Cannabis for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Another autoimmune disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis is said to affect approximately 1.3million people in the United States alone. The root cause of RA is unknown, and can affect all ages. Characterized by swollen, stiff, and painful joints, fatigue, loss of function, and redness, tenderness and eventual deformity of the joints. While there are alternating periods of flares and remission, there is no known cure for RA.
The chronic periods of inflammation eventually causes permanent destruction and deformity of the joints. While arthritis and joint pain are synonymous, Rheumatoid Arthritis can also affect the tendons, ligaments, and muscles around the joints, as well as the body’s internal organs, one of the reasons it is sometimes referred to as Rheumatic Disease.

The deformation of the joints associated with RA, is a result of the chronic inflammation causing deconstruction of the cartilage, ligaments, and bone, and as a progressive disease can lead ultimately to dysfunction and disability. However, the stage of progression of the disease does not determine the degree of pain and stiffness experienced by a patient during a period of active inflammation.
When a patient is experiencing a period of flare up, symptoms can include fatigue, loss of energy, lack of appetite, low-fever, joint and muscle pain and stiffness.
Currently, treatment plans for RA patients aim at reducing inflammation, maximizing function of the joints and surrounding muscles, and preventing the deconstruction and deformation of the joints. Like the majority of the chronic conditions I’ve researched, medications do little more than offer mild relief of symptoms, some reducing or aiding in controlling occurrences of flare, but as with all pharmaceutical options, each comes with its own set of possible side effects.
In a recent ground breaking study published in the Rheumatology Journal online, a cannabis extract was used for the treatment of RA. Using a cannabis based medicine or CBM called Sativex (reportedly made directly from the plant itself, made using standardized medicinal manufacturing processes to create a concentration formula with an equal ratio of 1:1 THC and CBD cannabinoids to reduce psychoactivity while maintaining optimal effectiveness). Researchers compared the efficiency of the cannabis treatment by comparing results to the application of a placebo in a randomized, double-blind parallel group study. A total of 58 patients were observed and surveyed over a treatment period of 5 weeks.
Patients were instructed to dose with an evening application of the cannabis extract (or placebo), and observations/measurements were assessed the morning after; using a numerical rating scale, and the DAS28 (Disease Activity Scale involving 28 joints of the body) pain levels were measured after periods of rest and during activity, while morning stiffness, and sleep quality were also considered.
Researchers found significant improvement in intensity of pain during both periods of movement and rest, the quality of sleep and levels/effect of inflammation as measured by the DAS28 score for those patients who had taken the cannabis extract.
*It was noted in the study that a handful of the participants experienced mild side effects from the initial dosing process-thought to be the result of patients trying to find the correct dosing amounts (something which could be avoided altogether with more research). None of those participants had to withdraw from the trial due to the side effects and the effects reportedly lessened once the correct dosing was achieved.
Researchers call the results encouraging, noting significant improvements in the patients’ arthritis conditions. The hope is for further trials to include extended dosing periods similar to studies done using cannabis for the treatment of MS. There is an abundance of personal testimony online of those patients claiming cannabis has the power to not only help ease the symptoms but reverse the progression of the disease when taken regularly in oil form. Vaporizing, sublingual, and topical applications allow arthritic patients a number of healthy options for medicating with cannabis without adding to their worry of side effects or creating a life-long addiction.
It is already well known the anti-inflammatory and pain relieving effects of cannabis on the aching body, there is every reason to argue it might have positive results for the painful effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

For further reading on the research I found while writing this article, check out the following links:

http://m.rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/45/1/50.abstract?sid=e95361c5-a255-4339-9f85-04d37cfbf117

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/33376.php

http://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/medical-marijuana-a-viable-option-for-the-treatment-of-ra/

http://www.arthritistoday.org/arthritis-treatment/natural-and-alternative-treatments/remedies-and-therapies/medical-marijuana.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24440992

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/basics/definition/con-20014868

http://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-pictures/how-rheumatoid-arthritis-affects-your-whole-body.aspx#/slide-1

Cannabis Research - Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Clinical Candidate for the Treatment of Osteoarthritic Pain. (2013)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23...
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Electroacupuncture inhibition of hyperalgesia in rats with adjuvant arthritis. (2013)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
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Neuromodulators for pain management in rheumatoid arthritis (2012)

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10...
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CB1 and CB2 contribute to antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of electroacupuncture on experimental arthritis of the rat temporomandibular joint.(2013)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23...
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Role of CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the development of joint pain induced by monosodium iodoacetate. (2012)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23...
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Cortisol-mediated adhesion of synovial fibroblasts is dependent on the degradation of anandamide and activation of the endocannabinoid system (2012)

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10...
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Platelet-rich plasma loaded hydrogel scaffold enhances chondrogenic differentiation and maturation with up-regulation of CB1 and CB2. (2012)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22...
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Lack of effect of chronic pre-treatment with the FAAH inhibitor URB597 on inflammatory pain behaviour: evidence for plastic changes in the endocannabinoid system. (2012)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22...
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Cannabinoids: novel therapies for arthritis? (2012)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22...
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The abnormal cannabidiol analogue O-1602 reduces nociception in a rat model of acute arthritis via the putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55. (2011)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21...
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Fatty acid amide hydrolase blockade attenuates the development of collagen-induced arthritis and related thermal hyperalgesia in mice. (2011)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21...
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Is lipid signaling through cannabinoid 2 receptors part of a protective system? (2011)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
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Cannabinoids for Treatment of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain; a Systematic Review of Randomized Trials. (2011)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21...
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Cannabidiol as an emergent therapeutic strategy for lessening the impact of inflammation on oxidative stress. (2011)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21...
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Cannabinoid-induced apoptosis in immune cells as a pathway to immunosuppression.(2010)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
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Tonic modulation of spinal hyperexcitability by the endocannabinoid receptor system in a rat model of osteoarthritis pain. (2010)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
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Local application of the endocannabinoid hydrolysis inhibitor URB597 reduces nociception in spontaneous and chemically induced models of osteoarthritis. (2010)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21...
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Paradoxical effects of the cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist GW405833 on rat osteoarthritic knee joint pain. (2010)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20...
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Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs. (2009)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
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Suppression of human macrophage interleukin-6 by a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid acid. (2008)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pubmed
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Ajulemic acid, a synthetic cannabinoid acid, induces an antiinflammatory profile of eicosanoids in human synovial cells. (2008)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18...
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Ajulemic acid, a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid acid, suppresses osteoclastogenesis in mononuclear precursor cells and induces apoptosis in mature osteoclast-like cells.(2008)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17...
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Characterisation of the cannabinoid receptor system in synovial tissue and fluid in patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. (2008)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
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In vivo effects of CB2 receptor-selective cannabinoids on the vasculature of normal and arthritic rat knee joints (2008)

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/arti...
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In vivo effects of CB2 receptor-selective cannabinoids on the vasculature of normal and arthritic rat knee joints (2007)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...
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Arthritis and pain. Future targets to control osteoarthritis pain. (2007)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic...

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Suppression of fibroblast metalloproteinases by ajulemic acid, a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid acid. (2007)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16...

Source: heavens2betsey.com, Youtube

Posted By The Health Cure, July 24 2014