Marijuana Therapy
Marijuana therapy has existed for thousands of years. Its medicinal use has been difficult because it can be hard to separate medical science from the mythology and folklore of this addictive drug. In the United States and much of the world, legitimate research has been prohibited by its legal status. Now, as many states have legalized its recreational and medicinal use, the fact that it is still illegal federally makes it difficult to study.
In states where Marijuana and its derivatives are legal, physicians have done their best to sort through available literature to seek out medicinal derivatives of Marijuana that can help with chronic pain, neuropathy, mental illness, nausea, wasting and cachexia.
Cannabis can be highly effective in treating pain and inflammation in many people. It does this by working with the endocannabinoid system, which has a role in pain and inflammation.
The cannabis has containing over 400 active chemicals. The unique active components of cannabis are called cannabinoids which are found alongside active chemicals called terpenoids or terpenes and flavonoids. These chemical components work together to provide a wide variety of therapeutic benefits to the human body.
There are over 100 different cannabinoids that can occur in cannabis but two most well known compounds in the cannabis plant are delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred to as THC, and cannabidiol, known as CBD.
THC is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis which gives the effect of what recreational users call the “high.” CBD is considered to be non-psychoactive and when used in conjunction with THC helps dampen the psychoactivity and other side effects some people consider undesirable. Because of the psychosocial effects I’ve witnessed in my substance abuse patients, I do not support the recreational use of marijuana. Thus, every effort is made in my clinic to make sure there is a legitimate necessity to recommend medical marijuana for your condition (as listed below).
After a consultation, your physician will determine the optimal mix of these components to allow you to improve your quality of life and reduce side effects. Through regular follow up, we can monitor your symptoms and side effects to find the right therapy for you. Like all therapies, our goal is to improve your quality of life with the lowest medication doses possible. We then work with you to find the right time to stop any therapy when you no longer need it.
In Oklahoma, the legislators are currently reviewing and developing the law that will determine indication for medical marijuana recommendation.  In the meantime, I will use qualifying conditions according to the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.  Qualifying medical conditions include cachexia, anorexia, wasting syndrome, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer and chronic pain.
The requirements for issuing a written recommendation, when the law goes into effect:
- ​A “bona fide physician-patient relationship” with the patient
- The patient’s condition must be severe
- Other medical treatments must have proven ineffective for the patient’s condition, and
- The symptoms must reasonably be expected to be relieved by the use of medical cannabis.
My goal is to get you and others at the front of the line ready to go when the law is finally enacted. You will find that my patients have been very happy with the services I’ve provided: https://frugaldoctor.com/why-choose-us/