Cannabis Superior To Drugs For Inflammatory Bowel Condition (Crohn’s Disease)

When drugs fail, and surgery is the only remaining option on the horizon, smoking cannabis may provide an effective and safe natural alternative for the debilitating inflammatory bowel disease known as Crohn’s disease. 

Crohn’s disease is a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease that chronically affects the lining of the digestive tract and is usually resistant to conventional drug-based treatment. Even with treatment the condition generally progresses to the point where surgery is required in 70% of sufferers. Surgery, however, does not usually provide a cure, with 30% undergoing surgery seeing a recurrence of symptoms within three years, and 60% within 10 years.¹

Given the poor prognosis of those diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, some with the condition have been known to experiment with natural alternatives. At GreenMedInfo.com we have gathered preliminary research on natural interventions for the condition, with probiotics, boswellia and curcumin (a turmeric polyphenol) top on the list. We have also spent a good deal of time reporting on research indicating that wheat is an inflammatory food to the digestive tract and therefore should likely be avoided by anyone with an inflammatory bowel condition.

One potential remedy for Crohn’s disease that we have not yet reported on is cannabis. Animal research already indicates that it can ameliorate colitis, an inflammatory condition of the colon. There is also an established role of cannabis within gastroenterology for the following conditions: “anorexia, emesis, abdominal pain, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, intestinal inflammation, and diabetic gastroparesis.”² Additionally, a retrospective observational study from 2011 found that 21 of the 30 patients who imbibed inhaled cannabis saw significant improvement, with patients requiring steroid treatment reduced from 26 to 4. [view the full PDF here]

These preliminary results set the groundwork for a new study investigating cannabis in Crohn’s patients published this month in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and titled, “Cannabis Induces a Clinical Response in Patients With Crohn’s Disease: A Prospective Placebo-Controlled Study.” [view the full PDF here]

In the new study — the first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study of its kind on the topic — researchers studied 21 patients (mean age 40) with Crohn’s disease who did not respond to drug therapy (steroids, immunomodulators, or anti–tumor necrosis factor-α agents). Patients were randomly assigned to be given cannabis, twice daily, in the form of cigarettes containing 115 mg of (THC) or placebo containing cannabis flowers from which the THC had been extracted.

The study participants were assessed during 8 weeks of treatment and 2 weeks thereafter and saw the following remarkable results:

Complete remission (CDAI score, <150) was achieved by 5 of 11 subjects in the cannabis group (45%) and 1 of 10 in the placebo group (10%; P = .43). A clinical response (decrease in CDAI score of >100) was observed in 10 of 11 subjects in the cannabis group (90%; from 330 ± 105 to 152 ± 109) and 4 of 10 in the placebo group (40%; from 373 ± 94 to 306 ± 143; P = .028). Three patients in the cannabis group were weaned from steroid dependency. Subjects receiving cannabis reported improved appetite and sleep, with no significant side effects. [emphasis added]

The authors concluded cannabis was a clinically effective intervention in 10 of 11 patients:

“Although the primary end point of the study (induction of remission) was not achieved, a short course (8 weeks) of THC-rich cannabis produced significant clinical, steroid-free benefits to 10 of 11 patients with active Crohn’s disease, compared with placebo, without side effects. Further studies, with larger patient groups and a nonsmoking mode of intake, are warranted.” [emphasis added]

How Does Cannabis Work?

The primary mechanisms through which cannabis exhibits healing properties in Crohn’s disease are its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties:

“Cannabinoids have a profound anti-inflammatory effect, mainly through the CB2 receptor 2]. Cell-mediated immunity was found to be impaired in] chronic marijuana users [6]. A potent anti-inflammatory effect of cannabis was observed in rodents [7]. Studying the functional roles of the endocannabinoid system in immune modulation reveals that it is involved in almost all major immune events. Cannabinoids shift the balance of proinflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines (towards the T helper cell type 2 profiles (Th2 phenotype and suppress cell-mediated immunity, whereas humoral immunity may be enhanced [8]. Therefore, cannabinoids may be used to treat various inflammatory conditions ,including rheumatoid arthritis.” [Source]

For more information on the myriad therapeutic properties of cannabis visit our cannabis research database.

References

¹ http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-crohns-disease/crohns-treatment-options.html

² Naftali, T., Bar Lev, L., Yablekovitch, D. et al. Treatment of Crohn’s disease with cannabis: an observational study. Isr Med Assoc J. 2011; 13: 455–458

First of Its Kind Study Shows that Change in Diet Alone — Not Drugs — is Curing Diseases

“Let medicine be thy food and let food be thy medicine.” – Hippocrates

In the fourth century BCE, the most famous Greek physician made the bold claim that disease was caused naturally, not by the gods. Environment, diet and living habits all played a part in the health of a person.

The tools and techniques of modern science have allowed us to uncover many secrets of nutrition. But we’re still just scratching the surface of the complex ways in which food compounds interact with the body.

As Mat Edelson wrote for Hopkins Medicine, the rise of corporatism had a big influence on medicine.

“Big pharma was scarce with cash, because they can’t patent a food’s natural properties. And from a practical viewpoint, studying food with its thousands of chemicals and nutrients is incredibly complex. By comparison, targeting and studying a single drug for efficacy in a double-blind model was far more straightforward and lucrative to both researchers and industry.”

Granted, some pharmaceutical products have given a better quality of life to many people, but the singular focus of making a pill to treat disease has come at the cost of virtually ignoring food as medicine.

Dr. David Suskind, a gastroenterologist at Seattle Children’s, is breaking the mold. Suskind has produced the first clinical evidence that food can indeed be medicine.

“In a first-of-its-kind-study led by Suskind, published today in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, diet alone was shown to bring pediatric patients with active Crohn’s and [ulcerative colitis] into clinical remission…

In the small, prospective study, patients were put on a special diet called the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) for 12 weeks as the sole intervention to treat their Crohn’s or UC. SCD is a nutritionally balanced diet that removes grains, dairy, processed foods and sugars, except for honey. The diet promotes only natural, nutrient-rich foods, which includes vegetables, fruits, meats and nuts.

At the end of the 12 weeks, eight out of the 10 patients who finished the study showed significant improvement and achieved remission from the dietary treatment alone.”

“This changes the paradigm for how we may choose to treat children with inflammatory bowel disease,” Suskind said.

More studies will need to be done for confirmation, but these results will certainly draw attention for researchers willing to step outside of the pharmaceutical model.

Food as medicine may prove to have applications outside of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as many diseases may be related to chronic inflammation. For example, the charred meat prevalent in American diets is associated with prostate inflammation which can lead to prostate cancer.

“Each person’s disease is unique, just as each person is unique,” said Suskind. “SCD is another tool in our tool belt to help treat these patients. It may not be the best treatment option for everyone, but it is an effective treatment for those who wish to try a dietary therapy.”

The report from Seattle Children’s highlights the story of 11-year-old Adelynne Kittelson, diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age eight. The usual course for patients is steroids and medications that suppress the immune system, doing nothing to treat the underlying issue of the microbiome causing the immune system to attack the bowel. This pharma treatment also brings the potential for life-long side effects.

After months of uncertainty about Adelynne’s worsening, painful condition, she was finally brought to Dr. Suskind who diagnosed the problem as Crohn’s disease. He offered various treatment options, including the SCD diet. Adelynne’s mother didn’t want her to have life-long side effects from medication, so she opted for the unique dietary approach offered by Seattle Children’s.

“Today, Adelynne has been in clinical remission for more than two years. She’s a healthy, happy and thriving 11-year-old girl.

“I can’t believe how far we’ve come. When we first walked into Seattle Children’s, she was an 8-year-old girl who was barely heavier than our 4-year-old. Now, she’s growing and foods are no longer an enemy.”

Adjusting to the strict requirements of the SCD approach was difficult at first, but the lifestyle of natural, nutrient-rich foods is now second nature.

This approach to treating illness is anathema to Big Pharma, which thrives as people pop more pills. Diet, exercise and being fully informed have no value to the corporatocracy.

“For decades or longer, medicine has said diet doesn’t matter, that it doesn’t impact disease,” Dr. Suskind said. “Now we know that diet does have an impact, a strong impact. It works, and now there’s evidence.”