Posted on 08/13/2005 12:00:36 PM PDT by traumer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Derivatives of the active compound in cannabis -- cannabinoids -- may have the potential for treating inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, UK researchers report.
"The system that responds to cannabis in the brain is present and functioning in the lining of the gut," lead researcher Dr. Karen Wright, of the University of Bath, explained to Reuters Health. "There is an increased presence of one component of this system during inflammatory bowel diseases," she explained.
Wright and her colleagues established the location of cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 in human colon tissue, and used human colon cell lines to investigate the binding of cannabinoid compounds and in wound-healing experiments. They report their findings in the journal Gastroenterology
The team found that CB2 was increased in colonic tissue characteristic of inflammatory bowel disease. Cannabinoids enhanced surface wound closure via CB1-related mechanisms.
"Cannabinoids, which we make ourselves, as well as synthetic cannabinoids, can promote wound healing in the gut, which is extremely interesting given that inflammatory bowel disease involves damaged gut linings," Wright said.
Although results are available yet, she added, relevant studies of the use of cannabinoids are taking place in the UK and a clinical trial is being conducted in Germany.
I once found wild MJ plants growing on a service driveway on our property once... I uprooted them and tossed them in the compost heap. The landscapers were later directed to clear away all the wild brush that was creeping over from our neighbors property, where I think the plants had originated.
I'm a conservative, and I want it legalized. Criminalization of marijuana for adults is just a plain waste of energy and a restriction on freedom. Also, I think I'll have to give it try for treatment of my ulcerative colitis. ;-)
This thread is about promoting dope again based on shoddy medical research.
Since it appears that the studies are not yet complete, it may be a bit reactionary to pronounce them shoddy.
The following is just my personal observation so take it for what it's worth.
Back in the 80's I was acquainted with a fellow who suffered from Crohns disease and who also was a regular pot smoker. He never once related that weed helped alleviate his suffering. He did mention that codeine based cough syrups were helpful. (He managed to get himself in trouble because of because of that fact.)
So I'm skeptical of the suggestion that smoking weed would have any efficacy here. But I'm not willing to dismiss out-of-hand that a chemical present in cannabis, correctly delivered, may be useful.
I'll wait until the studies are published and reviewed first.
just ask that 22 yr old guy in Florida that was shot 10 times by the swat team when they busted into his home at 6:15 a.m. on a no knock warrant.
They scooped up 2 oz of pot!!!! big time dealer!!! There is a major uproar about it down there...a thread was here about it. I hope the 2 cops that shot him get about 12 yrs each...till their execution date and I hope the guys folks sue this police dept into complete bankruptcy and oblivion.
No need to worry about the Feds. They don't have a regular presence in the territory, and it was only a few plants that apparently sprouted from seeds that blew over the property border.
I went back and walked over the area after it was completely cleared and found no new growth. The stuff is a weed, literally. The cops have a bigger problem with the actual farms of the stuff that have apparently been cultivated up in the hills, hidden between taro plants.
Personally, I'm in favor of NOT legalizing the damned plant, even for medicinal use. The culture that has grown up around the plant is one that induces and invites abuse, and we have enough other problems to deal with as it is. Why add to it?
(And our neighbor is a prime example of someone who lives in a house that is falling apart around him, but will spend money on weed, rather than on repairs.)
Leastwise not "normal" smoking~!
Odds are always very good that druggies lie.
There's no way that that can help Crons disease nor IBS. Wouldn't do a thing for diverticulitis either.
Wrong analogy ~ drug warriors like guns. Druggies like drugs.
There's no way that that can help Crohn's disease nor IBS. Wouldn't do a thing for diverticulitis either.
YOU have a GREAT point......plus....ever listen to all the warnings for all the drugs on the ads on TV.....they take longer to tout than the ad for the product itself.....The pharm companies are just trying to stay in the GAME!!!....if ya get my drift!
Check their plantations to see who does the work.
Anything to promote dope and more dopes.
Wow, so you disagree with any sort of medical research that might include illegal substances to work towards curing diseases? So you would also advocate that no additional research should be done in the field of pain medication, since most of that reasearch includes controlled substances...
There are at least two of us here on FR who have needed emergency surgery due to complications from Crohns disease. The only thing that keeps my symptoms under control is a daily dose of prednisone. Let me tell you, that is a whole lot more damaging to the human body over a long period of time than canabanoids. I've been taking prednisone every day now for 21 years, and while prednisone if a "miracle drug" when used for short periods of time, long term use has terrible effects. Do you remember the way Jerry Lewis looked on that one telethon? I've got a rounded face, it's next to impossible to take off weight, I heal extremely slowly, I've got a supressed immune system, and at 43 I've got osteoporosis. I'd be thrilled to find something that might fight the inflammation and ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract.
Oh, and by the way, they're not talking about smoking it, and they're not talking about getting high from it.
Mark
I don't get how there's "no medical purpose" for marijuana, but there IS for drugs like oxycontin, valium, etc.
Wow, you really show your ingorance here. The causes of most inflammitory bowel diseases are NOT known. There's much debate on the subject, since in some people it seems to be caused by an outside influence, and on others, it seems to be caused by an immune system that's gone haywire.
There are NO drugs currently available or in development that can cure Crohns disease. The best they can do is control the symptoms and hope it goes into remission. For some people, certain drugs work better than others. In my case, my doctor had me on immuran (immunosupressive), prednisone (cortito-steriod), metronidazole (and anti-bacterial) and pentasa (a sulfa based drug). Without insurance, the cost would be a bit under $500 a month, but my insurance covers most of it... My co-payment is about $105 a month.
Oh, and there are some other "experimental" drugs that are being used to treat it... An infusion called remicade, which didn't help me much, but did cost my insurance about $8,000 (my part was about $2000). And they recently found that Remicade is starting to cause liver damage in some patients.
Of course, there's surgery to remove the parts of the gastrointestinal tract that become ulcerated, but unlike with colitus (where surgery usually cures the problem) that's often not the case with Crohns disease.
They're NOT talking about legalizing pot to treat inflammitory bowel diseases. They're talking about using some of the compounds found in pot to specifically treat damaged bowel tissue.
Mark
I don't care what the qualifications of these researchers are or how solid their research is. I trust my government to make medical decisions for me, and my government has said cannabis is bad, so this study must be wrong.
It hurt to write that.
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