Marijuana helps Patients with Crohns Disease

Crohn's disease, one of several inflammatory bowel diseases, achieved "complete remission" in nearly half the subjects of one study that were exposed to smoking medical marijuana on a regular basis.
Published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the study examined the effects of consistent marijuana use on Crohn's patients who suffered from severe cases of the disease. The results of the 21-subject study point toward the drug's anti-inflammatory properties as being responsible for quieting symptoms in many patients, and even reaching total remission in others.

The Disease: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments

Often mischaracterized as an autoimmune disease, Crohn's disease is in fact an immune deficiency state. Arising from a host of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors, the disease causes a chronic inflammatory disorder that attacks the person's gastrointestinal tract — anywhere from the mouth to the anus — in order to fight the body's antigens that otherwise do no harm. Symptoms of the disease range from mild abdominal pain to more severe cases of bloody diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and fevers.
There is no cure for Crohn's; however, various methods are aimed at limiting flare ups and keeping the disease in remission. Treatments, like disease severity, fall on a spectrum depending on the person. Simple dietary changes suffice for some, while invasive surgery to remove the affected area may be needed for others. Corticosteroids and other medications are also prescribed for less severe cases.
The disease affects around 400,000 to 600,000 people in North America, although many people do not get diagnosed until they've had the disease for years, simply because no symptoms were present.

The Study And Its Findings

Scientists at Meir Medical Center in Israel wanted to examine the effects of Cannabis sativa on patients with severe Crohn's disease, relying on the underlying drug's anti-inflammatory effects in treating other ailments, such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
"The marijuana plant Cannabis sativa has been reported to produce beneficial effects for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, but this has not been investigated in controlled trials," the researchers wrote. "We performed a prospective trial to determine whether cannabis can induce remission in patients with Crohn's disease."
Twenty-one people with severe, intractable Crohn's comprised the study. Out of those 21, 11 subjects smoked two joints a day for eight weeks. The other 10 made up the placebo group.
The results were particularly telling, according to the researchers. In total, five of the 11 subjects smoking marijuana daily achieved total remission of their Crohn's. They reported greater appetites and sleep patterns. (People with severe cases of Crohn's sometimes defecate 20 times per day, and may even wake up at night to do so.) Moreover, "a clinical response" was found in 10 of those 11. Only four of the 10 placebo subjects reported any improvements.
These findings, argued the researchers, demonstrate how "THC-rich cannabis produced significant clinical, steroid-free benefits to 11 patients with active Crohn's disease, compared with placebo, without side effects."
The researchers were hesitant to call the study a total success, however, saying that the "primary end point of the study (induction of remission) was not achieved," despite the five of 11 people who reported those effects.
Still, they noted that their findings merit further attention. "Further studies, with larger patient groups and a nonsmoking mode of intake, are warranted," they wrote, pointing to the potentially diminished effects of smoking marijuana, as opposed to extracting the anti-inflammatory drugs directly from the plant. 

https://www.medicaldaily.com/medical-marijuana-achieves-complete-remission-crohns-disease-drug-improves-247783

Some doctors prescribe medical marijuana to treat symptoms of Crohn's disease.

With medical marijuana becoming available in a growing number of states, patients with Crohn's disease may wonder if they should give it a try. Research has suggested that the potentially therapeutic compounds in the plant could indeed help with symptoms, but experts recommend that patients proceed with caution."There really isn't data to tell us that it’s effective for Crohn's disease," says Mark Gerich, MD, assistant professor of gastroenterology and clinical director of the Crohn’s & Colitis Center at the University of Colorado in Aurora. Though people who use it often report improvement in pain or easing of diarrhea, there's no objective evidence that marijuana actually reduces the gut inflammation that's at the core of the disease. Here is what else you should know about using marijuana for Crohn's.

Latest Research on Marijuana for Crohn’s

A study published in August 2011 in the Israel Medical Association Journal presented the results of the first research to ever examine the use of cannabis in people with Crohn's. The 30 patients, who hadn't previously responded to standard treatments, all said their overall well-being improved with marijuana use.

Two years later, the lead author and colleagues published the findings of another study in October 2013 in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, this time comparing the effectiveness of cannabis to a placebo in 21 patients. Over the course of two months, approximately half of them smoked marijuana cigarettes with THC, and the other half smoked placebo marijuana cigarettes with the THC removed. The people in the THC group experienced a greater improvement in symptoms during this time compared with the placebo group.Still, the treatment didn’t change the people's levels of a blood test marker for inflammation called C-reactive protein (CRP). "They did not have objective evidence of improvement," says Adam Cheifetz, MD, director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, who was not involved in the study. Another problem was that most participants eventually figured out whether they were receiving the THC-containing cigarettes or the placebo. Dr. Cheifetz thinks that there's currently not enough data to prove that cannabis is an effective way of treating Crohn's disease.Waseem Ahmed, MD, internist with NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, shares this view, explaining that most studies on this topic have major flaws, such as small samples and brief follow-up periods.

The Risks of Marijuana Use for Crohn’s

Cannabis use also comes with certain risks. For one, its reduction in symptoms may mask ongoing inflammation, making patients think their disease is in remission when it's not, according to Dr. Ahmed's paper published in November 2016 in the journal Gastroenterology & Hepatology. And a study published in March 2014 in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases showed that cannabis use might actually increase the risk of surgery in people with Crohn's. Marijuana use also entails a risk of dependence, psychosis and — with long-term use — neurocognitive impairment, says Dr. Ahmed. He therefore suggests that it should only be reserved for controlling pain or symptoms in patients who do not respond to other types of treatment.

Obtaining Medical Marijuana to Treat Crohn’s

Despite the risks, medical marijuana is available as a treatment option for patients with Crohn's in many of the 28 states that have legalized its use for medical purposes. If you're interested in obtaining cannabis for Crohn’s, the New York State Medical Marijuana Program's website says to consult your treating physician first. If your doctor is registered with a state medical marijuana program and agrees this is the appropriate treatment, you can get a certificate for it. If your physician isn’t registered, you can get referred to another doctor who is.Once you have the certificate you will have to register with the state's medical marijuana program to obtain an ID that could then be used to obtain the marijuana from a dispensing facility.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/crohns-disease/treatment/cannabis-for-crohns-disease/

Marijuana and Alzeheimer's Disease

Compounds in marijuana may be able to help symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Memory gradually declines with age for everyone. But for those with Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss can be so severe that they can lose the ability to recognize their loved ones.
Areas of the brain responsible for memory are affected in Alzheimer’s, and these areas are highly regulated by the endocannabinoid system. This system is activated by compounds in marijuana known as cannabinoids.
Cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, also have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects that may help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Here, we discuss the merits of marijuana as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.



What is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that mostly occurs in the elderly. The disease is progressive, meaning symptoms tend to worsen over time.
Neurodegeneration is the process of losing brain cells over time. It is not known what causes neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s.
The most well-known symptom of Alzheimer’s is dementia. Initial symptoms of dementia include problems with memory, but gradually expand into other symptoms like language impairments and behavioural changes.
The progression of Alzheimer’s is associated with the formation of plaques in the brain. These plaques form when a compound known as beta-amyloid is released from brain cells into grey matter.
These plaques actually form in the brains of healthy older adults too, but genetic differences in patients with Alzheimer’s cause a significantly higher number of plaques to form.



Can Marijuana Help Alzheimer’s Disease?
There is preliminary evidence that cannabinoids have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Because of this, some researchers believe that marijuana may help with Alzheimer’s.
Researchers have investigated the role of the endocannabinoid system in Alzheimer’s disease. The endocannabinoid system is crucial in regulating memory, and scientists believe it may be affected in Alzheimer’s. Since marijuana stimulates the endocannabinoid system, it may be able to offer some benefits.
During the early stages of Alzheimer’s, the endocannabinoid system is blocked by the formation of beta-amyloid plaques. This disruption of the endocannabinoid system is believed to be partially responsible for the early symptoms of memory impairments.
Other evidence has found that cannabinoids can help protect brain cells from damage and prevent cognitive impairments in animal models of Alzheimer’s. This has led to an interest in THC as a potential treatment option. THC is thought to exert its neuroprotective effects by activating CB1 receptors.



Benefits of Marijuana For Alzheimer’s Disease
Cannabinoids reduce inflammation
Inflammation in the brain leads to damage in neurons and is believed to contribute to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s.
A 2009 study found that cannabinoids can help regulate inflammation in the brain. The researchers concluded that cannabinoids could someday be used to reduce inflammation in neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.


Marijuana improves memory
The most well-known symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is the loss of memory. Patients slowly lose the ability to recognize their loved ones, their surroundings, and how to communicate.
A 2012 study showed cannabinoids can help protect brain cells from the beta-amyloid plaques seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
The study used a synthetic cannabinoid called WIN55212-2, which acts on cannabinoid receptors. The researchers observed that the cannabinoid improved memory in a rodent model of Alzheimer’s.


THC is neuroprotective
Like other neurodegenerative disorders, protecting the brain from further damage is an important element in treating Alzheimer’s. Cannabinoids are known to have neuroprotective properties, and researchers are investigating their potential in Alzheimer’s.
A 2016 study used human nerve cells to investigate the effects of THC on beta-amyloid levels.
The researchers found that THC improved the removal of beta-amyloid from the cells. THC also reduced inflammation and protected the neurons from damage. This evidence suggests that THC might be able to reduce the severity of Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
A 2006 study showed that THC might be able to block acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that contributes to beta-amyloid plaque production


Marijuana improves behavioural issues

As Alzheimer’s progresses, symptoms other than memory deficits begin to develop. During the late stages of the disease, behavioural problems such as irritability and aggression become more prevalent.
In a 1997 study, researchers found that THC could reduce behavioural disturbances in Alzheimer’s disease, and improved appetite in patients. The researchers noted that the effects of THC lasted into the placebo period, indicating that THC had long-term benefits.
Another human trial on the impact of THC in Alzheimer’s disease found that marijuana-infused oils could improve behavioural issues.
The study involved 11 patients, and was published in 2016 by researchers in Israel. Delusions, aggression, irritability, apathy, and sleep were significantly improved when the cannabis oil was added to the patients’ treatment regimens.



CBD and Alzheimer’s Disease
When discussing marijuana in a medical context, it’s important to consider the differences between THC and CBD. Despite coming from the same plant, these cannabinoids behave very differently in the body and offer unique therapeutic effects.
Unlike THC, CBD does not have any psychoactive effects. This can be very helpful for patients who can’t tolerate the psychoactive side effects of THC.
CBD can also reduce symptoms of psychosis and anxiety, suggesting it may be a better alternative for Alzheimer’s patients suffering from psychiatric symptoms. THC, on the other hand, may exacerbate these symptoms.
CBD might improve memory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease. A 2014 study published in the journal Psychopharmacology found that CBD could reverse cognitive deficits in an animal model of Alzheimer’s when given on a regular basis.
In a 2017 study, CBD was found to reduce the levels of proteins that contribute to beta-amyloid plaque production.
CBD may also help promote growth of new brain cells that have died off because of beta-amyloid plaques. A 2011 study found that CBD increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus, an area that regulates memory and is damaged in Alzheimer’s disease.
In a 2017 review of the pre-clinical evidence for CBD as a treatment for Alzheimer’s, researchers found that CBD had anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. However, these effects still require confirmation from clinical trials to determine whether the results are relevant to humans.



Summary
While preliminary research is promising, human trials are needed to determine if marijuana can be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Both THC and CBD have shown potential to reduce inflammation and protect neurons from damage by beta-amyloid plaques. In addition, CBD may promote the growth of new brain cells, and has fewer side effects than THC.
While there is not a lot of human research, some studies have found that THC can reduce behavioural disturbances in Alzheimer’s patients.
Based on early findings, some scientists believe marijuana has the potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
https://www.leafscience.com/2017/12/22/marijuana-alzheimers-disease/

Marijuana Stop and Helps Cancer Cells from Spreading

It was found in the study, published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, that
Cannabidiol has the ability to stop cancer by turning off a gene called Id-1. In 2007, researchers at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, reported that CBD may prevent cancer from spreading. The researchers experimented on breast cancer cells in the lab that had high level of Id-1, and treated them with cannabidiol. The outcome was rather positive, the cells had decreased Id-1 expression, and were less aggressive spreaders. In fact, the American Association for Cancer Research has found that marijuana actually works to slow down tumor growth in brain, breast, and lungs considerately.
A pair of scientists at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco has found that a compound derived from marijuana could stop metastasis in many kinds of aggressive cancer, potentially altering the fatality of the disease forever.
"It took us about 20 years of research to figure this out, but we are very excited," said Pierre Desprez, one of the scientists behind the discovery, to The Huffington Post. "We want to get started with trials as soon as possible."
The Daily Beast first reported on the finding, which has already undergone both laboratory and animal testing, and is awaiting permission for clinical trials in humans.
Desprez, a molecular biologist, spent decades studying ID-1, the gene that causes cancer to spread. Meanwhile, fellow researcher Sean McAllister was studying the effects of Cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-toxic, non-psychoactive chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. Finally, the pair collaborated, combining CBD and cells containing high levels of ID-1 in a petri dish.
"What we found was that his Cannabidiol could essentially ‘turn off’ the ID-1," Desprez told HuffPost. The cells stopped spreading and returned to normal.
"We likely would not have found this on our own," he added. "That’s why collaboration is so essential to scientific discovery."
Desprez and McAllister first published a paper about the finding in 2007. Since then, their team has found that CBD works both in the lab and in animals. And now, they’ve found even more good news.
"We started by researching breast cancer," said Desprez. "But now we’ve found that Cannabidiol works with many kinds of aggressive cancers—brain, prostate—any kind in which these high levels of ID-1 are present."
Desprez hopes that clinical trials will begin immediately.
"We’ve found no toxicity in the animals we’ve tested, and Cannabidiol is already used in humans for a variety of other ailments," he said. Indeed, the compound is used to relieve anxiety and nausea, and, since it is non-psychoactive, does not cause the "high" associated with THC.
While marijuana advocates will surely praise the discovery, Desprez explained that it’s not so easy as just lighting up.
"We used injections in the animal testing and are also testing pills," he said. "But you could never get enough Cannabidiol for it to be effective just from smoking."
Furthermore, the team has started synthesizing the compound in the lab instead of using the plant in an effort to make it more potent.
"It’s a common practice," explained Desprez. "But hopefully it will also keep us clear of any obstacles while seeking approval."
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/marijuana-and-cancer_n_1898208.html

HOW MARIJUANA HELP CONTROL EPILEPTIC SEIZURES

Stories of cannabis’s abilities to alleviate seizures have been around for about 150 years but interest in medical marijuana has increased sharply in the last decade with the help of legalization campaigns.

Charlotte Figi, an eight-year-old girl from Colorado with Dravet syndrome, a rare and debilitating form of epilepsy, came into the public eye in 2013 when news broke that medical marijuana was able to do what other drugs could not: dramatically reduce her seizures. Now, new scientific research provides evidence that cannabis may be an effective treatment for a third of epilepsy patients who, like Charlotte, have a treatment-resistant form of the disease.

Last month Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist at New York University Langone Medical Center, and his colleagues across multiple research centers published the results from the largest study to date of a cannabis-based drug for treatment-resistant epilepsy in The Lancet Neurology. The researchers treated 162 patients with an extract of 99 percent cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive chemical in marijuana, and monitored them for 12 weeks. This treatment was given as an add-on to the patients’ existing medications and the trial was open-label (everyone knew what they were getting).

The researchers reported the intervention reduced motor seizures at a rate similar to existing drugs (a median of 36.5 percent) and 2 percent of patients became completely seizure free. Additionally, 79 percent of patients reported adverse effects such as sleepiness, diarrhea and fatigue, although only 3 percent dropped out of the study due to adverse events. “I was a little surprised that the overall number of side effects was quite high but it seems like most of them were not enough that the patients had to come off the medication,” says Kevin Chapman, a neurology and pediatric professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who was not involved in the study. “I think that [this study] provides some good data to show that it's relatively safe—the adverse effects were mostly mild and [although] there were serious adverse effects, it's always hard to know in such a refractory population whether that would have occurred anyway.”

Stories of cannabis’s abilities to alleviate seizures have been around for about 150 years but interest in medical marijuana has increased sharply in the last decade with the help of legalization campaigns. In particular, both patients and scientists have started to focus on the potential benefits of CBD, one of the main compounds in cannabis. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for its euphoric effects, CBD does not cause a “high” or pose the same type of risks that researchers have identified for THC, such as addiction and cognitive impairment. Rather, studies have shown that it can act as an anticonvulsant and may even have antipsychotic effects.

The trial led by Devinsky is currently the most robust assessment of CBD’s effect on epilepsy (prior studies included less than 20 patients) but many questions remain. In a subsequent commentary published this January, also in The Lancet Neurology, Kamil Detyniecki and Lawrence Hirsch, neurologists at the Yale University School of Medicine who were not involved in the research, outlined the study’s major limitations, which include possible placebo effects and drug interactions.

Because the trial was open-label and without a control group, a main concern is the placebo effect, which previous studies have shown might be especially strong with marijuana-based products. For example, an earlier 2015 study carried out by Chapman and his group at the University of Colorado revealed that 47 percent of patients whose families had moved to Colorado for cannabis-based epilepsy treatment reported improvement, compared with 22 percent in people who already lived there.

The other major issue is the possibility of drug interactions—because CBD is a potent liver enzyme inhibitor it can increase the concentration of other drugs in the body. This means that when administered with other compounds, consequent effects on patients may be due to the increased exposure to those other drugs rather than the CBD itself.

Despite these limitations, both commentary authors agree the study is an important step in establishing CBD as a safe and effective epilepsy treatment. “This is a first step, and it's great,” Detyniecki says. Despite the large number of adverse events, he says that overall “there were no surprising side effects—we can conclude that CBD appears to be safe in the short term.”

Evidence suggesting that CBD is effective against treatment-resistant epilepsy may be growing but scientists still know very little about how it works—other than the likelihood that it is “completely different than any other seizure drug we know,” as Devinsky puts it. That’s a good thing, he notes: “One fear is that because of the way that the drugs are tested and screened, we've ended up with a lot of ‘me-too’ drugs that are all very similar.”

Researchers, including those who were involved in the study published last December, hope to address these limitations in currently running blind and placebo-controlled clinical trials testing CBD on Dravet sufferers as well as Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, another drug-resistant form of epilepsy. In the meantime most clinicians and researchers, including those involved in the trial, advise “cautious optimism” when considering CBD as an epilepsy treatment.

“I think, based on the evidence that we have, if a child has tried multiple standard drugs and the epilepsy is still severe and impairing quality of life, then the risks of trying CBD are low to modest at best,” Devinksy says. “[But] I do feel it is critical for us as a scientific community to get [more] data.” Cannabis may be the much-needed treatment for a handful of people with epilepsy, but for now, patients should wait for scientists to clear the haze.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-cannabis-treat-epileptic-seizures/

How a Family treat Epilepsy with Marijuana

Treating Epilepsy: One Family’s Journey with Medical Cannabis
With cannabis now firmly in the spotlight, it’s acceptance as use as a medicine is becoming far more common, and it’s not at all surprising.  Medical marijuana has shown time and time again to have amazing effects for patients battling all types of health conditions, from back pain to epilepsy and everything in between.  The negative stigma surrounding this ancient medicine is finally starting to reverse and cannabis is being recognized for it’s wonderful medicinal properties.  There are countless stories of people, who thought they were beyond hope of living a comfortable life, finding themselves back on their feet after discovering the health benefits of medical cannabis.

Logan Cruickshank 

One such story introduced us to the Cruickshank family of St. Thomas, Ontario.  Therese and Tage Cruickshank are the parents of a lovely boy named Logan, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when he was less than a year old.  His parents noticed that as a baby, Logan would continually clench his right hand, prompting them to have tests done through their pediatrician.  When the test results came back, they weren’t good.  The family was devastated to discover Logan’s condition, and were in disbelief when told that he would require 24-hr care for the rest of his life, never even having a chance at a normal life.  After the initial shock, Therese and Tage decided to remain positive and sought a second opinion.
Through further testing, doctors determined that Logan’s condition was not as severe as initially suspected.  This was welcome news, but Logan’s diagnosis of Spastic Asymmetrical Triplegic Cerebral Palsy meant that he would always face challenges using his right arm and both of his legs.  How much he would be limited was unclear, and luckily Logan did a lot better than initially feared.  Things seemed to be looking up for Logan and his family.
That was until one night when, as Therese and Tage were quietly watching a movie while Logan slept, they heard strange noises emanating from Logan’s room.  They rushed to see what was going on and found Logan unresponsive with his eyes slightly open, convulsing to the back of his head.  They attempted to wake him, but that just made things worse.  Logan began to vomit and his body went stiff as a board.  In a panic, they phoned 9-1-1 and had Logan taken to the hospital.
A nerve racking time spent in a separate waiting room led his parents to fear the worst.
Logan’s father, Tage told us he was terrified.  “I had this sick feeling in my stomach that the doctors were going to tell us Logan passed away.”

Diagnosed With Epilepsy

Thankfully this was not the case, but the doctors said Logan had suffered a severe seizure, lasting five hours, and that it was difficult to pull him out of it.  Logan appeared to be ok, but after suffering a further three seizures in the next one and a half months – he was diagnosed with Epilepsy.
Over the course of the following five years, Logan was seen by every specialist possible and tried a variety of medications meant to fight Epilepsy.  The search for a suitable treatment was not going well, as the medications had little to no effect on Logan’s seizures.  He was suffering one grand mal seizure every month, which would require medical intervention to make it cease.  The high doses of medication he was taking also began to induce absence seizures.  Changing medications again seemed to help, but three months later Logan was right back where he started and suffering from severe seizures.
At a loss the family began to look for other options and treatments not found in mainstream medicine.  During their research, medical cannabis came up again and again.  Therese and Tage had heard about all the negative stigma surrounding cannabis and were wary of treating Logan with the “drug”.  However, the more they researched, the more hope they felt that maybe, just maybe, medical cannabis could help Logan find some relief.  They then spoke with a friend, who highlighted many of the benefits of medical cannabis, but it wasn’t until the family was picking up a service dog for Logan in Ohio, that the Cruickshanks journey with medical cannabis truly began.
A couple from Oregon they met in Ohio told them about their successes treating their daughter’s Epilepsy with medical cannabis.  After hearing their stories, Therese and Tage felt more hopeful and optimistic than they had in years.

Medical Cannabis Treatment 

Upon returning home, they got busy trying to get Logan treated with medicinal cannabis, but to no avail.  Their family doctor was against it.  Logan’s neurologist also said no.  Deflated, the Cruickshanks thought that they would not be able to even try the treatment that so many had said might be able to help Logan.
It wasn’t until meeting with Martina, a cannabis coach from Medical Marijuana Consulting, that things started to look up.  Martina was a believer in the power of medical cannabis and offered to help.  She ended up finding someone who would attempt to help Logan.
Logan took his first dosage of cannabis oil in September of 2017, and his journey to a better life began.  As a precaution, and to avoid complications or withdrawal effects, Logan would initially continue taking his pharmaceutical drugs alongside the cannabis oils.  A few weeks into taking the cannabis oil and Logan was already showing signs of improvement.  His seizures were lessening dramatically, so his parents decided to begin weaning him off the pharmaceutical drugs in November.

No More Pharmaceuticals 

Three months later, on February 4^th, Logan celebrated the ending of his taking pharmaceutical drugs by ceremoniously dumping them into the trash bin.  The previous few months had seen his seizures lessen to five or six in total, compared to the five or six he was having every week before.  Logan’s recent run has been 15 days with no seizures, and everyone is ecstatic.
“It’s been pretty remarkable.  I’m not naïve to think he’s never going to have a seizure again, but from what we’ve seen since we’ve started weaning him off the medications, is a boy we’ve really never had the chance to meet,” said Tage.
Logan’s parents are finally meeting their child properly.  He’s developed an engaging personality, and is much more active, doing things he’s never done before.  The high doses of pharmaceutical drugs had been keeping him sedated and dulling his vibrant personality.  Now that Logan is taking only the cannabis oil as treatment, he’s showing everyone the child he really is.
The medical cannabis treatment has worked wonders with Logan’s Epilepsy and has also had a positive effect on his Cerebral Palsy.  With more energy to burn, Logan is up walking more, something which would have left him in pain at night before, but the cannabis oil treatment has helped him remain pain-free.  Logan has become a normal seven-year-old boy, complete with “selective hearing” and unbendable defiance to match.  His family couldn’t be happier with how things have been going and they give credit to medical cannabis.

Cannabis Changed Logan’s Life

After the journey the family has been through, Tage is a man with a changed opinion.  “I have gone from being completely ignorant to cannabis because of the stigma attached to it, to after my research, being cautiously optimistic, and now I’m confident in saying I’m a huge advocate. It’s changed our lives, but most importantly, it’s changed Logan’s life.”

Stories like these are common all over the world.  Medical cannabis is being used successfully to treat Epilepsy, among other conditions, and it’s just the beginning.  Licensed producers in Canada have been paying attention and are doing what they can to act for everyone’s benefit.
Koby Smutylo, COO of London, Ontario Licensed Producer Indiva Limited, is fully onboard, “We’ve heard a lot of similar testimonials and we are looking forward to future peer reviewed studies on cannabis and epilepsy.”
Medical cannabis gives us hope for the future, for families like Logan’s and for people suffering all over the world.  With legalization fast approaching in Canada, we look forward to the widespread availability of all the health benefits this medication can provide.
https://www.liwts.org/blog/treating-epilepsy-one-familys-journey-medical-cannabis/

DO YOU KNOW MARIJUANA CAN IMPROVES YOUR LUNGS FUNCTION?

Marijuana can actually improve lung function

Smoking weed isn’t actually that bad for your lungs, and smokers actually have improved lung function when compared to both cigarette smokers – and people who have never smoked either. The researchers, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, say that the big drags take by weed smokers may actually ‘train’ lungs to be more efficient.

Well, not so fast. It may come as a surprise, but cannabis smoke is significantly less harmful than tobacco smoke, and can help keep your lungs healthy. Those with conditions like COPD and emphysema may even benefit from some forms of the herb. Here’s what you need to know about how cannabis affects your respiratory system and how to keep your lungs healthy with weed.

Does cannabis help or hurt the lungs?

By this point, pretty much everyone knows that smoking is not good for you. Smoke is hot, irritating, and filled with toxic chemical compounds. These compounds can cause serious lung diseases when you smoke plants like tobacco. Yet, for some reason, researchers are hard-pressed to find the same connections between cannabis and lung diseases.

Though the cannabis and lung health debate persists, two pieces of recent research have really shaken things up. The first came out in 2012, from researchers working on a long-term study on the risks of cardiovascular disease. During their 20-year study, the scientists tested the lungs of 5115 young adults.

Their findings were a bit astonishing. Tobacco use was associated with lung decline. But, moderate marijuana smokers had positive results on lung function. Specifically, cannabis-lovers had an increased lung capacity. The study authors conclude

The next groundbreaking study was published in 2015 from Emory University. This study looked at cumulative lifetime cannabis use and lung health. The researchers tested the exhalation capacity of light, moderate, and heavy smokers. They found that cannabis smokers were able to smoke one joint a day for up to 20 years before they showed signs of lung decline.

If you’re a heavy smoker, you might want to consider switching to a vaporizer. So far, the verdict on long-term, heavy cannabis use, and lung cancer is out. Thus far, studies are inconclusive. However, excessive exposure to smoke may cause other lung problems. This is true of any type of inhaled smoke, not just cannabis

BENEFIT OF SMOKING WEE

Anti-drug activists think that a few puffs on a joint will turn you into a red-eyed, unemployed psychopath – probably for life. But is marijuana actually that bad for you? With several American states having decriminalised the herb for personal use, scientists have suddenly had the chance to see what cannabis actually does on a mass scale. And guess what? Cannabis actually has some VERY surprising health benefits. Here’s a few.

Smoking weed makes you thinner – or at least less likely to be obese

You might not think it after you’ve watched a munchie-struck stoner devour an entire KFC family bucket in one go, but dope smokers are less likely to be obese. A study in the journal Obesity found that regular weed smokers are less likely to be obese than non-smokers. The researchers from Conference of Quebec University Health Centers looked at 700 adults aged 18-74 – and found that cannabis users tend to have low body mass index scores (often taken as a sign of good health). People with low BMIs tend to have less body fats and tend to be at lower risk for diabetes.