Doctors say cannabis treats Meniere's Disease

This is a VERY interesting documentry on the side effects of Cannabis on spiders.
It was very informative and I was actually very surprised to find out what the long term effects of cannabis had on a spider.
Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc

 

What a fantastic topic!

I think that this wonderful natural substance can indeed be helpful for treatment.
I live on a small farm - 14 acres. Maybe we can start a MM Commune?

Such a shame that something natural is deemed 'illegal'. I firmly believe that alcohol poses more of a threat that marijuana.
You can add me to the more than a decade ago group -but I would hop on the peace train if it would help all of the misery stop.

 

Totally agree.

 

Soulfly -

I haven't laughed that hard in months. Thank you so much for posting that!

 

I used to smoke regularly, and although it does cure the nausea and slows down the spinning, it does not help the Tinnitus. In fact, it does the opposite for me. It makes me focus more and more on the hearing loss and the ringing to the point that it becomes such a distraction I can't function. I have to lay down and listen to music or play a video game with the noise cranked up to try and forget the sound. It really brings the sound out for me. I stopped doing it a few years ago.

 

Hehe, no problem

 

roflmao....................... ;D ;D ;D

 

HEll I'll admit it- back in my college days when I was first diagnosed this was one of the only things that helped at all-- Now, I didn't use it every day or anything like that , but it did, absolutely, help with the bad symptoms of an attack.

 

Interesting to see this thread get dug back up after so long. Also interesting to see the myriad of responses, both pro and con.

If any took the time to do some of their own homework, they would know that using cannabis as a medicine is far safer than most (if not all) legally prescribed OR over-the-counter medications, and also safer and much less potentially addictive than alcohol or nicotine, legal substances.

http://www.saferchoice.org/content/view/24/32/

http://www.lewrockwell.com/armentano-p/armentano-p15.htm

It is safe enough that the American College of Physicians, one of the largest groups of medical professionals in the world, has endorsed it's use recently. You can read their entire position paper at this link on the American College of Physicians website:

http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijuana.pdf

FYI: In order to "overdose" on cannabis you would have to consume 100 lbs. in about 15 min. Just not possible.

No one, EVER has died from a cannabis overdose - there is no such thing.

Many chronic pain sufferers who have had to take qty's of Vicodin, Oxy**, and other narcotic painkillers that have potentially severe side effects when taken long term have been able to greatly reduce or cease entirely the use of these drugs, just by using cannibis instead. (You can imagine this is also really ticking off the drug companies!)

As for Meniere's, I can attest to the beneficial effects of cannibis for my balance and vertigo issues. I never went to some "Pot Doc"...no, I worked with it with my regular MD's knowledge, and updatesm for over a year, then he approved a Medical Recommendation once he saw the dramatic improvements in my overall health.

During that time I was able to reduce my weight by 45 lbs., reduce my bad cholesterol from 250 down to 113, go from a min. of 3-4 attacks monthly (vomit sessions lasting 2-8 hrs...) down to just 1 (ONE) in the last 18 months (and I all but asked for that one). I also was able to get my blood pressure lower as a result, and was able to STOP the blood pressure medication, as well as my thyroid started back up, allowing me to greatly reduce the thyroid medication I had been taking for over 10 years! On top of it all, because I felt better during the day due to better sleep and not fearing I was going to "spin off" at any second, my business performance improved.

Other than the hearing loss issues, I have not been at this weight, or this healthy since I got out of High School some 30 years ago.

And I assure you, I am not in remission. I've tried "tests" of not taking any cannabis for 3-5 days...after about day 5 the dizzies come back, and the short-duration vertigo starts rearing it's head...warning me of the imminent danger should I not take some medication.

It will not slow or stop the hearing and damage to the inner ear and related parts, however. My hearing has declined, still, and about 12 months ago I found, and the ENT confirmed with a hearing test, that I had gone Bi-lateral

It may not work for everyone, no question, but for me it has been a true gift, and given me the ability to live my life back.

As for all the innuendo and endless propaganda, go research it yourself. Don't take my word, do the homework on your own, read the studies yourself, and use Google to your advantage. It is your health, be wise.

Ifishdizzy

 

Interresting....For me, tinnitus is LESS noticeable, so is the loss of hearing. Recruitment, I just don't care about at all at that point. Unfortunately, yes that CAN be bad! (Again experience) Due to recruitment, I usually tend to avoid certain noises, if that is not possible, at lest keep them as low volume as possible (it's mostly base noise that I have the problem with, but some sharp noise as well). But while I can't really say recruitment is any better after using it. I can say at the moment it's not all that much of a bother - but that causes me not to care what type of noise, or how LOUD. The downside to that is - while it's no problem at the time, it is later; in the form of LOUDER tinnitus, and sometimes actual ear pain.

 

"If any took the time to do some of their own homework, they would know that using cannabis as a medicine is far safer than most (if not all) legally prescribed OR over-the-counter medications, and also safer and much less potentially addictive than alcohol or nicotine, legal substances."

above quote from Ifishdizzy

as I said in a post above, I believe it should be legal partially because I agree 100% with the second part of your statement (blue)

I do not, however, agree that the first (red) part of your statement is scientifically/statistically accurate. I have done my homework and marijuana, when smoked, is not harmless. As far as THC being ingested orally in pill form, one obviously eliminates the the dangers to the respiratory system--it would be nice if most people had access to THC as opposed to having to having to smoke it, but now few have that option. The ACP paper to which you refer does not give the THC pill form a free ticket either. Note their comments about the psychological effects. Also note, the same ACP group calls for more research into the efficacy and safety of the drug.

I am very glad you have had such positive effects on your health and Meniere's symptoms by using it. I wish that were the case with many, many more people, but I suspect it is also a relatively small number (percentage wise) for whom it has had the same effects.

As far as using it instead of the highly addictive opiate based pain killers, you may have a very valid argument. Marijuana has potential for psychological dependence, but marijuana is certainly not "addictive" in the physiological sense as are the opiates (or as you astutely pointed out, alcohol and nicotine, the "legal drugs"). Unless it could be in the THC form, I would still consider smoking grass as opposed to using some of the other things you mentioned the lesser of evils as opposed to completely safe.

The same medical profession that now endorses its use (which I also do), also endorses the use of chemotherapy and many other forms of pharmacological intervention that are far more pernicious than marijuana. The medical and scientific community still debate among themselves about this drug. Despite this, I think it should be not only "decriminalized" but made legal.

 

It's a generational thing. The alcohol drinkers vs the pot smokers. It is a replay of the VietNam war debate. In 20 years it will be available with rx.

 

Wow.. I can't tell you how impressed I was with reading your post. I am a 52 year old medical professional who suffers from Meniere's. I live in a state that does not allow Medical MJ. This illness has knocked me for a loop and the spinning nausea and vomiting are just intolerable. The Doctors have prescribed a mi rad of things and drugs, some work and some don't. Ativan is what has been prescribed for me to take when I start an attack, it helps but does not always stop it from going “Major” as I call the big attacks. For those of you taking the (pams) Lorazepam (Ativan), Diazepam (Valium) These are otherwise known as Benzodiazepines. If you do your homework you will find that these are controlled substances and frequently abused. Addiction or dependence can occur even with low dose use over periods as short as weeks. If you have worked with substance abusers and criminal drug abusers you will discover that many of them have gone through the “pam” stage in their drug career. Many teens and children start with these pills because they find them in their families medicine chests and like the way they make them feel. These drugs have caused as much misery for people with the substance abuse issues as any other legal or illegal drug if not more.

Within the past year I have had the opportunity to try MJ when I was in the middle of one of my crisis periods of Meniere's. Spinning, vomiting and all the rest. I can tell you that without any doubt it works for me much better than the ativan. The problem for me is that it is not legal and therefore not something I can do very often because of the stigma attached and legal issues. I live in a State where it is very illegal and therefore too risky to do. Since my attacks don't just occur in places where it is legal I have to use the ativan while wishing I could get the relief the MJ affords me. On the rare occasions that I am able to substitute it for the Ativan the improvement in my health is amazing. It is so sad to me that the government and Drug companies have so brainwashed our society against MJ and it's medical uses. It's not hard to figure out why. It is too easy for people to grow their own so both the government and the drug companies make the general public feel it's evil, then it can be made illegal and kept out of the hands of those who could benefit. I am a medical professional and have too much to lose to get involved with it. Even if your Doctor thought it might work for you, he or she would be a fool to recommend it to you because of the legal issues involved.

Sorry if I rambled on too much but I just wanted to say to you who have never tried it. Wake up and smell the roses, and think twice when you hear things like “Gateway Drug”, “Hallucinogen”, and all the other evil bull about MJ. Then walk to your medicine cabinet and look at the anti-anxiety meds, pain meds and other legal drugs in there. Say Thank you to the drug company who processed them and condensed them into that little pill and remember that if you could grow Valium, ativan, codeine, or vicodin in your back yard they too would be illegal for Doctors to prescribe and therefore EVIL. dizzyisme

 

TOUCHE Dizzyisme!! Touche!

On a side note - our prison system is full of folks who got busted with one joint. Give us all a break and spend time putting the real bad guys behind bars.

 

How true, to make matters worst, I have noticed out of all drug cases (in general - BTW last I checked that was something like 75% of the entire prison population), most of them are there for position without intent to distribute, just plain personal use, and no law broken other than position of a controlled substance for personal use) - but Other people whom have committed true crimes (like armed robbery, exc.) end of spending little if any time in jail, because there is no room for them, because of all the drug violation cases. So they would rather set a real criminal free, than to so much as let a drug user out a little early....Makes no sense at all...

 

Red

in my conservative state (Texas), I believe the incarceration rate for trafficking as opposed to simple possession is a ratio of about 20 to 1--the trafficking cases make up something like 30% of the total (just doing this from memory), but that is still a huge number--relatively few people are in prison for simple possession, particularly for marijuana--and I know absolutely no cases where people are doing hard time simply for possession of a single joint (this was the case in the 60s when simple possession of a small quantity could land you in a cell beside a convicted murderer--I heard of a case like this in Oklahoma, 1969--less than an ounce of grass and the guy got to spend 2 years hard time with a murderer for a cell mate)

but my sentiments are the same as yours--unclog the system and save billions of dollars AND have more space for more dangerous folks--we have about 2,000,000 incarcerated in the US--even if 500,000 are for drug related offenses, that is too many

back to the original comment in the thread--I am all for the use of MJ for medical purposes if it works and I said twice previously, I'm all for legalization

 

The MJ is evil thing goes back to the Hoover administration, actually.
Under the department of the tresury, Hoover opened a branch called the Beareau of Narcotics. It was headed up by Harry Anslinger.

It was formed to fight opiates, and the dangers that groups of drugs were causing. Anslinger found it difficult to get the support or funding necessary to make his little section of tax dollars large enough. He tried (due to the depression and difficulty in fighting his war) to get individual states to sponsor a Narcotics act that he authored. Out of 48 states only 9 radified it.

He was truly stuck.

That is until news stories started popping up about immigrants from south of the border bringing cannibus plants with them, and using it to relax after work. Immigration was a big matter for middle class white folk back then as well. Racism being rampant at the time, the immigrants were being accused of going crazy and committing multiple murders due to their "filthy weed."

As we were also in the middle of prohibition at the time, Anslinger found MJ to be offensive (did I mention he helped greatly in the cause to start prohibition?). Anslinger took these stories, and made them national news. He helped spread the word on how MJ turns you violent and evil.

This was an effective tool in getting more states behind his Narcotics act, as MJ could easily be grown in any weather conditions. It was literally everywhere. Fear sprerad far and wide about what could only be classified as propaganda.

In the 30's Laguardia (yes that guy from NY that has an Airport named after him), found it so hard to justify the costs of convicting those in possesion, he himself sponsored a 6 year study on the effects of MJ, and the results were shocking.

Every one of Anslinger's claims were false. None of the reported behaviors were evident.

Anslinger then switched tack, and started the entire "gateway" drug theory. This was enough for the federal government to pass a law that in order to possess, or traffic MJ, then you would need a special stamp from the treasury..... A stamp that was never once issued for any reason. This made further testing illegal.

Anslinger, after having stayed in the same job under five presidents (and one of them was FDR), was finally able to use the U.S.'s strong position in the UN at the time to have laws passed across the world.

So, Anslinger, and his personal war, started all of this. He used fear-mongering, and pure lies to secure a seat of power and stay there. (BTW, did I mention he used Joe McCarthy's communict witch hunt to further his cause?)

Of course, we all know what happened shortly after Anslinger left office. Nixon decided to listen to those that had lobbied for years to have MJ decriminalized. He started a special task force to investigate MJ. He promised to take the findings of his task force, and use those findings to reshape laws as necessary. The task force came back stating they could find no reason to condemn anyone for personal cultivation, possession, or use of MJ.

Nixon took the report, and without having read it, formed the DEA, and started a war on drugs.

Carter ran on a platform of decriminalization. He was well into the process, but was sidetracked when one of his aides was found to be consuming more coke than the Atlanta bottling plant's taste testing team.

Of course Reagan went against everything Carter ever said, and revamped the war on MJ, and Bush I only tried to make himself look stronger in this aspecty.

Clinton was too busy balancing the budget, and avoiding scandals to do anything.

And Bush II is too busy trying to convince everyone that his war is justified, and cloning stem cells is pure evil. (Funny, I thought we might actually catch a break on this topic from a guy that was convicted twice of DWI in Texas in the 70's..... Seriously, it was the 70's and it was in a state that until the mid 90's allowed open containers and loaded firearms in the same vehicle..... How drunk do you have to be????)

So, this is not just a generational thing. It is a power grab from a man with big dreams almost 100 years ago, spreading so much disinformation, and gaining so much support from those that believe a naked human form is a sin, that no one is quite sure these days what is right and what is wrong.

 

I dunno. I was there. It was a BIG identity card either way and still is but I think it will be gone with my generation. I am 59.

 

Well, if totally legalized now (it was at one point), MJ would surely hurt a lot of large businesses (or at least offer some fierce competition from farmers), as it is a quickly renewable resource, and has so Meany uses other than as a drug! Such as fibers used to make paper and cloth (NOTE: The original hand-written copy of the US constitution is written on paper made from "hemp"), the oils can be extracted and used as both lubricants and fuels (not totally eliminating the need for crude oil, but greatly reducing the dependency on it), I have even seen a few hair and skin products made from it!; and I'm sure lots more potential use for various parts of that plant.
But totally opening the market like that, as pointed out, would surely put a damper on large companies that deal in chemicals, logging, exc. Because it renews itself quickly and in abundance if just left totally alone (I have little doubt that is where it got the slang term "weed" from, as it will literally spread itself like a weed if nothing is done to prevent it).

 

It does grow like a weed many places. It is a weed in fact. Though the variety was found disappointing to some. But industry would adjust just fine. A new opening for Georgia Pacific and Seagrams. I think it is the cultural identity thing that keeps lawmakers from touching this 'third rail'. If I knew you in person I would bet $20 THC will be legal at least medicinally and maybe otherwise in fewer than 20 years. They will sell it in liquor stores and the states will tax the heck out of it and everyone will be happy.