Treating Diabetes, Diabetic Neuropathy and Gastroparesis with Marijauna (Cannabis)
October 21, 20094 CommentsDisease Treatment
abdominal bloating,
cannabis,
decreased appetite,
delayed gastric emptying,
diabetes,
diabetes mellitus,
Dr Sean Breen,
gastroparesis,
marijuana,
medical cannabis of southern california,
Medical Marijuana,
nausea,
protonix,
vomiting
Just yesterday I had a 39 year old male with diabetes come into my office for a cannabis evaluation with the complaint of gastroparesis as a result of his diabetes. Gastroparesis is also called delayed gastric emptying and is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents into the small intestine. It is a result when the nerves that control the stomach or damaged or stop working. When blood sugars remain high for long periods of time the nerves themselves can be damaged. In this case it is the Vagus nerve which controls the flow of food throughout the digestive tract. His symptoms were heartburn, nausea and vomiting, abdominal bloating and cramping and lack of appetite.
The main treatment to alleviate symptoms is to get blood sugar levels normalized so that the nerves and arteries can repair themselves. However this does not cure the gastroparesis and many times symptoms remain for long periods of time. In this case this patient has been symptomatic for the past 10 years. In addition to getting his blood sugars under control, his primary care physician has prescribed typical medications for his reflux (protonix) , medications to control his nausea and also a sleeping pill to help him sleep at night.
About three months ago he was having a severe episode of nausea and abdominal cramping while at a friends house. His friend happened to be a medical cannabis patient and convinced him to give it a try. What he told me was very encouraging. His nausea almost completely went away, his stomach was no longer cramping and he actually developed a solid appetite. He has continued to use cannabis with incredible results. He no longer takes his protonix and has been eating every day without nausea.
The great thing about medicating with cannabis is that it is non toxic to any of the major organ systems and is tolerated very well. Its active ingredients bind to receptors throughout the bodies nervous and immune systems and produce their physiological effects: anti-inflammatory, analgesia (reduces pain), anti-emetic (reduces nausea and vomiting), sedation (induces sleep), anxiolytic (reduces anxiety), antispasmodic (reduces muscle spasm), reduces intra-ocular pressures in addition to many more. If you suffer from any gastrointestinal symptoms you may want to consider trying cannabis.
To become a legal patient please visit my website at www.MCSoCal.com and pre-qualify for free directly online. Our offices are located in Irvine, Long Beach and Encinitas.
Thanks guys alot of good reads.
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Cheers for this guys, I myself am a heavy Cannabis user and a type 1 diabetic. I have found that since ive been smoking cannabis regualarly it has helped me significantly in controling my blood sugar and in general i just feel better, the “chronic” has helped me become the person ive always wanted to be. It has helped me concentrate more and really explore the depths of my mind, ive conjoured up so many interesting and healthhy ideas. ive joined the gym, something i really didnt consider when i wasnt smoking. its helped me dramiatically helped me with my artistic side, as i say, “get my creative times on”. also i think the most important is that since ive been smoking, i can really just chill with my mates, helped me relax if im stressed, and really give me goals in life.
it also dissapoints me that cannabis is an illegal. It has so many amazing medical benefits and most certainly many more to discover over the years, but it just really pisses me off when you hear about the government( who i hate, im not going to lie) turning their back on weed and just generally being the most naive bunch of wankers ive seen.
I always say to myself, ” whats wrong with getting high?! exploring your imagination and the inner depths of your mind?!” In the end, all it is is a plant, something natural that grew out of the earth and soil, just like any other rose, tree and plant, BUT at the same time, its SO much more than that. it makes me feel good, happy, relaxed, melow and its just pure AWESOME!
Theres always gunna be this “Alcohol VS Weed” but lets not beat around the bush, weed is so much healthier than alcohol. Alcohol damages your liver and is highly addictive, yet it is impossible to be physically addicted to weed. so why is alcohol legal and not weed? Because the government cant claim tax on weed. how pethetic! In the governments eyes its all down to money, the bastards! yet another reason why i hate the government.
I know i keep going on about how weed is amazing but i know myself that weed isnt for everyone. it effects everyone deifferently and thats something i love about it aswell. so if you had a bad experience smoking weed then i would suggest that its not for, UNLUCKY, some would say.
Also, you may not know it but there are MILLIONS of people that smoke weed. musicians (deffinetley) actors and soo many other different types of people. im very glad to see that weed has been recognised by these influencial people, such as cypress hill for example (fucking love them! <3) their lyrics are just about smoking weed and having a good time.
all im trying to say is that weed is an amzing substance that i really think should be made legal and used in medicine as it has so many benefits. oh and that I. FUCKING LOVE WEED. PEACE!
I’m a 41 y/o female w/ Type I Diabetes since age 5, and a very long history on uncontrolled glucose levels. From this, I developed Autonomic Neuropathy, resulting in Gastroparesis for the last 19 years. I have spent an average of 175-200 days of the year hospitalized w/ bouts of this painful and nausea causing disease for 15 of those years. For the last 5 years I have been getting Botox shots to my Pyloric Sphincter every 3-4 months which has cut down hospitalizations to only about 3-4/year, which is a awesome! HOWEVER, the nausea NEVER stops, I eat very little so I am malnourished, and am very often still in a good deal of pain. I am always nauseous and vomiting. I tried smoking pot a few times growing up, before I got the GP and it did nothing for me. When I was about 26, after a particularly painful episode, my brother, a giant stoner at the time, suggested I smoke it for the nausea. I have smoked it on and off since then and it really does help, as well as greatly increasing my hunger. I live in FL where it isn’t legal, and even if it were, I am relatively certain that my doctor would not prescribe it…… and here’s why: in Gastroparesis, the stomach digest food very very slowly, if at all sometimes (this would be the resulting vomiting). I have been to a variety of Gastroenterologists, Endocrinologists, Diabetologists and Neurologists. Thus far, they are all of the same mindset, ie., Marijuana is a depressant and will only compound the already sluggishness the Digestive system. While I’m sure that this is medically accurate, I believe the intense relief I feel from all these crappy symptoms far outweigh this negative aspect.