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 has been reported that up to 33% of patients undergoing treatment for Hepatitis C with interferon discontinue therapy because of the drugs severe side effects.   Like HIV treatment, it is believed that use of medical marijuana during therapy will increase the percentage of patients that complete treatment. Hepatitis C affects approximately 4 million [...]

Here are the most common questions patient ask when they talk to me about using medical marijuana: 1. I am very concerned about my job finding out about this. Do I go on a list anywhere? Answer: Your office visit is 100% private and confidential. The only people that will know about your visit are [...]

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…

Almost all of my patients ask me which type of medical marijuana they should use to treat their specific complaint. If you were to walk into dispensary you will probably have the option to try one of 30 different strains of medical marijuana. Which one is right for you? In this post I am going to try and give you a general idea of how to approach picking the correct marijuana strain. READ ON…

Today in Irvine I took care of a 54 year old women who is post-menopausal and uses medical marijuana to treat her insomnia, night sweats and mood changes. Because of a strong family history of breast cancer she did not want to use hormone replacement therapy (which has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer in some women). She said that the medications that they put her on to help her relax and fall asleep were addictive and she “hated them”. Specifically they put her on xanax for anxiety and lunestra for sleep. In both cases the side effects were too much to handle. READ ON….

Today I evaluated a 54 y/o HIV+ male who suffered from diabetic peripheral neuropathy for medical marijuana as an alternative to Lyrica (pregabalin) He reported that he had developed the diabetes as a result of treatment with protease inhibitors for his HIV. He has been experiencing numbness and tingling in both his feet for the past 6 months as a result of the neuropathy (pain originating from damage to the nerves themselves). He stated that he wanted to stop taking the Lyrica because of a 50 lb weight gain associated with the medication (weight gain is a common side effect).

For the past month I have been treating a 62 y/o women for chronic pain that had been taking 18 pain killers every day. (12 oxycontin!) Not only did they stop working but they made her nauseated, constipated and feeling “loopy” all day. She told me that her life felt like she was out of control. Her pain management doctor spends 6 minutes with her and hands her a re-fill prescription for oxycontin. I am happy to report that after one month of using cannabis to treat her pain she is completely off opiate narcotics! Congratulations. I am glad you have control of your life again. There is hope!

As medical director for medical cannabis of southern california I often get asked by patients “which type should I try for my condition, indica or sativa?” It is a very obvious question as most patients have no idea what strain to use or even that there is more than one strain to begin with.

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California see a few patients every month who present with the diagnosis of Graves Disease. Graves Disease is caused by an overactive thyroid gland (Hyperthyroidism) and can cause a great variety of symptoms. Many of these symptoms can be easily treated with cannabis.