cannabisnews.com: Medical Pot Ineffective as Acute Pain Treatment Medical Pot Ineffective as Acute Pain Treatment Posted by CN Staff on June 23, 2008 at 07:57:17 PT HealthDay News Source: Forbes.com HealthDay News -- Oral cannabis (a form of medical marijuana) was ineffective in treating certain types of acute pain and actually increased sensitivity to some other kinds of discomfort, say researchers at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Their study included 18 healthy women who were given oral cannabis or a placebo. The women were then evaluated for heat and electrical pain thresholds in skin areas that had induced sunburn. This is an accepted method of assessing response to acute pain. "The surprising result of our study was the absence of any kind of analgesic activity of THC-standardized cannabis extract on experimentally induced pain using well-established human model procedures," study author Dr. Birgit Kraft said in a prepared statement. "Our results also seem to support the impression that high doses of cannabinoids may even cause increased sensitivity in certain pain conditions."The study is published in the July issue of the journal Anesthesiology.Previous research has suggested that cannabis and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC -- the main psychoactive component of marijuana) may help ease chronic pain in cancer patients, spinal cord injury patients, and people with multiple sclerosis. There have been inconsistent findings about the effects on acute pain.This new study's findings about oral cannabis and acute pain are seemingly conclusive, according to the researchers."From comparisons with previous clinical data, the lack of pain relief from the cannabis dosage and oral administration in our study cannot be considered the result of inadequate dosage or insufficient intestinal absorption," Kraft said. "The high levels of THC detected in the blood of our subjects as well as the occurrence of typical THC side effects argue for sufficient availability, and thus we draw the conclusion that THC was not effective in treating acute pain."However, cannabis may remain a viable treatment option for certain types of chronic pain."Pain is a very complex and subjective phenomena," Kraft said. "Chronic pain has not only been shown to lead to changes in peripheral and central neural processing, but also to be associated with psychosocial problems, physical disorders, and functional disabilities. Recent studies have indicated that cannabis can be effective in treating certain types of chronic pain and helping patients to cope by improving quality of life."More information: The National Pain Foundation has more about marijuana and pain:http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/MyTreatment_Cannabinoids.asp Source: Forbes Magazine (US)Published: Monday, June 23, 2008Copyright: 2008 Forbes Inc.Contact: readers forbes.comWebsite: http://www.forbes.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #22 posted by Storm Crow on June 25, 2008 at 17:01:13 PT Yadda, yadda, yadda....I got my own studies! Cannabis effective at relieving pain after major surgery http://www.news-medical.net/?id=17995Cannabis use for chronic non-cancer pain http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/ww_en_db_study_show.php?s_id=91 Tetrahydrocannabinol for treatment of chronic pain http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/ww_en_db_study_show.php?s_id=147Analgesic effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/ww_en_db_study_show.php?s_id=16Most pain patients gain benefit from cannabis in a British study http://www.cannabis-med.org/english/bulletin/ww_en_db_cannabis_artikel.php?id=84#1So it doesn't work on sunburn! Big Freaking deal! It works on my migraines, "E"'s MS, "R"'s fibro, "O"'s Hep C, my hubby's bad back and more. I'll believe what I feel and what those I care for tell me! 18 sore sunburns don't prove much compared to what I have experienced and seen! [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by FoM on June 25, 2008 at 09:00:44 PT MJ May Have Potent Anti-Inflammatory Compound June 25, 2008 URL: http://www.medindia.net/news/Marijuana-may-Have-Potent-Anti-inflammatory-Compound-38458-1.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by FoM on June 25, 2008 at 07:14:22 PT Marijuana May Be Effective for Neuropathic Pain June 25, 2008 Newswise — The growing body of evidence that marijuana (cannabis) may be effective as a pain reliever has been expanded with publication of a new study in The Journal of Pain reporting that patients with nerve pain showed reduced pain intensity from smoking marijuana.Researchers at University of California Davis examined whether marijuana produces analgesia for patients with neuropathic pain. Thirty-eight patients were examined. They were given either high-dose (7%), low-dose (3.5%) or placebo cannabis.The authors reported that identical levels of analgesia were produced at each cumulative dose level by both concentrations of the agent. As with opioids, cannabis does not rely on a relaxing or tranquilizing effect, but reduces the core component of nociception and the emotional aspect of the pain experience to an equal degree. There were undesirable consequences observed from cannabis smoking, such as feeing high or impaired, but they did not inhibit tolerability or cause anyone to withdraw from the study. In general, side effects and mood changes were inconsequential.It was noted by the authors that since high and low dose cannabis produced equal analgesic efficacy, a case could be made for testing lower concentrations to determine if the analgesic profile can be maintained while reducing potential cognitive decline.In addition, the authors said further research could probe whether adding the lowest effective dose of cannabis to another analgesic drug might lead to more effective neuropathic pain treatment for patients who otherwise are treatment-resistant.Source: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial of Cannibis Cigarettes in Neuropathic Pain; Barth Wilsey, Thomas Marcotte, Alexander Tsodikov, Jeanna Millman, Heather Bentley, Ben Gouaux and Scott Fishman, University of California DavisCopyright: 2008 NewswiseURL: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/542070/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by dongenero on June 24, 2008 at 12:09:14 PT Russo quote in article below............... “It always amuses me when nature does it better.” [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by greenmed on June 24, 2008 at 10:25:02 PT beta-caryophyllene - nature does it better The good news keeps coming. Here's another article quoting Dr. Russo:http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/33512/title/Curative_leaf [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by museman on June 24, 2008 at 09:43:22 PT effective pain relief "...ineffective in treating certain types of acute pain..."Having recently dealt with extremely acute pain, and stupidly allowing myself to rely on the medical establishment to provide relief, I can testify with certainty and conviction, that the 'pain relievers' available through the doctors, hospitals, and pharmas WORK NO BETTER at treating acute back pain, for example, than any treatment short of opiating onesself into oblivion. Ultimately that experience taught me (they say 'pain is the best teacher') that the real healer was myself, and that if I couldn't get a handle on the pain, I was literally doomed.Cannabis did that. Cannabis empowered my consciousness with the impetus to 'climb on top of the pain' mentally and emotionally, and strengthened my will to forge on through the pain and out the other side.After that hard wired (now) realization, the amount of opiates I use for pain has diminished to levels lower than before I had the acute pain experience.Of course I smoke a lot of herb (when I can) and am constantly on the lookout for that 'more potent' bud the prohibs are going on about, because like the only one real 'harmful' aspect of cannabis -the cops and the government- one of the only real drawbacks of smoking herb is your tolerance levels.The quacks that make up the AMA are really only vampires that made it into high society. The next thing you know they will be saying that alcohol is is an effective pain reliever - which it is, if you don't mind sacrificing the cognitive function of your brain for the deadening effect. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on June 24, 2008 at 09:28:00 PT Anti-Inflammatory Compound from Cannabis Anti-Inflammatory Compound from Cannabis Found in Herbs June 24, 2008A compound found in cannabis as well as in herbs such as basil and oregano could help to treat inflammatory bowel diseases and arthritis, Swiss scientists believe. (E)-beta-caryophyllene (BCP) is an aromatic sesquiterpene that has used for many years as a food additive because of its peppery flavour. The researchers now say that it interacts selectively with one of two cannabinoid receptors, CB2, blocking the chemical signals that lead to inflammation without triggering cannabis's mood-altering effects.Many cannabinoids bind to the CB2 receptor, but few target it selectively. Most also interact with CB1, which is responsible for cannabis' psychoactive properties. CB1 is found in brain tissue, whereas CB2 is found only in cells elsewhere in the body.The compound is the only product identified in nature that activates CB2 selectively. 'There are many compounds that have been designed synthetically that are CB2 selective, but they are made in the lab,' says Jürg Gertsch, who led the study at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.According to Gretsch, BCP is potent enough to have an impact at normal dietary levels. Herbs such as basil and oregano contain large amounts of the compound, he says, suggesting that the Mediterranean diet may protect against Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases. 'If somebody eats a lot of herbs containing essential oils then it's possible they could get enough to reach a therapeutic dose,' Gertsch says.The team screened a whole library of natural products for cannabinoid activity, which led finally to fractionation of Cannibis sativa essential oil and identification of (E)-beta-caryophyllene as the active component. They then tested the compound's anti-inflammatory effects on mice and found it to be surprisingly potent at low concentrations. It may also account for the anti-inflammatory properties of copaiba oil, an essential oil prescribed by doctors and healers in Brazil, which contains large quantities of the compound. Birgit Kraft, who studies the therapeutic effects of marijuana at the Medical University of Vienna, says selective CB2 agonists are keenly sought after by clinicians, as they may be candidates for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as bowel disease.Hayley BirchCopyright: 2008 Royal Society of Chemistry http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2008/June/24060801.asp [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by riptidefrog on June 24, 2008 at 08:29:00 PT DUH Hmmmmm, Using marinol to conduct a study on pain relief..... just maybe the pill has been bunk from the get go. And using machines to study pain levels in the body... Just MAYBE its the mental aspects of dealing with the pain that MJ helps with. Another silly study done by silly people. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Paint With Light on June 24, 2008 at 00:01:12 PT Better gas milage with pot Marijuana will increase your gas milage by making you drive slower. Most studies have shown that when a person smokes pot they tend to compensate by slowing down. I am afraid I am one of the exceptions to this. I am not advocating those who have difficulty driving stoned do so. I am merely saying a gallon saved is a gallon saved. Whether this is serious or sarcasm is left up to you.Equal with alcohol is all I ask. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by BGreen on June 23, 2008 at 18:14:38 PT Isn't Cannabinoids plural? How can they apparently use Marinol (or some other synthetic THC) for a study, a cannabinoid, yet identify this single cannabinoid as a plural, suggesting involvement of the numerous other cannabinoids contained by the cannabis plant?There's absolutely nothing new here. There's not a cannabis smoker around that would tell you that getting burned or shocked doesn't hurt like a b!% #, even after smoking a joint.I do know that certain strains will completely eliminate my lower back pain, even if I can't stick my hand on the hot coals in my barbecue grill without pain.Since all of the strains I've consumed contain THC, it is crystal clear that there are other cannabinoids or terpenes or something present in the strains that make my pain go away.The Reverend Bud Green [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by charmed quark on June 23, 2008 at 17:35:35 PT neuropathic pain it's very good for nerve pain, something that hardly anything else touches. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by NikoKun on June 23, 2008 at 17:10:54 PT I thought it was common knowledge.. That cannabis doesn't do much for surface pains, like cuts, burns, or electrical shocks... It's more for joint pains, muscle pains, swelling, and mental pains... And of course there's also the appetite thing, reducing nausea... and a whole lot of other things it works for...What a low, sneaky, horrible study/thing to claim... They know damn well that it doesn't really work for such surface pains, so they're trying to discredit it for all it's medical uses? -_- insane... [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by OverwhelmSam on June 23, 2008 at 16:53:40 PT In Case You Missed It Marijuana is Socially acceptable and even talked about openly in California:http://www.elle.com/beautyspotlight/14013/marijuana-anxiety-disorders.html?cid=192 [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 23, 2008 at 15:51:17 PT Thanks Dankhank I have been watching George Carlin Videos on and off all day and just finished this one. He was good. He made us all think.Pro Life is Anti-Woman - George Carlinhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrXvDXVhqfU [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Dankhank on June 23, 2008 at 15:28:23 PT one more George C surely we can stand one more, this is good ...http://www.alternet.org/story/89120/?page=entire [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Dankhank on June 23, 2008 at 15:16:18 PT why they don't understand ... could be explained by this:The Political Mindhttp://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/89167/21 minutes, but worth it ... [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on June 23, 2008 at 11:19:07 PT one more word (sorry) You know what's wrong with just TELLING people about herbal cannabis and how to use it for pain? There's no money in it.I forgot, that's why Dr. Bigwad slammed the dispensaries - they're making HIS money! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on June 23, 2008 at 11:15:51 PT One more word You know which male doctor I'd trust for pain relief medication advice? A doctor that has chronic pain. Otherwise, I'll stick to talking to other patients to find out what works and what is safe. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on June 23, 2008 at 11:06:43 PT The national pain foundation article A quick read of the article at the bottom is most interesting.First of all, it's good because it immediately says that oral THC is a lousy way to take cannabis for pain. oops, I meant "cannabinoids", that's the word he used.You see, big Dr. Dickwad from San Diego (alarm bell goes off, again the only premier medical center in the US located in a conservative city) always refers to them as "cannabinoids" and not cannabis. If you read down to the bottom of the article, he comes right out and clearly expresses his ridicule for herbal cannabis as medicine.He refers to "so called 'vaporizers'" and states that they don't remove ALL the contaminants. He states that medical MJ dispensary cannabis can have mold and pesticides (as if black market cannabis is any better?) He then comes right out and says "there is no future for herbal cannabis as a prescription medicine". Ah - ha! There it is. Herbal cannabis doesn't fit into HIS little world of drug companies, standardized, CONTROLLED doses, and lavish Merck Friday brunches and Pzfizer Hawaii golf tournaments. oh wait, he didn't mention that last part.Oh yes, the male ego is still raging rock hard in the "modern" medical world. Standing firm baby! Not going soft at all.Me and my way is legitimate, everyone else trying to use natural plants for pain is a little fairy-boy. why don't you put a skirt out go hang out with the girls and their flowers! Got it! Thanks pal. Of course, big egos like to talk so loud that they can't hear anyone else. I wonder how Dr. Dickwad would like it if we put together a big spreadsheet of herbal medicine vs. prescription drugs for safety. You see, even with all the pesticide and mold-ridden cannabis being smoked, no one has ever died from cannabis. Unlike the pills that roll off this guy's prescription pad by the thousands, burning through stomach linings, killing off kidney and liver cells by the million, dropping patients in their tracks with heart attacks and strokes.The Volcano doesn't remove all the contaminants??? Jesus, with NSAID prescription pain drugs the medicine IS the contaminant! 13,000 dead people per year in the USA. But big Dr. Hardick doesn't want to hear about it, does he? He can't abide the genius of the Volcano vaporizer for herbal medicine because two smart engineers invented it. They didn't go to medical school for 4 years! They weren't hazed by the other docs, pulling 36 hour shifts for 5 years in residency!In the 1800's they bled people and gave them mercury and lead-based medicines. In the 1900's they slashed and cut their way through unnecessary and disfiguring surgeries that weren't needed.In the 2000's the AMA good 'ole boys are into the pills. Use Western medicine at your own perild folks! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by dongenero on June 23, 2008 at 08:57:05 PT heat and electrical pain on the skin I would imagine that for pain on the skin, a topical or subcutaneous analgesic would be preferable to oral administration. Isn't this the case for opiate based pain meds as well?I do not see this diminishing cannabis' efficacy for neuropathic pain or spasticity.No doubt, the prohibs will grasp onto this study and start up the "See, see!!!! It doesn't work! Oh, but we have Marinol...does that FDA approved medicine not work?And while we're mentioning Marinol, let's talk about schedule 1 classification for cannabis. Talk about conflicting law! This is conflict WITHIN the federal government's laws. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by duzt on June 23, 2008 at 08:33:39 PT oral cannabis? What exactly is oral cannabis? Does it contain every cannabinoid that cannabis has? Is it just synthetic THC? I still have yet to see a study that uses actual cannabis and a variety of strains at that (some strains aren't effective for me some are extremely effective). When they talk about these studies, they never mention that cannabis has many strains and each is unique in it's cannabinoid make-up. And who does a study with only 18 people? and if theyare all healthy, why study them? Why not study people who have real pain and let them see how it effects them. So if I have no pain and I get a sunburn, I'll be sure not to turn to cannabis for relief I guess. To be honest, I'm sunburned right now, and it turn out it doesn't offer much relief, but for my nerve damage, it offers more relief with the fewest side-effects of any medicine of tried to date. And for my bi-polar issues, I threw up and sat on the toilet for half the day every time I took anti-depressants, with cannabis, I smoke a bit during the day and eat a cookie at night and everything stays under control. I love how studies are supposed to hold more weight than people's actual, personal experiences. We all feel different and have different experiences with all medicines. My personal experience is the only one that matters. If something that is supposed to help doesn't, I'm not going to take it. If it's natural and non-toxic and does help, I will take it, pretty straight forward and simple. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by duzt on June 23, 2008 at 08:17:37 PT glad they don't feel what I do... It's nice of them to tell me that I'm not feeling the relief that I'm feeling. Those 18 womens experience certainly negate the experiences of millions of others around the world. I don't need a study on somebody else to determine what works for me. This must be the same people in Australia that always come out with negative findings. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment