1. The first is to INGEST IT in edible form.  Basically patients can mix the plant and make a cannabutter that is used to cook with.  I have seen some collectives offer it in tincture form in pill caps.  I have seen soda’s and teas.

The problem with ingesting cannabis is that is is VERY UNPREDICTABLE.  Patients can ingest something and not feel the effects for 30 minutes or 3 hours.  When it does hit their system it may be 10X the dose they need or 1/10th the dose they need.   It can create some very uncomfortable experiences for patients who ingest too much at once.

Secondly, edibles are not regulated by ANYONE.   Pretty much you have no idea who is making them, whether or not they have a clean kitchen or even if they wash their hands.   So there are concerns about bacterial, fungal and other contamination.   I WOULD STRONGLY ADVICE NOT PURCHASING EDIBLES AT ALL.   If you are dead set on using them learn how to make them yourself.

2. The second way is to INHALE the medication.  This is preferred because it makes it very easy to determine how much you need.  It will hit your system within minutes and it is very easy to titrate the dose.        You will be much less likely to use too much if you go this route.

Now traditionally people inhaled by smoking the plant.  They actually burn the plant (joint, pipe, water bong etc) leaf itself and inhale the medicine in addition to the by products of combustion which are Carbon Monoxide (deadly), PAH compounds (carcinogenic) and the ash which deposits in the airways of your lungs.  ALL BAD!

However you can eliminate the smoke by using a VAPORIZER.  They allow you to inhale just the medicine without burning the leaf which in turn has NO SMOKE, VERY LITTLE ODOR, and is MORE EFFICIENT.  So you won’t stink, your clothes won’t stink and you neighbors aren’t going to know you medicate with cannabis.   So it is much more private.   You can smell a patient who has been smoking a mile away.

The reason why vaporization works is because all of the medically active ingredients in the cannabis plant on are the surface in glands which the plant secretes.  They are stored in little capsules called Trichomes.  These crystals are dotted all over the surface of the leaf.   SO THERE ARE NO MEDICALLY ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN THE PLANT LEAF ITSELF (that we know of).  All the medicine is on the surface.   These trichomes will evaporate at a lower temperature than when you burn it.   Approximately 360 degrees fahrenheit.

So what a vaporizer does is heat the plant to 360 degrees (in that range) where the trichomes evaporate allowing you to inhale them… without burning the leaf itself.  SMOKE FREE MEDICINE!

This obviously creates a huge advantage for patients.   I have many patients who suffer from asthma, COPD, or have cancer and can not smoke anything.  They can inhale without coughing, wheezing or feeling that burning sensation in their lungs when they medicate.   It is simply like inhaling a warm breath of fresh air.

If you are a physician reading this I would encourage you to educate yourself on vaporizing so that if your patients ask you about using medical marijuana you can at least give them some basic guidance about how to medicate.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A VAPORIZER PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE AT 877-721-0047 AND WE CAN ASSIST YOU WITH GETTING ON AT A VERY GOOD PRICE AND DISCOUNT.

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Medical Marijuana; Eliminating the Smoke is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog

Elderly patients have to specifically be careful about falls.  Every day elderly patients fall and break their hips.  This leads to significant morbidity and mortality.  Hospitalization, infection and other complications can throw an otherwise “healthy” patient into an absolutely tailspin.  Patients should be cautioned about going up and down flight of stairs.   Waking up at night to use the restroom can be challenging for elderly patients because their balance is off when medicated.    This not only applies to elderly but all patients.

Patients should not drive or operate heavy machinery period.  I can not tell you how many people I hear say that people drive better under the influence of marijuana.   I would disagree.  Cannabis clearly affects reaction times and depth perception.   These two factors alone make a driver under the influence more dangerous on the road.

Other safety issues become general sedation.   Certainly patients can fall asleep while cooking or start a fire when medicating (not unlike cigarette smokers)  Parents should take extra caution to make sure that if they are the sole parent that they do not medicate until there is another adult at home.   I have known in two cases where Child Protective Services (CPS) have removed children from environments where parents were medicating “putting their children in danger”.

Certainly patients should not engage in physical activity that requires balance and full concentration.   I have seen the outcome of people medicating prior to surfing… and it’s not good.

Although many of these things seem obvious and common sense bullet points… we all know that there is nothing common about common sense.  Most people use good judgement but there are enough people who show they have no capacity to use good judgement.

Risks of Using Medical Marijuana is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog

In 1992, self reported cannabis use during pregnancy was 2.9% of pregnant women.  However some studies found use to be between 10-16% in middle class samples and 23-30% in inner-city populations.

The major study that I found was the Ottawa Prenatal Prospective Study (OPPS) which looked at cannabis use in 682 women in Ottawa Canada.

Studies during pregnancy are obviously limited by the small amount of people but this is what they found thus far (keep in my we often in medicine think medications are safe only to find out that they are in fact dangerous)

Cannabis’ impact on the overall course of pregnancy:

- reduction in gestational age by 1 week; increase in the frequency of contractions. Possible association with pre-term delivery. No physical abnormalities were found at birth.  Heavy use was associated with ocular hypertention and severe epicanthus.

-low protein diets made the adverse effects of cannabis more pronounced.

Cannabis’ impact on growth and neonatal and infant behavior:

-infants have shown to have smaller head circumference.   Visual habituation is affected.   Prolonged startle response and resting tremors similar to patients undergoing opioid withdrawal.

Cannabis’ impact on adolescents:

-decrease in the ability to accomplish goal oriented tasks.

Based on the clinical research that has been completed I would strongly advise against medicating with cannabis during pregnancy.

Marijuana Use and Pregnancy; Research Review is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog

What is interesting is that researches found that patients do not have to get high in order to get pain relief.   They found that cannabis used in smaller amounts was just as effective as patients who took larger doses.

These findings are very significant as many patients do not want to lose any of their mental faculties when they are medicating for pain relief. Patients can vaporize in small doses and still be able to function.

If you would like to read about these studies you can visit UCSD’s website at http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/

If you suffer from chronic pain and would like to see if cannabis can improve the quality of your life feel free to give us a call at 877-721-0047 or visit my website at www.mcsocal.com

I look forward to taking care of you.

Respectfully,

Dr. Breen

Marijuana and Chronic Pain Research: Small doses effective. is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog

1.  Because cannabis is psychoactive, meaning it affects a patients judgement, balance, perception, coordination and cognitive functions like concentration and short term memory, there are risks inherently associated with its use.  For example, elderly patients who use cannabis have to be extremely careful when using cannabis.  They can lose their balance, fall and fracture their hip or other bones.  Patients who use cannabis and drive are more susceptible to accidents.  I often tell my patients “‘just because no one has overdosed doesn’t mean you can’t lose you balance and fall down a flight of stairs and break your neck.”  So that is the first and most important risk associated with using cannabis.  That risk can be reduced by taking basic safety precautions.

2. Cannabis can speed up your heart rate (medically termed tachycardia).  Have you ever used cannabis and felt like your heart was racing?  If so it is because cannabis has what is referred to as anti-cholinergic affects on the body and can seep up your heart rate.   This is a concern if patients have had a significant cardiac history such as a heart attack or stroke.    I always ask my patients that have cardiac histories if they currently exercise at all.  If so then the risk is limited, but certainly something to consider.

3.  Cannabis should not be used with other central nervous system depressants like alcohol and benzodiazepines such as Xanax/Valium and because of the increased risks associated with compounding the psychoactive effects of the medication.

4. If you speak with addiction specialists who treat patients who have been using cannabis chronically for long periods of time they often describe a syndrome where patients lack motivation and have a general apathetic mood.  This is certainly concerning if people are truly not reaching the full potential of what God intended for them.

Overall, cannabis is a much safer drug then the majority of medications that patients take for pain, anxiety, sleep etc. but I just wanted to share some of what I think are the real risks associated with its use.

If you would like more information on the medicinal use of cannabis please feel free to visit our website at www.MCSoCal.com  You can pre-qualify for free online from the comfort of your home.  Our clinics are located in Encinitas, Irvine and Long Beach.   877-721-0047

Limiting Risks Associated with Marijuana (Cannabis) Use is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog