Fibromyalgia and Cannabis

An estimated five million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. It is a chronic pain affecting the muscles and soft tissue.The National Pain Foundation conducted a study of 1,300 fibromyalgia patients who treated their symptoms with medical marijuana. Results of the research found that cannabis was more effective than the other three FDA approved medications to treat fibromyalgia.

Currently the FDA has approved the medications Cymbalta, Lyrica, and Savella to treat fibromyalgia. Over 60% of patients reported that these three drugs did not work for their fibromyalgia. 62% of the patients who tried medical marijuana saw improvements with their symptoms. (Source)

Similar results were found in a Canada-based study where Nabilone, a marijuana-based drug, was tested on fibromyalgia patients. Forty sufferers of the disease reported a significant reduction in pain and anxiety when using the cannabinoid drug. (Source) Currently Nabilone is offered for Americans under the name ‘Cesamet.’

Fibromyalgia sufferers report that their condition is often misunderstood. The lack of understanding about the pain, fatigue, and feeling isolated makes fibromyalgia a debilitating disease. About 80 to 90% of fibromyalgia sufferers are women. (Source) People with fibromyalgia feel that 30-40% of their physicians and loved ones do not take their condition seriously. Only 11% of sufferers are diagnosed correctly the first year. (Source)

Source:

http://nationalpainreport.com/marijuana-rated-most-effective-for-treating-fibromyalgia-8823638.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17974490

How Cannabis Treatment Reduces Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis

Inflammation in multiple-sclerosis (MS) show positive results with cannabis. Symptoms benefiting from cannabis treatments are muscle spasms, pain, sleep, interocular pressure and incontinence.(Source) MS is a long-term disease that effects the brain, central nervous system and optic nerves. This disease makes the immune system attack a fatty material called myelin. This fatty tissue wraps around the nerve fibers to protect them. The scar tissue of myelin called sclerosis causing inflammation.(Source)

Cannabis has shown to prevent inflammation in the central nervous system. Dr. Ewa Kozela of Tel Aviv University, Israel says "Inflammation is part of the body's natural immune response, but in cases like MS, it gets out of hand". In the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology he shows how cannabis can regulate inflammation.

In Dr. Kozela's study the cannabinoids tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) found in marijuana reduced inflammation associated in MS. The cannabinoids when administered reduced the inflammatory molecules, notably interleukin 17 (IL-17). The researchers say the inflammatory molecule "is strongly associated with MS and very harmful to nerve cells and their insulating covers,". They concluded:

"The presence of CBD or THC restrains the immune cells from triggering the production of inflammatory molecules, and limits the molecules' ability to reach and damage the brain and spinal cord." (Source)

Source:

http://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/guide/what-is-multiple-sclerosis

http://www.neurology.org/content/65/6/812.abstract

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000884

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267161.php

The Benefits of Cannabis for Celiac Disease

Celiac Disease is when the immune system attacks the body when gluten is ingested, which is found in wheat, barley or rye. In America, every 1 in 133 people contract Celiac Disease. The small intestine gets inflammation with celiac disease, and destroys the intestinal lining. This results in not fully digested food moving to the large intestines that produces bloating, cramping, gas and abdominal pain.(

Cannabis can treat some symptoms of celiac disease allowing for a more normal lifestyle. Marijuana can slow the muscle spasms and contractions to slow the movement down of food and also the liquid secretions to mitigate diarrhea. Many celiac patients describe pain due to the cramping that Marijuana can ease. Marijuana can also increase appetite and help absorb nutrients from the food.(Source)

Cannabinoids in cannabis interact with CB1 and CB2 receptors in the gastrointestinal system called the enteric nervous system and the CB1 & CB2 receptors in the brain. Both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) cannabinoids are beneficial for treatment of celiac disease in cannabis. THC helps to slow down the digestion and movement of food going through the digestive tract too fast. CBD works with the CB2 receptors to reduce inflammation and help the immune cells in the digestive tract.(Source) CBD also helps to activate the THC into helping the intestinal motility.(Source) and (Source)

Source:

http://patients.gi.org/topics/celiac-disease/

http://pharmcannabis.com/documents/pertwee-2001.pdf

http://pharmcannabis.com/documents/usai-1997.pdf/

http://pharmcannabis.com/documents/luft-2007.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3631143/

The Benefits of Cannabis for Glaucoma Treatment

Glaucoma is conditions in the eye that damages the optic nerve and can lead to blindness. The optic nerve carries visual information to the brain. Damage to the nerve is primarily caused by an increase of pressure to the eye, called intraocular pressure (IOP).(Source)

Cannabinoids found in cannabis have been successfully found to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) and have neuroprotective properties. Helper and Frank in 1971 did a study that showed a 25-30% IOP and a reduction in blood pressure.(Source) An increase in usage of marijuana led to better tolerance, resulting a further reduction of IOP for patients that could take a higher dosage. (Source) A study by Dawson et al showed that long term use of marijuana of 10 years or more gave results as beginning users for reducing IOP, lowering the effectivness.(Source)

Studies have shown that cannabinoids work to reduce IOP at the localized eye area, not the central nervous system. Topical applications around the eye of cannabinoids show to reduce IOP the same amount as smoke or ingested. (Source) Cannabinoids effect the CB1 receptors, and these have been found in the ocular tissues, ciliary epithelium, the trabecular meshwork, Schlemm’s canal, ciliary muscle, ciliary body vessels, and retina. (Source) Cannabinoids also effect the CB2 receptors, but a study found that these receptors played no role in the IOP.(source)

Other theories about how cannabis reducing IOP have been researched, but not fully understood. The reduction of IOP does not seem to be from smoking cannabis resulting in lowering of the blood pressure.(Source) Studies have proposed however that the reduction in capillary pressure helps to reduce IOP. (Source) Sugrue did a study that showed that cannabinoids reduce the release of calcium which can help reduce IOP. (Source) Porcella et al also has a theory that cannabinoids acting as vasodilators by widening the blood vessels help to release the pressure on the eye. (Source)

Application of Cannabis for desired treatment of glaucoma has shown to be through smoking it, however for a non psychoactive method topical treatments are being developed. Unfortunately eye drops only deliver 5% of the medicine, due to the optical nerve being at the back of the eye. Other delivery methods are being researched with Porcella et al showing that cyclodextrins being the most effective thus far.(Source)

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Source:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002587/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1772142/