I have personally found considerable relief using a low THC variety of cannabis , recently I discussed this with my gastro specialist to find I have not been the only one to express this..

Since I have been more enquiring and open about it I have been surprised at the number of others who gain relief this way ..

I am not suggesting it as a treatment or to try until its medically legal and only under medical supervision . but would like to hear of others experience if they have used it..

thanks.

tony

This was just sent to me..

tony

Bowel study backs cannabis drugs




Patients with inflammatory bowel disease may benefit from cannabis-based drugs, UK scientists believe. The Bath University team found people with the gut disorder had an abundant number of a type of cannabinoid receptors in their body. They believe this is part of the body's attempt to dampen down the inflammation and that giving a drug that binds to these receptors could boost this.


Their findings appear in the journal Gastroenterology. When people have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis - collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease or IBD - their immune system goes into overdrive, producing inflammation in different areas of the digestive tract. This causes symptoms such as pain and urgent diarrhoea. Anecdotally, people with IBD who have been users of cannabis have reported that their symptoms get better when they use the drug.


Dr Karen Wright and colleagues examined gut samples from healthy people and IBD patients and looked for the presence of two receptors known to react to natural cannabis-like compounds produced by the body. Both the patients and the healthy people had similar numbers of CB1 receptors in their gut. However, the IBD patients had far greater numbers of CB2 receptors.


The normal job of CB1 and CB2 receptors is to switch immune responses on or off. CB1 receptors also help to promote wound healing in the lining of the gut. Dr Wright said: "This gives us the first evidence that very selective cannabis-derived treatments may be useful as future therapeutic strategies in the treatment of Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. "This is because some extracts from cannabis, known as cannabinoids, closely resemble molecules that occur naturally in our body, and by developing treatments that target this system, we can help the body recover from some of the effects of these diseases."


She said that the psychoactive effects and the legal implications associated with herbal cannabis use made it unsuitable as a treatment.However, it might be possible to make a synthetic cannabis-like drug that has all of the therapeutic benefits and none of the other actions of cannabis."Targeting drug development to components of the in-built cannabinoid system could be the way forward," she said.


Dr Derek Scott, a researcher in Biomedical Sciences at Aberdeen University, said: "These initial results look extremely promising and exciting."However, further work is required so that we can better understand exactly how the signalling pathways controlled by cannabinoid receptors might be targeted in IBD patients, and whether there might be any side-effects."


Cannabis-based medicines are already used for multiple sclerosis in some countries. Dr John Zycheck, from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, which has been granted £2 million to study these drugs for MS, said: "There is no reason why clinical studies could not be undertaken at a fairly early stage because we are already testing cannabinoids for a variety of different conditions. "Cannabinoids do have an effect on the gut. It slows gut transit. We see it in our MS patients."


He said more work was needed to check whether these drugs would reduce inflammation and to work out a dose that was strong enough but not toxic.


Dr George Kunos from the US National Institutes of Health said an alternative approach could involve testing compounds that amplify the action of the body's natural cannabinoids by blocking their normal destruction in the gut. He said animal studies suggested compounds that block the enzyme fatty acid amidohydrolase (FAAH) do this.


Dr John Bennett, Chairman of Core, a national gut and liver disorders charity, said: "I would not want any patient to think that a cannabis-based treatment for IBD is around the corner. Much more work is needed."

CANNABIS AND GI DISORDERS
The effectiveness of cannabis for treating symptoms related to gastrointestinal
disorders is widely recognized. Its value as an anti-emetic and
analgesic has been proven in numerous studies and has been acknowledged
by several comprehensive, government-sponsored reviews,
including those conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the U.K.
888-929-4367 www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org 5
House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, the Australian
National Task Force on Cannabis, and others. The IOM concluded, "For
patients . . . who suffer simultaneously from severe pain, nausea, and
appetite loss, cannabinoid drugs might offer broad-spectrum relief not
found in any other single medication."12
The most common gastrointestinal disorders-Irritable Bowel Syndrome
and Inflammatory Bowel Disease-affect millions of people. The disorders
are different, but each causes a great deal of discomfort and distress
and both can be disabling. Painful cramping, chronic diarrhea or
constipation, nausea, and inflammation of the intestines are all symptoms
of these GI disorders that can be alleviated by cannabis.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of the intestines that
leads to stomach pain, gassiness, bloating, constipation, diarrhea or both.
Chronic, painful abdominal cramping is common. The cause of IBS is not
known, and there is no cure. Researchers have found that the colon muscle
of a person with IBS begins to spasm after only mild stimulation. IBS is
at least partly a disorder affecting colon motility and sensation.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) refers to both Ulcerative Colitis and
Crohn's Disease. Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation of the lining of
the large intestine, while Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the
lining and wall of the large and/or small intestine. The causes of IBD are
not known, but there are indications that the disease has a genetic
component. The immune system changes that accompany IBD suggest
that it may be an immune disorder.
The most common symptoms of Crohn's Disease are pain in the
abdomen, diarrhea, and weight loss. There may also be rectal bleeding
and fever. The most common complications of Crohn's Disease are
blockage of the intestine and ulceration that breaks through into surrounding
tissues. Surgery is sometimes required.
The symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps,
and rectal bleeding. Some people may be very tired and have weight
loss, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and loss of body fluids and nutrients.
Joint pain, liver problems, and redness and swelling of the eyes
can also occur. Hospitalization and surgery are sometimes needed.
Research on cannabis and GI disorders
Research suggests that cannabis is effective in treating the symptoms of
these GI disorders in part because it interacts with the endogenous
cannabinoid receptors in the digestive tract, which can result in calming
spasms, assuaging pain, and improving motility. Cannabis has also been
shown to have anti-inflammatory properties13-15 and recent research has
6 Americans for Safe Access
demonstrated that cannabinoids are immune system modulators, either
enhancing or suppressing immune response.16-17
Cannabis has a long
documented history of
use in treating GI distress,
going back more
than a century in western
medicine, and far
longer in the east.
While clinical studies
on the use of cannabis
for the treatment of
gastrointestinal disorders
have been largely
limited to investigations
on nausea suppression
and appetite stimulation—two conditions for which cannabis
has been consistently shown to be highly effective18-29 —the evidence in
support of cannabis therapy for other gastrointestinal diseases and disorders
is also strong. There is now extensive anecdotal evidence from
patients with IBS, Crohn's disease and other painful GI disorders that
cannabis eases cramping and helps modulate diarrhea, constipation and
acid reflux. Recent laboratory research on the endogenous cannabinoid
system in humans has identified that there are many cannabinoid
receptors located in both the large and small intestines.30-35
Cannabis and new cannabinoid drugs are attractive for GI treatment
because they can address a number of symptoms at once with minimal
side effects. Cannabinoids alter how the gut feels, affect the signals the
brain sends back and forth to the gut and modulate the actions of the
GI tract itself.36-38
Beginning in the 1970s, a series of human clinical trials established
cannabis' ability to stimulate food intake and weight gain in healthy
volunteers. In a randomized trial, THC significantly improved appetite
and nausea in comparison with placebo. There were also trends
towards improved mood and weight gain. Unwanted effects were generally
mild or moderate in intensity. Cannabis helps combat the painful
and often debilitating cramping that accompanies many GI disorders
because cannabinoids relax contractions of the smooth muscle of the
intestines. In fact, smooth-muscle relaxant properties of cannabinoids
are so well established that preparations of guinea-pig intestine are
routinely used as an in vitro screening tool to test the potency and
function of synthetic cannabinoids.
Research on a variety of rodents has shown that endogenous cannabi-
888-929-4367 www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org 7
noids play crucial neuromodulatory roles in controlling the operation of
the gastrointestinal system, with synthetic and natural cannabinoids
acting powerfully to control gastrointestinal motility and inflammation.
Cannabinoid receptors comprise G-protein coupled receptors that are
predominantly in enteric and central neurones (CB1R) and immune cells
(CB2R). The digestive tract contains endogenous cannabinoids (anandamide
and 2-arachidonylglycerol) and cannabinoid CB1 receptors can
be found on myenteric and submucosal nerves. Activating cannabinoid
receptors has been demonstrated to inhibit gastrointestinal fluid secretion
and inflammation in animal models.39-50
In the last decade, evidence obtained from the use of selective agonists
and inverse agonists/antagonists indicates that manipulation of CB1R
can have significant results.51 Research has also shown that in the case
of intestinal inflammation, the body will increase the number of
cannabinoid receptors in the area in an attempt to regulate the inflammation
by processing more cannabinoids.52
Cannabinoids have a demonstrated ability to block spinal, peripheral
and gastrointestinal mechanisms that promote pain in IBS and related
disorders.53 Animal research also indicates that cannabinoids work well
in controlling gastroesophageal reflux disease, a condition in which
gastric acids attack the esophagus and for which commonly prescribed
medications, such as atropine, have serious adverse side effects.54-56
From this evidence, many researchers have concluded that pharmacological
modulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system provides
new treatment options for a number of gastrointestinal diseases,
including nausea and vomiting, gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome,
Crohn's disease, secretory diarrhea, paralytic ileus and gastroesophageal
reflux disease.57-60 The experience of patients with these GI disorders
shows that for broad-spectrum relief, cannabis is highly effective and
frequently helps when other treatment options prove ineffective.
How Cannabis Compares to Other Treatments
The medications currently employed to fight chronic GI disorders
include many that produce serious side effects. These side effects frequently
threaten the health of the patient and require other medications
to combat them.

I have made a number of post re medical cannabis , I did ask the moderators permission to bring up this controvertial topic.

I was originally encouraged to post on this forum by medical personal .

It seems a number of GI complaints may stem from medication originally prescribed for other factors . In my case spinal damage .
A number of medical people would are beginning to see and hear evidence that perhaps there might be merit in exploring the potential of medical cannabis as an alternative to some current medications.

The fact it is not yet legal and to suggest it may cause complication they feel frustrated .

If discussing it on a public forum cause any concerns can I suggest that given the oppitunity you do discuss it with your medical specialist .
The more encouragement that they get to explore its potential the more incline they will be to promote it as a legal and viable alternative.

I am a medical cannabis user and have been for over 4 yrs now , to late to avoid a GI complication caused my other medications and do have a focus on gaining a legal status for medipot for those who have a real need and under full medical supervision .

The more we can encourage our specialist to address the potential and have the medical cannabis treated as a medical not political issue the sooner more peole may get relief not avaiable from other medications..and with less adverse side effects..

I will refrain from posting on cannabis here in the future unless encouraged ..

thank you all and have a wonderful New Yaer .

tony

This is really interesting!

My experience with Ulcerative Colitis and cannabis was only AFTER my surgery which is a bit of a shame by the sounds of it. I have had my large intestine removed and have an ileo-anal J pouch. After the 3rd lot of surgery when they had linked up my small intestine to the newly constructed J pouch, I had a lot of trouble with appetite and pain (not surprising I suppose). After leaving hospital, I had a fairly heavy lot of opiates prescribed to me. One day I smoked cannabis instead and was amazed at the difference in how I felt. I felt like a normal person for the first time in weeks. I ate with no cramps, no pain... I felt HUMAN again. They were a much better pain reliever than what I was on.

Thanks for posting on this.

Thanks for that earth girl.

My story is ,

After being dropped off the wait list five times for a gastro at CMDHB the gut pain, bleeding and nausea was o bad I was not managing my spinal pain ( broken back in two places) so I in total desperation tried cannabis for the pain ( suggested two yaers earlier by a pain specialist at AKL Hospt )
It sure worked on the pain but as well settled the gut problem .I could actually keep down ensure again.. I survided on cannabis and ensure with a bit of morphine for the next four years . 3 months ago after endocscopy etc they found I had a bad case of crohns like . Possibly as a result of the many and varied medications I had been on that did the damage.

It really was all that got me through at the time , and now I no longer use the medications that did the original damage and have replaced them with medipot..I still get flare ups and rely on ensure plus but when I stop the medipot ( i just did a three week trial) its back to full time flare up and I lost 7 kgs in two weeks and the bleeding really gets bad.. Within a couple of hours of taking medipot it settled .

I am using Pentasa as well now the gastro specialist prescibed it and that is helping as wellbut not without the medipot.

All i want is people to ASK their gastro specialists .. if it is as good as I believe it is they should be seeking a legal avenue to suggest it as an option .

tony

wow, i didnt know that this sort of information was collected, but im glad!

Thanks for the information. Very interesting.

I have had IBS for as long as I remember and have been using pot as a last resort when dealing with the worst of the cramps for about the last 5 years. I find it works really well, I just refuse to get stoned when my daughter is around so it limits the use alot.

Would be great if I could find some around that would get rid of the cramps but not leave me feeling wasted.

Gremlin,
It may not be the high THC cannabis you should be trying , the best results i get are from early harvest , low THC varieties .

At the most you will only get relaxed but not high...

Many medipot users function and are more motivated as a result of the relief without getting high.
Herbal tea from the cabbage may be worth a try .

Most medipot users are high functioning and not the druggy , drop out .
This is what those who have a vested interest in keeping medical cannabis off the scene want us to believe

Hi,

Have to say I never tried this before but after reading your posts and the indepth information it certainly seems worth a go. Thanks for the information Tony.

This topic has generated over 300 hits , many of them Gastro Specialist or GP's with special interest .
As well others with gastro complications.
Currently a Bill is before the House that may not only open up some extensive research into the medical potential for cannabis but will also allow those who have suitable medical support to legally do so.

The number of people who participate in a forum re gastro have come this way due to the less desirable effect of medications for other factors such as pain..and many more will follow .

I do not advocate the inclusion of cannabis in your management without being done under medical supervision .

But i strongly advocate you ask your specialist or even your GP to see if they consider it a suitable medication.. If not ,ask why not ???... is it on medical or political grounds ???

If as i expect many will do ,reply in the affirmative if given the opportunity ..All too many are as yet to intimidated to broach it first . Then encourage them to speak out.

Be aware there is a move to soften the potential change to restrict approvals to Sativex , a pharmaceutical product , not only will it be cost prohibitive and not subsidized it is not as effective as natural product especially for gastro complications..

For those who already have found medpot a suitable alternative medication that works for you , please tell your medical people..

I appreciate there will be a considerable number of people who will still have a strong negative opinion regards medical cannabis . trust me most of the medical users I come in contact with felt this way as well.. it was only as a last resort and with considerable trepidation they gave it ago.. It took me a number of years after a medical specialist first discussed its potential before things got so bad , I trialed it..

We need it considered as a medical issue not political.. And not a treatment we must do without suitable supervision with unknown product and in secret. On top of that the added stress of the legal implications .

Frankly I take considerable risks just by posting as I have , and admitting I am a medpot user.. that is not how it should be..

lets do something about it???

tony

There may be a small conference in Auckland on Cannabis and Crohns late June in Auckland . Subject to the outcome of the medical cannabis bill now before the House ..
It is a Endocrine and Pharmacologically focused event not light I am told..

Any interested parties can email . mmug@ihug.co.nz . with a request for conference dates and details .

It seems Sativex, a manufactured ( GW Pharmaceuticals) cannabis base medicine is being trialled in Canada with promising results.

Our MOH are are currently considering allowing it to be prescribed .

tony

I guess side effects from medications have to be coped with. As long as you consider the trade offs.

http://www.cdhb.govt.nz/totara/cannabis.htm

"Are there dangers in using cannabis?

Most people who use cannabis don't experience any obvious harmful effects, but regular use may produce a number of short term effects including paranoia, confusion, increased anxiety, and even hallucinations, which can last up to several hours.

The Christchurch Health and Development Study found that cannabis use, and particularly regular or heavy use, was associated with increased rates of a range of adjustment problems in adolescence/ young adulthood including other illicit drug use, crime, depression and suicidal behaviours. These adverse effects were most evident for school-aged regular users.

In addition, longer term risks may include asthma and bronchitis, cancers of the mouth, throat, and lungs, poor concentration and memory, learning difficulties, and occasionally, psychosis. "

i have ibd and have smoked pot for years, I take no other med's, my daughter had chrohns and is only 13, sad but true she needs pot, what do I do, it's not something you want to give your kid but I am sure it will help her as it has me, I have self medicated with it and am sure others should too, you don't need to get stoned, just a small puff here and there, makes you hungry and gives you control over your bowels

Starpath,
this is not the forum to debate the the quality of information regards cannabis , suffice to say I do not consider the outcomes as portrayed by the CDHB info sheet or for that manner much of the info supplied by and of the MOH sources . I suggest even Prof David Ferguson would agree with me if you were to ask him.

It is the mis-information about cannabis that is standing in the way of many gaining benefit from its medical aspect.

Of late ,with the increase in Countries and US States in allowing medpot to be scripted or approved for medical use is allowing more open and in depth research from other that Drug Company funded research intending to keep this low cost effective medication from the public.

I am torn when it comes to u18 medical use , but in reading some of the research of late re ADD and the like and what medication its has the potential to replace , I can see how under strict medical supervision it may have a place .
I also advocate that even adult users of medpot do so only after consultation with GP or specialists .. You would be surprised how many are supportive if approached , including a number of gastro specialists .

tony

tony

We are preparing to send Info packs out to selected specialist and GP's . It will be up to date data on medpot and among other things will have some good Gastro stuff.

Sorry , it can only be sent to registered medical practitioners.

But if anyone has a doctor who might be a worthy recipient please send their hard mail address and details to .

medpot@ihug.co.nz.

with <Gastro Doctor> in the subject line.

tony

Hi All.
I had a problem with vomiting after each meal for 20 years after a stomach stapling operataion I had as a young Mum.

I friend told me about Cannabis, I have lousey lungs and couldn't smoke it, so started making "herbal tea" and sprinkling what the call the cabbage, just the leafy part over food like pizza, or in gravey, anything food that has fat or oil in it, cheese is really good. (I'm not sure about food resrictions for people with this disease, so tea and honey could be the answer)

After 20 years of vomiting every meal I just stopped, that was 3 years ago, and only took about a week to do, I'm not eating any now, but have some of this cabbage in a tin in my cubboard and sprinkle some over food when I'm cooking for myself, you don't need a lot, maybe a teaspoon of finely rubbed cannabis, if the taste offends adding other herbs like oregano will help.

I also suffer from cronic pain in my lower back, and cannabis really really helps with the pain, it tends to make me very very relaxed and sleepy, which being relaxed could only ever help with pain huh... so it makes sense.

I was also told by a specilaist, that although he didn't hear me say I had taken it, that by all means take it for relief from for Fybro.

Again the key for me is not too much, even the first few times I did try to smoke it, I would only take one or two puffs, and then more later, but now I use it in food. Muffins are another good way to get it into your body, make up a recipe of your favourite muffin, spinkle about a tablespoon of dried and crumbled cannabis into the mixture. When they are made, freeze all but a couple of them... obviously away from the family, banana cake is supposed to be good too.

Lastly, I would like to say, that until I was 42 years old I never tried dope at all, and was a prude about it, but I figgered that the medical professionals couldn't do anything to help, and this definately did work, so I'll get over the fact that it isn't legal.

Cheers canz

This report has just come out . It follows hard on the heals of similar ones from other international medical groups.. as well as the NZ Drug Foundation .

It does pay not to be afraid to discuss it with your Doctor or specialists .. you often find they are very supportive.


A quick google will give the full report .. worth reading
tony

American College of Physicians Speaks Out for Medical Marijuana

In January 2008, the American College of Physicians (ACP) — the largest medical specialty organization and the second largest physician group in the United States, representing over 124,000 members — released a landmark position paper calling for legal protection for medical marijuana patients, reconsideration of marijuana’s federal classification as a Schedule I drug (banned for medical use), and expanded research. Entitled “Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana,” the paper cites extensive evidence for the clinical safety and efficacy marijuana and its active components, called cannabinoids.

from UK

http://www.ulcerativecolitis.org.uk/colitisforum/viewtopic.php?t=374 (debate)

http://www.ulcerativecolitis.org.uk/colitisforum/viewtopic.php?t=390 (research)