When I was first introduced to medical cannabis in January 2010 it was a given and basic knowledge that cannabis was being used as a treatment of choice for cancers and glaucoma. What I did not understand, being a novice learner, was that cannabis was being used to treat a wide variety of neurological disorders and for the first time ever I learned that it assists with Alzheimer’s disease. “What?”, I said to myself. “Cannabis helps with Alzheimer’s disease!” This statement alone stopped me in my tracks as my Mother suffers with this disease and I began the journey to educate myself further. I found out quickly that Western medicine does not include education on the Endocannabinoid System and the treatment options of cannabis as a medicine is not widely accepted. This is due to the prohibition and war on drugs over the past seventy years. Thus, when we ask our medical providers about medical cannabis for our loved ones, the majority of providers have no knowledge on the topic. So how can we expect our providers to teach us as nurses or our patients on the importance of cannabis therapeutics when it comes to Alzheimer’s? The majority of them can not.
Julie Monteiro RN, BSK “Ask Nurse Juhlzie” Editor@Cannabis Nurses Magazine We must Grow.
Thus, as it is written into our nursing scope of practice, it is our duty to become informed and educated on new methods of treatments that our patients are requesting and utilizing. Despite social criticism, more patients and their families are seeking alternate treatment plans and moving away from pharmaceuticals that seem to be doing more harm than good and finding cannabis as their solution. I was excited to share this knowledge with my family however, it was not widely received well at all. In fact, it has created division greater than the Grand Canyon amongst us siblings. My mother was far into her progression of the disease and one of our siblings obtained a power of attorney. We thought nothing of it at the time and were happy one of us stepped up to the plate to assist with her; our mother needed it. However, this sibling was raised in the “Just say No” Nancy Reagan era and is also a deeply rooted member of the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) program where they believe ‘marijuana’ to be the gateway drug and taboo to consume even if you are a legal medical cannabis patient. Despite the numerous articles, research papers, and journals we shared, there was no convincing our sibling otherwise that cannabis could and would be a treatment option for our mother while she lives in California where cannabis is abundant and legal. Due to our sibling holding a power of attorney, she threatened and even had our mother tested for THC in her system to see if we have been secretly medicating her, stating that “if Mom comes up with THC in her system I will get a restraining order against you from seeing Mom”. Period. It has been the most torturous trial and tribulation our family has experienced. We have the tools and the supplies to provide our mother with the best natural medicine available however, our naïve sibling holds the legal power while our mother's condition worsens. In this issue we review the most common neurological disorders and discuss how cannabis helps with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Neuropathy, Tourettes syndrome, Dravet syndrome, and many other neurological deficits that plague patients across the world. We hit close to home as we explore with Dr. Sunil Aggarwal the specifics of Alzheimer’s disease and his perspective as a Palliative Care Specialist and in Cannabinoid Integrative Medicine in treating with medical cannabis. We also revisit with Dr. Gregory Smith who discusses in detail whether medical cannabis is right for you or a loved one who is dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Julie Monteiro RN, BSK “Ask Nurse Juhlzie” Editor@Cannabis Nurses Magazine We must Grow.
Thus, as it is written into our nursing scope of practice, it is our duty to become informed and educated on new methods of treatments that our patients are requesting and utilizing. Despite social criticism, more patients and their families are seeking alternate treatment plans and moving away from pharmaceuticals that seem to be doing more harm than good and finding cannabis as their solution. I was excited to share this knowledge with my family however, it was not widely received well at all. In fact, it has created division greater than the Grand Canyon amongst us siblings. My mother was far into her progression of the disease and one of our siblings obtained a power of attorney. We thought nothing of it at the time and were happy one of us stepped up to the plate to assist with her; our mother needed it. However, this sibling was raised in the “Just say No” Nancy Reagan era and is also a deeply rooted member of the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) program where they believe ‘marijuana’ to be the gateway drug and taboo to consume even if you are a legal medical cannabis patient. Despite the numerous articles, research papers, and journals we shared, there was no convincing our sibling otherwise that cannabis could and would be a treatment option for our mother while she lives in California where cannabis is abundant and legal. Due to our sibling holding a power of attorney, she threatened and even had our mother tested for THC in her system to see if we have been secretly medicating her, stating that “if Mom comes up with THC in her system I will get a restraining order against you from seeing Mom”. Period. It has been the most torturous trial and tribulation our family has experienced. We have the tools and the supplies to provide our mother with the best natural medicine available however, our naïve sibling holds the legal power while our mother's condition worsens. In this issue we review the most common neurological disorders and discuss how cannabis helps with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Neuropathy, Tourettes syndrome, Dravet syndrome, and many other neurological deficits that plague patients across the world. We hit close to home as we explore with Dr. Sunil Aggarwal the specifics of Alzheimer’s disease and his perspective as a Palliative Care Specialist and in Cannabinoid Integrative Medicine in treating with medical cannabis. We also revisit with Dr. Gregory Smith who discusses in detail whether medical cannabis is right for you or a loved one who is dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
