drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
Bodybuilding, Medial Marijuana and the truth.
The vast majority of bodybuilders understand that muscle is not make in the gym, but during times of rest. I have read time and time again about those of us that train and are suffering with insomnia and not being able to get enough of quality sleep. We as a group suffer from numerous problems with inflammation caused primary by our use and abuse of our bodies. As you will find in this article, there is documented proof that the use of cannabis could help in addressing not only the issues listed above but several others that are have a negative impact on the quality of life of a host of people from different walks of life. Therefore, lets take a realistic look at the who and why we continue to follow the medical model and shove pill after pill down our throats and fight against a herb that has been found to show more promise that the pharmaceutical companies want us to believe.
Cannabis continues to be the thorn in big Pharm’s side. Cannabis and those that support the legalization will not be ignored nor go away. There is a plethora of research that is coming out of Europe to support what many have claimed for years, that there is a place for cannabis in the treatment milieu of patients in the United States.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta has seen a vast number of the veterans that she treats for post-traumatic stress disorder and they have had a positive experience with self medicating with cannabis. Many of these men report that they felt like zombies while on the prescribed medication, but once they started to self medicate with cannabis and stop the prescribed medicine, they had a decrease in anxiety, sleeplessness, flashbacks and depression.
The problem with medical Marijuana is that our beloved government has it listed as a Schedule 1 drug, which limits the ability of the drug to be researched formally, as Dr Gupta found out when she applied for federal approval and was met with mountains of red tape. This is because drugs that are considered Scheduled 1 have no medical value and the government has to give their approval to scientist to do any research.
The following are research a projects that have been conducted across the world. The sample sizes are smaller than one would hope, but if medical marijuana can ever get approval in the US, maybe we could see larger scale research proposals on the following research.
AIDS/HIV
In a human study of 10 HIV-positive marijuana smokers, scientists found people who smoked marijuana ate better, slept better and experienced a better mood. Another small study of 50 people found patients that smoked cannabis saw less neuropathic pain.
Alzheimer's
Medical marijuana and some of the plant's chemicals have been used to help Alzheimer's patients gain weight, and research found that it lessens some of the agitated behavior that patients can exhibit. In one cell study, researchers found it slowed the progress of protein deposits in the brain. Scientists think these proteins may be part of what causes Alzheimer's, although no one knows what causes the disease.
Arthritis
A study of 58 patients using the derivatives of marijuana found they had less arthritis pain and slept better. Another review of studies concluded marijuana may help fight pain-causing inflammation.
Asthma
Studies are contradictory, but some early work suggests it reduced exercise-induced asthma. Other cell studies showed smoking marijuana could dilate human airways, but some patients experienced a tight feeling in their chests and throats. A study in mice found similar results.
Cancer
Animal studies have shown some marijuana extracts may kill certain cancer cells. Other cell studies show it may stop cancer growth, and with mice, THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, improved the impact of radiation on cancer cells. Marijuana can also prevent the nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy treatment used to treat cancer.
Chronic pain
Some animal and small human studies show that cannabinoids can have a "substantial analgesic effect." People widely used them for pain relief in the 1800s. Some medicines based on cannabis such as Sativex are being tested on multiple sclerosis patients and used to treat cancer pain. The drug has been approved in Canada and in some European countries. In another trial involving 56 human patients, scientists saw a 30% reduction in pain in those who smoked marijuana.
Crohn's disease
In a small pilot study of 13 patients watched over three months, researchers found inhaled cannabis did improve life for people suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It helped ease people's pain, limited the frequency of diarrhea and helped with weight gain.
Epilepsy
Medical marijuana extract in early trials at the NYU Langone Medical Center showed a 50% reduction in the frequency of certain seizures in children and adults in a study of 213 patients recently.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness. Scientists have looked at THC's impact on this disease on the optic nerve and found it can lower eye pressure, but it may also lower blood pressure, which could harm the optic nerve due to a reduced blood supply. THC can also help preserve the nerves, a small study found.
Multiple sclerosis
Using marijuana or some of the chemicals in the plant may help prevent muscle spasms, pain, tremors and stiffness, according to early-stage, mostly observational studies involving animals, lab tests and a small number of human patients. The downside -- it may impair memory, according to a small study involving 20 patients.
So what is holding up the research?
It is my personal opinion that one only has to follow the money to find out what is actually going on in the United States. We have not cured one disease since Polio. There is no money to be made in curing a disease only in the treatment of a disease. Therefore, big pharma and the treatment business want to make sure that they are protected. If one would check, I am sure that you would find a long list of Senators and Congressmen that have gotten nice sums of money from big pharma over the course of their careers. Do you think that those same Senators and Congressmen are really going to approve a drug that we could grow in our garden to treat many different illnesses and eliminate the need for a hand full of pills ever morning? I don’t think so.
I read a study last week that stated that the United States is 5% of the world’s population, yet we take 75% of the pills in the world. Something about that just doesn’t seem correct.
The vast majority of bodybuilders understand that muscle is not make in the gym, but during times of rest. I have read time and time again about those of us that train and are suffering with insomnia and not being able to get enough of quality sleep. We as a group suffer from numerous problems with inflammation caused primary by our use and abuse of our bodies. As you will find in this article, there is documented proof that the use of cannabis could help in addressing not only the issues listed above but several others that are have a negative impact on the quality of life of a host of people from different walks of life. Therefore, lets take a realistic look at the who and why we continue to follow the medical model and shove pill after pill down our throats and fight against a herb that has been found to show more promise that the pharmaceutical companies want us to believe.
Cannabis continues to be the thorn in big Pharm’s side. Cannabis and those that support the legalization will not be ignored nor go away. There is a plethora of research that is coming out of Europe to support what many have claimed for years, that there is a place for cannabis in the treatment milieu of patients in the United States.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta has seen a vast number of the veterans that she treats for post-traumatic stress disorder and they have had a positive experience with self medicating with cannabis. Many of these men report that they felt like zombies while on the prescribed medication, but once they started to self medicate with cannabis and stop the prescribed medicine, they had a decrease in anxiety, sleeplessness, flashbacks and depression.
The problem with medical Marijuana is that our beloved government has it listed as a Schedule 1 drug, which limits the ability of the drug to be researched formally, as Dr Gupta found out when she applied for federal approval and was met with mountains of red tape. This is because drugs that are considered Scheduled 1 have no medical value and the government has to give their approval to scientist to do any research.
The following are research a projects that have been conducted across the world. The sample sizes are smaller than one would hope, but if medical marijuana can ever get approval in the US, maybe we could see larger scale research proposals on the following research.
AIDS/HIV
In a human study of 10 HIV-positive marijuana smokers, scientists found people who smoked marijuana ate better, slept better and experienced a better mood. Another small study of 50 people found patients that smoked cannabis saw less neuropathic pain.
Alzheimer's
Medical marijuana and some of the plant's chemicals have been used to help Alzheimer's patients gain weight, and research found that it lessens some of the agitated behavior that patients can exhibit. In one cell study, researchers found it slowed the progress of protein deposits in the brain. Scientists think these proteins may be part of what causes Alzheimer's, although no one knows what causes the disease.
Arthritis
A study of 58 patients using the derivatives of marijuana found they had less arthritis pain and slept better. Another review of studies concluded marijuana may help fight pain-causing inflammation.
Asthma
Studies are contradictory, but some early work suggests it reduced exercise-induced asthma. Other cell studies showed smoking marijuana could dilate human airways, but some patients experienced a tight feeling in their chests and throats. A study in mice found similar results.
Cancer
Animal studies have shown some marijuana extracts may kill certain cancer cells. Other cell studies show it may stop cancer growth, and with mice, THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, improved the impact of radiation on cancer cells. Marijuana can also prevent the nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy treatment used to treat cancer.
Chronic pain
Some animal and small human studies show that cannabinoids can have a "substantial analgesic effect." People widely used them for pain relief in the 1800s. Some medicines based on cannabis such as Sativex are being tested on multiple sclerosis patients and used to treat cancer pain. The drug has been approved in Canada and in some European countries. In another trial involving 56 human patients, scientists saw a 30% reduction in pain in those who smoked marijuana.
Crohn's disease
In a small pilot study of 13 patients watched over three months, researchers found inhaled cannabis did improve life for people suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It helped ease people's pain, limited the frequency of diarrhea and helped with weight gain.
Epilepsy
Medical marijuana extract in early trials at the NYU Langone Medical Center showed a 50% reduction in the frequency of certain seizures in children and adults in a study of 213 patients recently.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness. Scientists have looked at THC's impact on this disease on the optic nerve and found it can lower eye pressure, but it may also lower blood pressure, which could harm the optic nerve due to a reduced blood supply. THC can also help preserve the nerves, a small study found.
Multiple sclerosis
Using marijuana or some of the chemicals in the plant may help prevent muscle spasms, pain, tremors and stiffness, according to early-stage, mostly observational studies involving animals, lab tests and a small number of human patients. The downside -- it may impair memory, according to a small study involving 20 patients.
So what is holding up the research?
It is my personal opinion that one only has to follow the money to find out what is actually going on in the United States. We have not cured one disease since Polio. There is no money to be made in curing a disease only in the treatment of a disease. Therefore, big pharma and the treatment business want to make sure that they are protected. If one would check, I am sure that you would find a long list of Senators and Congressmen that have gotten nice sums of money from big pharma over the course of their careers. Do you think that those same Senators and Congressmen are really going to approve a drug that we could grow in our garden to treat many different illnesses and eliminate the need for a hand full of pills ever morning? I don’t think so.
I read a study last week that stated that the United States is 5% of the world’s population, yet we take 75% of the pills in the world. Something about that just doesn’t seem correct.
