cannabis is well known for its ability to treat pain, especially in lieu of opioids as the side effects are minimal and the risk of addiction minimal. This study found that over 200 patients were greatly benefited by cannabis as it moderated their pain and improved their mood. Future studies should aim to directly compare cannabis-based treatment with the currently accepted methods of fibromyalgia treatment to validate efficacy.

This study highlights how beneficial cannabis can be for those patients who are treatment-resistant for the general treatment of most disorders, especially when pain is involved. Cannabis has been proven to be much safer than opioids, and yet our lack of complete information, concerning the exact mechanisms of the endocannabinoid system and how different cannabinoids act on those mechanisms severely limits our ability to offer practical, novel therapies. Cannabis has previously been shown to be beneficial for treatment-resistant forms of epilepsy and depression, which holds promise when continuing to look for novel treatments for other disorders that have proven difficult to treat.

View this review (yellow link) or download:

Safety and Efficacy of Medical Cannabis in Fibromyalgia Download

This paper is also stored here: http://bit.ly/2XpsGJr inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Video: Cannabinoid Delivery Systems for Pain and Inflammation Treatment

July 3, 2019 Anti-inflammatory properties, Arthritis, Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Cannabis Education, Cannabis Science, CB1, CB2, CBD, Dermatology / Skin, Dronabinol, Future Medicine, Insomnia, Mental Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Pain, Nabilone, Neuropathy, Pain, Placebo-Controlled, Products, Science, Sleep, Stigma, Synthetic Cannabinoids, THC, Video

A 2018 literature review summarizes the various ways patients can consume cannabis (orally, topically, etc.) and the pain reductions associated with each method. The review focuses on the treatment of multiple sclerosis, cancer, anorexia, arthritis, and other painful disorders.

View this review (yellow link) or download:

Cannabinoid Delivery Systems for Pain and Inflammation Treatment Download

This paper is also stored here: http://bit.ly/2TSZ2Wr inside the CED Foundation Archive

Non-Psychoactive Cannabis Treatments for Chronic Muscle Pain

July 2, 2019 Addiction, Anti-inflammatory properties, Anxiety, Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Cannabis Science, CBD, CBN, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Pain, Neuropathy, Pain, Science

Cannabidiol, cannabinol and their combinations act as peripheral analgesics in a rat model of myofascial pain

Some of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids in cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN), have recently been found to produce analgesic effects (pain relief) in mouse models. A combination of CBD and CBN causes a decrease in sensitization of muscles, leading researchers to believe the combination could provide relief for those suffering from chronic muscle pain disorders. Cannabis products are already being prescribed for chronic pain disorders and this new study provides evidence that cannabis-based medicine can also be applicable when treating chronic pain associated with disorders such as fibromyalgia and temporomandibular disorders.

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Cannabidiol, cannabinol and their combinations act as peripheral analgesics in a rat model of myofascial pain Download

This paper is also stored here: http://bit.ly/2L1AF8d inside the CED Foundation Archive

The Cannabinoid System is a Promising Source of Targets for Treating Pain

June 28, 2019 Addiction, Adverse Effects, Anti-inflammatory properties, Anxiety, Arthritis, Autoimmunity, Blood-Levels, Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Cannabis Science, CB1, CB2, CBD, Citizen Science, Cognition, Elderly, Future Medicine, Memory, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Pain, Neuropathy, Occasional Use, Opiates, Overdose, Pain, Placebo-Controlled, Products, Regulation, Science, Stigma, Stress, THC

A Budding Source of Targets for Treating Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain ECS

The cannabinoid system provides momentum to develop cannabinoid-based medications to treat inflammatory and neuropathic pain as researchers continue to find promising therapeutic targets. These new targets may lead to the formation of novel pain-relief medications that may serve well to alleviate pain for those suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia. Cannabis-based pain medicine is also being researched for opioid-sparing effects and effectiveness in reducing the necessary dose of opioids.

View this review (yellow link) or download:

A Budding Source of Targets for Treating Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain ECS Download

This paper is also stored here: http://bit.ly/2FfLorA inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Video: Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis

June 24, 2019 Adverse Effects, Aging, Anti-inflammatory properties, Anxiety, Behavior change, Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Cannabis Education, Cannabis Science, CB1, CB2, CBD, CED Clinic, Dr Caplan, Future Medicine, Insomnia, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Pain, Neuropathy, Pain, Science, Sleep, Stigma, THC, Video

A 2019 literature review summarizes the findings on cannabis use for patients with multiple sclerosis. Cannabis has been shown to aid a number of symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis, including chronic pain, spasticity, and problems with sleep. To learn more, check out our video adaptation below:

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Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis Download

This paper is also stored here: http://bit.ly/2IJAqNz inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Cannabinoid receptors as therapeutic targets for autoimmune diseases: where do we stand?

June 7, 2019 Anti-inflammatory properties, Arthritis, Autoimmunity, Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Cannabis Education, Cannabis Science, CB1, CB2, CBD, Diabetes, Future Medicine, Multiple Sclerosis

Because of the associated anti-inflammatory action, modulation of CB1R & CB2R is helpful to treat autoimmune diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis, Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis The full list is truly very much longer, as every illness necessarily involves the immune system and cellular communication.

The following review, written by Elaine D. Gonc ̧alves

Cannabinoids for the treatment of rheumatic diseases — where do we stand?
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The following review, written by Daphna Katz-Talmor: (yes, same name, unfortunately!)

Cannabinoids for the treatment of rheumatic diseases — where do we stand?Download

Video: Medical Marijuana: What Physicians Need to Know

June 6, 2019 Autoimmunity, Cancer, Cannabinoids, Cannabis, Cannabis Education, Cannabis Science, CB1, CB2, CBD, Extraction, Flavonoids, Future Medicine, IBS, Insomnia, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Pain, Neuropathy, Science, Sleep, Terpenes, THC, Video

A video adaptation of “Medical Marijuana: What Physicians Need to Know”

Medical_Marijuana_What_Physicians_Need_to_Know Download

This paper is also stored here: (http://bit.ly/2KxqoAe) inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Sativex Reduces MS-Related Spasticity

June 5, 2019 Cannabis Science, CBD, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Pain, Neuropathy, THC

Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabidiol Oromucosal Spray (Sativex): A Review in Multiple Sclerosis-Related Spasticity

A debilitating symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) is spasticity, the stiffness and involuntary spasms of muscles, often occurring in the legs. In a randomized study involving MS patients who have not experienced relief with any current anti-spasticity medication, Sativex, a THC/CBD oro-mucosal spray was administered. Patients receiving THC/CBD experienced significantly more spasticity relief than the placebo group. Sativex may hold substantial treatment potential for MS patients, as side effects are minimized, the spray allows for an adjustable dosage, and there is low potential for abuse.

While this pharmaceutical is proving to be effective, in related data, we also see a distinct advantage of non-pharmaceutical options, including cost, availability, and efficacy, although drastically higher variability and limited consistency in product.

http://bit.ly/2WwVoqA