All posts tagged: Insomnia

Should Oncologists Recommend Cannabis?

Oncologists Should Recommend Cannabis-Based Medicine for Palliative Care

In Summary:

Earlier this June a review was published that encourages oncologists to recommend cannabis products to their patients as a safe and effective method of palliative care. The opinion piece highlights how cannabis is a useful treatment for a variety of illnesses (nausea, vomiting, sleep, mood, anxiety), and encourages practitioners to prescribe cannabis for their patients so that they can appreciate the safety and effectiveness of the product.  

Dr. Caplan and the #MDTake:

As Dr Abrams makes abundantly and eloquently clear, the reasons for oncologists to RETURN to recommending cannabis (as clinicians were accustomed to doing in generations past) are many. Weighing the safety profile of cannabinoid medicines and the long list of potential benefits for those battling cancers, against temporary adverse side effects (some of which, like appetite stimulation and sedation, can also be advantages for oncology patients), it is almost unethical for modern clinicians to NOT recommend that patients consider cannabis supplementation. The historical sociopolitical war on drugs was never founded in scientific rationale, nor supported by rigorous inquiry that has borne out half a million scientific reviews on the topic. It is high time that physicians return to a practice style that prioritizes patient well-being first, and emphasizes self-education about areas of medicine about which the providers may be less informed.

Review this paper stored HERE and inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Benjamin Caplan, MDShould Oncologists Recommend Cannabis?
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Video: Cannabinoid Delivery Systems for Pain and Inflammation Treatment

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:

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

Benjamin Caplan, MDVideo: Cannabinoid Delivery Systems for Pain and Inflammation Treatment
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80%: Cannabis extremely helpful for pain; 82%: helped reduce or stop over-the-counter medications; 88% able to stop taking opioid painkillers

“The study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, which looked at 1,000 people taking legalized marijuana in an American state found that among the 65% of people taking cannabis for pain, 80% found it was very or extremely helpful.”

“82% of these people being able to reduce, or stop taking over the counter pain medications, and 88% being able to stop taking opioid painkillers.”

“74% of the 1,000 interviewees bought it to help them sleep – 84% of whom said the marijuana had helped them, and over 83% said that they had since reduced or stopped taking over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids.”

“The study adds weight to the theory that widening access to medical cannabis could lower the use of prescription painkillers, allowing more people to manage and treat their pain without relying on opioid prescription drugs that have dangerous side effects.”

“This is backed up with other research that shows that states with medical cannabis laws have a 6.38% lower rate of opioid prescribing and that Colorado’s adult-use cannabis law is associated with a relative reduction in opioid overdose death rate from 1999 to 2010.”

“”Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen cause GI bleeding or kidney damage with chronic use. Paracetemol (Acetaminophen) toxicity is the second most common cause of liver transplantation worldwide, and is responsible for 56,000 ER visits, 2600 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths per year in the U.S.”

Link to news brief: https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-07/tfg-cmb062819.php

View this review (yellow link) or download:

This paper is also stored here:    http://bit.ly/2JmB7Lv     inside the CED Foundation Archive

To explore related information, click the keywords below:

Benjamin Caplan, MD80%: Cannabis extremely helpful for pain; 82%: helped reduce or stop over-the-counter medications; 88% able to stop taking opioid painkillers
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Video: Cannabinoid Intervention for PTSD: Where to Next?

The endocannabinoid system has long been recognized as a promising target for PTSD treatment.

Here, a 2018 literature review summarizes the risks and benefits of cannabis as a treatment option. Watch our video adaptation, and review the source literature, below:


View this review (yellow link) or download:

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

To explore related information, click the keywords below:

Benjamin Caplan, MDVideo: Cannabinoid Intervention for PTSD: Where to Next?
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Cannabidiol Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Cannabidiol: a hope to treat non‑motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Cannabidiol (CBD) has recently been postulated as an ideal drug to address the treatment of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) due to its multifaceted mechanism of action. The plethora of effects of CBD includes anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic actions, which improve non-motor symptoms of PD and lift the quality of life for patients coping with the illness. Further research is recommended to garner support for FDA approval.

View this review (yellow link) or download:

This paper is also stored here:    http://bit.ly/2KXTb0Y     inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Benjamin Caplan, MDCannabidiol Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease
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Video: Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis

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:

View this review (yellow link) or download:

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

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Benjamin Caplan, MDVideo: Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis
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THC Has Potential for Treating Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease

In a crossover trial of 39 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, treatment with nabilone (a synthetic THC analog) was associated with significant improvement in agitation and, remarkably, cognition. Further studies should examine the effects of both THC and CBD in patients with Alzheimer’s disease because anxiety is common in dementia and may exacerbate agitation. 

View this review (yellow link) or download:

This paper is also stored here:   http://bit.ly/2IH2BfX      inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Benjamin Caplan, MDTHC Has Potential for Treating Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease
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Video: Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature

Researchers published a literature review that investigates the relationship between cannabis and sleep. They examined six major sleeping disorders: insomnia, sleep apnea, REM behavior disorder, nightmares, sleep with chronic pain, and daytime sleepiness.

They found that THC might worsen daytime sleepiness and delayed onset of sleep; however, THC might help patients who suffer from sleep apnea and nightmares. Meanwhile, CBD might reduce daytime sleepiness and insomnia while increasing the total amount of sleep.

View this review (yellow link) or download:

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

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Benjamin Caplan, MDVideo: Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature
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Evidence for Therapeutic Benefits of Cannabidiol, Including Treatment of Ischemic Strokes

Therapeutic Potential of Non-Psychotropic Cannabidiol in Ischemic Stroke

Cannabidiol (CBD) has a unique therapeutic profile as it has a cannabinoid receptor-independent mechanism, limited side-effects, and patients do not seem to develop an insurmountable tolerance. Research currently focussed on the therapeutic benefits of CBD has demonstrated long-lasting neuroprotective properties against global and focal ischemic injury, such as ischemic stroke. This piece points to CBD as a major component of cannabis-based medicine as a non-psychoactive component. Further research is needed to evaluate the full clinical capabilities of CBD, including its neuroprotective effect.

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The US patent on Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants, from 1999: https://patents.google.com/patent/US6630507B1/en

This paper is also stored here:    http://bit.ly/2L0PBn3     inside the CED Foundation Archive

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Benjamin Caplan, MDEvidence for Therapeutic Benefits of Cannabidiol, Including Treatment of Ischemic Strokes
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Treating insomnia with cannabis

Many people use cannabis to treat insomnia, as THC has proven effects. What about CBD? There are no clear, incontrovertible studies, and effects differ by the user, but there are promising results. More noticeably, certain terpenes have been shown to be quite effective, for example, Myrcene. http://bit.ly/2F9PXUp

Benjamin Caplan, MDTreating insomnia with cannabis
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