Sometimes I just pinch myself that I became an accidental journalist. This week more than ever. Raising awareness about a relatively unknown, and potentially lethal syndrome, and helping to save lives, gives my work a more profound purpose. My research shows the syndrome is growing in prevalence and severity around the world. It was an unfortunate way to find it. I owe my life to the page.
So, if one of your coping mechanisms has been to start using, or use pot a wee bit more than you did previously, please read on and share this with friends who might be over-indulging their love for cannabis.
And tell your friends in the medical field how to identify this syndrome. Keith Humphreys is a professor at Stanford, an expert in addiction, and one of my favorite academic experts to interview. He sums up the problem like this:. Every drug can have a bad effect. Photo credit above : www. Listen to the BBC podcast starts at You want to commit suicide in the middle of an episode. The intensity made me nauseous. Like someone took a knife and twisted it in your stomach.
My throat would always be on fire, I had post nasal drip all the time…. Alison van Diggelen: For four years, Katie Nava, a licensed nurse in Southern California, was in and out of the Emergency Room, and had countless appointments with gastro, ENT and other specialist doctors.
She had CAT Scans, colonoscopies, and doctors even suggested surgery to remove her gall bladder. Despite a digital trail of medical evidence from her Kaiser doctors, no one could identify what ailed her. Katie Nava: I started thinking I was crazy. They would say nothing is wrong with me. I was getting labeled as a drug seeker. It hurt so much. Alison van Diggelen: Finally, a nurse at another hospital recognized the symptoms and asked Katie Nava if she used marijuana.
She was diagnosed with Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, also known as CHS. The first mention of CHS in the medical literature was not that long ago. Recently, the families of year-old Billy Caldwell and six-year-old Alfie Dingley have made newspaper headlines.
They say cannabis oil treatments have radically controlled the boys' epileptic seizures. While these cannabis oils are not recreational drugs, they're not medically licensed treatments either. A cross-party report found good evidence that cannabis treatments can help alleviate the symptoms of chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, nausea and vomiting, particularly in the context of chemotherapy, and anxiety. It also found moderate evidence it could help with sleep disorders, poor appetite, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress disorder and Parkinson's symptoms.
Now, a government review will look at the evidence and make its own recommendations on which cannabis-based medicines might offer real medical and therapeutic benefits to patients. But regardless of what they find, Mr Javid added: "This step is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use. Hague's 'legalise cannabis' call rejected. Cannabis oil boy discharged. MP 'wonders if cannabis may have helped son'. Image source, Getty Images.
What do experts think about the health risks of recreational cannabis use? Does smoking cannabis cause depression? Is cannabis addictive? Hague's 'legalise cannabis' call rejected Cannabis addiction 'rises among over 40s'. What about memory? Can cannabis be a gateway drug for harder ones, such as cocaine or heroin? Cannabis: what's the harm From DocuWiki.
Jump to: navigation , search. Add 2 links to eMule BBC. Added by Harry Views Article Discussion Edit History.
0コメント