Next Time You See Your Physician..

[in vivo]

One nonthreatening way to promote awareness of cannabis is in a subtle and indirect way that doesn't require mentioning cannabis at all. All it takes is one question between patient and physician in regards to human physiology:

 

What do you know about the endocannabinoid system?

 

Physicians need to stay up to date on human anatomy and physiology in order for them to provide proper care for their patients. It's not their fault that more isn't being done to drum up awareness about the vital role that the ECS plays in health and disease. They need to know about this. They've likely never had the question posed to them. Rather than making a physician squeamish with a question they might view as a liability issue, maybe a more subtle question that will lead them to an understanding why cannabis is so therapeutic would be a more effective tactic.

 

Here's where I got this idea:

 

 

 

There are four other parts that are very informative as well.

Edited March 9, 2014 by in vivo

[pergamum362]

My doc thought marijuanna use was part of the cause of my problem. Not anymore. I wont mention his name but he is based in westland and worked for botsford for many years.

Edited March 9, 2014 by pergamum362

[pergamum362]

Stubborn phuck

[in vivo]

I played this conversation out in my head:

 

patient: What do you know about the ECS?

 

physician: Not much./Never heard of it. Why do you ask?/What is it?/What do you know about the ECS?

 

patient: Not much. (Only thing you want to say is it's what makes cannabis 'work'. Resist that.)

 

physician: mmmkay.. Good talk..

 

When I play this conversation out in my mind I feel as if asking the question is a good start, but in and of itself might not be intriguing enough for a physician to look into it later. We have to be ready to provide them with a 'carrot' in order to help lead them to where we're trying to get them to go (learning about the ECS). When the physician (or nurse) says that they've never heard of it, or heard very little, we have to be ready to provide them with a one to three sentence 'nugget of wisdom'. That statement can be found under the various qualifying conditions. Say you're in there for:

 

Pain:

 

I read the endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in the control of pain and inflammation.

 

Neurodegenerative:

 

I read the endocannabinoid system plays a significant role with slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases by controlling excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation.

 

GI:

 

I read the endocannabinoid system is implicated in gut homeostasis, modulating gastrointestinal motility, visceral sensation, inflammation, as well as IBD pathogenesis.

 

Seizures:

 

The endocannabinoid system modulates neuronal excitability, protects neurons against hyperexcitability, and can regulate seizure activity.

 

Cancer:

 

The endocannabinoid system modulates immune response and control of cancer cell proliferation.

 

Immune/Infectious Disorders:

 

The endocannabinoid system modulates immune phenomena associated with infection and inflammation. It modulate immune reactions in the periphery but also in the brain, influence T cell subset balance, and cytokine expression. it also modulates host resistance to bacterial, protozoan, and viral infections.

 

Psychiatric:

 

The endocannabinoid system in emotional homeostasis has been extensively investigated. Endocannabinoid signaling could be dysfunctional in a number of mental disorders.

 

 

 

I think if you ask this question, and have a good follow up statement prepared, that this could be an effective way to reach members within the medical community.

Edited March 9, 2014 by in vivo

[Spartyon]

Pergamum362 I live in the area could use a friendly doc?  Tried to im you says you cant receive any messages.

[Dr. Bob]

Always try and solve a problem for your doctor.  Find out what he would rather not be doing- writing large amounts of narcotics is one thing no doctor likes to do, and solve that problem.  

 

I've always told people that the quickest way to convince your doctor medical marijuana is effective is to show him/her you need less narcotic pain medication because you use it.

 

Dr. Bob

[trichcycler]

I'd hope my physician to be educated and open minded, to at least have been made aware of natural healing herbs in existence for a millennium, during his travels. If every prescription drug comes with awful undesired effects, some by far more detrimental to health than the possible benefit, how can a physician first do no harm when prescribing them I wonder. I didn't read that oath as "first compare the harms with the benefit" As one of the few and most famous herbal remedies known to have never injured patients, I'd hope cannabis was first on his list these days.

[phaquetoo]

I played this conversation out in my head:

 

 

 

When I play this conversation out in my mind I feel as if asking the question is a good start, but in and of itself might not be intriguing enough for a physician to look into it later. We have to be ready to provide them with a 'carrot' in order to help lead them to where we're trying to get them to go (learning about the ECS). When the physician (or nurse) says that they've never heard of it, or heard very little, we have to be ready to provide them with a one to three sentence 'nugget of wisdom'. That statement can be found under the various qualifying conditions. Say you're in there for:

 

Pain:

 

I read the endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in the control of pain and inflammation.

 

Neurodegenerative:

 

I read the endocannabinoid system plays a significant role with slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases by controlling excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation.

 

GI:

 

I read the endocannabinoid system is implicated in gut homeostasis, modulating gastrointestinal motility, visceral sensation, inflammation, as well as IBD pathogenesis.

 

Seizures:

 

The endocannabinoid system modulates neuronal excitability, protects neurons against hyperexcitability, and can regulate seizure activity.

 

Cancer:

 

The endocannabinoid system modulates immune response and control of cancer cell proliferation.

 

Immune/Infectious Disorders:

 

The endocannabinoid system modulates immune phenomena associated with infection and inflammation. It modulate immune reactions in the periphery but also in the brain, influence T cell subset balance, and cytokine expression. it also modulates host resistance to bacterial, protozoan, and viral infections.

 

Psychiatric:

 

The endocannabinoid system in emotional homeostasis has been extensively investigated. Endocannabinoid signaling could be dysfunctional in a number of mental disorders.

 

 

 

I think if you ask this question, and have a good follow up statement prepared, that this could be an effective way to reach members within the medical community.

How about a c.d or flash drives with all of that info on it?  So we can just give it to our dr.  Mine knows I use mm and she used to renew me, but they moved their office into st.marys and the m.d is on staff there now, so they no longer to rec's or renew's, it is not because they dont believe in it, it is because their property owner and the m.d's boss wont let them!

 

My dr. will give me meds if I ask for them even though she knows im using mm, she dont beleive mm is the cure all, and realy I dont either, but it sure makes pain and alot of other things easier!  Most of the narco's they write for chronic pain kinda work like mm, it is supposed to get in your spinal fluid and go to the brain and tell your body it isnt hurting, thats in hill billy words, yup!

Also like I have said before in the threads, I feel the mm way more if im on my old pain killers, but I want to live longer so I needed to get off of the narcotics to have a normal life!

 

Peace

[in vivo]

If I ever get the pdf's on my hd sorted properly, I'd be glad to share them. I'm not sure how, but I'd imagine there are places online that allow for large file transfers like that. It's an overwhelming amount of information. Rather than providing individual and specific articles, I'd recommend printing off:

 

The Endocannabinoid System as an Emerging Target of Pharmacotherapy

 

&

 

Cannabinoid receptors and their ligands: Beyond CB1 and CB2 

 

Those two articles are both comprehensive overviews of the ECS that would be a great introduction for anyone in the medical field (also in first post of ECS thread). The second would allow your physician to see some of the ways that opiate derivatives and cannabinoids interact, like the way you're describing. Thanks for bringing this up. Having these printed off and handing them to him will be much more effective than depending on them to follow up. 

 

In that video I think they also mention that they offer extended learning credits, and conferences, for those in the medical field. 

[phaquetoo]

No problem, and I guess if the dr's are not going to educate them selves we need to do what we can to educate them!

 

Peace

[Dr. Bob]

I'd hope my physician to be educated and open minded, to at least have been made aware of natural healing herbs in existence for a millennium, during his travels. If every prescription drug comes with awful undesired effects, some by far more detrimental to health than the possible benefit, how can a physician first do no harm when prescribing them I wonder. I didn't read that oath as "first compare the harms with the benefit" As one of the few and most famous herbal remedies known to have never injured patients, I'd hope cannabis was first on his list these days.

 

Doctors have a responsibility to do a risk/benefit evaluation of any therapy.  As I said, you have to convince them, especially if they are predisposed to not use herbal medicines.  Remember that you are not entitled to any therapy, that is a judgement call on the part of the doctor.  To make that call they need data/information.  Then their training and experience is used to evaluate what they want to do.

[+washtenaut]

The surplus dollars from the Michigan Medical Marijuana program should be directed into offering educational seminars or online training courses for physicians. 

 

Where else are they going to get their education about the benefits of cannabis?  Those weren't discussed much for most of today's doctors in medical school

[imiubu]

I asked my pcp on last visit what she knew about our ECS and she told me she had never heard of it.

 

We had a nice conversation about her doing some research.

I hope to find when I return in May that she has done so.