How does marijuana treat pain? A friend of mine who has chronic pain syndrome wants to know why, if she smokes medical marijuana, her pain seems to increase as the effects start to wear off, and she ends up feeling worse than before?
marijuana has been a native plant to east asia for thousands of years. the seed has been documented for thousands of years as a herb that aids constipation.marijuana has been used a couple times on very very rare occasion as a medicinal herb, usually mixed with proto-opioid products as an anesthetic for early surgery.marijuana has been marked as having the properties of hot, toxic, phlegm producing. This means it increases appetite, and numbs the body, and to a great degree (toxic in many cases in the past meant extraordinarily potent).however both heat and phlegm obstruct, they cause more pain with continued use. thus studies show hypersensitivity with long term marijuana use, as well as things like higher blood pressure over time etc.The argument for marijuana is similar to the argument for pipe smoking, it has been shown in studies that pipe smokers live longer, why? because they take time to meditate during their smoking sessions, relieving stress, thus reducing free-radicals etc. this is also the reason why there is inititally a decrease in blood pressure for marijuana users sometimes before it starts to go up after some time.I would say medically speaking, the place for marijuana would be for a person who is very strong willed, and will not become addicted easily to the euphoric effects, who has acute pain or lack of appetite that only needs temporary 1 time relief. or some one who is on their way out from this life and wants to feel sedated and relaxed the whole way out.for 99% of people, you it is like smoking, it feels good, enjoyable, but ultimately you are trading health for enjoyment. I am not judging you, it is the same as going to eat a burger when you are already overweight, you trade health for enjoyment. we all do it, and we do it all the time. the problem comes from when you claim it to be health reasons, we shouldn’t do that.I mean, if you had to pick between opiods + no pain, vs marijuana + moderate pain (marijuana is not nearly as strong as opioids for pain relief), then marijuana is better, obviously. but diet, exercise, stretching, etc. are better still. of course there are times when this won’t work. but like i said, the minority are justified when they claim to use marijuana medically.
My friend is chronically ill. Is there anything I can do to help her?
Yes and no. There is a lot that you can do as a friend, but there is little that you could or should do in regards to her actual illness.This is what I would want my friends to do for me. In regards to your friendship, if you want to keep it and/or deepen it you can be there for her emotionally and physically. Ask her if you can do anything for her (shopping, picking up kids, making food, cleaning or walking dogs). Tell her that you want to see her but that you don’t want to make her life harder. Ask her what activities she can do that she would like to do with you and then make plans. Give her lots of grace, though. If she has to cancel, be understanding. When you do something for her, do it out of your love for her and don’t expect anything except gratitude in return.In regards to her illness, ask questions but don’t push. Don’t give advice unless asked. If she’s single, you could ask her if she’d like a second set of ears when she goes to the doctor. Even if you know others who are going through something similar, don’t assume that it is.
How do you deal with a friend who has chronic pain? Do you try to help or avoid the issue?
Point blank ask them. Sometimes it’s easier for people to talk openly about it, and they’ll let you know what would help. Other times it’s better to just avoid the topic (if that is what they want) just ask, they will tell you what they want to do and how they want to handle it.
Best way to help deal with pain?
One of the first places to go would be a reputable, informative sight such as : http://www.rsds.org/index2.html RSD and CRPS is a little understood, extremely painful disease (it ranks higher than Cancer and MUCH higher than childbirth on the McGill pain index chart). It is important to educate yourself regarding the disease as very few Dr's know how to treat it, and early treatment is crucial to any sort of recovery. It is also very important to have someone to "vent" to if nothing else, as the Pain and restriction of activities cause depression easily. That support can be from family, friends, or an online support group, such as the RSD group on yahoo groups. this group is also a great place for family/ friends to join as they will see how terrible this disease is and how it's not as rare as people think. Good luck to you.
A friend suffers chronic pain as a result of medical conditions, and she's developed an addiction to her pain drugs. If she didn't have other health problems I'd ask her husband if he'd consider an intervention. Best path forward?
There is nothing in your question that suggests why an intervention would be necessary. "Addicted," in the sense of needing the drugs and feeling withdrawal when they are not available, is not in and of itself a problem if the drugs are generally available.Addiction becomes a problem when your friend starts breaking into drug stores, stealing other people's medications, or going to more than one doctor to get duplicate prescriptions.Pain is ugly and we do not have very good systems for helping people with it. (Yeah, I know about all the "alternatives." They work, for some people, until they don't, and it's a big game of "blame the victim" when the fact is, we simply don't have good answers for real chronic pain at this time.)
How does someone live with someone in chronic pain?
Pain has a two-way influence.Pain impacts not just the person living with pain...but also their partner, family & friends.Many people find that their pain has impacted on their relationships in a variety of ways including:1. Guilt/frustration because of the change of roles & responsibilities at home2. Reduction in shared social activities3. There might be less time spent together; less touching & cuddling4. People can lose sight of shared goals like holidays or retirement plansThe two-way influence of pain can often cause wear & tear on even the most solid of relationships. Some suggestions for reducing the impact of that wear & tear are:1. Acknowledge your partner’s support & feelings – no-one likes feeling ignored or being taken for granted (even if it is not your intention).2. Set goals – recreational & social – to do things together & with others. This is a simple way of bringing you together again.3. Romance ��� show that you care, give compliments, make uninterrupted time for each other, special dinners, weekends away or at home, & give flowers & gifts.4. Relationships are salvageable but it does take both parties to want to work on it. Talking things over with a Psychologist or Counsellor can also be very useful.5. If you are struggling to explain your pain to a family (or to understand a family member living with pain) you might like to check out our blog post ‘How to Explain Pain to Family in 7 Simple Steps’.Navigating relationships is a challenge for every single one of us. When you add the two-way influence of chronic pain into the mix it can complicate those relationships even further.As with everything about life improving & maintaining relationships takes dedication & practice…but it is possible to come together and battle chronic pain as a team.
What is the best way to help someone with a chronic illness?
Chronic illnesses are tough for the person with the illness and everyone around them. The hardest thing about a chronic illness is the fact that there is no cure. There is no end in site and this often leads to a host of emotions for the person with the illness and those people that love them.Although most people want to help, a lot them them don't have a clue on what to do to ease their loved one's suffering. the good news is that if you care enough to help, you most certainly should. People with chronic illnesses need as much love and support that they can get.Here are a few tips to help someone you care about:· Reassure and support your loved one whether it is emotional, spiritual or financial. Chronic illness is not easy to deal with and many aspects of a person's life changes. By offering support you demonstrate that you are there for them.· Avoid giving unsolicited advice because in all probability, they may not be open and receptive to receiving it. However, there is nothing wrong with asking, “Have you heard about so-and-so treatment?” which is far better than “Why don’t you try this instead of that?”· Be observant. A person with a chronic condition may not like to call attention to his symptoms or conditions. They may even act like nothing is wrong when they're hurting inside. If you see signs of fatigue, step away and allow the person to rest. If you see signs of frustration, do something to cheer them up or offer comforting words. If you see signs of irritation, don't take it personally. Instead realizing that they're not feeling their best and may be taking their frustrations out on you. However, if you did something to irritate them by all means apologize. :) · If you are a close friend or family member, check in periodically throughout the day. Be on the lookout for conditions like depression and anxiety and be ready to drop everything if you sense something is wrong.· Put together some funny photos or create a crazy video for the patient as one way to cheer him up when they're feeling sad or have lost hope.· Do something unexpected to let them know you care.Give him unconditional love, acceptance and space to heal from flare-ups.In all, be the type of friend you would an to have if it were you with the chronic illness!
How can chronic pain be explained to people who don't suffer from it?
I know that one answer is that people who don't have chronic pain can never fully understand, but I'd still like to know if there is some way to explain it to others, some way to make people understand why those of us in chronic pain can't be expected to function "normally." Anybody have any suggestions, or is there a web site with tips on how to explain to significant others, loved ones, family members, chronic pain and its effects, and how to deal with people in chronic pain ?