How many more celebrities, friends and family do we have to read about before we (as physicians) realize that prescription xanax, lorazepam and sleeping pills are not a great choice for MOST patients.   Xanax (alprazolam), diazapam (valium) and lorazepam (ativan) all fall under the same drug category called benzodiazepines.   They work by stimulating [...]

It is no surprise that pharmaceutical companies lobby our politicians to keep marijuana a schedule 1 drug (which means no medicinal value and highly addictive).    ONE PLANT can take the place of AT LEAST 6 COMMON DRUGS.    Today I was taking care of a cancer patient who was not doing well.   He [...]

It really is shame that marijuana is a schedule 1 drug  and therefore under-researched in the United States.   There seems to be strong evidence for many different applications in medicine.     I was just reading research about our bodies endogenous endocannabinoid system and its affect on the uterus and implantation of the developing [...]

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 took care of 79 year old women who suffers chronic pain from severe arthritis in her hands, hips and feet. For the past 10 years she has used medical marijuana exclusively. She did bring in a plastic bag full of old medications and dumped them on my desk. They consisted of NSAID’s, Opiates, Muscle Relaxants, Benzodiazepines, Sleep Aids and a antacid for reflux.

She was happy to report that since she started using medical marijuana she has not had to take one other medication! Cannabis use in the elderly is rapidly increasing. Elderly people socialize together and talk. As soon as she told all her friends at Leisure World about her success they are ready to sign up. 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….

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.

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often evaluate patients who are having either difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. They try all sorts of medications (Ambien, Xanax, Trazodone, Lunestra, Tylenol PM) and remedies and do not get the results they hoped for. Many times the side effects of the medications are worse than the insomnia itself. DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP IS TO YOUR OVERALL HEALTH? Apparently most people do not based on the fact that I keep reading law enforcement and opponents of Prop 215 speak on how this law was supposed to be for “seriously ill” and is being used for “insignificant illnesses such as insomnia.” In this blog I am going to educate you on sleep and GROWTH HORMONE… read on

Today at my Irvine office I evaluated a 51 year old women who wanted an evaluation to see if medical marijuana could provide relief for some of the symptoms she has been experience as a result of menopause. Specifically she had been suffering from severe hot flashes which caused secondary insomnia. As a result of not being able to sleep well she was “always tired” during the day. Her ob/gyn had tried prescribing paxil and ambien to help relieve her symptoms but the side effects were worse than what she was trying to relieve. A few weeks back a friend of hers that had a medical marijuana card for chronic pain gave her some marijuana to try to improve her sleep. The results “were amazing” she told me.

As medical director for medical cannabis of southern california I provide medical marijuana recommendations for patients throughout Orange County and Long Beach. One of the most common complaints that I here from patients is that they are tired of taking Xanax to treat their anxiety because of all the side effects and want a safer more natural alternative. Marijuana has been shown to have incredible anxiolytic properties and has limited unwanted side effects.