As medical director of Medical Cannabis of Southern California I am intimately aware of the plethora of medical “clinics” (I use that term loosely) that patients can choose from to get their medical marijuana recommendation. A simple google search produces approximately 15 clinics on the first page for patients to choose from. For most patients they have no idea what to expect. Will they see an actual doctor? Is it in a safe area? Why the price discrepancy? The question that begs to be asked is: WHICH ONE SHOULD I GO TO?

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I evaluate patients who qualify for a medical marijuana recommendation per Proposition 215 full time in my two offices in Long Beach and Irvine. Patients often ask me if I know of any quality dispensaries that are in compliance with state law. Because the individual cities are cracking down and creating new ordinances regarding dispensaries it is becoming more and more difficult to find a good one.

As medical director of Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often evaluate patients who are taking Soma (carisoprodol) for muscle spasms. Typically they are frustrated because it not only is ineffective (for many patients) but they worry about being addicted and being on it for prolonged periods of time. Cannabis is a great alternative to Soma for patients who have muscle spasms.

As medical director for medical cannabis of southern california I provide medical marijuana recommendations for patients throughout Orange County and Long Beach. One of the most common complaints that I here from patients is that they are tired of taking Xanax to treat their anxiety because of all the side effects and want a safer more natural alternative. Marijuana has been shown to have incredible anxiolytic properties and has limited unwanted side effects.

I recently had a 28 year old pregnant patient ask me about the potential effects of cannabis use on her pregnancy. She had been using cannabis to treat ongoing migraine headaches with great results. Because I very rarely work with pregnant women as part of my professional practice I had to hit the books and look for what research is out there on how cannabis affects the pregnancy, neonatal growth and the future development of the child. Here is a summary of what I found

Today in my Irvine office I had the honor of taking care of Kathryn R. She is an amazing 83 year old women who developed peripheral neuropathy (pain originating from damage to the nerves themselves) from taking a drug called amiodarone to treat her atrial fibrillation. When I introduced myself to her she said “you are my last hope.”

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often evaluate patients who experience costochondritis. Costochondritis is is pain at the location of the cartilage where the ribs attach to your sternum (breast plate). Ultimately it is the result of inflammation of the cartilage and the joint. Typically it is very painful and is often treated with rest, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like motrin or if treating the underlying cause if it is easily defined. Recently I had two patients who were treating their chest wall pain with cannabis with great success.

This past week I have had 5 patients who have completely eliminated their dependence on pain pills after receiving their recommendation to use marijuana (cannabis) legally. The improvement to their overall quality of life has been dramatic. No more nausea, constipation and the feeling of being dependent on a drug.

Often I speak with patients about the benefits and risks of using cannabis rarely do patients mention their sex lives. Most commonly I hear patients speak about wanting to stop taking their pain pills, anti-depressants or sleep aids. One of the things that patients don’t like to speak about is their sex lives. What I find is that once I mention the fact that one of the benefits of using cannabis is that patients sex lives improve a pandoras box opens.

Today in my Irvine office I had a follow up appointment with a 54 year old male who suffers from Restless Leg Syndrome. He had been using a medication called Requip (ropinirole) for the past 6 months without good results. His doctor recently switched him to a new medication called Mirapex (pramipexole) which has not been effective either. Both of those drugs work by stimulating dopamine receptors in the brain (dopamine is a neurotransmitter). They are drugs similar to those used to treat patients with parkinsons disease.