Medicinal Marijuana for Crohn's?

[mneilsen2084]

I was just wondering if anyone here had used TCH in any form to assist in relieving symptoms?

 

[David in Seattle]

I was just wondering if anyone here had used TCH in any form to assist in relieving symptoms?

Welcome to the site. Might take a look at this and this.

I tried MMJ, didn't help me, but I'm not definitively diagnosed. Others have said it does help them.

 

[mneilsen2084]

Ah thank you for the feedback. I could not access the forum that required a password though?

 

[David in Seattle]

Ah thank you for the feedback. I could not access the forum that required a password though?

Oh yeah, you have to have 50 posts and a month's membership to get into that one.

Here're a couple articles you might find of interest ONE and TWO

A number of people in threads in the PW area do say it helps them. I suggest you just try it and see. MMJ is quite easy to get in Seattle (does require finding a willing doctor) but I'm guessing Boise is a bit more conservative

Someone also posted this:

Chemicals found in cannabis could prove an effective treatment for the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease, say scientists.

Laboratory tests have shown that two compounds found in the cannabis plant - the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol - interact with the body's system that controls gut function.

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, which affect about one in every 250 people in Northern Europe, are caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The researchers believe that a genetic susceptibility coupled with other triggers, such as diet, stress or bacterial imbalance, leads to a defective immune response.

Dr Karen Wright, Peel Trust Lecturer in Biomedicine at Lancaster University, will be presenting her soon-to-be published work at The British Pharmacological Society's Winter Meeting in London today (Thursday).

She said: "The lining of the intestines provides a barrier against the contents of the gut but in people with Crohn's Disease this barrier leaks and bacteria can escape into the intestinal tissue leading to an inappropriate immune response.

"If we could find a way to restore barrier integrity in patients we may be able to curb the inflammatory immune response that causes these chronic conditions."

Dr Wright, working with colleagues at the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health in Derby, has shown that cells that react to cannabinoid compounds play an important role in normal gut function as well as the immune system's inflammatory response.

"The body produces its own cannabinoid molecules, called endocannabinoids, which we have shown increase the permeability of the epithelium during inflammation, implying that overproduction may be detrimental," said Dr Wright.

"However, we were able to reverse this process using plant-derived cannabinoids, which appeared to allow the epithelial cells to form tighter bonds with each other and restore the membrane barrier."

The research was carried out using cell cultures in a dish but, interestingly, when the team attempted to mimic the conditions of the gut by reducing the amount of oxygen in the cells' environment, much lower concentrations of cannabinoid were needed to produce the same effect.

Dr Wright added: "What is also encouraging is that while THC has psychoactive properties and is responsible for the 'high' people experience when using cannabis, cannabidiol, which has also proved effective in restoring membrane integrity, does not possess such properties."

The British Pharmacological Society (BPS) - the primary UK learned society concerned with research into drugs and the way they work - is hosting its annual Winter Meeting in London, attracting experts from across the world.

The three-day conference, running from 15 to 17 December 2009, will hear presentations on the latest pharmacological developments to tackle a range of conditions and diseases.

Source Lancaster University

 

[mneilsen2084]

Wow that does sound helpful. Perhaps I should move to a state that has the cannabidiol; there are no medicinal practices here involving THC yet. I read though that people make tea's from it and that helps their nausea. So I wanted to ask some actual sufferers of this illness. It seems to me that this will have much lower side affects than the "normal" medications I have taken and am learning about. Thank you for showing me that information.

 

[David in Seattle]

Well, you know what they say about ripping the hide off felines Boise's not that far from Oregon, I'm not familiar with Oregon's MMJ laws, I know they do have some availability, but maybe you could find a doctor/source in that state. Probably have to be (or be able to APPEAR to be) a resident. I'm guessing Portland would be more productive, the farther you get from the coast in all of these states (WA, OR, CA) the less progressive they become, but it might be worth a shot.

Or, perhaps you could MOVE

 

[mneilsen2084]

Thank you for the advice David. I probably will be going ahead and moving once my lease here is up.