Cannabis helps patients with ALS!!
Watch this short 6 minute video on Kathy Jordan who has been living with ALS for more than 25 years!!! ---> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hifOl2yXU40)
ALS is a fast acting neurodegenerative disease. Kathy was dying fast and on the road to suicide.
She smoked with a friends and Cannabis saved her life! It has also slowed the progression of her ALS! Everything improved once she started smoking weed.
She also got a cancerous tumor, which she healed with Cannabis Oil a few weeks before surgery. The Doctors were shocked that her tumor basically cut itself off from the blood supply. WHAT!
Kathy fought for her right to use cannabis and they started the Kathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act, where the bill allowed the use of Medical Cannabis in Florida for sick and dying patients.
Days after the bill was introduced to Florida Legislature, Kathy's home was raided by police and her medicine seized!!!
* * * * * THIS IS RIDICULOUS!! * * * * *
We need to share the information about Cannabis as a healing plant! These patients who are coming out and telling their story about how cannabis saved their life should be honored, not raided! No one should be arrested for taking medicine that saves their lives. No one should be arrested for sharing their truth!!
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the selective loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord, brain stem, and motor cortex. An estimated 30,000 Americans are living with ALS, which often arises spontaneously and afflicts otherwise healthy adults. More than half of ALS patients die within 2.5 years following the onset of symptoms.
Over the last years, a growing interest has been focused to cannabinoids, the bioactive compounds of Cannabis sativa, for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-excitotoxic effects exhibited in preclinical models of central nervous system disease.
Here is a wide variety of published research done on the effects of Cannabis for ALS. While there hasn't yet been approved clinical studies for cannabis, the more truth that comes out from patients stories the more widely spread information will be around and hopefully the government and the FEDS will loosen up and allow the use of cannabis clinical trials.
In my humble opinion, we don't need them, we can publish our own trials. We can find help through support groups and spread the word through videos, blogs, documentaries and articles! Cannabis is not the "cure" but it is relief! (re-life)
Looking for a support group? Go to: Facebook: ALS and Cannabis
Good links for Research on Cannabis and ALS
Cannabidiol (CBD) is among the major secondary metabolites of Cannabis devoid of the delta-9-tetra-hydrocannabinol psychoactive effects. It is a resorcinol-based compound with a broad spectrum of potential therapeutic properties, including neuroprotective effects in numerous pathological conditions. CBD neuroprotection is due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and the modulation of a large number of brain biological targets (receptors, channels) involved in the development and maintenance of neurodegenerative diseases.
Laboratory and clinical studies on the potential role of CBD in Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Huntington's disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS), cerebral ischemia, were examined.
Pre-clinical evidence largely shows that CBD can produce beneficial effects in AD, PD and MS patients, but its employment for these disorders needs further confirmation from well designed clinical studies. CBD pre-clinical demonstration of antiepileptic activity is supported by recent clinical studies in human epileptic subjects resistant to standard antiepileptic drugs showing its potential use in children and young adults affected by refractory epilepsy.
Cannabis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Significant advances have increased our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet this has not translated into any greatly effective therapies. It appears that a number of abnormal physiological processes occur simultaneously in this devastating disease.
Ideally, a multidrug regimen, including glutamate antagonists, antioxidants, a centrally acting anti-inflammatory agent, microglial cell modulators (including tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha] inhibitors), an antiapoptotic agent, 1 or more neurotrophic growth factors, and a mitochondrial function-enhancing agent would be required to comprehensively address the known pathophysiology of ALS. Remarkably, cannabis appears to have activity in all of those areas.
Preclinical data indicate that cannabis has powerful antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. In the G93A-SOD1 ALS mouse, this has translated to prolonged neuronal cell survival, delayed onset, and slower progression of the disease. Cannabis also has properties applicable to symptom management of ALS, including analgesia, muscle relaxation, bronchodilation, saliva reduction, appetite stimulation, and sleep induction.
With respect to the treatment of ALS, from both a disease modifying and symptom management viewpoint, clinical trials with cannabis are the next logical step. Based on the currently available scientific data, it is reasonable to think that cannabis might significantly slow the progression of ALS, potentially extending life expectancy and substantially reducing the overall burden of the disease.
Can Cannabinoids be a Potential Therapeutic Tool in ALS?
The cannabinoid system seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of ALS. Spinal cord from ALS patients demonstrate motor neurons damages marked by CB2-positive microglia/macrophages. Moreover, a recent study analyzing activated microglia from spinal cord in human ALS patients demonstrated a CB2 receptors increase. So all these data show how editing CB2-mediated processes could change ALS progression and how much the endocannabinoid system is potentially involved in reducing neuro-inflammation, excitotoxicity, and oxidative cell damage (Yiangou et al., 2006). The possibility that cannabinoids may provide therapeutic effects in ALS has been also investigated at the clinical level. However, the small number of people with ALS that reported using Cannabis and the few studies performed on human ALS, makes difficult the interpretation of the achieved results. Nevertheless, it is believed that Cannabis could be useful in the symptomatic treatment of ALS.
According to a single observational study of patients with ALS only the 10% who admitted consuming Cannabis, revealed moderate relief of several symptoms, including appetite loss, depression, pain, and drooling was found (Carter and Rosen, 2001; Amtmann et al., 2004).
In addition, spasticity is also major problem for ALS patients, which reported that Cannabis can subjectively improve spasticity (Amtmann et al., 2004). Moreover, a randomized, double-blind crossover study investigating the safety and tolerability ofΔ9-THC in ALS patients revealed that oralΔ9-THC administration was well tolerated, but a non-significant attenuation of cramp frequency and intensity were found. Other studies confirmed the same results, demonstrating that Cannabis is remarkably safe with realistically no possibility of overdose.
There are increasing amounts of evidence that cannabis may be useful in alleviating the symptoms of patients with ALS. In a 2001 review published in American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, the authors reviewed the existing literature. They found that various symptoms caused by ALS have the potential to be alleviated by the use of cannabis, and summarized the findings in the table below.
Dr. Gary T. Carter, Medical Director of the St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane Washington, gave a presentation at the 2014 Patient’s Out of Time Eighth National Clinical conference on Cannabis Therapeutics that addressed the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders. Speaking about the safety and efficacy of cannabis for ALS, Dr. Carter said, “we know more about cannabis than 95% of other medicines. Cannabis is custom made to treat ALS (Carter 2014).” Dr. Carter is an expert in treating neuromuscular disorders and has seen many ALS patients benefit from the use of cannabis.
Effective treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains elusive. Two of the primary hypotheses underlying motor neuron vulnerability are susceptibility to excitotoxicity and oxidative damage. There is rapidly emerging evidence that the cannabinoid receptor system has the potential to reduce both excitotoxic and oxidative cell damage. Here we report that treatment with Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) was effective if administered either before or after onset of signs in the ALS mouse model (hSOD(G93A) transgenic mice). Administration at the onset of tremors delayed motor impairment and prolonged survival in Delta(9)-THC treated mice when compared to vehicle controls. In addition, we present an improved method for the analysis of disease progression in the ALS mouse model. This logistic model provides an estimate of the age at which muscle endurance has declined by 50% with much greater accuracy than could be attained for any other measure of decline. In vitro, Delta(9)-THC was extremely effective at reducing oxidative damage in spinal cord cultures. Additionally, Delta(9)-THC is anti-excitotoxic in vitro. These cellular mechanisms may underlie the presumed neuroprotective effect in ALS. As Delta(9)-THC is well tolerated, it and other cannabinoids may prove to be novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of ALS.
Recent evidence indicates that ALS is a disease characterized by chronic inflammation. Furthermore, CB2 receptors are up-regulated in the target tissues of several neuroinflammatory diseases . The primary site of pathology in ALS patients is the spinal cord, with involvement of lower brain-stem regions late in the disease process. In G93A mice, CB2 receptor mRNA is selectively up-regulated in the spinal cord in a temporal pattern closely paralleling disease progression. Furthermore, increased mRNA levels are correlated with elevated CB2 receptor protein levels in the spinal cords of end-stage G93A mice. These findings suggest that, similar to other neuroinflammatory diseases, components of the cannabinoid system are selectively altered in the target tissue associated with ALS pathogenesis. In addition, low (but demonstrable) levels of both CB2 receptor mRNA and protein observed in WT-OE spinal cords reported here are in agreement with recent studies demonstrating the presence of functional CB2 receptors in the CNS of rodents.
Drugs which activate CB2 receptors, successfully improve the symptoms of several inflammatory diseases including intestinal hypermotility because of endotoxic shock, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Recent in vitro studies demonstrate that CB2 receptors are up-regulated in microglia in response to inflammatory stimuli and that CB2 agonists suppress microglial activation. In the present study, we demonstrate that not only are CB2 receptors dramatically up-regulated in the spinal cords of symptomatic G93A mice, they are also able to functionally stimulate G-proteins when activated by cannabinoid agonists. As such, the beneficial effects of cannabinoids reported here could potentially be mediated via CB2 receptor-mediated suppression of microglial/macrophage activation in the spinal cords of symptomatic G93A mice. Specifically, we propose that in the early stages of motor neuron degeneration, endocannabinoids and CB2 receptors are selectively up-regulated in spinal microglia as a compensatory, protective measure to reduce inflammation.
We found a significant increase of CB2 receptors and NAPE-PLD enzyme in SOD1(G93A) transgenic males and only CB2 receptors in females. Pharmacological experiments demonstrated that the treatment of these mice with the Sativex(®) -like combination of phytocannabinoids only produced weak improvements in the progression of neurological deficits and in the animal survival, particularly in females.
Cannabis Treatment for ALS
It is recommended to use a tincture, with starting dosage of:
- CBD: 5-10 drops – 3 times a day.
- THC: 3 drops – 2-3 times day. (Start on 2 drops 2-3x a day. Increase every 48-72 hours by 1 drop per dosing. You can carry on increasing as need be. This way one avoids getting high.)
Once you feel you are safe to use THC you may be interested in looking into other forms on self medicating with cannabis. Check out: Dosing Guidelines. And ALWAYS seek a trusted Medical Cannabis Professional! Talk to your doctor, if you feel it is safe. Not all states allow medical marijuana, even for sick and dying patients. But there is always hope! We can at least share the information and share our stories!
This article is intended for informational purposes only! This is in no way a treatment plan for anyone who suffers from ALS. It is merely a vehicle of passed on information from little know studies, more studies are needed for a broader conclusion. Cannabis affects people differently, if you are seeking alternative therapy, PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH and seek a trusted Medical Cannabis Professional.
Resources:
https://www.projectcbd.org/condition/6/ALS
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28412918
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20439484
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5270417/
http://mychronicrelief.com/als-cannabis/
https://www.medicaljane.com/2014/11/12/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis-als-and-medical-marijuana/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15204022
https://alsnewstoday.com/2017/02/28/can-cannabinoids-be-a-potential-therapeutic-tool-in-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/
https://www.medicalcannabisdispensary.co.za/dosages-als-cannabis-oil/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24703394
