A Clinician's Guide to Cannabinoid Science


Book Description

This essential book provides the scientific context from peer-reviewed medical literature of the emerging area of cannabinoid science.




A Clinician's Guide to Cannabinoid Science


Book Description

Medical marijuana and the promise of medical advances with cannabinoids is a controversial topic. This book provides clinicians with credible, peer-reviewed science to advise patients on the use of cannabinoids in practice. From the history of cannabis to the recent discoveries, chapters include the science of cannabinoids, changes in the legal and regulatory landscape, and the emerging area of endocannabinoids. The book differentiates approved cannabinoids from cannabis and medical marijuana and stimulates clinicians to think about the risks and benefits of these two drugs. It provides the factual background for clinicians to lead the discussion on the continued use of marijuana, ongoing areas of research and future advances and development of new medications for treatment. An invaluable guide for all specialists in the pharmaceutical sciences, toxicologists, biochemists, neurologists, psychiatrists, addiction specialists, as well as primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and regulators and policymakers.




Cannabis


Book Description

Cannabis is one of the oldest cultivated plants dating back 12,000 years and demonstrates medicinal properties including immune support, anti-inflammatory effects, and cancer-fighting potential. As cannabis receives regulatory approval in the United States, clinicians will need guidelines to prescribe medical marijuana for various health conditions. This book presents information to healthcare professionals focusing on medical cannabis. It is a science-based overview providing clinical recommendations and dosing guidelines for practitioners to advise patients appropriately. Features: Discusses the endocannabinoid system role in homeostasis, pain control, and regulatory function in health and disease Advises clinicians on cannabis use in patients with cancer; cardiovascular, brain, and liver function; mood disorders; and patients receiving palliative care Includes information on cannabis nutrition as well as the cannabis microbiome Features information on cannabis quality control for safe and effective delivery Cannabis: A Clinician’s Guide is written for clinicians providing a resource guide to help them assess the medicinal value of cannabis, answer patient and consumer questions, and recommend its use optimally. The book is divided into three sections covering cannabis science, use in clinical practice, and regulations and standards. It includes practical information on dosing guidelines and dispensary insights, personal cannabis stories, and an in depth look at the nutritional benefits of cannabis and how to use it in daily life. From the Author: "As a clinical nutritionist, I have been involved in the use of cannabis since 1981 while researching diabetes in India. Ayurvedic medicine listed cannabis as a beneficial herb with curing properties. In 1983, a Chinese medicine doctor in the Peoples Republic of China gave me a cannabis herbal supplement for sleep that he claimed Chairman Mao took regularly. Upon returning to the United States, no one would even talk to me about cannabis because of its Schedule I status. During an Antioxidants class taught for Everglades University, I included information on cannabis, but was restricted from including it in the course description. Cannabis: A Clinician’s Guide unveils deceit on this herbal medicine used for thousands of years providing insight into the science behind its use and how to incorporate cannabis into daily life, especially for those suffering from neurological disorders, cancer, and mood disorders."




Handbook of Cannabis for Clinicians: Principles and Practice


Book Description

The first foundational text on the clinical use of cannabis and cannabinoid therapies. Despite thousands of years of medical use and an impressive record of safety, versatility, and efficacy, Cannabis sativa has existed outside the modern pharmacopeia since the 1940s. Primarily driven by popular demand, this botanical has returned to health care, but most clinicians lack the knowledge essential for identifying candidates for treatment, guiding patients, maximizing benefit, and minimizing harm. Dustin Sulak provides health care professionals—including physicians, psychologists, pharmacists, and nurses—with an accessible and evidence-based reference that empowers them to intelligently discuss cannabis with their patients and implement cannabis and cannabinoid therapies with confidence. Based on over a decade of clinical experience and an extensive review of the literature, this detailed and scientifically accurate guide includes the history of cannabis in medicine, the foundations of endocannabinoid physiology, the pharmacological effects of cannabis’ myriad active constituents, the clinical utility of its various preparations, and specific strategies and cautions for treating the most common conditions presenting to a cannabis clinician. This guide is an essential resource for practitioners of any specialty field or experience level who wish to improve their patients’ outcomes, harness the healing potential of the endocannabinoid system, and wield a powerful solution to many of healthcare’s challenges.




From Bud to Brain: A Psychiatrist's View of Marijuana


Book Description

The trend toward liberalizing medical and recreational marijuana use is increasing the obligation on clinicians to provide useful information to the public. This book summarizes the science all healthcare professionals need to know in order to provide objective and relevant information to a variety of patients, from recreational and medicinal users to those who use regularly, and to adolescents and worried parents. The author brings two and a half decades of studying cannabinoid research, and over forty years' experience in psychiatric and addiction medicine practice, to shed light on the interaction between marijuana and the brain. Topics range from how marijuana produces pleasurable sensations, relaxation and novelty (the 'high'), to emerging medical uses, effects of regular use, addiction, and policy. Principles of motivational interviewing are outlined to help clinicians engage patients in meaningful, non-judgmental conversations about their experiences with marijuana. An invaluable guide for physicians, nurses, psychologists, therapists, and counsellors.




Medicinal Cannabis and CBD in Mental Healthcare


Book Description

This book functions as a clinician’s guide to the use of cannabidiol (CBD) in the treatment of mental health conditions. It conveys the scientific evidence of efficacy of CBD as well as THC and addresses the social stigma attached to its medical use. The book describes the endocannabinoid system, how stress and the endocannabinoid system interact and key constituents, pharmacokinetics and safety aspects of medicinal cannabis, focusing on CBD and THC. Chapters on specific mental health conditions describe the underpinning pathomechanisms including how the endocannabinoid system is involved, and summarises the scientific evidence including animal and human research for the use of CBD and THC in treatment of such conditions. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, Alzheimer's Disease and autism spectrum disorder. Chapters also discuss treatment guidelines and case studies. Unique and focused, Medicinal Cannabis and CBD in Mental Healthcare is an invaluable reference for medical practitioners seeking to adopt CBD-use in their treatment plans.




Cannabis Pharmacy


Book Description

The most comprehensive and approachable book available on understanding and using medical marijuana. Revised and updated with the latest information on varietals, delivery, dosing, and treatable conditions, Cannabis Pharmacy is "a well-designed and -illustrated and easy-to-use resource"(Booklist) for those considering medical marijuana as a treatment option. In Cannabis Pharmacy, expert Michael Backes offers evidence-based information on using cannabis to treat an array of ailments and conditions. He provides information on how cannabis works with the body's own system, how best to prepare and administer it, and how to modify and control dosage. This newly revised edition is now completely up-to-date with the latest information on the body's endocannabinoid system, which is understood to control emotion, appetite, and memory. Delivery methods including e-cigarette and vape designs are also covered here, along with information on additional varietals and a new system for classification. Cannabis Pharmacy covers more than 50 ailments and conditions, including anxiety, ADHD, Depression, Gastrointestinal disorders, Insomnia, Menopause, Migraine, Pain, PTSD, and more, that can be alleviated with marijuana.




The Science of Medical Cannabis


Book Description

The cultural, scientific and legislative divide created by vigorous debates over the legalization of medical marijuana is giving way to a new synergy among community stakeholders across the United States. The goal is to improve access to medical marijuana for patients with refractory debilitating neurological disorders, cancer, and chronic pain as an alternative to ineffective pharmacotherapy and potentially addictive pain medications. The ultimate test of our nations resolve to ensure the welfare of our sickest patients is the enactment and implement of effective public health reform in the area of medical marijuana, also known as medical cannabis.This book evolved out of the present need for a definitive volume on the science and public health aspects of medical cannabis to fuel this national narrative. The ethnographic research presented in the concluding chapter was inspired by Professor Miriam W. Boeri and colleagues, at Bentley University in Waltham, MA. They examined views of community stakeholders including medical marijuana dispensary entrepreneurs, health care professionals, and patients in a state that legalized medical marijuana in 2013, yet there continued to be confusion and misunderstandings in the interpretation and implementation of medical marijuana guidelines during the period of policy shifts. Apparent gaps in policy development and implementation signaled the urgency for a comparison study addressing stakeholder views in New York State, where its medical marijuana program has legally dispensed the drug since 2014. The resulting pilot study was carried out in the Division of Health Policy and Management of the City University of New York School of Public Health. The research model incorporated ethnographic and grounded methodologies to detail the views of physicians, pharmacists, educators, patients, and entrepreneur stakeholders; with triangulation of data and application of dominant themes into a socioecological framework model to identify areas of public health policy reform. The findings of this study detail that New York, like other states that recently legalized the dispensation of medical marijuana, faces challenges beyond policy transparency, communication and education explicitly to improve the implementation process for applying and registering medical cannabis dispensaries, referring physicians, and qualified patient recipients.Ken Langone, Chairman of the Board of New York University Langone Health, and Steven Galetta, Chair of Neurology in the School of Medicine, where the authors is senior staff in neuroepidemiology, motivated him to pursue doctoral training in Health Policy and Management. The author has had the good fortune of interacting with thought-provoking medical students, neurology trainees, public health doctoral students, and professors who reinforce the high ethical standards in medical and public health practice and research. However, his patients still educate him in empathy and humanity. The author is grateful to his family, including his spouse Holly and sons Adam and Seth, who serve as his daily compass, encouraging him to take on projects that promote core values of medicine and humanity.




Marijuana and Madness


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the psychiatry and neuroscience of Cannabis sativa (marijuana), with particular emphasis on psychotic disorders. It outlines developments in our understanding of the human cannabinoid system, and links this knowledge to clinical and epidemiological facts about the impact of cannabis on mental health. Clinically focused chapters review not only the direct psychomimetic properties of cannabis, but also the impact consumption has on the courses of evolving or established mental illness such as schizophrenia. A number of controversial issues are critically explored, including whether a discrete 'cannabis psychosis' exists, and whether cannabis can actually cause schizophrenia. Effects of cannabis on mood, notably depression, are reviewed, as are its effects on cognition. This book will be of interest to all members of the mental health team, as well as to neuroscientists and those involved in drug and alcohol research.




Cannabis as Medicine


Book Description

For hundreds of years cannabis has been used as a therapeutic medicine around the world. Cannabis was an accepted medicine during the second half of the 19th century, but its use declined because single agent pain medications were advocated by physicians who demanded standardization of medicines. It was not until 1964 when the chemical structure of THC (delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol) was elucidated and its pharmacological effects began to be understood. Numerous therapeutic effects of cannabis have been reviewed, but cannabis-based medicines are still an enigma because of legal issues. Many patients could benefit from cannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids found in Cannabis sativa L. These patients suffer from medical conditions including chronic pain, chronic inflammatory diseases, neurological disorders, and other debilitating illnesses. As more states are legalizing medical cannabis, prescribers need a reliable source which provides clinical information in a succinct format. This book focuses on the science of cannabis as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplement. It discusses cannabis uses in the human body for bone health/osteoporosis; brain injury and trauma; cancer; diabetes; gastrointestinal conditions; mental health disorders; insomnia; pain; anxiety disorders; depression; migraines; eye disorders; and arthritis and inflammation. There is emphasis on using the whole plant — from root to raw leaves and flowers discussing strains, extraction and analysis, and use of cannabis-infused edibles. Features: Provides an understanding of the botanical and biochemistry behind cannabis as well as its use as a dietary supplement. Discusses endocannabinoid system and cannabinoid receptors. Includes information on antioxidant benefits, pain receptors using cannabinoids, and dosage guidelines. Presents research on cannabis treatment plans, drug-cannabis interactions and dosing issues, cannabis vapes, edibles, creams, and suppositories. Multiple appendices including a glossary of cannabis vocabulary, how to use cannabis products, a patient guide and recipes as well as information on cannabis for pets.