3 Studies That Show Cannabis Grows Brain Cells

It is cannabinoid based thus will never make it past our idiotic federal legislators having marijuana as a Class I drug.  I bet you have to go to Europe to try it. But ask your doctor how to take advantage of this. Bet you don't get an answer. 

 

3 Studies That Show Cannabis Grows Brain Cells

Abstract
Cannabidiol (CBD), the main non-psychotomimetic component of the plant Cannabis sativa, exerts therapeutically promising effects on human mental health such as inhibition of psychosis, anxiety and depression.
However, the mechanistic bases of CBD action are unclear.
Here we investigate the potential involvement of hippocampal neurogenesis in the anxiolytic effect of CBD in mice subjected to 14 d chronic unpredictable stress (CUS).
Repeated administration of CBD (30 mg/kg i.p., 2 h after each daily stressor) increased hippocampal progenitor proliferation and neurogenesis in wild-type mice. …
CBD administration prevented the anxiogenic effect of CUS in wild type but not in GFAP-TK mice as evidenced in the novelty suppressed feeding test and the elevated plus maze.
This anxiolytic effect of CBD involved the participation of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor, as CBD administration increased hippocampal anandamide levels and administration of the CB1–selective antagonist AM251 prevented CBD actions.
Studies conducted with hippocampal progenitor cells in culture showed that CBD promotes progenitor proliferation and cell cycle progression and mimics the proliferative effect of CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptor activation. …
These findings support that the anxiolytic effect of chronic CBD administration in stressed mice depends on its proneurogenic action in the adult hippocampus by facilitating endocannabinoid-mediated signalling.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8930251

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PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science)
May 2013
Activation of Type 1 Cannabinoid Receptor (CB1R) Promotes Neurogenesis in Murine Subventricular Zone Cell Cultures
Abstract
The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the modulation of adult neurogenesis.
Here, we describe the effect of type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) activation on self-renewal, proliferation and neuronal differentiation in mouse neonatal subventricular zone (SVZ) stem/progenitor cell cultures.
Expression of CB1R was detected in SVZ-derived immature cells (Nestin-positive), neurons and astrocytes.
Stimulation of the CB1R … increased self-renewal of SVZ cells, as assessed by counting the number of secondary neurospheres … Moreover, … treatment for 48 h, increased proliferation …
Surprisingly, stimulation of CB1R … also promoted neuronal differentiation (without affecting glial differentiation), at 7 days, as shown by counting the number of NeuN-positive neurons in the cultures.
Moreover, by … a method that allows the functional evaluation of neuronal differentiation, we observed an increase in neuronal-like cells.
This proneurogenic effect was blocked when SVZ cells were co-incubated with … the CB1R antagonist AM 251, for 7 days, thus indicating that this effect involves CB1R activation.
In accordance with an effect on neuronal differentiation and maturation … also increased neurite growth …
Taken together, these results demonstrate that CB1R activation induces proliferation, self-renewal and neuronal differentiation from mouse neonatal SVZ cell cultures.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi/10.1371/journal.pone.0063529

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The Journal of Clinical Investigation
November 2005
Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects
Abstract
The hippocampal dentate gyrus in the adult mammalian brain contains neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) capable of generating new neurons, i.e., neurogenesis.
Most drugs of abuse examined to date decrease adult hippocampal neurogenesis, but the effects of cannabis (marijuana or cannabinoids) on hippocampal neurogenesis remain unknown.
This study aimed at investigating the potential regulatory capacity of the potent synthetic cannabinoid HU210 on hippocampal neurogenesis and its possible correlation with behavioral change.
We show that both embryonic and adult rat hippocampal NS/PCs are immunoreactive for CB1 cannabinoid receptors, indicating that cannabinoids could act on CB1 receptors to regulate neurogenesis.
This hypothesis is supported by further findings that HU210 promotes proliferation, but not differentiation, of cultured embryonic hippocampal NS/PCs likely via a sequential activation of CB1 receptors …
Chronic, but not acute, HU210 treatment promoted neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adult rats and exerted anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects.
… suggesting that chronic HU210 treatment produces anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects likely via promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis.

Herbal and dietary supplements often mislabeled

What do you expect when the fucking stupidity of the US Congress passes the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA): (DSHEA) defined dietary supplements as a category of food, which put them under different regulations than drugs. They are considered safe until proven otherwise. Companies and profits are more important than consumers. 
https://www.mdlinx.com/family-medicine/top-medical-news/article/2017/10/25/7478530?

Reuters Health News

Product information on labels of most herbal and dietary supplements are inaccurate, according to research presented at The Liver Meeting, held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
Products used for body building and weight loss are most apt to be mislabeled, Dr. Victor Navarro from Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, and his colleagues found.
They did a chemical analysis of 203 herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) and compared the results to ingredients listed on the product labels.
Fewer than half of the products (90 of 203, 44%) had labels that accurately reflected their contents.
Based on the composition of the product, mislabeling occurred in 80% of products made principally of steroidal ingredients, 54% of those made principally of vitamin ingredients, and 48% of those made largely of botanical ingredients, the researchers say.
Products intended for bodybuilding, weight loss, energy boosters, and general health/well-being had mislabeling rates of 79%, 72%, 60%, and 51%, respectively.
Similar mislabeling rates were found in the 166 HDS products judged to be responsible for liver injury by investigators with the Drug Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN).
“What is novel in terms of actually testing products, is the extent of the mislabeling of over-the-counter supplements, which translates into significant health risks for consumers taking them,” Samantha Heller, registered dietitian and senior clinical nutritionist, NYU Langone Health, told Reuters Health by email.
“There are a high number of cases of liver injury due to dietary supplements that include hepatotoxicity, acute liver failure and subsequent death or transplantation, as well as nephrotoxicity,” said Heller, who was not involved in the study.
Heller said the message is clear. “Don’t bother taking any dietary supplement that claims to promote fast weight loss, build muscle, detox or cleanse the body, boost brain power, cure disease, or offer other miraculous results. At this time there is no scientific evidence to support any of these claims. Consumers’ money is better spent on a fitness center membership, seeing a registered dietitian for evidence-based nutritional guidance, adopting healthy lifestyle habits, and getting a massage.”
The study had no funding, and the authors have no relevant disclosures.

Cannabinoids as Regulators of Neural Development and Adult Neurogenesis

It is cannabinoid based thus will never make it past our idiotic federal legislators having marijuana as a Class I drug.  I bet you have to go to Europe to try it. But ask your doctor how to take advantage of this. Bet you don't get an answer. 
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-49343-5_6

• Alline C. Campos 
• , Juan Paraíso-Luna
• , Manoela V. Fogaça
• , Francisco S. Guimarães
• , Ismael Galve-Roperh

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Abstract

Neurogenesis plays an indispensable role in the formation of the nervous system during development. The discovery that the adult brain still maintains neurogenic niches that allow the continued production of new cells after birth has changed the field of neuroscience. It has also opened a new venue of opportunities for the treatment of central nervous system disorders related to neuronal loss. This chapter has reviewed the studies showing that genetic or pharmacological manipulation of cannabinoid receptors (CB₁ and CB₂) or the enzymes responsible for endocannabinoid metabolism modify/regulate cell proliferation and neurogenesis during development and in the adult brain. A better characterization of the mechanisms involved in these effects could contribute to the development of new therapeutic alternatives to neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.

United States Files Consent Decree of Permanent Injunction Against California Dietary Supplement Manufacturer to Stop Distribution of Adulterated and Misbranded Dietary Supplements

Be careful out there, you have no clue what is in those supplements you take. And if our fuckingly stupid federal legislators hadn't passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA): (DSHEA) defined dietary supplements as a category of food, which put them under different regulations than drugs. They are considered safe until proven otherwise. Caveat Emptor. This recalls the patent medicines in the 18th and 19th centuries. It took the  Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 to reign these in.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-files-consent-decree-permanent-injunction-against-california-dietary-supplement

Company Failed to Follow Good Manufacturing Practices and Distributed Dietary Supplements Containing the Unsafe Food Additive “DMAA”

The Department of Justice filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking a permanent injunction against VivaCeuticals Inc., doing business as Regeneca Worldwide, and its CEO Matthew A. Nicosia, to prevent violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Defendants have agreed to cease all operations as part of a settlement with the Department.

According to the complaint, which was filed by the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, the defendants violated the FDCA by failing to manufacture dietary supplements in accordance with the FDA’s current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations. The complaint also alleges that the defendants violated the FDCA by manufacturing and distributing a product called RegeneSlim Appetite Control (RegeneSlim), which contained the unsafe food additive 1, 3 dimethylamylamine (DMAA), and failing to disclose the presence of DMAA in RegeneSlim’s labeling. The complaint further alleges that the defendants violated the FDCA by marketing RegeneSlim to be used in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease, thereby causing RegeneSlim to be an unapproved new drug and a misbranded drug.

The government’s enforcement action resulted from a series of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections of the defendants’ manufacturing facility that found recurring FDCA violations of the same nature as those alleged in the complaint, and which the defendants failed to correct despite FDA warnings.

“When dietary supplement manufacturers place unsafe and undisclosed ingredients in their products and disregard CGMP regulations, they put the public health at risk,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work closely with the FDA to prevent dietary supplement manufacturers from jeopardizing public health.”

In conjunction with the filing of the complaint, the defendants agreed to settle the litigation through a consent decree that would permanently prohibit them from committing violations of the FDCA. The consent decree requires the defendants to cease all operations, and requires that if the defendants wish to resume manufacturing dietary supplements or drugs in the future, the FDA first must determine that the defendants’ manufacturing practices have come into compliance with the law. The proposed decree is currently awaiting judicial approval.

This matter was handled by Trial Attorneys Clint Narver and Monica Groat of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, with assistance from Claudia Zuckerman of the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

Cannabis use not associated with stroke risk in young adults

Well duh, this was so obvious that the smoking was the problem, not the cannabis. But the damage was done, our stupid federal legislators will not remember the corrected headlines. They prefer to remember 'Reefer Madness'. I will assume that over 45 years of age would have the same negative correlation.

My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke.  

But don't listen to me, I have absolutely no medical training.

Your Mom and Grandmother need to be screaming in their faces that marijuana is useful for stroke rehab, so get the fuck out of the way.
http://www.healio.com/cardiology/stroke/news/online/%7B791de373-10b4-44f9-bcf3-262bdf2ff051%7D/cannabis-use-not-associated-with-stroke-risk-in-young-adults?
Cannabis use in young adulthood was not associated with incidence of stroke in adults younger than 60 years, according to new data.

However, tobacco smoking had a significant dose-response relationship with stroke risk.
“Recently, a growing body of research has linked cannabis use to stroke, particularly to those occurring before 45 years of age,” Daniel Falkstedt, PhD, of the department of public health sciences at the Karolinska Institutet, and colleagues wrote. “It seems cannabis-associated strokes usually occur in chronic or current cannabis users who also smoke tobacco, either in combination with or immediately after cannabis use.”
Falkstedt and colleagues studied Swedish men (n = 49,321) who were conscripted into military services in 1969-1970 at age 18 to 20 years. Cannabis, tobacco and alcohol use were assessed at baseline. Stroke incidence was obtained from national databases until age 59 years.
During the follow-up period, 1,037 strokes occurred, 192 of which happened at age 45 years or younger.
Factors that were significantly more common in men with stroke before age 60 years included: parental history of CVD, being overweight, low cardiorespiratory fitness, low socioeconomic position in childhood, short schooling, heavy smoking and high alcohol consumption.
According to data, heavy cannabis use (> 50 times) in young adulthood showed no association with stroke incidence at age 45 years or younger (HR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.34-2.57) or up to age 60 years (HR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.59-1.53) in multivariable models.
In crude models, the risk for ischemic stroke during the follow-up period for participants with heavy cannabis use was almost two times higher compared with nonusers. However, a dose-response shaped association with ischemic stroke was seen only with tobacco use and not alcohol or cannabis use, and the risk for ischemic stroke with heavy cannabis use was attenuated after adjustment for tobacco use (HR = 1.47; 95% CI, 0.83-2.56).
Smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day was associated with stroke at age 45 years or younger (HR = 5.04; 95% CI, 2.8-9.06) and with stroke up to age 60 years (HR = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.61-2.88), according to the researchers.
“We have expanded current knowledge by examining cannabis use in young adulthood in relation to the subsequent risk of stroke in a large population-based cohort,” Falkstedt and colleagues wrote. “We found no evident association between cannabis use and stroke, including stroke before 45 years of age. Tobacco smoking, however, showed a clear, dose-response shaped association with stroke across multivariable models.” – by Cassie Homer

Cannabinoid Type-2 Receptor Drives Neurogenesis and Improves Functional Outcome After Stroke

We will never get this in the United States until all our stupid federal legislators are replaced with intelligent persons that aren't scared of 'Reefer Madness'. You better plan on traveling to more enlightened countries for research and recovery.
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/48/1/204?etoc=

Isabel Bravo-Ferrer, María I. Cuartero, Juan G. Zarruk, Jesús M. Pradillo, Olivia Hurtado, Víctor G. Romera, Javier Díaz-Alonso, Juan M. García-Segura, Manuel Guzmán, Ignacio Lizasoain, Ismael Galve-Roperh, María A. Moro

https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.014793

Stroke. 2017;48:204-212

Originally published November 29, 2016

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Abstract

Background and Purpose—Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability characterized by physical, cognitive, and emotional disturbances. Unfortunately, pharmacological options are scarce. The cannabinoid type-2 receptor (CB2R) is neuroprotective in acute experimental stroke by anti-inflammatory mechanisms. However, its role in chronic stroke is still unknown.

Methods—Stroke was induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice; CB2R modulation was assessed by administering the CB2R agonist JWH133 ((6aR,10aR)-3-(1,1-dimethylbutyl)-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydro-6,6,9-trimethyl-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran) or the CB2R antagonist SR144528 (N-[(1S)-endo-1,3,3-trimethylbicyclo-[2.2.1]-heptan-2-yl]-5-(4-chloro-3-methylphenyl)-1-(4-methylbenzyl)-pyrazole-3-carboxamide) once daily from day 3 to the end of the experiment or by CB2R genetic deletion. Analysis of immunofluorescence-labeled brain sections, 5-bromo-2´-deoxyuridine (BrdU) staining, fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis of brain cell suspensions, and behavioral tests were performed.

Results—SR144528 decreased neuroblast migration toward the boundary of the infarct area when compared with vehicle-treated mice 14 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Consistently, mice on this pharmacological treatment, like mice with CB2R genetic deletion, displayed a lower number of new neurons (NeuN⁺/BrdU⁺ cells) in peri-infarct cortex 28 days after stroke when compared with vehicle-treated group, an effect accompanied by a worse sensorimotor performance in behavioral tests. The CB2R agonist did not affect neurogenesis or outcome in vivo, but increased the migration of neural progenitor cells in vitro; the CB2R antagonist alone did not affect in vitro migration.

Conclusions—Our data support that CB2R is fundamental for driving neuroblast migration and suggest that an endocannabinoid tone is required for poststroke neurogenesis by promoting neuroblast migration toward the injured brain tissue, increasing the number of new cortical neurons and, conceivably, enhancing motor functional recovery after stroke.

Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health awarded $1M state grant - Abington, Pennsylvania

What the fuck, buildings don't deliver stroke recovery results. Provide results first then upgrade buildings. The legislators don't understand cause and effect either. This grant does nothing to improve proven stroke recovery. The grant should only have been provided after they proved they improved stroke recovery results. You don't give money out before proof exists it came be successfully used.
http://www.montgomerynews.com/timeschronicle/news/abington-hospital-jefferson-health-awarded-m-state-grant/article_15a80d93-965a-55a2-86d1-51fba7143800.html
ABINGTON >> There’s nothing like a $1 million shot in the arm to put smiles on the faces of the medical care professionals at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health.
The hospital received a $1 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant toward renovation of the Acute Rehabilitation Unit and Diamond Stroke Center in the Widener Building during a ceremonial check presentation Dec. 8.
The hospital learned in October it had obtained the grant, which is intended to provide economic stimulus and create jobs, according to a letter announcing the award. (not recovery results)
Work to refurbish the neurological service and stroke rehab units on the hospital’s main campus began in March of this year and is almost complete, with patients already utilizing the upgraded space, according to grants officer Monica Simon. Widener, built in 1983, “needed an overhaul,” she said.
Meg McGoldrick, president of the hospital, said the grant was “a tremendous help.” The event was set up “to formally thank you,” she told state Sen. Art Haywood, D-4, and state Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-153, who helped secure the funding.
One of 5,000 acute care hospitals in the country, Abington is one of fewer than 700 with a comprehensive stroke center, she said, noting the Diamond Stroke Center serves 1,000 patients a year.
“I know how high-quality stroke care can save lives and give [patients] new life,” Haywood said, noting his mother, who lives in Ohio, is a stroke victim who was able to go home after treatment. “I have a real appreciation for any kind of stroke intervention.”
Grants are good for both health and the economy, he said, and praised both Dean and the hospital for their leadership, which “is critical to getting things done.”
Dean also thanked hospital administrators for their leadership.
“The government needs to serve a roll in partnering, but our part is small,” she said. “It is hard to fight for these dollars, but we need to pay attention to these important projects.

“Really the thanks goes to you for your investment in our community.”
The renovation project, estimated at $4,348,000, encompasses approximately 20,200 square feet of space. It includes replacement of the original, more than 30-year-old HVAC system to improve temperature and temperature controls in both units.
The 9,600-square-foot, 28-bed Diamond Stroke Center has an improved layout with multiple nursing stations and charting rooms to improve a nurse’s ability to rapidly respond to and care for the most fragile patients, according to a hospital fact sheet. Windows and shades were replaced, bathrooms remodeled, lighting and temperature controls improved and a nursing call system installed.
The Diamond Stroke Center, established 30 years ago to align critical hospital resources for emergency stroke intervention and follow-up, has earned advanced certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center from The Joint Commission and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association — a distinction given to only seven Pennsylvania hospitals, the fact sheet says. It was also the first state stroke center to be awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission and received the AHA/ASA Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award for stroke quality-of-care.
Renovation of the 10,600-square-foot, 23-bed Acute Rehabilitation Unit includes construction of a spacious dining facility and an Activities for Daily Living suite, new windows and shades, improved lighting and temperature control, bathroom renovations to better accommodate rehab patients, installation of a nurse call system and improvements to the physical therapy and occupational therapy gyms, the fact sheet states.
In addition to 24-hour care, the unit provides physical therapy, speech language pathology, rehabilitation care coordinators, occupational therapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians and physical medicine and rehabilitation nursing.

Study finds abnormally low blood flow in the brain of marijuana users

 It is vastly more likely that people with low blood flow are self-treating themselves with marijuana to feel better. Taken from neuropsychiatric clinics which pretty much proves my point.  These doctors need to learn about cause and effect.  This all probably part of a concerted effort by the drug industry to prevent a non-patentable drug from entering the marketplace. Over 500,000 stroke survivors a year in the US could be treated better with marijuana.  Don't fall for these negative articles.

My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke.  

But don't listen to me, I have absolutely no medical training. You are going to have to figure out how to dose yourself since your doctor will know nothing and no one will do translational research until our fucking federal legislators legalize it.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20161128/Study-finds-abnormally-low-blood-flow-in-the-brain-of-marijuana-users.aspx

As the U.S. races to legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational use, a new, large scale brain imaging study gives reason for caution. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, researchers using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), a sophisticated imaging study that evaluates blood flow and activity patterns, demonstrated abnormally low blood flow in virtually every area of the brain studies in nearly 1,000  marijuana compared to healthy controls, including areas known to be affected by Alzheimer's pathology such as the hippocampus.
Hippocampus, the brain's key memory and learning center, has the lowest blood flow in marijuana users suggesting higher vulnerability to Alzheimer's. As the U.S. races to legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational use, a new, large scale brain imaging study gives reason for caution. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, researchers using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), a sophisticated imaging study that evaluates blood flow and activity patterns, demonstrated abnormally low blood flow in virtually every area of the brain studies in nearly 1,000 marijuana compared to healthy controls, including areas known to be affected by Alzheimer's pathology such as the hippocampus.
All datawere obtained for analysis from a large multisite database, involving 26,268 patients who came for evaluation of complex, treatment resistant issues to one of nine outpatient neuropsychiatric clinics across the United States (Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fairfield, and Brisbane, CA, Tacoma and Bellevue, WA, Reston, VA, Atlanta, GA and New York, NY) between 1995-2015. Of these, 982 current or former marijuana users had brain SPECT at rest and during a mental concentration task compared to almost 100 healhty controls. Predictive analytics with discriminant analysis was done to determine if brain SPECT regions can distinguish marijuana user brains from controls brain. Low blood flow in the hippocampus in marijuana users reliably distinguished marijuana users from controls. The right hippocampus during a concentration task was the single most predictive region in distinguishing marijuana users from their normal counterparts. Marijuana use is thought to interfere with memory formation by inhibiting activity in this part of the brain.

According to one of the co-authors on the study Elisabeth Jorandby, M.D., "As a physician who routinely sees marijuana users,  what struck me was not only the global reduction in blood flow in the marijuana users brains , but that the hippocampus was the most affected region due to its role in memory and Alzheimer's disease.  Our research has proven that marijuana users have lower cerebral blood flow than non-users. Second, the most predictive region separating these two groups is low blood flow in the hippocampus on concentration brain SPECT imaging. This work suggests that marijuana use has damaging influences in the brain - particularly regions important in memory and learning and known to be affected by Alzheimer's."
Dr. George Perry, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease said, "Open use of marijuana, through legalization, will reveal the wide range of marijuana's benefits and threats to human health.  This study indicates troubling effects on the hippocampus that may be the harbingers of brain damage."
According to Daniel Amen, M.D., Founder of Amen Clinics, "Our research demonstrates that marijuana can have significant negative effects on brain function. The media has given the general impression that marijuana is a safe recreational drug, this research directly challenges that notion.  In another new study just released, researchers showed that marijuana use tripled the risk of psychosis. Caution is clearly in order."

Source:

IOS Press

This animated map shows where marijuana is legal in the US

For those of us in flyover land we will have very long drives to get legal marijuana,. I wouldn't trust trying to take it on a plane, drug dogs and all. Medical marijuana is useless, have yet to see any state legislation that allows it for stroke unless you try to get it via the PTSD exception.

My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke.  

But don't listen to me, I have absolutely no medical training. You are going to have to figure out how to dose yourself since your doctor will know nothing and no one will do translational research until our fucking federal legislators legalize it.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/video/animated-map-shows-where-marijuana-171528177.html 

Why dietary supplements are suspect - Harvard Health Publications

Be careful out there, you have no clue what is in those supplements you take. And if our fuckingly stupid federal legislators hadn't passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA): (DSHEA) defined dietary supplements as a category of food, which put them under different regulations than drugs. They are considered safe until proven otherwise. Caveat Emptor.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-dietary-supplements-are-suspect?

Dietary supplements—including herbs, vitamins, minerals, and other products—are a $37-billion industry in the United States, and 60% of women are taking them regularly. At the same time, mounting research is suggesting that supplements—even mainstays like calcium—may be harmful at high doses.
The use of supplements and other alternatives to standard treatments is centuries old, but Dr. David Eisenberg, adjunct associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was the first to document the widespread use of alternative therapies in the United States. In a 1993 article in The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Eisenberg and colleagues reported that more than a third of Americans were using unconventional therapies, largely for chronic conditions, and most were doing so without letting their clinicians know. That report covered acupuncture, spinal manipulation, massage, and yoga, but it also focused public attention on all unconventional treatments, including the growing use of herbal remedies and other dietary supplements. In 1998, the Office of Alternative Medicine in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was revamped as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and charged with funding rigorous studies into the safety and effectiveness of alternative physical treatments as well as popular dietary supplements and herbs.

The evidence for herbs

The traditional practice of herbal medicine involves combining different herbs and using them in a variety of preparations. Herbal remedies marketed today are usually powders or extracts derived from plant leaves, stems, or roots. Several studies, largely NIH-funded, have put some remedies often recommended for women to the test. The results are summarized below.
Black cohosh. A plant long used as a home remedy for arthritis, black cohosh has been recommended for hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and other menopausal symptoms. Studies of its effectiveness have had mixed results. However, there are more than 50 reports of liver damage in people taking it, although it is unknown whether black cohosh or another substance in the preparation triggered the reactions.
Chamomile. This herb appears to be effective in relieving anxiety. Although less potent than prescription drugs, a cup of chamomile tea may soothe your nerves. Because chamomile is related to ragweed, marigolds, chrysanthemums, and daisies, it may trigger an allergic reaction if you have asthma or are allergic to these plants.
Echinacea. There is no conclusive evidence that echinacea either prevents colds or reduces cold symptoms. It may trigger reactions in people who are allergic to ragweed, marigolds, chrysanthemums, or daisies.
Ginseng. Although ginseng has been touted as a remedy for everything from colds to fatigue to forgetfulness, there isn't strong evidence from clinical trials that it has any of those properties. Ginseng may also interact with aspirin and the anti-clotting agent warfarin (Coumadin).
Ginkgo biloba. Extracts from the leaves of the ginkgo tree are promoted for improving memory and preventing and treating dementia. However, in the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study of 3,000 men and women over age 75, ginkgo didn't slow cognitive decline or reduce the incidence of dementia over a six-year period. Ginkgo may also increase bleeding risk.
Milk thistle. Laboratory studies indicated that this herb, also known as silymarin, had a protective effect on liver cells, but clinical trials haven't validated any benefit. Don't count on milk thistle to compensate for the effects of a few extra glasses of wine.
St. John's wort. A few early studies indicated that St. John's wort might alleviate depression, but larger trials failed to confirm those results. St. John's wort also interacts with a large number of prescription medications.

What's up with supplements?

Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other compounds that are essential for good health have been marketed as supplements for decades. However, relatively few have been tested in clinical trials. Those that have been or are being subjected to scientific scrutiny include the following:
Calcium. Research has indicated that high doses of calcium from supplements don't have much of an effect on bone density and increase the risk of heart disease and kidney stones. If you aren't getting at least 500 to 700 milligrams (mg) of calcium in your daily diet, you may need a supplement, but it's a good idea to limit your supplement intake to 600 mg a day.
Glucosamine and chondroitin. These substances, both components of cartilage, are used to prevent arthritis and relieve joint pain. Clinical trials have shown that they have little effect.
Melatonin. A synthetic copy of a natural hormone, melatonin is used for jet lag, sleep disturbances, and insomnia. Research has determined that it can be effective at doses as low as 0.5 mg. If you're considering it, talk to your doctor about dosage and timing.
Vitamin D. Because most people who live in northern latitudes don't make enough vitamin D from sun exposure, a supplement may be necessary to fill the daily requirement of 800 international units (IUs). Whether higher, 2,000-IU doses reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, or cancer will be determined by the 25,000-person Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (the VITAL study), whose results will be announced in 2017.
Omega-3 fatty acids. Although studies have linked consuming foods high in omega-3s to a reduced risk of heart disease and inflammation, it's questionable whether omega-3 supplements—available primarily in fish oil capsules—have the same effect. The VITAL study will help to answer that question, too.
Supplements for other purposes. The shelves of supplement stores abound with products that promise to make exercise easier and promote weight loss. These, too, are unproven, and some may contain stimulants that are harmful when used for extended periods.

The bottom line

The value of most herbs and supplements has been discounted or remains unproven. Few are worth the money spent on them. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the pills, capsules, or tablets contain all—or even any—of the ingredients listed on the packaging.
Most important, taking supplements can be risky. A study published in October 2015 in The New England Journal of Medicine found that the adverse effects of supplements were responsible for an average of 23,000 emergency department visits per year.
If you are concerned that your diet isn't providing all the nutrients you need, don't shop for supplements before talking to your doctor. If you truly need a vitamin or other dietary supplement, your clinician can suggest an appropriate product and dose. If you're currently talking a vitamin or other supplement, let your health care team know.

Serious issues with supplements

"Some non-vitamin supplements are marketed heavily in the absence of reliable evidence of efficacy or safety and may interact with prescription drugs. Moreover, some people may delay beginning proven therapies because they are relying on supplements. And some of these products are costly," says Dr. David Eisenberg, adjunct associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The supplements used in government-funded clinical studies are analyzed for purity and standardized for dose. Supplement manufacturers are required to perform such analyses and to supply the results to the FDA. Yet, according to a report aired in January 2016 by PBS's investigative series Frontline, few of the thousands of supplement manufacturers do so, and the FDA lacks the staff and resources to analyze supplements or to compel manufacturers to comply.
As a result, the contents of a supplement capsule may not be what's described on the label. Canadian researchers who analyzed a random sample of 44 products from 12 manufacturers reported in 2013 that 60% of the products contained substances not listed on the labels, some of which were potentially harmful contaminants. And a 2015 investigation by the New York attorney general determined that only 21% of random samples of popular house-brands supplements purchased from GNC, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart contained the ingredients in the concentrations listed on the labels. Some contained no trace of the advertised active ingredient, and others consisted primarily of "fillers," including wheat and soy, which may trigger allergic reactions in some people. Other investigations have uncovered supplements adulterated with steroid hormones. When it comes to dietary supplements, the ancient warning "buyer beware!" is more relevant than ever.

Oromucosal Spray Improves Tough-to-Treat Spasticity in Patients With MS

I bet your doctor will never use this on your spasticity. I bet s/he never even hears about it. Time for you to educate your doctor again. $1000 an hour charge to your doctor sounds about right.It is cannabinoid based thus will never make it past our idiotic federal legislators having marijuana as a Class I drug.  Bet you have to go to Europe to try it.
http://www.docguide.com/oromucosal-spray-improves-tough-treat-spasticity-patients-ms?

: Presented at ECTRIMS

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• Multiple Sclerosis

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By Jill Stein
LONDON -- September 17, 2016 -- New data support the use of a cannabinoid-based oromucosal spray as an add-on option to treat multiple sclerosis (MS)-related resistant spasticity.
The results, which are drawn from a large sample of patients treated with the spray in everyday clinical practice in Europe, were presented here at the 32nd Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS).
Patrick Vermersch, MD, Universitaire de Lille, Lille, France, and colleagues collected data from 433 patients starting treatment with the spray at specialist centres in Italy, Norway, and Denmark.
The spray contains the active substances delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol (THC:CBD) at a ratio of 1:1.
The study aimed to augment the positive clinical findings from randomised clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the spray.
All patients had moderate-to-severe MS spasticity and had not responded adequately to other anti-spasticity medications.
Effectiveness was measured by rates of treatment continuation and changes from baseline in scores on the spasticity numerical (0-10) rating scale (NRS) and the modified Ashworth scale (0-4).
After a 1-month trial period, patients who had achieved ≥20% improvement in their spasticity NRS score could continue.
Overall, 349 participants continued treatment with the spray beyond the first month visit, and 281 patients continued treatment beyond the third month visit.
Spasticity scores on all scales improved significantly improved in study completers at 3 months: 0-10 NRS (mean 6.9 to 5.4) and Ashworth scale (mean 2.6 to 2.3).
The usual 3-level categorical scale for the severity of spasticity (mild/moderate/severe) showed a marked reduction in severe cases from 37.2% to 12.9%.
The percentage of patients with no restrictions in their daily activities resulting from their spasticity was significantly reduced from 30.2% to 22.8%.
Roughly 20% of patients improved ≥30% on their NRS score.
Dr. Vermersch said that the results compare favourably with results from prior RCTs and observational studies.
Funding for this study was provided by Almirall S.A.
[Presentation title: Tetrahydrocannabinol + Cannabidiol Oromucosal Spray for Multiple Sclerosis-Resistant Spasticity on Daily Practice, New Data. Abstract P757]

Why Your Health Insurance Won’t Cover Medical Marijuana

This is why your Mom and grandma need to be screaming in your federal legislators faces for full legalization. Helpful drugs are being censored.

My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke. I would have to self treat my stroke rehab needs because we have NO stroke leadership or strategy to figure out how to create THC or marijuana protocols. I can't self treat using any form of medical marijuana including legal THC because it would require getting a prescription and with no protocol doctors are not going to write prescriptions. Our fucking failures of stroke associations are doing nothing to actually help survivors by creating stroke protocols and solving all the fucking problems in stroke.

http://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/why-your-health-insurance-wont-cover-medical-marijuana.html/?ref=YF&yptr=yahoo

I'm 50 and weed has been my medicine for 37 years

This will never legally occur with our fucking stupid federal legislators in control. I would be doing this regularly if I could access it easily. Don't do this, you know that the federal government is right in this prohibition.
My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke.  

http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/1126799/grandmother-weed-as-medicine 

Cannabinoids Hold Promise for Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment

Read it and weep because we will never get this into any protocol because of our stupid fucking federal legislators. This will never legally occur with our federal legislators in charge. Unless YOU get your Mom and grandma to ream them out for not allowing full legalization of marijuana.
You probably have to travel to Colorado or Oregon or list here or list here etc. and guess what form to take and the amount.
You could start using marijuana for your stroke rehab and then continue using it to prevent your likely chance of getting dementia.
My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke.  

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.
2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.
3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

Cannabinoids Hold Promise for Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment

The Illicit Drug That Removes Toxic Alzheimer’s Proteins - Marijuana

This will never legally occur with our stupid federal legislators in charge. Unless YOU get your Mom and grandma to ream them out for not allowing legalization of marijuana.
http://www.spring.org.uk/2016/06/illicit-drug-fights-alhzeimers.php?

Cannabinoids remove plaque-forming Alzheimer's proteins from brain cells

I bet no matter what scientific proof is given our legislators will not remove marijuana from Schedule I classification. States will have to do it and drag our federal government kicking and screaming into a new world. Stroke survivors will likely need this due to our increased chances of getting dementia/Alzheimers.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-06-cannabinoids-plaque-forming-alzheimer-proteins-brain.html
Salk Institute scientists have found preliminary evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds found in marijuana can promote the cellular removal of amyloid beta, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.

While these exploratory studies were conducted in neurons grown in the laboratory, they may offer insight into the role of inflammation in Alzheimer's disease and could provide clues to developing novel therapeutics for the disorder.
"Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of Alzheimer's, we believe our study is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells," says Salk Professor David Schubert, the senior author of the paper.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that leads to memory loss and can seriously impair a person's ability to carry out daily tasks. It affects more than five million Americans according to the National Institutes of Health, and is a leading cause of death. It is also the most common cause of dementia and its incidence is expected to triple during the next 50 years.
It has long been known that amyloid beta accumulates within the nerve cells of the aging brain well before the appearance of Alzheimer's disease symptoms and plaques. Amyloid beta is a major component of the plaque deposits that are a hallmark of the disease. But the precise role of amyloid beta and the plaques it forms in the disease process remains unclear.
In a manuscript published in June 2016's Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, Salk team studied nerve cells altered to produce high levels of amyloid beta to mimic aspects of Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that high levels of amyloid beta were associated with cellular inflammation and higher rates of neuron death. They demonstrated that exposing the cells to THC reduced amyloid beta protein levels and eliminated the inflammatory response from the nerve cells caused by the protein, thereby allowing the nerve cells to survive.
"Inflammation within the brain is a major component of the damage associated with Alzheimer's disease, but it has always been assumed that this response was coming from immune-like cells in the brain, not the nerve cells themselves," says Antonio Currais, a postdoctoral researcher in Schubert's laboratory and first author of the paper. "When we were able to identify the molecular basis of the inflammatory response to amyloid beta, it became clear that THC-like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying."
Brain cells have switches known as receptors that can be activated by endocannabinoids, a class of lipid molecules made by the body that are used for intercellular signaling in the brain. The psychoactive effects of marijuana are caused by THC, a molecule similar in activity to endocannabinoids that can activate the same receptors. Physical activity results in the production of endocannabinoids and some studies have shown that exercise may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Schubert emphasized that his team's findings were conducted in exploratory laboratory models, and that the use of THC-like compounds as a therapy would need to be tested in clinical trials.
In separate but related research, his lab found an Alzheimer's drug candidate called J147 that also removes amyloid beta from nerve cells and reduces the inflammatory response in both nerve cells and the brain. It was the study of J147 that led the scientists to discover that endocannabinoids are involved in the removal of amyloid beta and the reduction of inflammation.

Explore further: Alzheimer protein's structure may explain its toxicity

More information: Antonio Currais et al. Amyloid proteotoxicity initiates an inflammatory response blocked by cannabinoids, npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease (2016). DOI: 10.1038/npjamd.2016.12

Want To Sell An Anti-Aging Pill With No Human Testing? Make It A Supplement - Basis

You have no fucking clue what's is this pill or if it even works at all. We have no idea what is in the supplements we buy. All because of the stupidity of our Congress passing the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA): (DSHEA) defined dietary supplements as a category of food, which put them under different regulations than drugs. They are considered safe until proven otherwise. Caveat Emptor.

Want To Sell An Anti-Aging Pill With No Human Testing? Make It A Supplement - Basis

For more than a year, New York startup Elysium Health has been selling a pill, formulated after decades of research at a famous anti-aging lab at MIT, that claims to make our aging cells healthier, leading to better energy, sleep, and memory.
According to the company, “tens of thousands” of people have bought subscriptions of about $50 a month for a daily supply of the pill, called Basis, with the expectation that they will feel healthier even as the years fly by.
But some researchers who study aging are deeply skeptical that the compounds in the pill will have any effect at all, because there is no evidence that it works in people. The company has avoided the stringent clinical testing required of pharmaceutical drugs by selling Basis as a dietary supplement.

More at link.

Congress stops medical marijuana research in its tracks

Well our fucking legislators sticking their noses into medical issues where they know absolutely nothing.
http://mashable.com/2016/05/17/congress-studying-medical-marijuana/?#VcOdSTBpPSqF

What counts as ‘medical marijuana’ varies from state to state – and that’s a problem

Don't worry, none of this applies to stroke patients. None of the state laws I've read have any reference to stroke uses. There is some research out there.
My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke. Don't follow me but I will figure out some way to get some after my next stroke.
Joyce Hoffman lays out the state by state prohibitions and penalties for marijuana possession.
In fact it is fucking stupid for legislators to be proposing medical rules. They should lay out what clinical research is needed to prove efficacy for any disease use for any prohibited drug. Then as clinical trials conclude new diseases are automatically included. 

https://theconversation.com/what-counts-as-medical-marijuana-varies-from-state-to-state-and-thats-a-problem-57084

Medical marijuana board rips Rauner's rejections - Illinois

Stroke wasn't even on the recommendation list. That is a complete failure of our stroke associations not even working to lay the groundwork for use in stroke.  They are failing your parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren for not getting all possible help for stroke recovery.
My 13 reasons for marijuana use post-stroke. Don't follow me but I will figure out some way to get some after my next stroke.
In fact it is fucking stupid for legislators to be proposing medical rules. They should lay out what clinical research is needed to prove efficacy for any disease use for any prohibited drug. Then as clinical trials conclude new diseases are automatically included. 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-medical-marjiuana-20160502-story.html
The board rejected using medical marijuana for persistent depressive disorder, Lyme disease and MRSA, a drug-resistant staph infection.
Ten conditions Rauner's public health agency rejected again were autism, chronic pain syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, neuropathy, post-traumatic stress disorder???, chronic pain due to trauma, chronic post-op pain, intractable pain, migraines and osteoarthritis.