Sjogrens Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Medical Marijuana
July 22, 20102 CommentsDisease Treatment
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Today I took care of a 58 year old women who suffered from Sjogrens Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis who had tried medical marijuana recently and found relief of her symptoms. Her arthritis mostly affected her hands and shoulders and required multiple drugs for pain management. She had been on Bextra then Vioxx then Celebrex but had to stop all of them because of kidney disease. She was at her “wits end” and wanted an alternative to help her get some relief and sleep throughout the night.
Sjogrens syndrome is an autoimmune disease where the bodies white blood cells attack the lacrimal glands which produce tears for the eyes (lubrication) and also the salivary glands. Most commonly patients complain of dry eyes and dry mouth. Patients often walk around sipping water all day to keep there mouth moist. In this patients case her taste buds were affected as well which made it difficult for her to enjoy food. She found that certain strains of marijuana really improved her appetite and helped her deal with this debilitating disease.
Many patients with Sjogrens syndrome also develop rheumatoid arthritis. Unfortunately there is no cure or way to reverse the arthritis so patients must learn way through nutrition, physical therapy and medication to improve the quality of their lives. I have found many patients who use cannabis do REALLY well and don’t require near as much medication as patients who do not use cannabis. The medically active ingredients in the plant bind to receptors on the white blood cells that cause inflammation and help reduce the pain.
The great thing about marijuana is that is is not toxic to any of the major organs in the body, is not addictive and can be taken over long periods of time. It can be inhaled without having to smoke it by using a vaporizer and it is almost odorless.
If you would like more information on whether or not medical marijuana can improve the quality of your life feel free to give us a call at 877-721-0047 or contact us though the website at www.mcsocal.com
Be blessed,
Dr. Breen
This is a really well thought out post. I certainly enjoyed reading it. Thanks!
Stay tuned. Thanks for visiting!