Has anyone tried marijuana as an alternative therapy?

First off I'd like to start by saying I don't smoke or eat marijuana and have been brought up to disregard it as being a "drug". As I become older and start to question things about life (as I'm sure many others have done) I'm looking to see the flipside of the coin and get all the facts for myself.

I've been researching marijuana and it's benefits for a variety of health issues, many of which are symptoms of thalassemia. It obviously shouldn't be smoked by thal. patients because of oxygen deficiency but ingesting it seems to have all the same health benefits if not more.

I hope I don't get shunned for brining this up, I'm purely interested in seeing whether this could be a viable option. If you have experience please feel free to share and no judgements will be passed.

I will address this by first pasting from the new 2012 Standards of Care Guidelines for Thalassemia. For the first time, Pain Syndrome in thal is acknowledged. http://hemonc.cho.org/thal/documents/SOCguidelines.pdf

12 Pain Syndrome in Thalassemia
Chronic pain has not been noted as a major component of the
symptoms of thalassemia. However, in the last decade, as prognosis
has improved, cumulative tissue injury appears to be resulting in
chronic pain syndrome. A recent study utilizing the Brief Pain
Inventory (BPI) assessed pain in 250 thalassemia patients in
North America. Two-thirds of the patients reported repeated pain
episodes each month, and 20 percent reported daily pain. The
prevalence and severity of pain correlated with age of the patient.
As patients age, pain becomes a more prominent problem in their
lives. Most patients have back pain. Three-quarters of the patients
were taking non-steroidal analgesics for pain relief. In addition,
24 percent were receiving short-acting narcotic analgesics, and
another 11 percent were receiving long-acting narcotic analgesics.
Pain assessment on a regular basis is recommended for all patients.
While transfusion therapy may decrease the pain in thalassemia
intermedia, this has not been prospectively evaluated. All
patients should undergo assessment for causes of pain, including
extramedullary masses, osteoporosis, and spinal fractures, as well
as other less common problems, such as secondary gout and
thrombosis.

Marijuana is well recognized for its analgesic properties, and this is a main reason why the plant is now available in many US states for medical reasons. I could go on and on about why marijuana should not be illegal, but I will refrain. I will mention that it doesn't kill anyone, a claim that cannot be made for many legal prescription drugs. It's value to those suffering from chronic pain, nausea, headaches, insomnia, and many other ailments is significant. If you have access to medical marijuana, it is worth consideration. I cannot recommend obtaining it illegally because it can result in legal problems, including arrest.  I will add that it is not a guarded secret that cancer patients routinely use pot to reduce chemo related nausea. People use it because it works and is basically harmless.

I will address this by first pasting from the new 2012 Standards of Care Guidelines for Thalassemia. For the first time, Pain Syndrome in thal is acknowledged. http://hemonc.cho.org/thal/documents/SOCguidelines.pdf
Marijuana is well recognized for its analgesic properties, and this is a main reason why the plant is now available in many US states for medical reasons. I could go on and on about why marijuana should not be illegal, but I will refrain. I will mention that it doesn't kill anyone, a claim that cannot be made for many legal prescription drugs. It's value to those suffering from chronic pain, nausea, headaches, insomnia, and many other ailments is significant. If you have access to medical marijuana, it is worth consideration. I cannot recommend obtaining it illegally because it can result in legal problems, including arrest.  I will add that it is not a guarded secret that cancer patients routinely use pot to reduce chemo related nausea. People use it because it works and is basically harmless.

Andy,

I wasn't aware that Pain Syndrome had been acknowledge for Thal. and I wholeheartedly agree that it is silly that a natural plant is made illegal. Here in Toronto it's possible to obtain a medical license for it and I'm looking to go down this path to see if it works for me. Worst case scenario it doesn't help me and I don't take it any more.

I was wondering if there is any specific research with regards to cannabinoids and stuff like RBC production, hemoglobin affinity for oxygen, muscle wasting prevention, etc.

I find that it does help with my back pain and am currently discussing getting it medicinally from my doctor.

I find that it does help with my back pain and am currently discussing getting it medicinally from my doctor.

where do you live?

Connecticut

Connecticut

Oh nice is it legal there for medical purposes? I'm in Toronto Canada and we can get licenses but it's somewhat difficult

I will address this by first pasting from the new 2012 Standards of Care Guidelines for Thalassemia. For the first time, Pain Syndrome in thal is acknowledged. http://hemonc.cho.org/thal/documents/SOCguidelines.pdf
Marijuana is well recognized for its analgesic properties, and this is a main reason why the plant is now available in many US states for medical reasons. I could go on and on about why marijuana should not be illegal, but I will refrain. I will mention that it doesn't kill anyone, a claim that cannot be made for many legal prescription drugs. It's value to those suffering from chronic pain, nausea, headaches, insomnia, and many other ailments is significant. If you have access to medical marijuana, it is worth consideration. I cannot recommend obtaining it illegally because it can result in legal problems, including arrest.  I will add that it is not a guarded secret that cancer patients routinely use pot to reduce chemo related nausea. People use it because it works and is basically harmless.

I pretty much agree with everything you say and being recently diagnosed with beta thalessemia as a condition I was born with. I can't imagine I have gone so long without noticing some of the effects like Nausea, Headaches, insomnia, pain, fatigue and never let any of those affect me. I have been able to graduate with 2 degrees and work at a top 50 investment bank. I will be the first to admit that I use medical marijuana and no other medicine / drug. Doctors have always been trying to push all sorts of synthetic medicines with millions of side effects for insomnia, nausea, pain, headaches and I never took any of them. Doctors are shocked when I tell them I take no medicine at all but only medical marijuana to cure all this. I don't plan to get off it any time soon and love this natural plant god gave us 1000 of years ago before any synthetic medicine was created.

I can choose a sativa if I need tons of energy to counteract the fatigue or take an indica strain if insomnia is keeping me up and I need to zonk out asap (hybrids are great for energy and pain management). Only side effect I get is the drug makes me hungry so I eat more often. With the weight loss this is a blessing and with this website I am learning what diet and supplements to take for better quality of life. I use medical marijuana through glass/ceramic vaporizer along with edibles like brownies, cookies and THC Butter to cook with. One day I wish we could make this natural plant that grows in your backyard available to all. The Pharmaceuticals will make sure that never happens but alas the common folks always win and we will get the drug of our choice.


http://patientsmarijuana.org/Sativa_or_Indica.html



Sativa

Sativas and Indicas are very different, like night and day.

This type of high is the one most associated with hilarious fits of laughter, long discussions about nothing, enhanced audio and visual senses. You hear things in songs you’ve never heard before, see things in movies you’ve watched a dozen times but never noticed before.

A brightly-lit malls becomes a whole new and exciting adventure.  Therefore, smoking a pure Sativa or mostly Sativa hybrid will make you feel great!  Energetic and social and ready for fun!  And depending on the particular strain of Sativa-Indica cross you smoke, you may get a good measure of pain relief in the deal as well.




Indica

Indicas originally come from the hash producing countries of the world like Afghanistan, Morocco, and Tibet.  With flavors and aromas ranging from pungent skunk to sweet and fruity. The smoke from an Indica is generally a body type high, relaxing and laid back.

The “high” a person experiences when smoking a sufficient amount of pure or mostly pure Indica, such as Medicine Man or Warlock is more of a heavy “body buzz”.

You may feel lethargic, tired, unwilling to attend to reality tasks. Very laid back, lazy. You may just want left alone to sit and think deep, intellectual thoughts as you enjoy the pain relief.

You may find it very hard to stay awake as well, so this sort of strain would be good for those having trouble sleeping. This is the best sort of “high” for easing pain and most of the other symptoms these conditions