Marijuana.com

jamf

any luck?

 

AndieBear

My sister has reumetoid arthritis. She was diagnosed when she was 12 and has used MJ, along with her other meds for the past 9 years. I'm not sure how it helps if not by just taking her mind off the pain. I'll have to ask her. She was supposed to be in a wheel chair by the time she was 15 but she's holding on strong. She doesn't use it all the time but Ive had to go help her roll a few joints because her joints in her hands have been so swollen. I feel sorry for anyone who has to suffer from that kind of pain on a daily basis. Even if it does help her by elevating her mood and taking her mind off the pain, I say more power to her.

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dedbr

I have smoked for 25 yrs and recently there was a bust and some restructuring went on locally and so the herb we were able to get was subquality and supply became spotty.
I had before been used to smoking at least a half bag a day,(half an ounce),just smoking a normal size doob,not really power smoking or anything,just keeping a good buzz.
After about two days of smoking a small joint a day and really commercial buds too,I became what could be called 30 or 40 percent paralyzed,unable to really move without being stiff and sore.The hell with this ,I said,I'm going to see whats wrong with me,this isn't simple withdrawal,this is real pain.
The doctor gave me a mild ananlgesic and said that it was probably a touch of arthritis and not to worry.A couple of days later the tests came back and I did have it.After careful deliberation and some soul searching I realized that,yes,probably the herb was masking the effects of my arthritis and was working as a pain reliever and anti- inflamatory.
Finally,the local dealers,(the real freedom fighters),got there trip together and came up with some good herb.The effect was instantaneous as I fired up my first joint,physical as well as mental,I know,but still a tremendous rush and sense of well being at last.I knew that the pain would go away and thats all that matters when you're in true pain,that relief.
It took a few days to return to what I call normal and pain free,probably since I was using it as a medicine and like all medicines,it takes time to build up in your system if for some reason you stop taking it.It was really great when I could use my hands without those little burning points of fire in them.
After this I went out to the local get a sack and stockpiled a little herb so in case the drug store runs out again.

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AndieBear

I clearified things with my sister and she sais it doesn't do much for the inflamation or swelling but it relieves the pain. She said it also helps her eat on those bad days where she knows it will hurt to get up and fix something. Hope this helps.

candide

Has anyone else gotten temporary relief from Arthritis from smoking? I hear and read of uses for MS, Cancer, AIDS, etc. But never for Arthritis. After becoming pretty much Opioid tolerant on Methadone, smoking has become, without switching to an even heavier Opioid, the last effective PRN for me. I take Vioxx and Tylenol and they work well. But for the times when it is almost unbearable to move, weed relaxes me and allows me to function. Anyone else out ther relate?

 

AnarchistBarbie

I do find that marijuana helps some with my arthritis [osteo arthritis, spinal, post trauma] but it definitely isn't a stand alone treatment. Used on a regular basis it does help with the inflamation and general pain, but on really bad days it doesn't do as much.

A regular exercise regimen that keeps the affected joints active does a lot too, and combined with the old fashioned '1 aspirin a day' thing, the pot and the exercise pretty much keep the arthritis at bay.

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Freakish

Hey, I did a search for this post... thing is, Im 20 years old and my father has rheumatoid arthritis, and so did HIS father and so did his... now ive noticed my wrists and knuckles have started aching especially if i have been out in the cold/damp, its not bad at the moment, just kinda uncomfortable but Im really scared...getting this is like my worst fear, I have a phobia of hospitals/needles/anything like that and my dad has been in and out of them all his life with joint replacements and stuff... I need some advice on how to help it, I take cod liver oil capsules daily but thats about all...
this is depressing sh*t and its hard to come to terms with

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Barker

My nan's got arthritis so's my mother and it does look like ill be getting it too,ive got this weird clicky toe and ive just noticed if type a little bit (or anything with my right hand for that matter) my hand starts aching

oh well..

Mamabudz

Simple answer YES it will help some forms of arthritis and it is a pain reliever...complex answer...read on...

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CBD effective on Induced Arthritis The nonpsychoactive cannabis-constituent cannabidiol is an oral anti-arthritic therapeutic in murine
collagen-induced arthritis
A. M. Malfait*†, R. Gallily†‡, P. F. Sumariwalla*, A. S. Malik*, E. Andreakos*, R. Mechoulam‡, and M. Feldmann*§
*Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, 1 Aspenlea Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8LH, United Kingdom; and ‡Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, P.O.B. 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel Edited by Anthony Cerami, The Kenneth S. Warren Laboratories, Tarrytown, NY, and approved June 2, 2000 (received for review March 10, 2000)

The therapeutic potential of cannabidiol (CBD), the major nonpsychoactive component of cannabis, was explored in murine collagen- induced arthritis (CIA). CIA was elicited by immunizing DBAy1 mice with type II collagen (CII) in complete Freund’s adjuvant. The CII used was either bovine or murine, resulting in classical acute CIA or in chronic relapsing CIA, respectively. CBD was administered after onset of clinical symptoms, and in both models of arthritis the treatment effectively blocked progression of arthritis. CBD was equally effective when administered i.p. or orally. The dose dependency showed a bell-shaped curve, with an optimal effect at 5
mgykg per day i.p. or 25 mgykg per day orally. Clinical improvement was associated with protection of the joints against severe damage. Ex vivo, draining lymph node cells from CBD-treated mice showed a diminished CII-specific proliferation and IFN-g production, as well as a decreased release of tumor necrosis factor by knee synovial cells. In vitro effects of CBD included a dose-dependent suppression of lymphocyte proliferation, both mitogen-stimulated and antigen-specific, and the blockade of the Zymosan-triggered reactive oxygen burst by peritoneal granulocytes. It also was found that CBD administration was capable of blocking the lipopolysaccharide- induced rise in serum tumor necrosis factor in C57yBL mice. Taken together, these data show that CBD, through its combined immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory actions, has a potent anti-arthritic effect in CIA.
____________GW Pharmaceuticals on Arthritis Drugs from Cannabis With footnotes

Arthritis

Arthritis refers to any more than 100 inflammatory joint disorders characterized by pain, swelling, and limited movement. Arthritis involves the inflammation and degeneration of cartilage and bone that make up the joint. Experts estimate that more than 31 million people in the United States alone suffer from various degrees of the disease. Common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Emerging evidence implies that cannabis can help alleviate symptoms of both conditions.

Osteoarthritis, the more common disorder, occurs when cartilage in the joints degenerates. It typically strikes the joints that support weight such as the knees, hips and spine. Main symptoms of the disease are joint stiffness swelling, and pain, usually in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by painful swelling of the smaller joints with the destruction of the tissue around them. Physicians commonly prescribe analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis.

Cannabis' pain reducing properties are well documented (1) and emerging evidence indicates that it holds anti-inflammatory qualities. Dale Gieringer, author of the paper "Review of Human Studies on the Medical Use of Marijuana," cites three animal and laboratory studies documenting cannabis' potential anti-inflammatory effects. (2) In addition, a 1988 study by an English research team found the cannabinoid CBD (cannabidiol) ameliorated inflammation in mice. "Our results would suggest that cultivation of cannabis plants rich in CBD and other phenolic substances would be useful … for medicinal purposes in the treatment of certain inflammatory disorders," researchers concluded. (3) It is possible that cannabis' anti-inflammatory properties could reduce swelling and improve mobility in some arthritis patients. Research in this area is obviously needed.



REFERENCES

R. Callahan, "How Does Marijuana Kill Pain," Associated Press, October 4, 1998.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n868/a07.html
See also "pain"
"Review of the Human Studies on the Medical Use of Marijuana," Dale Gieringer, Ph.D. (1996).
http://norml.org/medical/medmj.studies.shtml
E. Formukong et al., "Analgesic and Antiinflammatory Activity of Constituents of Cannabis Sativa L.," Inflammation 12 (1988): 361.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/.../analgesic.htm

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Arthritis Digest 2001

Joints for Your Joints

By Adam Marcus HealthSCOUT Reporter
MONDAY, July 31 (HealthSCOUT) -- A punchless part of pot could offer arthritis patients a reprieve from their inflamed and painful joints.

British and Israeli researchers say arthritic mice treated with a nonintoxicating component of marijuana showed significant improvement in several key signs of their disease.

The notion that marijuana helps arthritis is far from novel. Indeed, the Chinese recorded the drug's healing properties for rheumatism some 4,000 years ago.

Marijuana contains roughly 80 active chemicals called cannabinoids. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short, has mind-altering properties that give users their high. Other components, however, appear to have therapeutic powers -- from soothing pain and nausea to calming spastic muscles -- but produce no brain changes.

Although recreational use of pot is illegal in the United States, several states -- including California, Hawaii, Alaska and Oregon -- have laws that permit medical uses of the drug. The federal government, however, staunchly has maintained its opposition to such policies.

Between penal codes and pro-pot advocates lies a cloudy field of science. A 1999 report from the National Academies Institute of Medicine found that cannabinoid drugs, and primarily THC, the active compound in marijuana, may be good for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting and appetite stimulation.

Other researchers, however, have focused on the drug's downside, which includes the potential to cause head and neck tumors, to damage cells in the lung lining and even to trigger heart attacks.

The latest study, by scientists at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London, tested both injections and oral doses of the cannabinoid CBD in mice with collagen-induced arthritis, a joint disease that mimics human rheumatoid arthritis.

The drug, a precursor of THC, had a Goldilocks effect: Neither small nor large amounts of either form were effective, but a middle dose shielded joints from damage, the researchers say. A report on their findings appears in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tests of the animals' lymph fluid showed that the marijuana compound suppressed activity of immune cells and molecules, the researchers say. It also reduced inflammation in joint tissue, particularly by quelling the production of tumor necrosis factor, a potent chemical involved in swelling.

The researchers repeated their study in mice with homologous CIA, a form of recurring arthritis that more closely resembles what humans contract. And again, the marijuana compound showed significant joint protection.

The study suggests that CBD could help arthritis patients "and may be valuable in the treatment of other chronic inflammatory diseases as well," the scientists say.

Dr. John Morgan, a professor of pharmacology at City University of New York Medical School in Manhattan, and an expert in the medical uses of marijuana, says the latest research is neither surprising nor new.

"Both [CBD and THC] have anti-inflammatory properties in some animal systems," he says. But Morgan also cautions that animal studies, including the Israeli work, typically rely on doses far greater than most people take.

Dale Gieringer, coordinator of the California chapter of NORML, a national pro-pot group, says between 10,000 and 20,000 Californians use marijuana medicinally, most for chronic pain linked to cancer, AIDS and arthritis.

Yet the true therapeutic potential of marijuana won't be clear until it is studied in a rigorous, scientific manner, Gieringer says. And those studies, at least in the United States, aren't on the horizon.

"We're not really a free country when it comes to drug research," Gieringer says.

Steven Gust, special assistant to the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which funds marijuana research, says the idea that the government is squashing pot studies is misguided.

"The fact is that we're not getting requests and we're not getting proposals," Gust says. The National Institutes of Health is sponsoring three trials to test the clinical benefits of the drug, including one in California involving AIDS patients, Gust says.

Morgan, however, says basic marijuana research in this country almost exclusively involves animals, not people. As a result, he says, the best hope for good trials of the therapeutic potential of the drug lies in Europe and Australia, where the scientific climate is more tolerant of the drug
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ANd my favorite...a woman who should go down in history
Susanna Tchilibon

im grumpy