Cannabis Dosing: Doctors Weigh In

Here is a great article from United Patients Group in which 3 Doctors using Medical Cannabis in their practices have seen similar trends in dosing and results..."How much should I take?" This is a question that comes up often and although dosing is an individual issue, these Doctors have worked with enough patients to see what is working.......

Elizabeth

Doctors Weigh In – Medical Cannabis Dosing: Why Less May Be More

Posted on March 18, 2015 by UnitedPatientsGroup.com

Many medical cannabis patients take an overly aggressive approach to treatment. If one hit off a joint or one square of chocolate helps a little, then a whole joint or a whole chocolate bar will help a lot, right? Not quite. In many cases, while taking in ‘more‘ cannabis will make you ‘more‘ high, it won’t necessarily make you ‘more‘ healthy. In fact, reducing your dosage may actually make it ‘more‘ effective.

Dr. Dustin Sulak, the Medical Director of Integr8 Health, LLC, a network of three (3) holistic health clinics in New England, where he and his colleagues treat nearly 20,000 patients with medical cannabis as part of an integrative medicine approach to health, have found that many of his patients benefit more from low doses—they have better results and fewer side effects.

“When I started my practice, I was surprised to see that some patients were using very low dosages (e.g. 1 puff), while other patients require much higher dosages (e.g. 1 joint or a potent edible) to achieve optimal benefits,” notes Dr. Sulak. “Over time, I began to notice that most patients using small amounts of cannabis were getting better and more sustainable results than their high-dosage counterparts with similar conditions. Eventually I discovered that most people have a certain threshold dosage of cannabis, below which they’ll actually experience a gradual increase in health benefits over time, and above which they’ll start building tolerance, experiencing diminishing benefits, and more side effects.”

Preclinical research supports these observations, demonstrating that administration of cannabinoids can upregulate endocannabinoid system function at acute and lower doses via increased endocannabinoid production[i], cannabinoid receptor expression[ii], and cannabinoid receptor affinity[iii], as well as downregulate endocannabinoid system function upon persistent agonism (e.g. long-term high doses) via membrane receptor endosome internalization[iv]. This dosing phenomenon is known as a biphasic dose-response curve.

Dr. Sulak has moved many patients down to doses as low as 3–5 mg with his “sensitization protocol,” which helps current users to reset their endocannabinoid system. After just six days on the protocol, 90 percent of patients can decrease their dosage with improved benefits. His patients have an average reduction of 56 percent.

“This reduction not only improves benefits and reduces side effects – it saves patients a lot of money, and potentially makes more cannabis available for those with limited access,” says Dr. Sulak.

Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Medical Director of Canna-Centers, located throughout California, has noticed similar results with her patients. “Many of my patients using low doses for pain, mood, and sleep find that low doses give the effects they are looking for, and over time, due to the enhancement of their endocannabinoid system, they find that they don’t need as much phytocannabinoids to achieve the desired effects.”

Her observations are backed by a study from the Medicinal Cannabis Research Center at the University of California, San Diego, that tested vaping cannabis to treat neuropathic pain. The results showed that patients who used small-dose cannabis (1.29 percent) felt as much pain relief as patients who used medium-dose (3.53 percent) cannabis.

Why might this be? The functioning of the body’s endocannabinoid system, and its interaction with phytocannabinoids (from the cannabis plant), is not yet fully understood—marijuana’s quasi-legal status makes this difficult to study. Dr. Sulak and Dr. Goldstein both hypothesize that small doses of phytocannabinoids enhance the endocannabinoid system, while larger doses cause the system to down-regulate, making the receptors less responsive.

“Cannabinoids are bi-modal effects,” explains Dr. Allan Frankel, CEO of GreenBridge Medical Services in Santa Monica. “This means that in general, low dose and high dose can have opposite effects.”

He points to studies by GW Pharmaceuticals, makers of Sativex, that show better results from low or medium doses than high doses. One study of cancer patients found that low doses (1–4 sprays per day) resulted in statistically significant reductions in pain and sleep disruption, while high doses (11–16 sprays per day) did not result in better outcomes but did cause a much higher dropout rate (22 percent, versus 5 percent in the low-dose group).

Cancer patients are typically treated with extremely high doses of cannabis, but Dr. Frankel questions the wisdom behind this  approach.

“I have seen at least 7 patients with stage IV cancer who initially responded to RSO dosing [Rick Simpson Oil, which is often dosed as high as a gram per day] and then had new metastases, went on low dose CBD:THC and had clearing of metastases.”

He points out that nobody knows what “dose” or regimen is “best” for cancer. “In fact,” says Dr. Frankel, “probably a number of different cannabinoid ratios and doses for certain have anti-cancer effects through a multitude of mechanisms.” He says that, on average, across numerous ailments, his sickest patients use a dose of around 30–40 mg of cannabinoids—far lower than the RSO recommendation.

Dr. Sulak cautions that while he generally sees better results from lower doses, he has observed that about 10 percent of his patients only respond to very high doses—as much as 300–500 mg per dose.

He explains, “In general, patients with greater resilience and who are closer to balance in their physiology are more likely to succeed with lower dosages, while patients who have been sicker for longer sometimes may require aggressive dosing to control the disease process, then are able to convert to low dosages later, after they too are closer to health and balance.”

Dr. Sulak’s sources:

[i] Burstein, S, Hunter, S. 1995. “Stimulation of anandamide biosynthesis in N-18TG2 neuroblastoma cells by δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).” Biochemical pharmacology 49, no. 6: 855-858.

[ii] Cichewicz, D, Haller, V, Welch, S. 2001. “Changes in opioid and cannabinoid receptor protein following short-term combination treatment with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and morphine.” Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 297, no. 1: 121-127.

[iii] Oviedo, A, Glowa, J, Herkenham, M. 1993. “Chronic cannabinoid administration alters cannabinoid receptor binding in rat brain: a quantitative autoradiographic study.” Brain research 616, no. 1: 293-302.

[iv] Hsieh, C, et al. 1999. “Internalization and recycling of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor.” Journal of neurochemistry 73, no. 2: 493-501.

Dr. Christina Sanchez: How THC kills cancer cells

Dr. Christina Sanchez is a molecular biologist at the Compultense University in Madrid Spain, her research led to the findings that THC does indeed kill cancer cells. We are not talking about smoking cannabis, but using therapeutic doses. She has some great information so please enjoy this video from Cannabis Planet!

Dr. Christina Sanchez is a molecular biologist at Compultense University in Madrid Spain, her research led to the findings that THC does indeed kill cancer cells! She sat down with us to explain her work...

Lyme Disease and Cannabis....worth a look!

Since Lyme Disease is so rampant these days and people who suffer from this condition are always looking for something to help with their symptoms so that they can function, here is a article found on the website www.collective-evolution.com.

Written by Shelly M. White, author of "Cannabis for Lyme Disease and Related Conditions: Scientific Basis and Anecdotal Evidence for Medicinal Use" --for details visit www.cannabisforlyme.com. She works as a writer and editor, and is training to be a Herbalist specializing in Lyme disease and other infectious illnesses.

The beginning of my journey with Lyme disease is similar to most. My ending, however, is playing out quite differently than most. I found a tick behind my ear at the age of fourteen, and had various health problems for seven years before I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease, Lupus, Mycoplasma, Bartonella, and Babesia. After two years my Lupus, Mycoplasma, Bartonella and Babesia are entirely eradicated. As far as my Lyme disease goes, I now have zero symptoms. My remaining ones are a result of withdrawals from the prescriptions I so naively started taking when I was initially diagnosed. How am I already returning to a healthy lifestyle only two years after forgetting to read, write, walk and talk? Well, a wealth of credit is owed to the Buhner protocol. I would not be where I am today without it. Still, I had one last giant “hump” in healing to get over after a year on the protocol. So I took a shot in the dark which, for me, turned out to be the path to light. I decided to make my own cannabis oil and began taking it every waking hour. I now owe my life to this fascinating herb and am hopeful some of you will find strength and encouragement through this information.

For a year and a half I had over ten seizures a day. I tried every treatment I could find, exhausting outlets in both conventional and holistic medicine. Desperately searching for answers, I stumbled across what turned out to be one of the most profound facts I have ever learned. Marijuana contains one of the most potent anticonvulsants in the world. Controversy over the subject was meaningless at that point, as the herb offered a possible solution to one of my most debilitating symptoms. As it turned out, smoking marijuana not only controlled my seizures, it completely cured them. With that in mind, I moved forward with my research. If it could do for seizures what no other plant or prescription could do, what could it do for Lyme? What I found was nothing short of fascinating, and essentially lifesaving.

Cannabis has over 700 healing components which, to the best of my knowledge, is more than any other plant known to mankind.  Since my Lyme disease had reacted to and benefited from literally every herb I had taken, I figured it would without a doubt react to cannabis as well. Indeed, it did. Smoking marijuana had sometimes made me feel sick in the past, and I realized this could possibly be because it caused a Herxheimer reaction from bacteria die off each time. Experimenting what thankfully turned out to be an anything but crazy theory, I smoked an exceptionally large amount one night and suffered from a massive Herxheimer reaction. The next day, when it subsided, I felt I had regained a little chunk of my brain back. Since smoking the herb out of a regular pipe also means inhaling a lot of toxins, I began using a vaporizer to get more cannaniboids. My rate of improvement significantly sped up when I did this. Naturally, this motivated me to take treatment one step further and find out what the results of taking cannabis oil would do for me.  After only a month of taking it I was able to return to work and school, and began to drive and have a social life again. Now, I am finally planning to move out and be independent for the first time in years. Basically, I am returning to a lifestyle that I was once unsure I would ever see again thanks to the immense healing power of cannabis oil.

Understandably, some will negate this article due to preconceived notions regarding cannabis, ones we were all conditioned to believe from a young age. Even I once held strong beliefs that cannabis was harmful to my health, but I could not be more thankful that I was proven otherwise. For me, the tangible proof stemming from first-hand experience will always trump the mere words of others.

Please browse through the CE website to find more links about the medicinal benefits of this herb. You can start here and here.

Here at Pianta Tinta, we will soon be carrying an RSO oil with 60-70% THC content.

Stefanie LaRue: Cancer Survivor Story

Had to share this story that just came out on Medical Jane. Many times when people go through the barbaric treatments of chemotherapy and their cancer comes back...they start to rethink the situation and options and end up educating themselves on all of the alternative and more natural ways of healing. Here is one story written by Sonia Renea, writer for Medical Jane.

February 3, 2015

On the surface, Stefanie LaRue is a sweet girl with a hint of Texas in her voice. But like they say in the South, “she’s got a lot of fight in her.” Stefanie gives the term “breast cancer survivor” a new meaning. Every day she celebrates the time she may not have had.

In 2005, Stefanie’s world came to a halt. Her boyfriend discovered a lump in one of her breasts. At first, she was misdiagnosed by three different doctors and was told that she was too young for breast cancer. After all, she was only 30 years old at the time.

Stefanie was sent home several times with several rounds of antibiotics, which is quite telling of younger folks being misdiagnosed. By the time she could be tested thoroughly, the cancer had spread to her bones. Doctors diagnosed her with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer, which is cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body. The prognosis was grim: she was given a year to live, at most.

Stefanie Fights Back, Leaves Toxic Environment

Three weeks later, Stefanie began her first round of chemotherapy. To make matters worse, she had to to cope with her employer, who showed little sympathy for her situation. Despite her job in commercial real estate being very stressful, she was expected to work through her cancer treatment.

“It [cannabis oil] is the best medicine.” – Stefanie LaRue

In retrospect, she credits a nurse practitioner with saving her life. “She pulled me aside and told me, ‘you have to leave that job. Working under so much stress is going to kill you.’ She made a very proactive effort that day to help me.” It was difficult, but Stefanie took her advice. “It was devastating,” she said. “It was hard having to leave that job and go on disability, but I believe that stress effects our emotions and our health,” she said. “I think working under all that pressure triggered my cancer.”

Stefanie filed for disability, finally taking time to focus on healing herself. She found help with an integrative oncologist at UCLA, where she learned how to make changes to her diet, use natural supplements, get acupuncture, and work on personal fitness; all of which are integrative, complimentary, and alternative treatments to go along with chemotherapy.

After six rounds of chemotherapy treatments, Stefanie had surgery to remove the cancer which ended up costing her all of her breast tissue.

This is my electronic press kit, the story of a breast cancer warrior who was diagnosed (but initially MISdiagnosed) at the age of 30 with STAGE 4 metastatic breast cancer. She was given one year to live.

Say “No” To Chemotherapy, “Yes” To Cannabis Oil

In 2013 Stefanie had a Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) and the results were not good. This was now her third reoccurrence of cancer. The chemo sensitivity testing concluded there were five lines of chemo treatments that would work on the tumors.

Stefanie declined the treatment. “I did my homework. I researched as much as I could. I watched. I listened. I read. I contacted. I prayed. Most of all, I believed. I weighed my options, which were essentially chemotherapy or cannabis oil, and I decided to take the natural route this time…” she says.

“My monthly lab and quarterly scan results are proof that the cannabis oil treatment worked.” – Stefanie LaRue

Stefanie followed the Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) protocol until she was cancer-free.

Her doctor even noted that this was due to her “alternative” treatments. “Cannabis oil killed all of the tumors in my body. My monthly lab and quarterly scan results are proof that the cannabis oil treatment worked,” she says.

Now that her cancer is gone, Stefanie takes a maintenance dose of .5 gram of concentrated cannabis oil per day and it seems to be working. Her last scan in December of 2014 showed no signs of cancerous tumors.

Stefanie LaRue: An Inspiration To Cancer Patients

Stefanie began sharing her story with others, urging women to empower themselves. She works with various breast cancer organizations, with a focus on young women (under the age of 40) who have been diagnosed with cancer.

As far as the cannabis movement goes, Stefanie is in it for the long haul. According to her, “It is going to take our actual patient community to help fast track changing the laws federally so it is important that we share, support one another, and join forces in advocating together on this journey until we are not deemed as criminals any longer. Yes, change is happening, but it is not happening fast enough!”

When asked if she has a message for others with cancer, she pauses and says quietly, “I would just say: Be your own voice. Be your own advocate. Jump in, engage, interact, ask for help from others on the same journey. It’s about quality of life. Do the work. Do not live in fear … live in love.”

Stefanie LaRue

Stefanie LaRue was 30 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer and given the dismal prognosis of less than a year to live. That was nine years ago. And thanks …

You DO Have A Choice! →

I am passing this article along that I just saw on the Cashinbis.com website. It is a wonderful testimonial by a woman here in Northern California who made the choice to use alternative medicines over prescriptions for her brain tumor. A big thanks to Felicia for writing her story and sharing!!

I Chose CBD Oil Over My Doctor’s Prescription

MMJ Patient Testimonial: Felicia Accomazzo, Windsor, CA

Yes, you heard that correct. Felicia Accomazzo, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, said ‘No’ to modern medicine and went the alternative medicine route. And guess what? She is healing and feeling better than she did before! This is her story.

What medical condition have you been struggling with?

On June 15th of 2013, I was diagnosed with Stage One Pilocytic Astrocytoma. It’s a brain tumor that begins to develop early in one’s adolescent years. For years, I had been suffering from numerous neurological side effects and only recently discovered that this juvenile tumor was the cause this past year.

How long have you been experiencing your medical condition?

I’ve endured symptoms for the majority of my life. As early as 3 years old, I was getting severe headaches. I believe too that that was the time when the tumor began developing.

What do you believe caused this medical condition?

I actually believe it was exposure to the chemical, formaldehyde. I say this because I had a non-blood grandfather pass away from a massive brain tumor right around the time I began showing symptoms of headaches and he was heavily exposed to what is now a classified carcinogenic chemical, formaldehyde.

What medications have you been taking that was prescribed to you by your doctor?

When I was diagnosed with the brain tumor, I went through with a surgery. I had an incision along my head held together by 25 staples. I was put on medication to stop the hemorrhaging in my brain, to keep the swelling down, and to prevent seizures because they were concerned about that. The type of tumor that I was found to have was pressing on my cerebral glad and my brain stem, which made me nausea and caused me to vomit. Since the surgery, in terms of treatment, I no longer continued with traditional medicine. I have taken absolutely no medication from my doctor, I won’t accept it. I refused to agree to more chemo or radiation.

I have taken absolutely no medication from my doctor, I won’t accept it. I refused to agree to more chemo or radiation.

I wanted to hear what the doctors had to say, but I always knew that taking on medication like that would not be the treatment method I would choose.

What type of alternative medicine have you tried aside from your doctor’s recommendation?

I have experimented with countless forms. I began with the foundation of nutrition; I knew what I was putting in my body was important to my health and so I went the vegan route and have committed to juicing often. In my research on alternative medicine, I was reading about people doing hydrogen peroxide therapy which is when you ingest 35% food-grade hydrogen peroxide in distilled water. The idea behind this is that it creates oxygenated cells in your body and the idea behind cancer is that it cannot survive in an oxygenated body. So, I have been practicing that off and on for quite some time. I am also doing essential oils; I am making my own capsules of certain types of oils like frankincense to heal my cancer by detoxifying my body.

And lastly and rather importantly, I am taking CBD oils which I cannot say enough about. My preferred method of taking cannabidiol is inhalation, smoking it with a CBD vaporizer. Originally, I had been smoking marijuana, but found myself concerned with the toxic effects of the carcinogens you ingest when doing so. It was then that I switched to a vaporizer; instead of smoke, it emits water vapors which is much smarter and healthier option for patients battling cancer. You need to take care of yourself and stay far away from carcinogens.

SEE ALSO: How Cannabis, Herbal Remedies, and CBD Oil Made Me Feel Alive Again

How long have you been using alternative medicine?

I have used these methods of alternative medicine since June 2013. I didn’t start using cannabis as my main healing regime until earlier this year in January. I had met with a doctor in my area that specialized in treating all different types of cancer with cannabis. In our first appointment he presented me with two case studies done on two different women, both around my age, both with the same type of cancer as I had at similar stages as mine, who, after 6 years of using cannabis, had scans that showed their tumor had completely disappeared. And so far, I’m on that track.

How have you felt since you started using the alternative medicine? Compared to your prescribed medications?

So, previously to knowing what exactly what was going on, I was experiencing headaches that were absolutely debilitating; I couldn’t even get up out of bed or else I would become overwhelmed with nausea and have to vomit. When I did the initial operation it did relieve some pain, but the minute I started using the CBD oils and essential oils was when I really began feeling the significant difference.

Before I go to bed, I take CBD capsules. They haven’t only helped me with my cancer, the CBD oils have also helped me with my skin, my acne, and my weight; I am in the best shape of my life and have a much greater sense of well-being. I really can’t credit all these differences in my body to anything else but to cannabis oil because I know it’s making my body work the way it’s supposed to work. It is repairing my cells and giving me a new sense of well-being and happiness that makes me wake up wanting to live that day to the fullest.

I really can’t credit all these differences in my body to anything else but to cannabis oil because I know it’s making my body work the way it’s supposed to work.

Do you think you will continue with using alternative medicine?

Most definitely. I will be using it until my tumor doesn’t show up on that scan. Actually, I believe I will continue using it even after that. Cannabidiol supports both healing and your general health.

DISCLAIMER: The statements in this article are true experiences and real life medical scenarios of Felicia Accomazzo. The shared results may not work for you as it varies based on each individual immune system reaction. The information provided herein have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult with a medical doctor prior to starting a new relief program such as mentioned in this article. The information herein is not a recommendation, suggestion, or medical advice to simulate Felicia Accomazzo’s relief program. This article was published for testimonial purposes only.