Today in Long Beach I took care of a 49 year old white make who suffers chronic insomnia as a result of a Circadian Rhythm Disorder.    Normally our bodies are on a 24 hour sleep/wake cycle.   Normal people have feedback systems that tell the brain it’s time to go to bed.  A simple [...]

It is no surprise that pharmaceutical companies lobby our politicians to keep marijuana a schedule 1 drug (which means no medicinal value and highly addictive).    ONE PLANT can take the place of AT LEAST 6 COMMON DRUGS.    Today I was taking care of a cancer patient who was not doing well.   He [...]

It really is shame that marijuana is a schedule 1 drug  and therefore under-researched in the United States.   There seems to be strong evidence for many different applications in medicine.     I was just reading research about our bodies endogenous endocannabinoid system and its affect on the uterus and implantation of the developing [...]

Each year as patients follow up to renew their medical marijuana recommendations I sit down with them and take a full assessment of their medical status. What I love about this practice is the majority of them respond with “I am doing better”. Whether it is a reduction in their symptoms, a decreased dependance on their medications or improvement in their relationships or functionality, they are improving. READ ON….

Iit seems like these days physicians have become people who chase and treat symptoms. Patient comes in with a symptom and we give them a pill to treat that symptom. Then they get a side effect and come back in. What happens is we give them another pill to treat that side effect and so on and so forth.

Today I treated a 43 year old women who came to me to try medical marijuana as an alternative to Wellbutrin, Xanax and Ambien for her insomnia, anxiety and depression. She states that this has gone on for about 15 years. She was tired of how those medications made her feel. “Like a zombie” she said. Then she asked me “do you think this will help.”

My first response to her was: “Let me ask you this question. What do you typically eat throughout the day and how often do you eat?”

That is when her husband started shaking his head and she became reluctant to discuss her diet with me. To put it mildly; she ate like shit. Skips breakfast, drinks soda and coffee, eats a ton of candy and ice cream prior to going to bed.

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often evaluate patients who are having either difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. They try all sorts of medications (Ambien, Xanax, Trazodone, Lunestra, Tylenol PM) and remedies and do not get the results they hoped for. Many times the side effects of the medications are worse than the insomnia itself. DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP IS TO YOUR OVERALL HEALTH? Apparently most people do not based on the fact that I keep reading law enforcement and opponents of Prop 215 speak on how this law was supposed to be for “seriously ill” and is being used for “insignificant illnesses such as insomnia.” In this blog I am going to educate you on sleep and GROWTH HORMONE… read on

Lately I have been seeing more and more patients with PTSD looking to medical marijuana as an alternative to the medications that their psychiatrists have prescribed. Because I have an office in Long Beach next to the VA and also take care of many Marines from Camp Pendleton I am seeing more and more how cannabis is helping them.

Today at my Irvine office I evaluated a 51 year old women who wanted an evaluation to see if medical marijuana could provide relief for some of the symptoms she has been experience as a result of menopause. Specifically she had been suffering from severe hot flashes which caused secondary insomnia. As a result of not being able to sleep well she was “always tired” during the day. Her ob/gyn had tried prescribing paxil and ambien to help relieve her symptoms but the side effects were worse than what she was trying to relieve. A few weeks back a friend of hers that had a medical marijuana card for chronic pain gave her some marijuana to try to improve her sleep. The results “were amazing” she told me.

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often evaluate women who suffer from pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)/premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). They often complain of headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, difficulty sleeping, bloating, irritability, anxiety, depression and an inability to concentrate. Typically the standard treatment that their doctors prescribe do not work well enough and they would like to try cannabis. I have seen amazing results with women who vaporize cannabis to treat their PMS.

Today in my Irvine clinic I had two patients who were suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One was unfortunately physically and verbally abused by her boss and the second was involved in a very traumatic car accident where he lost one of his best friends. Both of these patients experienced a combination of difficulty sleeping, recurring nightmares, avoidance and depression.