Many patients who suffer from pain experience this same regimen of medications.   All of which may work temporarily but none of which are a good long term treatment plan.  Overuse of ibuprofen leads to stomach and intestinal ulcers and bleeding, heart attack and stroke (potentially).  Overuse of vicodin leads to addiction and dependence, constipation, nausea, itching and mental status changes.  Prednisone, although initially will limit inflammation, will cause many sever side effects (hyperglycemia, osteoporosis, weight gain, psychosis, increased appetite, depression/anxiety, infection due to weakening of the immune system, easy bruising, fatigue).

Amazingly, I expect this patient to get off ALL of these medications and use cannabis daily.   THIS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE OVERALL QUALITY OF HIS LIFE.   Eventually, hopefully, he will be able to use cannabis sparingly and be pain free.   BUT, if he has to use cannabis every day the rest of his life… no big deal!   Compared to these other drugs it is much safer.  He can not overdose, it will not cause ulcers and it does not effect any of the major organ systems like these other medications do. If used daily, we just recommend every few months giving your body a break for 5 days or so.

70% of my practice is taking care of pain patients.    Medical marijuana, when used in conjunction with Osteopathy, Chinese Medicine (acupuncture), physical therapy and meditation/prayer, is a highly effective and good long term treatment plan.

For more information about how to make an appointment to see me call my staff at 877-721-0047 and come on in.  We have offices in Irvine and Long Beach California.

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

For those of you reading this who have no idea what gout is let me give you the basics.  Gout is an acute arthritis that occurs from the build up of uric acid in the blood.   Uric acid is produced in the breakdown of purines (high protein foods) and other nucleic acids.   There are many foods that we eat that are high in purines.  Alcohol! Meats, Fish, Lentils, Beans, Spinach and a few others. There are also medications that lead to the build up of uric acid in the blood.  Diuretics (for blood pressure), low dose aspirin, and niacin.   Either one of two things leads to the build up of uric acid.  Either the body is overproducing it or the kidneys are not excreting it adequately.   So patients with kidney disease can have issues.

What happens is the uric acid builds up and crystalizes in the joints.  Typically it affects the joint of the big toe (1st MCP joint).  Attacks can be extremely painful and the joint will become severely inflamed.   Typically doctors will treat acute attacks with high dose NSAIDS like alleve, motrin or indomethicin.  The problem for many patients is that they can not take NSAID’s because of the side effects.

Cannabis contains over 60 medically active ingredients that we know of.   Collectively they are called cannabinoids of which THC is only one of the them (the main psychoactive ingredient).   We know that we have receptors to these cannabinoids in our nervous system (brain and spinal cord) which are responsible for its analgesis(pain reducing) properties.   We also discovered that we have receptors throughout our immune system (spleen and certain immune cells).  It is by this mechanism that we suspect cannabis can reduce inflammation.

The interesting thing about cannabis is that patients experience many different effects.  Some patients state that they still feel the pain but “don’t care or focus on it as much” and some patients clearly state that the pain is reduced significantly.   I would imagine that there is both a reduction in inflammation in addition to an increased pain thresh hold via a direct  effect on the nerves themselves.  Regardless, cannabis has very few unwanted side effects.     It is not toxic to any of the major organ systems (if not smoked) and there is next to no chance of physical addiction or overdose.

Although most patients do not want to experience the psychoactive effects of cannabis (euphoria, loss of coordination/balance, short term memory loss) I had an 89 year old female patient today who told me that “it actually makes me feel happy!”  She suffered from debilitating pain and the vicodin was no longer working for her.    In comparison to opiate medications it does not cause nausea, constipation, lack of appetite or addiction.

In the end I always tell patients “if this is something that improves the quality of your life… use it!  If not, then simply don’t use it.”  Most people will find SOME benefit.  Improved sleep, less pain, less anxiety, a little better mood, improved appetite etc.

If you would like to be evaluated by me to see if you could benefit from using cannabis I would be happy to take care of you.  Simply give us a call at 877-721-0047 or contact through our website at www.mcsocal.com

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

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

PMR typically affects patients older than 50.  It is very common that patients also have giant-cell arteritis (temporal arteritis) which is inflammation of the medium and larger arteries.   Commonly patients have headache, jaw claudication (pain) and sometimes visual changes.   The reason for these is that the artery most commonly affected runs across the temple’s bilaterally (temporal artery).

PMR is difficult to treat.  Typically patients get placed on a course of prednisone which is a big gun drug to reduce inflammation in the body.    PMR symptoms will usually improve dramatically when given prednisone.   The duration of initial treatment can be weeks to months.   50% of the patients will have flare-ups when the prednisone is tapered.

The problem with prednisone is that is has A LOT of side effects. Weight gain, psychosis and mood swings, fluid retention, increased appetite,  swelling, easy bruising, headache, insomnia and muscle weakness (there are many more but these are the most common).  My patient was having a lot of edema (swelling) and his mood swings were unbearable (according to his wife)   He had been using medical grade marijuana for the past two weeks and has had good results.    His pain has been reduced dramatically and he is sleeping much longer and throughout the night…. something he hadn’t done in “years”.

The goal for a patient like this is to help him wean off the prednisone, pain killers and sleeping pills and substitute with cannabis.  Certainly it is a very obtainable goal.

If you suffer from arthritis or muscle pain and/or have been diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica and would like to see if medical marijuana could potentially help you feel free to contact us by calling 877-721-0047 or through our website at www.mcsocal.com

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Behcet’s syndrome is very rare in the United States.  It mostly affects men and women who live in the middle east and asia.  It is a disease that causes inflammation of the blood vessels.   It is characterized by painful ulcers in the oral mucosa (mouth, gums and tongue) and genital region.   They look like your typical “canker sore”.  Patients also can suffer from visual changes as a result of inflammation of the blood vessels in the eye.   Two thirds of patients suffer from arthritis in the knees and ankles (most commonly).  Less commonly patients can have lesions in the brain that affect patients balance and coordination.  Also some patients can form clots in their veins.

The reason why patients with Behcet’s syndrome can experience relief using cannabis is because the plant has over 60 cannabinoids which influence the immune cells and reduce inflammation.   It also binds to the nerves directly and reduces the amount of pain that patients experience.

My patient reported using cannabis on 3 occasions in the past month and on each occasion experienced a significant reduction in the pain in her knees.   Even though she felt “anxious” about coming in to see me she could not deny the benefits she experienced.  After speaking with her and going over both the risks and benefits of using cannabis she felt relieved that she will finally get regular relief.  I expect that she will do very well and cannabis will become a routine part of her treatment plan.

If you suffer from Behcet’s Syndrome or pain for any reason and would like a professional medical evaluation to see if cannabis can improve the quality of your life simply make an appointment to come in.  My staff will be able to answer many of your questions and schedule an appointment.  877-721-0047

Be blessed,

Dr. Sean Breen

Medical Cannabis of Southern California is the most respected clinic for providing patients with medical marijuana recommendations.  Our offices are located in Irvine and Long Beach California.

Typically patients who have to take prednisone experience sleeping irregularities, abdominal pain and bloating, appetite issues, nervousness and restlessness.  Many times it can cause an acute and temporary psychosis.   Prolonged use can cause weight gain, headaches, muscle pain and severe restlessness.

Unfortunately many patients who take prednisone have few other options.

ENTER CANNABIS.

Patients who use cannabis to combat some the more common side effects of prednisone typically respond and do much better.  In addition, because cannabinoids have anti-inflammatory properties it can relieve the inflammation and decrease the amount of prednisone that patients have to use.

I recently followed up with a 42 women with severe colitis (inflammation of the digestive tract) who within 6 months was able to stop her use of prednisone completely!  She is sleeping better, has an increased appetite (she was losing weight secondary to not eating…not good) and has less abdominal pain and indigestion.

This is common with many patients that I evaluate.  If you or someone you know is taking prednisone regularly and would like an evaluation to see if cannabis can help please feel free to contact my office at 877-721-0047 and schedule an appointment.

Be blessed and have a great day!

Dr. Breen, Medical Director www.MCSoCal.com

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a disease characterized by muscle and joint pain.   It is result of the bodies white blood cells attacking the joints and surrounding tissue and causing inflammation which leads to pain.  The pain mostly occurs in the shoulders and hips but can also affect the upper arms and thighs.   The onset of pain can occur suddenly or gradually and typically can wake patients up at night.  Commonly patients will wake up  in the morning with pain and stiffness in the joints.  The average age of onset is 70 but mostly occurs after the age of 50.   Women are two times more likely to suffer from this as men.

I recently evaluated a 56y/o man who complained of PMR and had difficulty sleeping at night because of the pain in his shoulders.  The Ibuprofen that his doctor prescribed was causing stomach ulcers and because of the increasing dose it started to affect his kidneys.   He had tried both Ambien and Lunestra for sleep but it made him “feel like a zombie” in the morning and it was affecting his work.  He was feeling hopeless and could not think about having to suffer like this for the rest of his life.

A week prior to coming to see me he was over a friends house who had used cannabis for arthritis. He worked up the courage to try and vaporized two doses that evening.   What he told me was that “it was a miracle drug”.   HE SLEPT GREAT AND WOKE UP FEELING REFRESHED AND HAD A 75% REDUCTION IN HIS NORMAL PAIN!!!

The reason why this worked so well for him is that the medically active ingredients in cannabis (cannabinoids) have both analgesic (pain relieving) and anti-inflammatory properties.  There are over 60 cannabinoids in the plant and together the produce a physiologic change which leads to a reduction in patients symptoms.   Secondly, because cannabinoids bind to areas in the brain it is a great medication for sleep.  Patients wake up feeling refreshed.

If you suffer from Polymyalgia Rheumatica and would like more information about cannabis please visit my website at www.MCSoCal.com or call 877-721-0047 and make an appointment to come into my Irvine or Long Beach office.

A 34 y/o female presented with a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease c/o frequent abdominal cramping, loose stools and a lack of appetite.  She was diagnosed in her late teens and has been suffering for many years.   She came to me in desperation because none of the treatments her gastroenterologist has recommended have been effective.   She was placed on prednisone for 10 years and “went insane”.  In addition  she experienced severe edema (water retention) which made “me puff up like a baloon”.  She could not tolerate methotrexate (which is a immune modulator) during periods of remission.   In addition she also has chronic intermittent knee and elbow pain which is common with patients with Crohn’s disease.

She said she made an appointment to come into my office because her father in law was a medical cannabis patient and had her try some of his medication during an episode with severe nausea and abdominal cramping.   Her response was “amazing”.  She stated it almost instantly alleviated her abdominal cramping and her nausea vanished. She was so encouraged by the results that she decided to give it a try a few more times with consistent results.  The great thing about it sas that it also improved her appetite and helped her sleep.

Crohn’s disease is a disorder where the bodies immune system attacks the cells on the lining of the intestinal tract causing ulcers.   It typically occurs in the teens and 20′s and then has a increase in recurrence in patients in their 50-70′s.  It is characterized by severe nausea, abdominal cramping and loose stools (bloody or watery).  Because it is an immune disorder it can also attack the joints causing joint pain, the skin causing various skin lesions and the eyes.   There is no treatment that can cure crohn’s disease so doctors focus on treating the patients symptoms.  Typically anti-inflammatory medications are given including corticosteroids.  Immune modulators like methotrexate are often given during periods of remission.   If serious complications occur (bowel narrowing, fistuals or full thickness ulceration) sometimes surgery is necessary.

Cannabis is a great alternative and complimentary treatment for patients with crohn’s disease.  It has shown to eliminate nausea, reduce abdominal cramping and also increase patients appetites.  It can also reduce the amount of loose stools patients suffer from during the day.   The great thing is that it is very well tolerated and has minimal side effects.  it is not toxic to any of the major organ systems and if vaporized (vs smoked) it does not affect a patients lungs.  It is certainly worth trying for patients who suffer with this terribly debilitating disease.

For more information please visit our website at www.mcsocal.com and pre-qualify for free online from the comfort of your home.  We have clinic locations in Long Beach, Irvine and Encinitas (San Diego)