The goal of this post is to explain how medical marijuana can improve the quality of life for both cancer patients and survivors.  Over the past 4 years I have evaluated thousands of patients who want to try medical marijuana to help relieve their symptoms.  30% of my patients are diagnosed with cancer and in [...]

This blog is going to walk you through the steps of getting a medical marijuana card in Orange County, California. Step 1: Determine if you have a qualifying diagnosis Most patients think medical marijuana can only be recommended for dying patients or those with severe disabilities. In California, that is not the case. The most [...]

Lately I have been taking care a numerous patients who have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). They are coming in mostly because of the side effects of the medications that they have been prescribed. The three most common medications that I see are ADDERALL, STRATTERA and VYVANCE.

All of these medication are stimulants (amphetamines) and have very similar side effect profiles. The most common reasons that patients with ADHD are seeking treatment with medical marijuana are … READ ON

Since 2008 I have been working full time discussing medical marijuana with my patients. More and more patients are coming in complaining of worry, anxiety, panic attacks and sleepless nights. Relationships, families and friendships are being strained because people are worried about how to make ends meet. Most of them at some point speak to their family doctor about their symptoms. Many of them get prescribed Ambien for sleep, Xanax for anxiety or an SSRI like Lexapro for depression. Some do OK but for many of these people the medication is not working or the side effects outweigh any benefit they are receiving.

MORE AND MORE ORDINARY PEOPLE ARE TURNING TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA FOR RELIEF.

Just this morning my first patient was a 46 year old man who has been working as a landscape architect his whole adult life. Since 2008 he has been out of work and has had to take handyman jobs here and there just to make ends meet. He has been happily married for 20 years but the financial strain has been “so hard on my wife and I”. As he is telling me this story tears are forming in his eyes and his head down at his chin. He is a very hard working, proud man. He wants to take care of his family but “does not know how much longer I can handle the stress.” READ ON…

Today I met with a 65 year old man who has the diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. He was diagnosed 5 years ago and since then has battled significant anxiety and depression. The thought of considering his mortality and life beyond this world has been too much at times for him to bear. He has seen therapists, psychiatrists and other doctors only to be placed on anti-depressants, anxiolytics and sedatives. Although they helped his symptoms “a little” he still to this day battles depression on and off.

He came to me because for the last 2 months he has been using medical marijuana and says it has helped tremendously. He feels he is sleeping better and his days are not spent worrying (as much) about his mortality. READ ON….

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….

This week I had a patient contact me as a result of experiencing extreme paranoia after vaporizing three doses of medical marijuana using a vaporizer. He explained that within a few minutes he started feeling “not in control of my body.” He said he kept thinking that he was going to swallow his tongue and actually sat for 30 minutes holding the tip of his tongue. He also was fixated on the fact that his heart was beating much faster and he was thinking that he was going to have a heart attack. He said the paranoia laster for a solid hour until he just fell asleep. It is difficult to say exactly what percentage of patients that use medical marijuana experience paranoia but I estimate it at about 6%. 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.

Today in my Long Beach office I evaluated 15 patients for medical marijuana recommendations per proposition 215. All had been previously diagnosed and had gone through traditional western medical treatment. I have been reading a lot lately on the internet from people in other states considering passing medical marijuana laws. Most of the opponents claim that medical marijuana is purely a smokescreen fro people who want to use marijuana recreationally… and “especially in california where 66% of the recommendations are to patients WITHOUT serious medical illness.” I would like to educate them that cannabis has many uses/applications in medicine and that being seriously ill is VERY subjective. READ ON….

If you are wondering what types of patients come in to see me for a medical marijuana recommendation, here is a list of all the complaints for the patients I had in Irvine today. Most patients are coming in because of pain. They are typically tired of using opiates such as vicodin and oxycontin and want an alternative. Many of my patients are women in their 50′s and 60′s who are willing to try anything to get relief.