Marijuana Isn’T A Pain Killer—It’S A Pain Distracter

[Canadense]

http://blogs.smithso...mithsonian.com)

A new study indicates that marijuana isn’t a painkiller, but a pain distracter: Under the influence of THC, the same levels of pain are simply less bothersome. Image via Wikimedia Commons/Cannabis Training University

One of the chief arguments for the legalization of medicinal marijuana is its usefulness as a pain reliever. For many cancer and AIDS patients across the 19 states where medicinal use of the drug has been legalized, it has proven to be a valuable tool in managing chronic pain—in some cases working for patients for which conventional painkillers are ineffective.

To determine exactly how cannabis relieves pain, a group of Oxford researchers used healthy volunteers, an MRI machine and doses of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Their findings, published today in the journal Pain, suggest something counterintuitive: that the drug doesn’t so much reduce pain as make the same level of pain more bearable.

“Cannabis does not seem to act like a conventional pain medicine,” Michael Lee, an Oxford neuroscientist and lead author of the paper, said in a statement. “Brain imaging shows little reduction in the brain regions that code for the sensation of pain, which is what we tend to see with drugs like opiates. Instead, cannabis appears to mainly affect the emotional reaction to pain in a highly variable way.”

As part of the study, Lee and colleagues recruited 12 healthy volunteers who said they’d never used marijuana before and gave each one either a THC tablet or a placebo. Then, to trigger a consistent level of pain, they rubbed a cream on the volunteers’ legs that included 1% capsaicin, the compound found that makes chili peppers spicy; in this case, it caused a burning sensation on the skin.

When the researchers asked each person to report both the intensity and the unpleasantness of the pain—in other words, how much it physically burned and how much this level of burning bothered them—they came to the surprising finding. “We found that with THC, on average people didn’t report any change in the burn, but the pain bothered them less,” Lee said.

This indicates that marijuana doesn’t function as a pain killer as much as a pain distracter: Objectively, levels of pain remain the same for someone under the influence of THC, but it simply bothers the person less. It’s difficult to draw especially broad conclusions from a study with a sample size of just 12 participants, but the results were still surprising.

Each of the participants was also put in an MRI machine—so the researchers could try to pinpoint which areas of the brain seemed to be involved in THC’s pain relieving processes—and the results backed up the theory. Changes in brain activity due to THC involved areas such as the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, believed to be involved in the emotional aspects of pain, rather than other areas implicated in the direct physical perception of it.

Additionally, the researchers found that THC’s effectiveness in reducing the unpleasantness of pain varied greatly between individuals—another characteristic that sets it apart from typical painkillers. For some participants, it made the capsaicin cream much less bothersome, while for others, it had little effect.

The MRI scans supported this observation, too: Those more affected by the THC demonstrated more brain activity connecting their right amydala and a part of the cortex known as the primary sensorimotor area. The researchers say that this finding could perhaps be used as a diagnostic tool, indicating for which patients THC could be most effective as a pain treatment medicine.

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[Reinaque]

Isso não é ambíguo? Sempre achava que dores eram respostas que o corpo enviava para o cérebro via impulsos elétricos quando algo não estava legal e que os analgésicos fossem como um agente que faz o cérebro parar de prestar atenção na dor enquanto o quadro melhora por si próprio (ou com ajudo de algum outro medicamento).

Se não é assim, como funciona o mecanismo dos analgésicos normais?

[Canadense]

eles tb só testaram o THC...

CBD é o que realmente age para combater dores e inflamações

[Green Knight]

Bullshit.... dont give a fuck for then!

[matsegredo]

Porque "painkillers" (analgesicos) eliminam dores agora ne? Eles simplesmente tiram a dor na hora, depois volta.

[ALMEIDA RASTAFARI]

Ai canadense tu sabe se tem chance de algum estrangeiro conseguir licença medicinal para comprar maconha em Vancouver??

[Na_Bruxa]

Bullshit.... dont give a fuck for then!

x2

Eu não preciso que eles me digam que quando eu fumo não sinto dor, eu sei que não sinto.

[Mr. Pothead]

meio furada essa pesquisa mesmo canadense .. po .. pra que dar uma capsula de THC ? sendo q os efeitos mais corporais sao dados pelo CBD, cbn, etc

o teste deveria ser feito com cada especie de planta e nao com um cimposto propriamente dito, hhmm mas se bem q para pesquisa cientifica tem q ser composto por composto ne... hmmm interessante..

imagina se as pesquisas fossem feitas assim : demos para o voluntario A, a super alska thunderfuck, e no dia seguinta uma psicodelicia ai mede-se a diference de concentraçoes das substancias em cada planta e tenta-se descobrir qual é mais efeito para que

[Canadense]

Ai canadense tu sabe se tem chance de algum estrangeiro conseguir licença medicinal para comprar maconha em Vancouver??

tem que ter no minimo um comprovante de residencia... mas é um puta processo demorado.

[rsfan]

Também acho que o que importa é o que o paciente sinta.

Imagine o cara tem um dor forte e crônica e depois chapado ele tá sem dor. Quem é essa pesquisa para afirmar o contrário?

Para alguns pode só tirar o foco da dor, para outros a dor.

O importante é minimizar o sofrimento e aumentar a qualidade de vida dos pacientes.

[Na_Bruxa]

Velho quando fiz cirurgia no tornozelo, fiz uns coookies meu irmão era anestesia geral, nem parecia que tinha feito a cirugia. quem já comeu sabe do que eu to falando ainda mais quando se usa uma ganja boa que foi o caso, me apareceu uns camarão invocado só flecha,verdinha sem barrunfo naturalissima não pensei duas vezes e menti na manteiga, ai era só colocar um cookie pra dentro e flutuar.

paz!!

[mfr]

Saiu uma materia parecida no globo.com

http://g1.globo.com/bemestar/noticia/2012/12/maconha-nao-alivia-dor-mas-torna-mais-toleravel-segundo-estudo.html

[rsfan]

Queria eu um cookie desses agora...

[Juniaum]

Concordo plenamente com Canadense e Mr Pothead!

Li um artigo, num site de um dispensário em Denver, Colorado ( http://www.alamedame...hc-cbd-and-cbn/), escrito por um usuário. Achei bem interessante.

E pelo que entendi o CBD que é o antinflamatório, portanto é lógico o que tira a dor.

O CBN é que deixa ruim Se não curar, secar e cuidar muito bem direitinho dos buds o CBN aumenta. Gostei de saber!!

The Real Difference Between THC, CBD and CBN

January 12th, 2012 // 7:06 am @ Herb Diesel // 2 Comments

Surely all medical marijuana patients have heard of THC and nearly all can tell you about its effects. Did you know that THC isn’t the only useful cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. In fact, there are many many others but the 3 most important to medical marijuana patients are THC, CBD and CBN. In this article we will go into detail on how each offers its own unique properties and effects.

THC (Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol)

• THC is a well known psychoactive cannabinoid and is responsible for the majority of the effects that you get from marijuana consumption. Ultimately THC is what gets you “High.”
  
• The more THC you consume the stronger effects you will get.
  
• THC mostly has a wide range of cerebral effects, which can make you feel happy, euphoric, energetic, anxious, paranoid or even nervous.
  
• Medicinally THC has been shown to have anti-depressant effects and even relieves pain and insomnia. It also induces relaxation and stimulates the appetite, which has shown to be useful with cancer and anorexia patients.
  
• Most cured cannabis buds you buy at dispensaries range from 12%-21% THC content and if grown properly can reach even higher levels.
  
• WARNING! Patients with high anxiety or those who suffer from schizophrenia should avoid strains with extremely high levels of THC.
  

CBD (Cannabidiol)

• CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, which is known for changing the effects of consumed THC.
  
• CBD increases the happy, euphoric and cerebral effects of THC while decreasing paranoia, anxiety and nervousness.
  
• This cannabinoid is almost always in much lower concentrations than THC in most cannabis plants, usually less than 1%. In rare strains CBD concentrations can outweigh THC levels.
  
• Medicinally CBD has been shown to relieve anxiety, pain, muscle spasms, inflammation and convulsions. So it is great for patients with MS, fibromyalgia and epilepsy.
  
• During a study when CBD was combined with THC and injected into breast and brain tumors, it was shown to inhibit cancer cell growth.
  

CBN (Cannabinol)

• CBN is a psychoactive cannabinoid, but is only 10% of the strength of THC.
  
• The effects of CBN have shown to make you feel more dizzy, groggy, disoriented and has also been shown to lower your heart rate.
  
• CBN is essentially THC that has been partially broken down either by oxidization while in storage, during the curing process, in a concentration process or even when your body metabolizes recently consumed THC.
  
• Increased amounts of CBN has been associated with increased “bad feelings” like anxiety, paranoia and nervousness.
  
• High amounts of CBN can be avoided with proper curing and storing of dried cannabis in a cool, dry area inside an airtight container.
  

What does all of this mean for medical marijuana patients?

With lab testing, Alameda Wellness is beginning to test and display the percentages of these cannabinoids from our own medical marijuana strains. Now that you know that the effects you feel from your medicinal marijuana goes much deeper than whether it is a Indica or a Sativa, here are a few pointers to help you figure out which types of strains are right for you in regards to THC and CBD.

• High THC and High CBD levels together will give you a very strong mental high while making your body feel relaxed and heavy.
  
• High THC and Low CBD levels will give you a strong cerebral high while your body becomes more energetic.
  
• Low THC and High CBD levels makes your body very relaxed and dulls your mind. Couch-lock anyone? You shouldn’t feel as “high” when compared to strains with higher THC levels.
  

Please note that the author of this article is not a doctor. You should only consume medical marijuana with the recommendation of your doctor.