PTSD and the Endocannabinoid System
An interesting interview with Organic Chemist Dr. Raphael Mechoulam about cannibinoids and the brain. Dr. Mechoulam was the first to synthesize THC.There's something called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is due to upsetting memories that stay around too long. Normally, when there is trauma people slowly forget it. This is true for humans and it's true for animals. But if the animals do not have an endocannabinoid system, they do not forget bad memories, and this was shown in a paper by a German-Italian group. In collaboration with the Canadian group, we have done some work on that, and in a different model we have seen the same thing. So I expect that the endocannabinoid system is not in good shape in those post-traumatic patients, and chances are that it will work in treating them. We are just about to develop a treatment. People that have PTSD claim that the only thing that helps them is smoking marijuana, so chances are that cannabinoid treatment may help them.
Which is something I've been saying for the last four years. In case you missed it here is my journey. Here is a study on mice lacking the CB1 system in at least part of the brain and how that affects the decay of fear memories.
There are lots more medical uses for marijuana and its extracts than PTSD. Read the whole interview to learn more.
Update 18 Feb 2011 0628z:
The "mice" link is now no longer functional try this one.
Also the Dr. Raphael Mechoulam link is dead try this one.
A personalreport with medical evidence by some one tortured in a Turkish prison.
Child Abuse and Military Trauma
Japan Times report
New Scientist report
Medical News Today report
Cannabis and PTSD - a discussion of the medical literature with extracts from the literature.
Drug War, Endocannabinoid, Cannabinoid, Marijuana, Raphael Mechoulam, Addiction, PTSD, CB1, Trauma
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5 comments:
04 11 06
Well M. Simon:
I totally agree and can honestly say that from personal experience. I cannot tolerate all of the psych meds and I tried all the broader classes and could not tolerate them. MMJ benefits because you can regulate how much you take and quit it with little consequence. As a victim of two sexual assaults in my adult life, I can honestly say that prayer, TIME and MMJ helped me out the most! It is hard for people to understand that the memories can be so vivid; you can smell and taste and even hear certain things that bring you there; it is unlike normal memories! Thanks for putting out the word and also thanks for commenting on the LQG post.
I think I will have to explain it in more detail because it is a bit heavy. It took me a week just to get to page eleven because I had to keep cross referencing everything. But now, I am getting it. I also got a book called 'A Taste of Topology' which helps explain some of the more difficult topological concepts. Speaking of which, COMPACTNESS is a doosey!
hi
good blog
Had a Biochemist friend in College who had a simple axiom on Drugs:
The Originals are always the best.
While there may be exceptions, they just prove the rule imo.
Oxycontin Vs Moriphine being a sterling example.
On a street level:
Coca Leaves vs the expensive poisons of the day/year/decade.
I never liked Dope after they started selecting it to be stronger.
There is so much info on both sides of all arguments that involve the mind. And the biggest problem is the mind. Each of has such a thicket of personal prejudices, misconceptions, likes and dislikes, inhereited predisposition, memes, etc that info has to travel through, that even false information, totally ridiculou info, can get through. As evidenced by ME types that wire themselves for bang and walk into a crowed place and trip the explosives, blowing themselves up.
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