Searching For Medical Alternatives
On August 18, 2008 A 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 debate continues, a small group of scientist continue to test the effects of inhaled marijuana for treatment of nausea, muscle spasms, and pain.
Doctors have long understood that all drugs come attached with risk–in most American homes the medicine cabinets are stuffed with aspirin, antihistamines, and pain killers. What Doctors try to do is balance out the risk versus the benefits of what the medicine can do–some argue this should be the same approach when it comes to looking at marijuana.
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, says he 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 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.