My patient was stumped because he could not comprehend how a medical doctor would recommend a treatment that he knows “nothing about.”   My patient had numerous questions about different strains, how to medicate, how frequently to us it, where to get it etc.   So he left the office and had NO IDEA what to do which led him to pick up the phone to make an appointment to see me.

I ended up spending about 30 minutes with this man (great guy) and educated him about all aspects of cannabis.   How to do it, how often to medicate, how to recognize a quality dispensary and also offered him follow up as often as he needs.  24/7 he can email or call me and I will get back to him.

Why would a doctor recommend a treatment that he knows nothing about?  And why would he admit that to his patients?   These are rhetorical questions of course.  The obvious answer is that he is motivated by the potential revenue that he makes off these patients.   If he actually cared he would take the time to learn about the treatment he is recommending.

This is a MAJOR problem in this industry.  There are doctors out there who are purely doing this to make revenue and don’t have the first clue about the research or how medical marijuana works.

This doctor, who by the way looks to be very educated (McGill and Harvard), would NEVER recommend any other prescription medication without at least knowing its side effects, potential drug-drug interactions and dosage/strength.   But with medical marijuana these doctors treat it like candy.   They do recommendations over the phone, computer  and do not even examine their patients.

I guess we should not expect more from doctors since they are people like everyone else and are just as susceptible to greed and can be corrupted just as easily as anyone else.   But I can’t personally see handing a recommendation to this 72 year old man, who is TRULY SUFFERING, and tell him to go learn about it on his own.   This doctor should apologize and return this guy’s money for being unprepared, not compassionate and clearly negligent (for not giving an informed consent which when I went over with this patient he was enlightened).

I am not writing this blog to toot my own horn but to point out the fact that there are doctors in this industry who care and those that don’t.   There are numerous books, research articles and physiological facts about cannabis that would take a doctor a solid week to get through.  If he were to read it all and take a few trips to dispensaries he would become as knowledgable as any other doctor in the field.

You may be asking yourself what is peripheral neuropathy or neuropathic pain?    Simply it is pain that originates from damage to the nerves themselves.   Contrast that with pain as a result of damage to a muscle or ligament.   In the latter the pain transmission travels through the nerves to the brain and relaying signals back to the muscle.    In cases of neuropathy it is actual damage to the nerve that is causing the pain.

Patients can describe tingling, burning, electric “like” pain.  They can also experience sensory changes.    Typically, patients are treated with anti-depressants and anti-epileptic drugs such as neurontin (gabapentin) but only with limited success.   They come to me complaining of various side effects.  In addition, their chronic pain makes it difficult to sleep and enjoy like on a day to day basis.

Neuropathic pain can happen from a number of different reasons.   One of the most common is cause by high circulating blood sugars seen in patients with Diabetes.   These sugars bind to the nerves and alter various proteins resulting a damage.  Also, diabetes affects the small blood vessels that supply the nerves.   When the blood flow is limited there is less oxygen to the nerves and they die off.     The #2 and #3 reasons patients develop neuropathy is HIV infection and medication induced (many chemotherapy agents cause neuropathy).

There have been numerous studies that show medical marijuana’s efficacy.  If you google “Center for Medical Cannabis Research, UCSD” it will link to 14 completed studies showing the efficacy of medical marijuana.    Many of those studies demonstrated the positive benefit of using marijuana for neuropathic pain.

When patients follow up with me after using medical marijuana they report:

1. Decrease dependance on other pain meds.

2. Improved sleep.  Many times they sleep through the night “for the first time in years”.

3. Improved Mood.  They now have hope and have a better outlook on their lives.  Finally something that gave them some relief!

4. Improved appetite.

It has been very rewarding taking care of patients with neuropathic pain.   Traditional medicine has not given enough credit to cannabis as a treatment for this disease.   As more and more patients use this my hope is that more doctors will here their success stories.

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a disease where the bodies immune system attacks the outside coating on the nerves rendering them useless.  It typically effects the ends of the extremities and works it way up towards the head.  Patients can lose sensation or balance in the effected area.   They think the cause of it is an infection in the body where the immune system runs amuck and starts attacking the bodies nervous system.  It typically does NOT affect the brain like in Multiple Sclerosis.

I take care of patients in this scenario all the time.  They are in pain.  They are on opiate narcotics for pain management.   They all get terrible side effects that makes taking them almost as bad as the pain itself.   They want off and want to see if using medical marijuana will help them.

I absolutely LOVE taking care of elderly patients.   So many of them are just waiting to die.  They do not get enjoyment out of life because the pain has taken over.    I KNOW IN MY HEART that when they leave my office and work with a compassionate collective that they will go home with renewed hope!   So many of them contact me and tell me how much better they feel.   They report having a reduction in pain, a decreased dependence on their medications and sense of euphoria that they haven’t felt “in a long time.”

More and more elderly patients are finding that medical marijuana improves the quality of their lives.   From decreased pain to improvement in sleep, mood, sex drive they are seeing some benefit.

As far as my 85 year old patient with guillain-barre confined to a wheelchair:  I expect him to do quite well.   He left with a digital vaporizer and a hope!

If you are curious if medical marijuana can improve the quality of your life feel free to come in and see me.  I will go over everything you need to know and make sure you are completely comfortable with your decision.

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Marijuana has been studied pretty extensively for patients suffering from neuropathic pain.   UCSD Cannabis Research Center recently completed a study about the beneficial affects of cannabis for peripheral neuropathy.   It showed that even in low doses cannabis can reduce the pain associated with diabetic and HIV associated neuropathy.

This patient had been using cannabis for the past two weeks without the Lyrica and reported a greater reduction in his overall symptoms.  In addition it improved his sleep which had a huge impact on his day to day life.  He was no longer groggy throughout the day and his work productivity improved.

Interestingly he found an indica strain of cannabis that did not stimulate his appetite which would have been counter-productive.  Some strains of cannabis are more likely to increase a patients appetite.

In my practice I see all types of chronic pain patients who benefit from cannabis.  If they are using another medication and not seeing the results they need or are having too many unwanted side effects then it is definitely worth it to give cannabis a try.   Most patients do extremely well and can stop taking their prescriptions within a few weeks.

If you would like to learn more about getting a medical marijuana evaluation so you can legally use cannabis in California feel free to make an appointment by calling 877-721-0047 or visit us online at www.mcsocal.com and pre-qualify for free.

Dr. Breen

Kathryn suffers from so much pain that she described wanting to give up on her life.  Her husband died 4 years ago and I could sense she was at the end of her rope.   Although I felt an intense sadness I was encouraged because she had never before tried cannabis and I am so optimistic for her.   She is so tired of taking “pain pills” (opiates) that not only don’t work but constipate and nauseate her.

The majority of the clinical research that has taken place with cannabis has been studying peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain.   Cannabis has shown to reduce pain in small doses.   On top of the analgesic effects Kathryn also complained of a lack of appetite and difficulty sleeping.    She also suffered from nausea from the laundry list of medications she is taking.

Cannabis is extremely successful in helping elderly patients get sleep.  It allows them in most cases to sleep throughout the night and they do not wake up feeling groggy.

The biggest risk for patients like Kathryn are injuries sustained from falling.  Cannabis can effect a patients balance and coordination and extra pre-cautions have to be taken in elderly patients.  She gets around with a walker at home and does not have to use stairs which is a bonus.

By the time Kathryn left my office I could sense her attitude had changed as the thought of getting a goods night rest after eating a nice big dinner started to sink in.   She came in with her daughter who was also very encouraged.

Kathryn- I think you will do great.  You will be in my prayers.  Hang in there and hopefully cannabis will help you find a renewed hope in life.

Typically diabetic neuropathy starts by affecting the peripheral nerves to patients feet and legs.  They can experience sharp pain when walking, decrease sensitivity to temperature, tingling, numbness and eventually when the nerves because completely destroyed no feeling at all.  I once took care of an elderly women with severe diabetic neuropathy who fractured her ankle to the point where her tibia was protruding directly through her skin.  Basically it snapped in half.  Amazingly she felt NO PAIN because her nerves were destroyed.

Many patients get put on medications such as gabapentin (neurontin), narcotics like vicodin and even anti-depressants such as amitryptiline.    Most patients report very little relief in their pain but also have unwanted side effects.   They report a significant reduction in their pain with even small doses of cannabis.   They can use it as often as they need without any fear of overdose, addiction or end organ damage.  They also can medicate using a digital vaporizer which makes it odorless and smoke free!

If you would like more information on cannabis and chronic neuropathic pain or would like a consultation please give us a call at 877-721-0047.  Dr. Breen has offices in Irvine and Long Beach California.

Many treatment options for neuropathic pain range from medications to nerve blocks to TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation).  Because patients with neuropathic pain typically do not respond well to opiates (Percocet, Vicodin, Hydrocodone) there are other classes of drugs that are typically used.   Anticonvulsants such a gabapentin (neurontin), anti-depressants such as amitriptyline and corticosteroids such as prednisone are just three of many different drugs that patients typically try.  Most patients experience limited relief with this approach.  It is extremely important that the psychological effects of chronic pain are also addressed.

Many patients are unaware of the clinical research supporting the use of cannabis (marijuana) to treat neuropathic pain.  The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the UCSD has completed three clinical research studies demonstrating the efficacy of cannabis in treating neuropathic pain.  In the first study by Dr. Donald Abrams (Cannabis for treatment of HIV associated peripheral neuropathy) demonstrated that cannabis reduced daily pain by 34% vs 17% with placebo.  52% of patients using cannabis experienced a 30% reduction in pain compared to 24% in the placebo group.   For more clinical trials please visit the CMCR website at www.cmcr.ucsd.edu

In addition to cannabis’s analgesic (pain reduction) properties it also can improve patients mood from its euphoric properties.   This is an extremely important component in the overall care of pain patients.  Cannabis also has a safety profile which is unprecedented when compared to other treatment modalities.   It is a fact that there has never been one documented overdose from using cannabis.  In addition it does not cause a physical addiction like many other pharmaceuticals.  It will improve a patients appetite, assist with falling and staying asleep and eliminate the nausea often caused by opiate analgesics.   Once patients are educated on the safety and efficacy of marijuana (cannabis) they will be more likely to give it a try.  In the majority of cases the benefits of trying it clearly outweigh the risks.

Lastly, patients do not have to smoke to get the immediate benefits of cannabis.  Vaporization is way to inhale cannabis without producing any smoke.  It is essentially smoke free.

For more information on how to determine if you may benefit from the medicinal use of cannabis please visit our website at www.mcsocal.com and pre-qualify for free online.  To schedule an appointment to meet with Dr. Breen simply call 877-721-0047.  We have three convenient office locations in Southern California (Long Beach, Irvine and Encinitas)

Western medicine has found many challenges in treating this type of pain and often patients with neuropathic pain have given up on ever living a pain free life.   They typically have concominant depression as a result of the daily pain that they suffer from.