Hydrolife Magazine August/September 2016 (USA Edition)

heal
“As a pain reliever, cannabis has
been known to be effective for at
least 5,000 years.”
The same 2014 issue
of the International
Journal of Clinical Rheumatology
as referenced
above cites three
such examples of
these cannabinoids.
A synthetic
“analogue” of
tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) is the product
Nabilone. Dronabinol is another, which is a stereoisomer of
THC. A spray form has also been developed, Nabiximols.
These pharmaceutical developments have been created to
have more long-term anti-inflammatory effects and fewer
psychoactive effects than the recreational forms of cannabis.
A 2006 article in the Journal of Rheumatology cites yet
another cannabis-based medication (CBM), Sativex.
A double-blind, five-week long study conducted by British
researchers from the departments of Rheumatology at
Northampton General Hospital, Selly Oak Hospital, the
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases and the
Cannabinoid Research Institute at Oxford studied the efficacy
of Sativex on 58 individuals suffering from RA. They
found statistically significant improvement from the individuals
actually receiving Sativex and not a placebo. These
improvements ranged from the patients achieving more and
better sleep to experiencing less pain and attaining better
scores on the standard inflammation activity measure test,
the DAS28. The improved sleep resulting from the use of
Sativex was postulated by the researchers to be due to the
pain relief of the medication, and not from any hypnotic effect
of the medication.
Israeli researchers as cited in a 2016 article from the
Israeli publication Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal
are not as sure, but still suggest that CBMs could help with
the pain associated with suffering from RA. Only 17 per
cent of the Israeli rheumatologists who were surveyed suggested
that there was “no role” for cannabis as a treatment
option for those suffering from symptoms of arthritis. Those
83 per cent who did feel there was a role were “willing
to prescribe herbal cannabis if other treatments failed.”
A noted shortcoming of this study, however, was its low
response rate from professionals that could be unfairly
influencing its outcomes.
Evidence cited in the Journal of Experimental and Integrative
Medicine is supportive of the role of cannabis in
treating pain and suffering associated with RA. It notes the
role cannabis plays as an anti-inflammatory agent and pain
reducer. Cannabis can remove harmful stimuli and help to
begin the process of healing the damaged tissues that can
result from arthritis. Additionally, rheumatoid joints contain
high numbers of receptors for cannabinoids making this
particular treatment highly effective. The article further
states cannabis’ ability to inhibit edema, a sometimes sideeffect
of inflammation where fluid can accumulate between
the joints and the skin.
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