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Medical Cannabis vs HIV

Cannimed Centurion

Published by

Shaun Munn

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31 mins

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Science denial kills. More than 300,000 South Africans died needlessly in the early 2000’s because the government of the day preferred to treat AIDS with garlic and beetroot rather than antiretroviral drugs.

The 2007 UNAIDS report estimated that 5,700,000 South Africans had HIV/AIDS, or just under 12% of South Africa's population of 48 million. In the adult population, excluding children, the rate is 18.10%. The number of infected is larger than in any other single country in the world. The other top five countries with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence are all neighbours of South Africa.

The effectiveness of cannabis for treating symptoms related to HIV/AIDS is widely recognised. Its value as an antiemetic and analgesic has been proven in numerous studies and has been recognised by several comprehensive, government-sponsored reviews, including those conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the U.K. House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, the Australian National Task Force on Cannabis, and others.

Survey data indicates that cannabis is used by as many one in three North American patients with HIV/AIDS to treat symptoms of the disease as well as the side‐effects of various antiretroviral medications. One recent study reported that more than 60 percent of HIV/AIDS patients self‐identify as medical cannabis users.

Patients living with HIV/AIDS most frequently report using cannabis to counter symptoms of anxiety, appetite loss and nausea, and at least one study has reported that patients who use cannabis therapeutically are 3.3 times more likely to adhere to their antiretroviral therapy regimens than noncannabis users.Clinical trial data indicates that cannabis use does not adversely impact CD4 and CD8 T cell counts and may even improve immune function.

In 2007, investigators at Columbia University published clinical trial data in 2007 reporting that HIV/AIDS patients who ingested cannabis four times daily experienced substantial increases in food ʺ intake with little evidence of discomfort and no impairment of cognitive performance. They concluded, ʺ Cannabis has a clear medical benefit in HIV‐ positive subjects.

That same year, investigators at San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California s Pain ʹ Clinical Research Center reported in the journal Neurology that ingested cannabis significantly reduced HIV‐associated neuropathy compared to placebo.

Researchers reported that ingesting cannabis three times daily reduced patients pain by 34 percent. ʹ They concluded, Ingested Cannabis was well tolerated and effectively relieved chronic neuropathic ʺ pain from HIV‐associated neuropathy [in a manner] similar to traditionally prescribed oral drugs used for chronic neuropathic pain. In 2008, researchers at the University of California in San Diego reported similar findings. Writing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, they concluded: Cannabis significantly reduced ʺ neuropathic pain intensity in HIV‐associated polyneuropathy compared to placebo, when added to stable concomitant analgesics. Mood disturbance, physical disability and quality of life all improved significantly during study treatment.

The findings suggest that cannabinoid therapy is an effective option for pain relief in patients with medically intractable pain due to HIV. Most recently, cannabis ingestion has been demonstrated in clinical trial data to be associated with increased levels of appetite hormones in the blood of subjects with HIV infection.

In preclinical models, the long‐term administration of Δ9-THC has recently been associated with decreased mortality and ameliorated disease progression.

Many experts now believe that cannabis represents another treatment option in the health ʺ management of patients with HIV/AIDS.

For more information, Whatsapp or call Azelda on 071 558 9052.

#Medical Cannabis #HIV #Weed

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Azelda will be able to give you more information on how Cannabis can fight Diabetes.

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Cannabis vs Diabetes

Do you suffer from Diabetes?

Diabetes Mellitus is a group of autoimmune diseases characterized by defects in insulin secretion resulting in hyperglycemia (an abnormally high concentration of glucose in the blood). There are two primary types of diabetes. Individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes) are incapable of producing pancreatic insulin and must rely on insulin medication for survival. Individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (also known as adult onset diabetes) produce inadequate amounts of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a less serious condition that typically is controlled by diet. Over time, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, hardening of the arteries and death. The disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer.

A search of the scientific literature reveals a number of pre-clinical studies indicating that cannabinoids modify the disease’s progression and provide symptomatic relief to those suffering from it.

A 2006 study published in the journal Autoimmunity reported that injections of 5 mg per day of the cannabinoids significantly reduced the incidence of diabetes in mice.

Investigators reported that 86% of untreated control mice in the study developed diabetes. By contrast, only 30% of mice developed the disease. In a separate experiment, investigators reported that control mice all developed diabetes at a median of 17 weeks (range 1520 weeks), while a majority (60 percent) of cannabinoid - treated mice remained diabetes‐free at 26 weeks.

Other trials have demonstrated cannabinoids to possess additional beneficial effects in animal models of diabetes. Writing in the March 2006 issue of the American Journal of Pathology, researchers at the Medical College of Virginia reported that rats treated with cannabinoids for periods of one to four weeks experienced significant protection from diabetic retinopathy. This condition, which is characterized by retinal oxygen deprivation and a breakdown of the blood‐retinal barrier, is the leading cause of blindness in working‐age adults.

Cannabinoids have also been shown to alleviate neuropathic pain associated with the disease. A pair of studies published in the journal Neuroscience Letters in 2004 reported that mice administered a cannabis receptor agonist experienced a reduction in diabetic‐related tactile allodynia (pain resulting from non‐injurious stimulus to the skin) compared to non‐treated controls.

The findings suggest that cannabinoids have a potential beneficial effect on experimental diabetic neuropathic pain.

A 2001 trial demonstrated that Δ9-THC could moderate an animal model of the disease by reducing artificially‐elevated glucose levels and insulitis in mice compared to non‐treated controls.

Most recently, an international team of researchers from the United States, Switzerland and Israel reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that the administration of CBD reduces various symptoms of diabetic cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle) in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes.

Authors concluded, “These results coupled with the excellent safety and tolerability profile of cannabinoids in humans, strongly suggest that it may have great therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic complications.ʺ

For more information, call or whatsapp Azelda on 071 558 9052.

#Cannabis #Medical Cannabis #Marijuana #diabetes