Marijuana For Renewed Hope!

Now, three years into evaluating patients for the use of medical mj in Arizona, my eyes are opened to the miracle of cannabis.

Epilepsy patients have virtually no seizures. Migraine headache sufferers realize 50%-90% reduction in head pain and minimized pain when a headache does show up. Pain patients are able to reduce or discontinue dangerous prescription pain medications. Patients’ hope is restored when they realize that they have some control over their pain.

There are times when I am close to tears as patients–one after another–tell their stories.

I am happy that I can be a small part of their return to having quality of life.

I love you all very much.

Mutual Trust and Understanding! By Dr. Christine Strong

My purpose in writing this blog post is to encourage all parties involved in Medical Cannabis to be patient with one another. Whether any of us agrees with it or not, it is a fact in Arizona.

This blog reaches thousands of Arizonans every day through at least 16 social
networking sites. Hopefully, it will inspire a State-wide sentiment of tolerance and love. My prayer is that Arizonans will be unified in their love for this glorious State.  In my mind that means getting the facts before jumping to conclusions.  Do we always have to dump the “baby out with the bath water?”  Medical Cannabis serves a purpose in the medical arena because some patients actually get relief.

We doctors are doing the best we can to follow the rules, love and treat our patients, and “do no harm” … while navigating somewhat unfamiliar territory.

Likewise, the AZ Department of Health (and its Head) is doing everything in its power to check and double-check that there are no renegades infiltrating our ranks.

I cannot presume to know the problems faced by Will Humble and the AZ Department of Health.  Sometimes it feels like a pressure cooker of emotions around the clinic.  Patients who need the drug  feel passionately about preserving their right to access it.  Those who oppose the drug feel passionately about preventing “casual users ” from attaining it.

My colleagues (oseopathic, allopathic, and naturopathic) –as far as I know–all practice medicine with patient safety in mind.  It is my responsibility (and mandated by the State of AZ) to stay abreast of updates in pharmacology and to use the utmost caution when recommending medical cannabis. No frivolous requests get past our gatekeeping.

I work for CPEC, a national company whose moral and ethical compass demands the responsible practice of medicine from each of its doctors.  To that end, the corporate  legal department and owners ensure that Arizona rules are being followed explicitly.

Since December, 2010, I personally have seen an average of ten patients per day.  And, each patient spends, on average, about 45 minutes to an hour in the clinic.  I know because I had my support team run the numbers. I’m assuming that other physicians who began pre-evaluating patients in December, 2010,  show about the same numbers.

At our clinic, at this point, we are already seeing patients for their six-month follow up. Most of them are ecstatic to report that they have been able to reduce or eliminate their prescription analgesics. They also report that their sleep has improved and their pain has been significantly minimized. As compassionate citizens (and fellow human beings) we should all be happy to hear that those who suffer in silence,  finally see some light in their lives.

We would never allow our innocent pets to suffer for even one minute without help. Why would we not have the same compassion for our sisters and brothers who suffer unimaginable pain on a daily basis.

I am always available to converse with patients (and others).  Leave me a message at the clinic.  I will call you back.  If you have questions about whether or not you qualify for medical cannabis, go to the AZDHS website or call our office to schedule an evaluation.

Dr. Christine Strong

480-496-3024

http://www.CannabisClinicsAZ.com

What’s It All About… Really! Dr. Christine Strong

What is so gratifying about this phase of my medical career, is the opportunity to help patients avoid, decrease or discontinue prescription pain medications.

The shift in “quality of life” is dramatic for most people with debilitating pain. Cannabis–in consistent moderation–produces long term relief. Patients often state that medical cannabis has given them their lives back. One patient said… for the first time in years, he felt like he could get out of bed, have breakfast with his children, and maybe work on a puzzle with his grandchildren! What a wonderful testimony!

It really is true–what we most treasure are the simple pleasures. My patients don’t long to get back on the slopes, or on their motorcycles. No, they long to throw a ball with a grandchild or enjoy a delicious meal.

My prayer is that persons who have a negative opinion about medical cannabis begin to understand that patients are being taught how to use the medication responsibly. Like any drug, it must be used in moderation–not to “get high!”

Because patients need to titrate this medication on their own, I often deny a recommendation if I don’t feel the patient can manage to medicate responsibly. By the time a patient gets to this clinic, the last thing he or she is seeking is a way to “get high!”

If you have never had critical pain, you cannot relate to this kind of desperation. If you have ever burned yourself on an oven door, or dropped a bowling ball on your foot, you are beginning to understand. However, that pain goes away within an hour. Imagine the prospect of the pain continuing. Now you have a sense of what patients suffer on a daily basis–24/7.

Unless a person is a “walk-in” patient, he or she is prepared to provide medical records to support the chief complaint upon arriving at the Clinic. Today our pain patients ran the gamut–Kidney failure, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, Grave’s Disease, Gout, GERD, Hepatitis C, Degenerative Arthritis and Nausea. And, that’s just the morning!

I am calling for compassion in this blog post. If you read this and agree with me, please pass it along.

Dr. Christine Strong

1-800-496-3024

http://www.CannabisClinicsAZ.com

Former Athletes and Medical Cannabis, Dr. Christine Strong

Every week I see patients who have a history of playing football or basketball. Some of them are in their early twenties and have been playing sports for over ten years. I wish I could send a message to all mothers of young boys. I would advise swimming, golf, tennis.

I think there should be mandatory warnings to all parents who sign up their kids to play dangerous sports.

A New Day

It’s been a while since I have posted. We are so busy at CPEC these days. It’s hard to believe it’s been four plus years since we began seeing patients.

I am personally proud to be helping patients. The testimonies have been nothing short of miraculous.

A patient today talked about how the use of medical cannabis has given him back his life.

I love you guys,
Dr. Strong

Marijuana and Nausea

Patients with anxiety disorder often suffer from nausea.  Either their medication or the anxious daily stress can cause upset stomach, nausea and vomiting.

Anxiety Disorder and Nausea, Marijuana

 

 

Can Medical Cannabis Cure cancer?

Can medical cannabis Cure cancer? Many experts are confirming it. Many lab research have been performed that shows good results and benefits. In fact plenty of research already exists to back up marijuana’s positive benefits in every aspect of everyday living.

Medical Marijuana has already being used many years ago because of its medical properties. It’s been heralded as  a “cure-all,” recognized due to its healing properties that not only  aid ease pain and also happen to be featured to be a potential  cancer treatment. Man make it illegal, but God didn’t. The link concerning  marijuana and cancer  happens to be up for controversy, but with using a specially made oil made out of the buds from the Cannabis Sativa plant, scientists proved the fact that plant’s main psychoactive chemical substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) eliminates any and all malignant cancer cell growths in many affected individuals.

Since 1996, marijuana advocates  have pushed for individual states to acknowledge marijuana to be a  remedy for a variety of health problems. This isn’t just marijuana and legalizing or decriminalizing it, it’s about getting in touch with individuals about why they’re caught up in a bubble in between fact and fiction. There’s no addictive substance in Marijuana to physically make a person need or want it. Over the years, state after state are legalizing marijuana, albeit for health-related applications only.

Harvard research reveals that THC actually stimulates naturally produced receptors to combat off cancer of the lung. Medical Marijuana has a lot of THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) — the substance responsible for the plant’s well known psychoactive effect — and low in CBD (cannabidiol) content. THC in medical cannabis may also be the solution for a lot of certain diseases as a substitute remedy rather than prescription drugs to fighting bad health. THC and CBD are well known for biomimetic to anandamide, that is, your body are able to use both interchangeably.

If a man decides to use cannabis, from the health point of view it appears to be the  best way to make use of it is to eat it (with some fat, as THC  is fat-soluble and does not dissolve in water). No affected individuals reported any type of negative side effects from the use of THC and based treatment – further increasing the advantages of medical marijuana and building up the positive link between marijuana and cancer.

Medical Cannabis for Mood Disorders

Happy Monday Everyone!

Cannabis is great for symptomatic treatment of mood disorders.  Patients with Nausea, Insomnia, Migraine Headache, loss of appetite, respond very well to using medical mj to alleviate symptoms.

And, the medication can be taken in the form of tincture, small hard candies, small chew candies, and vapor.

Much love,

Dr. Christine Strong