An La Times medical reporter interviewed a group of doctors that were researching the benefits of medical marijuana. The issue of whether marijuana has any medical benefits is all determined on whom you ask–should marijuana be labeled with the dangerous drugs like PCP and heroin, or is it a miracle herb that has an abundance of uses and is being suppressed by the government–perhaps its something in between: an herb with tremendous medical benefits yet with drawbacks, worth looking into.

As the political campaigning over medical marijuana continues, a small group of scientist are investigating the effects on how inhaled marijuana treats nausea, pain, and muscle spasms

The researchers point out that all drugs carry risks–when you look into most medicine cabinets in American households, you will find them filled with aspirins, antihistamines, and pain killers. What doctors try to do is weigh the positives versus the negatives of what the medicine can do and from there they reach a decision–why not for marijuana as well, some researchers are asking.

Researchers say that their findings show that marijuana does have medical benefits– for chronic pain syndromes, cancer pains, AIDS wasting syndrome, nausea associated with chemo therapy, and multiple sclerosis. The research is hindered so progress is slow as they try to harness and understand all of the plants benefits. Another discovery has been that although there are real risks attached to marijuana, they are generally small.

Dr. Donald Abrams, chief of hematology and oncology at San Francisco General Hospital and professor of clinical medicine at UC San Francisco, says he sees cancer patients in pain, not eating or sleeping well, experiencing nausea and vomiting from treatment, and being depressed about their situation.

Dr. Abrams also is happy that he lives in California where medical marijuana is permitted by state law–this even with federal authorities who continue to raid cannabis dispensaries in California as well as scrutinize Doctors who choose to prescribe marijuana to their patients as a form of therapy.

“I can talk to patients about medicinal cannabis [and] I’m often recommending it to them for these indications,” Abrams says.

The medical use of marijuana has gone on for thousands of years. In the days before the bible, the plant was used as a medicinal tea in China, and in India it was used as a stress formula and pain reliever–All throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Africa marijuana was use for earaches, childbirth, and many other remedies.

Medical researchers have recently began to investigate marijuana’s effects on various kinds of pain such as damaged nerves in people with HIV, diabetes and spinal cord injury; to cancer; and from multiple sclerosis.

For the past 35 years, Dr. R has studied the medicinal effects that nirvana seeds have been used in history. She currently maintains a web site full of information on the nirvana seeds and the many uses it has had throughout man’s civilization.

Dealing with tight, sore, contracting muscles is life for many of the 2.5 million people around the planet suffer from Multiple Sclerosis. Such is the case for many of the 15 million patients with spinal cord injuries who also suffer from the same symptoms, which cause pain, limit movement, and rob people of needed sleep.

Several conventional medications are available to help mitigate some of the discomfort, yet they rarely provide the patient with total relief. These conventional drugs often times cause weakness, make the patient constantly sleepy, and has side effects that many of the patients find intolerable such as constant constipation.

With an outlook such as this, many patients with both spinal chord injuries and MS have sought out medical marijuana because of the complete decrease in pain.

Patients of spinal chord injuries and MS also said they valued the drug because it relieved nausea or helped them sleep. A’82 study of people with spinal cord injuries, found that 21 of 43 of the case studies reported that marijuana lessened muscle spasticity (a condition in which muscles tense reflexively and resist stretching), while nearly every participant in a’97 survey of 112 regular marijuana users with multiple sclerosis replied that the drug lessened both pain and spasticity.

This case study is not intended to prove that all people who suffer from MS find marijuana useful, but those that use marijuana do.

Test to prove that marijuana helps in spasticity has been done on animals. The area of the brain that controls movement is thought to create spasms-including many cannabinoid receptors.

One experiment showed that rodents become more animated under small doses od cannabinoids and less active when they get higher doses.

Many marijuana users also note that the drug affects movement, making their bodies sway and their hands unsteady.

Researchers are still unsure of the exact mechanics behind the cannabinoids effects. With all of the findings that show marijuana contains anecdotal evidence, it’s properties still go untested.

Very few reports are helpful because they are limited in the amount of people and in general hard to find.

Still, the lack of good universally effective medicine for muscle spasticity is a compelling reason to continue exploring cannonaded drugs in the clinic.

For three decades, Dr. Julian Reindhurst has studies the medicinal benefits of marijuana. He currently has a blog that gives the historical perspective of how nirvana seeds benefited other ancient civilizations. He also has a website site that looks at the medicinal benefits of the nirvana seeds.

On August’, 2008 A La Times medical reporter interviewed a group of doctors that were researching the benefits of medical marijuana. Depending on the audience, marijuana is just as dangerous a drug as PCP and heroin and therefore should be kept illegal, or it’s a wonder herb that is just bursting with unknown benefits and is being suppressed by the government–or perhaps its a little bit of both: a plant with tremendous benefits as well as drawbacks, yet worth looking into.

While the political arguments continue over medical marijuana, a group of researchers continues to investigate the effects of inhaled marijuana to treat muscle spasms, nausea, and pain.

The researchers point out that all drugs carry risks–when you look into most medicine cabinets in American households, you will find them filled with aspirins, antihistamines, and pain killers. What doctors try to do is weigh the positives versus the negatives of what the medicine can do and from there they reach a decision–why not for marijuana as well, some researchers are asking.

The truth, say researchers, is that marijuana has medical benefits that assist with those living with cancer pain, multiple sclerosis, nausea associated with chemo therapy, and chronic pain syndromes. Research has shown that the risks associated with marijuana are real but generally small. Newer medical discoveries of the medicinal benefits of marijuana have been since hindered the research team says.

Dr. Donald Abrams, chief of hematology and oncology at San Francisco General Hospital and professor of clinical medicine at UC San Francisco sees cancer patients in pain, not eating or sleeping well, experiencing nausea and vomiting from treatment, and being depressed about their situation.

He’s happy that he live in a state like California where medical marijuana is legal by state law–this even as federal agents continue to raid on a regular basis the cannabis dispensaries that are in the state as well as scrutinize doctors who prefer to treat some of their patients with marijuana.

“I can talk to patients about medicinal cannabis [and] I’m often recommending it to them for these indications,” Abrams says.

The use of marijuana for medical purposes has a history that goes back thousands of years. The plant was used all throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Africa for ailments like earaches, child birth, stress relief, and pain relief.

recently, there have been studies to test the effect on how marijuana treats people with spinal injuries, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and anxiety.

For three decades, Dr. Julian Reindhurst has studies the medicinal benefits of marijuana. He currently has a blog that gives the historical perspective of how nirvana seeds benefited other ancient civilizations. He also has a website site that looks at the medicinal benefits of the nirvana seeds.

The use of marijuana for medical purposes has a history that goes back thousands of years– the herb has been used for all sorts of aliments such as a stress reliever in India, to subsiding child birth pains. Its uses can be traced all throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Medical research recently has also unearthed in the past decade marijuana’s effects on various kinds of pains. These range from damaged nerves in people that have HIV, diabetic treatment, and spinal injuries–marijuana has also shown promise to patients with cancer and Multiple Sclerosis.

Marijuana has also been speculated to help with nausea brought on by chemotherapy and antiretroviral therapy, as well as with severe loss of appetite as seen in people with the AIDS wasting syndrome.

THC is an ingredient in marijuana that mimics the action of chemicals that naturally occur in the brain. The tetrahydro cannabinol (THC) activates receptors in the body’s nerves that trigger physiological responses in the brain.

The only legal extract of marijuana that exist today is known as Marinol but the drug is by no means the replicated answer of the natural smoked medical marijuana. Taken orally, its absorption is highly variable and unpredictable and often delayed, says Dr. Igor Grant, a UC San Diego psychiatrist who directs the university’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research. “Smoking is a very efficient way to deliver THC,” he states.

The consequences of marijuana being considered federally as a illegal drug, limits is use to specified clinics and to patients in states like Colorado that have created laws that allow marijuana for personal medical use.

Research on the medicinal use of marijuana relies on government-issued marijuana cigarettes, which come in different strengths and are supplied by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The UC Center for Medicinal Marijuana Research in California helps aid in the clinical studies to determine the safety and effectiveness of medicinal marijuana and they have found studies related to neuropathic pain, Multiple sclerosis, and nausea.

For the 30 years, Dr. Julian Reindhurst has studies the medicinal benefits of marijuana. He currently has a blog that gives the historical perspective of how nirvana seeds benefited other ancient civilizations. He maintainsa site that looks at the medicinal benefits of the nirvana seeds.

categories: Medical Marijuana Research,Doctors Use of,Medical,Marijuana,Health,Disease,Cancer,Medical,Multiple,Sclerosis,Joint Pain,Alternatives