Replies to post #1645 on Aleafia Health Inc. (ALEAF)

[FUNMAN]

Multiple sclerosis patients turning to cannabis to treat muscle spasticity and pain

I wonder if Aleafia has MS patients and how they are doing? FUNMAN

Study finds topicals and edibles to be the most common delivery methods

By David Yasvinski
February 25, 2020

https://www.thegrowthop.com/wellness/multiple-sclerosis-patients-turning-to-cannabis-to-treat-muscle-spasticity-and-pain

Its origins may still be a mystery, but multiple sclerosis sufferers know what makes them feel better.

A new study, which relied on the self-reported marijuana habits of people with MS, has discovered that 58 per cent of participants were using the drug on a daily basis, with most people finding it useful in reducing pain (85 per cent) and spasticity (79 per cent).

Multiple sclerosis is a painful disease of the central nervous system in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects nerve cells. When this myelin coating is damaged, electric impulses from the brain can be slowed or even interrupted causing MS sufferers to experience a wide range of issues from chronic pain and blindness to sensations of numbness or burning in their lower extremities. Limb spasticity, bladder and bowel control and balance issues are also common.

It is still unclear why some people develop the disease and others do not, but MS has been found to most commonly afflict women between the ages of 20 and 40.

“Growing evidence supports that cannabinoids relieve MS-related spasticity but little is known about cannabis use among people with MS and spasticity,” researchers said, explaining the impetus for the study.

It found that MS sufferers were well aware of the benefits and using the drug regularly, with 26 per cent of them combining marijuana with other prescribed medications. Topicals and edibles were the most common delivery methods subjects use to administer cannabis to themselves.

Canada is one of the countries with the highest proportion of people suffering from MS. The country’s MS Society reports that one in every 385 Canadians lives with the disease.

Some patients report having regained muscle control with cannabis use. Findings from a systematic review of 34 studies on cannabis and MS, conducted over a 50-year period, concluded that oral cannabis extracts are very effective in relieving muscle spasms and possibly effective in treating other symptoms.

Depression, seizures and lack of appetite are some of the more common symptoms among those with the disease. Each of these accompanying conditions has been shown to have been treated or lessened by using cannabis with either THC or CBD, or whole-plant formulations.