Arthritis & Medical Marijuana

Arthritis is an inflammatory disorder in one or more joints. The major symptom of all forms of Arthritis is PAIN. There are over 100 different forms of the disease. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis (joint degeneration), which results from trauma, infection and aging.

Major forms of Arthritis include:

Rheumatoid arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
Related autoimmune diseases
Septic arthritis

Arthritic pain is often chronic and ongoing in one or many joints. Pain originates from inflammation, which has a variety of causes. Autoimmune disorders account for many Arthritic conditions. Arthritis can be debilitating both mentally and physically, limiting activity and affecting concentration.

"I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either."

-- Jack Benny

Arthritis and Medical Cannabis

Research is beginning to reveal how Medical Marijuana fights inflammation and pain. Receptors (CB2), which are involved with immune response and inflammation were found to be abnormally abundant in joint tissues of Arthritis patients. Receptors are activated by molecules produced by the body or from external foreign sources.

“Historically, therapy with marijuana was used to ease the symptoms of a broad spectrum of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis,”

-- Dr. Sheng-Ming Dai, China, Military Medical University.

By using Cannabis to treat Arthritic sufferers, researchers were able to suppress inflammatory molecules that modulate CB2 receptors They postulate that joint and cartilage inflammation / damage was reduced as a result. Patients were found to have less pain and sleep better.

Physicians agree that more research is required to find out how to Cannabinoids modulate the receptors and an better understanding about the metabolism that governs inflammation and faulty immune response is needed. For example, a low dose of CBD was found to be more effective than a high dose in an animal study, but why, exactly?

MMJDOCTORONLINE Note: We agree, THC, CBD are already commonly indicated by Medical Marijuana Doctors but much research is required to fully understand how the array of Cannabinoids and Medical Marijuana strains can best be prescribed.

"I'm no spring chicken. The same arthritis that ate up my left hip that finally got replaced hasn't stopped there... And touring is a lot of work. I'm impressed when I see people like Eric Clapton out there. Gee whiz, Eric, give me a break! I know it's gotta hurt somewhere."

-- Steve Perry, Rock Star

Facts and Figures

22.7% of Americans think they have arthritis
67 million adults are expected be diagnosed with arthritis by 2030.
37% report arthritis-attributable activity issues
27 million adults had osteoarthritis in 2005
1.5 million adults had rheumatoid arthritis in 2007
3.0 million adults had gout in 2005
6.1 million adults have ever had gout
5.0 million adults had fibromyalgia in 2005

-- National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2010-2012

Cannabis Case Study - Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases

The first study to use a Cannabis-Based Medicine (CBM) for treating rheumatoid arthritis has found that it has a significant effect on easing pain and on suppressing the disease.

31 patients received the CBM and placebo at random
CBM (Sativex) aqueous mouth spray was self administered
The CBM is a blend of whole plant extracts, standardised for content, THC and Cannabidiol
Patients dosed in the evening, minimizing possible intoxication

The researchers found that in comparison with the placebo, patients who had taken the CBM had statistically significant improvements in pain on movement, pain at rest, quality of sleep, inflammation.

MMJDOCTORONLINE Note: Medical Cannabis is indicated for all forms of Arthritis listed by Licensed Physicians in the State of California. We provide 420 Evaluations, Medical Marijuana Recommendations, Cannabis Consultations, MMJ cards, quickly and easily, right here, online.

FURTHER READING

Cannabidiol is an oral anti-arthritic therapeutic in murine collagen-induced arthritis

CBD was found to exert a potent immunosuppressive effect both in vivo and in vitro.
a CBD lower dose of 5 mg/kg caused an optimal suppression of disease

Preliminary assessment of the efficacy, tolerability and safety of a cannabis-based medicine

(Sativex) in the treatment of pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.