"Aren't There Other Drugs on the Market That Can Provide a Better Treatment Option?"

     With so many - I mean thousands - of drugs available for a myriad of ailments, why would someone choose to use cannabis?  Wouldn't it be better to just "stick to the stuff we know works"?   Can I stop asking questions on my blog and begin answering them?
     Consider all of the over-the-counter medicines for pain relief.  Aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and ketoprofen to name a few.  Lump in the prescription medications as well (Celibrex, Vicodin, Percoset, and Oxycontin for example) and we have a large assortment of pain relief options.  Why not determine which one is best and ban the rest?  Different people respond differently to different medicines. The most effective drug for one person might not work at all for another person. That is why there are different drugs on the market to treat the same ailment. Treatment decisions should be made in doctors’ offices, not by federal bureaucrats. Doctors need to have numerous substances available in their therapeutic arsenals in order to meet the needs of a variety of patients. That’s why the Physicians’ Desk Reference comprises 3,000 pages of prescription drugs, rather than just one drug per symptom.  Because patients are different, doctors must have the freedom to choose what works best for a particular patient. Why use a double standard for cannabis?
     In addition, studies have found that cannabis can do a better job in the treatment of various problems than the "conventional" medicines available.  In previous posts, I have discussed cannabinoid response to issues like MRSA, brain tumors, uterine contractions, and cardiomyopathy.  I could go on but the point is made: are we as adults not capable of making right choices for ourselves when it comes to our well-being?

Thyroid Cancer Thwarted by Cannabinoid Receptor Stimulation

     With over 48,000 new cases of thyroid cancer expected this year in the U.S., it is very possible that you may know someone personally who has or will develop thyroid cancer.  Once again, I have come across another study of the positive effects of the endocannabinoid system and how it may be our "answer for cancer".  For those just tuning in to my blog, the *endocannabinoid system* was first discovered in 1988.  Since then ,scientists have been studying the various effects of this system in our bodies.
     In 2003,  Italian researchers at the Universita' di Napoli Federico II found that stimulation of cannabinoid receptors (in living rats with thyroid cancer) with an analog of anandamine (a cannabinoid found in us naturally and similar to THC) caused an interference with angiogenesis in thyroid tumors.  Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels, which tumors need in order to grow.  In addition, the study found that the cannabinoid receptor (CB1) stimulation had a more potent effect on the tumors that had formed as a result of metastasis than primary thyroid tumors.  They concluded that CB1 stimulation may not only help prevent tumor growth but also mitigate the spread of the cancer to other tissues and organs.  Please click on this *link* for the abstract of the report
     My one comment for this is WHY DOES THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CONTINUE TO KEEP CANNABIS LISTED AS A SCHEDULE 1 DRUG??? It is absurd to think that cannabis has no medical benefit whatsoever and keep it on par with heroin and worse than crystal meth.  As long as it stays a Schedule 1 controlled substance it will remain banned from U.S. medical research.  Let us educate, for as long as the people remain in ignorance, the representatives in office will not make a change.

Marijuana or Tobacco (Cigarette) Smoke... Which is Worse?

     I remember sitting in my 5th grade class listening to the D.A.R.E. officer speak about the dangers of marijuana. One thing that stuck with me was that smoking a joint was equivalent to smoking a whole pack of cigarettes in regards to the amount of lung damage incurred.  Fast forward to this year.  A common thought that has been passed around among cannabis smokers is that cannabis smoke is safer than tobacco smoke.  I decided to do my own homework and search for clinical studies and scientific explanations. The following is what I have found:

WARNING! 

THIS ARTICLE CONTAIN BIG SCIENTIFIC WORDS AND STUFF... 

IT MAY GET BORING!

     When comparing cannabis to tobacco, I am going to be a little unfair.  I will be comparing commercially manufactured cigarettes to organically grown cannabis.  Why?  Because the vast majority of tobacco that is smoked is in the form of a cigarette made by one of the giant tobacco companies while cannabis, because of its current legal status, has not been exploited by industry and is generally grown by individuals or businesses who only use safe, organic products on the plants.  It may not be fair but it is a more accurate way of representing common usage.

    Tobacco smoke is laden with carcinogens created from the incomplete combustion of organic matter (the tobacco leaf).  Couple that with the myriad of items added to tobacco and a bigger danger occurs.  This *LINK* has a list of nearly 600 government-approved additives commonly found in cigarettes. While these substances may not pose much of a problem when ingested (they are all approved for use in food), combustion of these same additives produces thousands of various chemicals, most with the potential to cause cancer or other harmful effects.   Wait! I just got started...  Let us not overlook the *radiation found in cigarettes*.  It is a known fact that the fertilizers used by these tobacco giants contains radioactive elements that accumulate in and on the plant.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it!  (Actually, don't.)

     Cannabis on the other hand, because of the care put into growing it by hand, is simply that - cannabis!  Cannabis growers will use natural fertilizers like earthworm castings and bat guano (poop).  Sure, "N-P-K"s  (like fertilizers you might purchase for your garden) are used by some growers but those that do perform a "flush" prior to harvest to ensure the purity of the finished product. 

     As we continue to delve into the contrasts of the two smokes, we find that science has revealed to us a distinguishing factor - a family of chemicals known as cannabinoids (found exclusively in cannabis).  I will not go into full detail of how cannabinoids work in our body or how our own bodies actually have  receptors exclusive to cannabinoids and their endogenous equivalents.  That will have to be a future blog entry.  For now, let us focus on a particular study...

     Researchers at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the UCLA School of Medicine, have pitted tobacco and cannabis against each other in how much they encourage cancerous growth through the  activity of the enzyme CYP1A1 in the liver.  Activity of this enzyme on *polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons* (PAHs) has been linked to the formation of carcinogens in the body, leading to cancer.  What are PAHs, you ask?  Stay with me here.  When we cook a steak on the grill, PAHs are formed.  When we burn a campfire, we have produced PAHs.  PAHs are a by-product of combustion.  Unfortunately, our bodies do not take too kindly to them.  Our liver metabolizes them into nastier chemicals that cause genetic mutations, even to the point of altering or halting a cell's normal apoptosis.This would ultimately lead to the development of cancer.  Anyway, the researchers discovered that cannabis does exhibit far greater tar build-up (meaning more PAHs) in the lungs (because it is generally packed looser than cigarettes when smoked, cannabis smoke is typically held in the lungs longer, AND cigarettes generally have filters).  The crazy thing is that the researchers found that THC found in cannabis tar reduced the effects of the PAHs in tar by inhibiting the actions of CYP1A1 .  The full findings are located  *here*.  The study is not to conclude that smoking is safe.  Anything you smoke will have some risks involved.  It is refreshing to know that scientists are discovering that cannabis and its exclusively-found cannabinoids may very well be the saving grace of the cannabis smoker.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Are We Ready for a Cure Yet?

     I cannot go anywhere without seeing pink on someone or something... It's everywhere! From yogurt lids to NFL apparel, it seems that breast cancer awareness has become the "in thing". I do not necessarily have a problem with the pink - I just know that an answer to the problem has been discovered, but most "can't handle the truth" (thanks, Jack Nicholson!).
     *Cannabidiol* (CBD) has been found to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancerous cells. Many forms of cancer are a result of normal cells not dying on schedule. The typical healthy adult loses 50 - 70 billion cells each day from apoptosis. When certain body tissues fail to die, a malignant tumor develops. CBD stops the tumor in its tracks by encouraging the tumor cells to die - without adversely affecting healthy surrounding tissue. Chemotherapy and radiation cannot claim that!
     It has been brought to my attention that CBD's role in fighting cancer does not stop there. In a *2007 study* at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, scientists have discovered that CBD inhibits the function of a gene called Id-1, believed to be responsible for metastasis of breast cancer (as well as other common forms of cancer). Metastasis is the spread of disease from one location in the body to another. Breast cancer can become lethal when it spreads to the lymph nodes or other organs and tissue.  This breakthrough in cancer research is astounding, but most will not benefit from this because of current government regulations on cannabis.  

     Support the fight for breast cancer - support the legalization of cannabis!  When will we wake up to the truth?

Cannabis DOES kill brain cells!

     OOPS! I meant cancerous brain cells... I must get a rise out of intentionally misleading people... The title for today's post is true, but not in the fashion that most would infer.  Click *here* to read the abstract on a medical report from 2005 that explains how Delta 9 - THC and other cannabinoids destroy gliomas. What is a "glioma", you ask? Wikipedia defines a glioma as "a type of tumor that starts in the brain or spine."  If you are new to the world of cannabis, maybe I should take a step back and provide links for more understanding of *cannabinoids*  and our own body's *endocannabinoid system*.

     What I don't understand is how in 2003, The U.S.A.'s government as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services was awarded a patent on cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.  U.S. Patent 6630507. On the other hand, the U.S. government's own DEA still classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug - meaning it has NO MEDICAL BENEFIT...  Do you see the problem with that???
     The human body was designed for cannabinoids! Maybe "Big Pharma" should stay out of politicians' pockets and allow a God-given herb to provide medical benefits to the masses... Oh, wait... That would mean the pharmaceutical industry would lose BILLIONS of dollars from the reduction in sales of many of their so-called "wonder-drugs".