Opinion: Medical Marijuana Benefits
Mitch Earleywine Argues For The Use Of Medical Marijuana

Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D. is an associate professor of psychology at SUNY Albany who believes marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes.

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Therapeutic use of marijuana has a history spanning over 4,500 years.
The most humane and just approach to helping the sick requires that we continue the availability of medical marijuana. Evidence supporting medical marijuana for appetite loss, glaucoma, nausea, vomiting, spasticity, pain, and weight loss is quite impressive. Evidence for its use for arthritis, dystonia, insomnia, seizures, and Tourette's syndrome is also very promising.

Opponents of medical marijuana mention that other drugs are available for each of these disorders. Nevertheless, people differ. We have multiple treatments for almost every human problem. Some patients do not respond well to other medications and need medical marijuana to alleviate their symptoms. Many pharmaceutical drugs create aversive side effects that these patients cannot endure. In addition, medical marijuana is often markedly cheaper than these other medications.

Opponents of medical marijuana often point to dronabinol, the synthetic version of one of marijuana's active ingredients that is available in pill form. The use of only one active ingredient makes dronabinol less effective than medical marijuana. Many ailments respond better to a combination of marijuana's active ingredients rather than just one. In addition, because dronabinol is a pill, it is difficult for people with nausea and vomiting to swallow. Finally, like any medication that's swallowed, dronabinol takes a long time to digest and have its effects. Inhaled marijuana vapors can work markedly faster.

Concern over marijuana's impact on respiratory health is easily remedied. There are no links between marijuana use and lung cancer or emphysema. The associations between smoked marijuana and symptoms like coughing and wheezing can be remedied with the vaporizer. The vaporizer heats the plant so that active ingredients boil off into a fine mist but the plant itself never ignites. The mist contains no tars or noxious gases, making respiratory complications a thing of the past.

 kurtster wrote: 
Started last week on this. Been on the down hill side of the cruds. Lost some sleep after a few days,then slept like a rock. Vivid dreams no, but dreams yes and mostly of work. (that sucks) Haven't quit ,but cut down for a few days, then forgot the med at work for 2 days now. I see how it works by blocking the urge but not my routine which I'll adjust with munchies and plastic! Testing if it is what makes me nauseated. Lingering cruds and all.

Root Surface Sensitivity

Some people experience tooth sensitivity to hot, cold, sweets, and touch...  one of the most common causes of this discomfort is a syndrome called root surface sensitivity...  through gum recession, the root surface of a tooth can become exposed to the oral environment... the tooth root is made up of small tubules filled with fluid... the tubules extend from the pulp tissue (nerve on the tooth) to the external surface of the tooth... in the case of root surface exposure, the ends of the tubules are open to the mouth...  sensitivity occurs when anything causes fluid movement in the tubules... most forms of treatment are directed toward blocking the open tubules...  the entire market of "sensitivity formula" toothpastes and rinses are designed for this problem... unfortunately, many commercially available treatments are ineffective and/or potentially damaging to the teeth...

there are some cutting edge treatments...  the fluoride crystal is approximately the same size as the tubules; therefore, a fluoride gel or rinse can block the tubules...  in most cases, this form of treatment is very effective and no further therapy is required...  fluoride also kills bacteria and causes remineralization of the teeth, which are both desirable outcomes...  one can limit further recession through atraumatic brushing techniques...  an ultrasonic toothbrush can control the brushing power and limit trauma to the tissues and teeth...

for example, Prevident 5000 plus is a fluoride gel with 5000 parts per million fluoride... it is used as a locally applied supplemental fluoride for home use...  fluoride is a medicament that has many positive effects for the dentition...  (dentition means "the character of a set of teeth especially with regard to their number, kind, and arrangement...")

fluoride in this concentration kills all bacteria responsible for periodontal disease and tooth decay...  fluoride aids in remineralization of the enamel (enamel is constantly being demineralized by acids from food and plaque bacteria) making it more resistant to dissolution...  this factor may stop the progression of decay in areas of early carious lesions...  (carious lesions are basically the beginning of cavities—  dental caries, also known as tooth decay, is a disease where bacterial processes damage hard tooth structure...)  fluoride aids in blocking the open root surface tubules, which can diminish tooth sensitivity...

before bedtime, brush, floss, and rinse...  place a small amount of Prevident on your toothbrush... gently massage the gel onto the affected areas for two minutes...  spit it out and don't rinse or drink anything for at least an hour...

note— the only reason that this medicine is through prescription is to protect children...  this concentration of fluoride could cause sickness if swallowed by a child...  please keep out of the reach of children...

kurtster wrote:
this is great thanks! i don't have the budget right now for ANOTHER new pair of glasses, though...i just got these progressive bifocals....and the neck strain and constant tipping of my head is a pain.

it's taken me months to get used to them. i told my optician that i sit at a computer all day...he suggested a second pair of glasses just for work, but since this pair and my sunglasses were already costing me $800, i had to say no to pair #3.

gawd....

i just got a HUGE new monitor at work, and i have been having lots of difficulty getting the ergonomics re-set. i can't have my feet falling asleep because i have to put the chair up so high, in order to be at the right level with the new monitor, which is NOT adjustable....

really, what i need is to sell my condo, and get the feck OUT of this stupid job, and get back into being a massage therapist, in a new town, living with my new husband!!

 katzendogs wrote: 

Damn, its my lucky day, 2 things I have experience with.  Took Chantix from April til my kidneys failed back when.  Can't take it anymore cause of the kidneys.  Anyway, after about 2 or 3 months I felt I reached the point where I could take or leave cigs.  Haven't quit yet, cause the wife still smokes and when I get out of the hospital after a week, I start again.  But at least my brain doesn't really miss smoking while I'm in.  After the transplant, I will be done and Patty is starting Chantix soon and somehow will be done when I get out.

The fun part, not, is the dreams.  Most people on Chantix have them and they can be annoying at the least.  They aren't nightmares or anything creepy as a rule, just tedious never ending dreams that last most of the night and sometimes keep going after your have a bladder break in the middle of the night.  They are like you are trying to figure out Pi to the nth degree or some other stupid problem that has no meaningful answer  Most people find the dreams end after the first couple of months and figure out how to continue.

Either pick a day like they say or wait, the time to quit will become apparent after a while.

PM me if you like, I have more Chantix stories.

 kurtster wrote: 
Aww hell. I was just going to get rid of the PC. Now I may have to keep it around.
Thanks for the advice Doc.

 kurtster wrote: 
Good advice!  I got computer glasses about 15 years ago because my neck was killing me and translating on down to my shoulders.  The glasses are great.  'Course I can't see across the room in them.

 triskele wrote: 

Hi,

As our resident and I think only optician here, I can say that the info RT provided you is correct.  The one thing I would add to help reduce eyestrain is to purchase a pair of glasses with lenses specifically designed for computers.  A factoid that I learned many years before becoming an optician is :  your eyes consume up to 70 % of your body's total energy everyday.  The more you strain to see, the more you tap your energy reserve.  Its a logical assumption when you consider that you eyes are involved in everywaking moment of your life.  Your eyes are not being damaged by the strain, just you as a whole.

Computer lenses are a new approach to music or piano glasses that were done with lined bifocals in the past.  Progressive lenses just won't work for reading at length or for extended computer work.  That sweet spot where everything comes into focus is very small and the strain you put on your neck holding the position only compounds the agony.  Computer lenses are lineless bifocals that allow you to see about 4 feet away on the top half and at about 18 inches in the bottom half.  You just look naturally at your computer and keyboard without straining to find that sweet spot.  They are truly a quality of life improvemnet for the wearer.  Got an old frame that you no longer wear?  Have lenses put in them, spare that expense at least.  These lenses are also great for crafts and hobbies, reading, card playing and even dining out where you can both see across the table and your menu and food.

Lastly, ergonomically, glasses are designed to work best when looking down at about 15 degrees from horizontal.  You eyes should be the same level as the top of your monitor.  If you must look up to see your monitor, either raise your chair or lower the monitor or both.  It is unnatural to look up at anything for any length of time, your neck will constantly remind  you of that. 

Hope this helps.

Edit:  Don't forget to blink your eyes on a regular basis.  Blinking is how your cornea is lubricated and fed.  Computer users and heavy readers generally forget to blink frequently and just stare and dry out their eyes. 

Chantix (sp)

Experience using it appreciated please.

romeotuma wrote:
thank you for this, romeo.  i am already on drops for dry eyes, and i do spend 90% of my waking hours in front of a computer screen.  i have a policy of getting up and walking away at least every hour, if not more frequently.

the right lower eye lid is effected, and it doesn't make my eye close.  it's just horrendously annoying, because, when it's active, it can be nearly constant.

some of the other things, i didn't know.  this was very helpful.

Triskele, it sounds to me like you may have what is called benign essential blepharospasm (BEB)...  "benign" indicates the condition is not life threatening, and "essential" is a medical term meaning "of unknown cause"...  blepharo means "eyelid" in Greek, and spasm means "uncontrolled muscle contraction"...  in addition, it is called both a cranial and a focal dystonia— cranial refers to the head, and focal indicates confinement to one part... the word dystonia describes abnormal involuntary sustained muscle contractions and spasms...

Your problem could be caused by something as simple as dry eyes...  it has been observed that the signs and symptoms of dry eye frequently precede and/or occur concomitantly with blepharospasm... it has been suggested that dry eye may trigger the onset of blepharospasm in susceptible persons...

There are a lot of other things you don't want your problems confused with—

Ptosis— drooping of the eyelids caused by weakness or paralysis of a levator muscle of the upper eyelid
Blepharitis— an inflammatory condition of the lids due to infection or allergies
Hemifacial spasm— a non-dystonic condition involving various muscles on one side of the face, often including the eyelid, and caused by irritation of the facial nerve... the muscle contractions are more rapid and transient than those of blepharospasm, and the condition is always confined to one side...
Nystagmus— the jerking or jumping of the eye itself... this is an entirely different condition and an optometrist or ophthalmologist should be able to make a proper diagnosis after a full examination...

eye twitches are muscle spasms and, like most muscle spasms, they generally have no long term side effects...

other causes could be—

fatigue or lack of sleep
over consumption of caffeine
physical or emotional stress
anxiety or phobias
drain bamage or other neurological disorders
eye stress associated with extended viewing of the computer screen
Estrogen replacement therapy for women going through menopause

blepharospasm is thought to be due to abnormal functioning of the basal ganglia which are situated at the base of the brain... the basal ganglia play a role in all coordinated movements, but nobody knows for sure what happens with the basal ganglia to cause the twitches...

it can be treated with some drugs, and there are surgery options, but the best way to treat it by far is a proactive approach to decrease the overall daily stress... some ways to reduce stress are— exercising more, sleeping more, working less, meditation, and eliminating all forms of dietary caffeine (coffee, chocolate, cola, certain over-the counter medications, etc.)...

here's a video about it that you might find interesting, just for info—

Diagnosis & Treatment with Botox of Patients with Benign Essential Blepharospasm & Related Disorders

It explains a lot about BEB, and offers a subcutaneous injection of Botox as a possible treatment...

It's up to you to decide if it is bad enough for you to see a optometrist/ophthalmologist, but if they last more than a week, or make your eyes close completely, you might want to consider it...

and relax, because it is not a dangerous medical situation...  sorry to hear you are having to deal with it...  good luck with it...  remember my disclaimer— I am not a doctor; I am just a humble blue-collar foot-washer...  I am not making a diagnosis— just offering data...

 romeotuma wrote: 
I bookmarked

Good stuff, folks—

Medical Support Communities

Mixing Acetaminophen and Caffeine May Cause Liver Damage

 romeotuma wrote: 
Well, at least some of the parts work!

 romeotuma wrote: 
Not if your pipes are clogged

When I order a burger, a single, I usually have to take the second half home. I couldn't imagine jamming one of those things in my mouth.

 romeotuma wrote: 
They're enough to give any guy in there a heart attack! And the way most of them look and eat, they probably haven't had any in awhile.

 romeotuma wrote: 
Ewwwwww!!! Did you notice, almost everyone in there was fat?

 BillnDollarBaby wrote: 
Worse, creepy and boring...