Marijuana may ease multiple sclerosis symptoms [View all]
People with multiple sclerosis have long said that smoking marijuana helps ease their painful muscle cramping. And a new clinical trial suggests they are not just blowing smoke.
The study, published Monday, found that for 30 MS patients with muscle "spasticity," a few days of marijuana smoking brought some relief.
But the big caveat, researchers say, is that it's not clear that the downsides of pot smoking are worth it.
Some people with MS are already using medical marijuana to treat certain symptoms, including spasticity -- when the muscles in the legs or arms contract painfully, in something akin to a "charley horse."
There is some science behind the idea: The body naturally produces cannabinoids, the group of chemicals found in marijuana. And studies have suggested the cannabinoid receptors on our cells help regulate muscle spasticity.
But the evidence that pot smoking actually helps with spasticity has been anecdotal.
"We've heard from patients that marijuana helps their spasticity, but I think a lot us thought, ‘Well, it's probably just making you feel good,'" said Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom, the lead researcher on the new study.
link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/14/us-marijuana-sclerosis-idUSBRE84D0RS20120514
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/qB3Mku Canadian Medical Association Journal, online May 14, 2012
Interesting article, but it's got some questionable stuff further into article, that's what this article is really about and it's got to be nipped in the bud before it grows! (pun intended)
Legalize the Plant 
= new reply since forum marked as read
