I am often amazed how few people exercise.   Many patient come to me complaining of depression, anxiety, insomnia and a variety of other conditions.   The first thing that doctors do and patients expect is to receive medication. The Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine Recently completed a follow up study comparing the effective of aerobic [...]

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 [...]

Over the course of three years I have taken care of thousands of patients who want to use marijuana for medical reasons.    Over that same period I have spoken to addiction specialists who regularly treat people who abuse marijuana recreationally.      There is a distinct difference between using marijuana recreationally and using it [...]

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….

Too often are physicians quick to prescribe medication when patients come complaining of anxiety, depression or overall apathy. I am amazed to find out when I speak to patients that in 95% of the cases the doctor gave a drug without even asking what the patient is eating/drinking every day. THIS PAST WEEK, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I DEVELOPED MILD DEPRESSION. I just felt kind of “blah”. I didn’t have any interest in working out, my mood was pretty down and I had very little energy. It really hit me today why my mood has been so off: this past week, my Dad has been in town from New York and we have been eating out, drinking beer occasionally and eating a lot of junk food. I get to see my Dad about 2x per year so spending time with him has been pretty special. READ ON….

It is becoming much more common for patients older than 75 coming into my office to discuss using medical marijuana. This demographic of patient is not what most people think of when they think about medical marijuana. But I have seen an explosion in the number of elderly patients using it to improve the quality of their life. I recently visited Laguna Woods retirement community (formerly Leisure World Laguna Woods) during a medical marijuana conference. The turn out was spectacular and patients were eager to learn more. 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 Long Beach i took care of a 54 year old female who has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Bipolar since 1994. She is currently seeing a psychiatrist every month who has her taking 5 (FIVE!) different medications to manage her symptoms. Since starting her medication she has gained 120lbs (known side effect of two of the medications) and states she is “a walking zombie”. She has very little quality of life and now wants to do something about it. She had use marijuana in the past when first diagnosed and managed to only need to use 1 medication but stopped when she started having children. She is now at her wits end and wants a better life. 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.

Today I spoke with two female patients who were taking anti-depressants (SSRI’s) for depression and experiencing significant sexual side effects. In both cases, their lack of libido and inability to orgasm were causing significant challenges in their relationships. They came to me to use medical marijuana to help their depression and anxiety and also in turn repair their sex lives.