cannabisnews.com: Marijuana May Help MS Patients 





Marijuana May Help MS Patients 
Posted by CN Staff on November 06, 2003 at 17:37:14 PT
By Reuters 
Source: Reuters 
London -- The biggest study of the use of cannabis to relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis produced mixed results but doctors said there is enough evidence to warrant licensing the treatment for the illness.       Although there was no objective evidence that cannabis relieved spasticity, or muscle stiffness, caused by the disease, patients reported some improvements in pain relief, rigidity and mobility.
There were also fewer relapses in patients given cannabis capsules or extract than in multiple sclerosis sufferers taking a placebo, or dummy pill.    “There is a range of positives and a range of negatives. Overall, I think there is enough evidence to take this forward with the licensing and regulatory authorities,” Dr. John Zajicek, a neurologist who headed the study, told Reuters on Wednesday.    Some sufferers of MS, which affects about a million people worldwide, have reported that cannabis eases pain and muscle rigidity but Zajicek said there was very little evidence in the medical literature.    “This is the biggest study that has yet been published,” he said.    Earlier this year, the Netherlands became the world’s first country to make cannabis available as a prescription drug for cancer, HIV and MS. Patients in Britain, Canada, Australia and the United Sates have pushed for similar measures.   UNDER-THE-TONGUE SPRAY    British drug firm GW Pharmaceuticals Plc has pioneered an under-the-tongue cannabis spray for MS patients which could be launched in Britain this year.       Zajicek said the aim of the three-year trial of more than 600 MS patients across Britain was to determine whether cannabis had any therapeutic value for the auto-immune disease in which immune system cells destroy the myelin sheath that protects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.    He and his team, who reported their findings in The Lancet medical journal, gave MS patients a cannabis extract or capsules with a synthetic version of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active compound in cannabis, or a placebo for 15 weeks.    They assessed spasticity with the Ashworth scale, an objective measuring system used by doctors and physiotherapists.      “The primary outcome measure — the stiffness as measured by the Ashworth scale — did not show a significant difference between the active group and the placebo. There was a slight improvement but it wasn’t significant,” Zajicek said in an interview.    There was also no change in tremors or fatigue.    But when the researchers questioned the patients, they told a different story, reporting improvements in pain relief and stiffness and an easing of symptoms.    Note: Study finds cannabis offers relief from pain and rigidity.Source: ReutersPublished: November 07, 2003Copyright: Reuters Limited Related Articles & Web Site:GW Pharmaceuticalshttp://www.gwpharm.com/First Major Study of MMJ Indicates It Helps in MShttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17746.shtmlFirst Large Study of Cannabis for MS Shows Benefithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17745.shtmlWorlds Biggest MS Trial Shows Benefits of Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17744.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 21:11:59 PT
Three Related Articles From The BBC
I know that the BBC archives their articles so since we have so many on the same topic I'll just post the links. Here they are.'How Cannabis Helped Me': 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3248701.stmCannabis Drugs 'Cut MS Symptoms': 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3247571.stmQ&A: Cannabis Drug Trial: 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3248125.stm
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Comment #2 posted by Adam1 on November 06, 2003 at 19:55:06 PT
Oh, of course.....
Geeeee,Really, Cannabis helps MS patients? ? ? I guess that would never have been realized (it has been long ago) if it wasn't associated with some help from the "Pharma-seudo-kill" crap coming from the governments right hand industry. The leaves of the tree are for healing nations...not the synthesized adulterated extract of the leaves. Cannabis doesn't need to be synthesized nor does it require the additives and toxic preservatives that pharmaseudokill companies are famous for. I think hundreds if not thousands of years has been ample time to "study" this gift from God. These people need the real thing....no more synthetics or placebo testing.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 06, 2003 at 17:41:32 PT
Related Article from HealthDay.com
Pot Derivative for MS Has Mixed Results: http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=515926
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