Tag: Israel

International researchers estimate that roughly 1 out of every 100 children has autism. Autism is often characterized by the patient experiencing some degree of difficulty with social interactions and communication, as well as difficulty with transitioning from one activity to another, focusing, and unusual reactions to sensations.

It is still largely unknown what causes autism. People diagnosed with autism battle the condition for their whole lives, although various treatments and therapies can help with the development, health, well-being, and quality of life of autistic people.

Health experts in Israel recently conducted a clinical trial involving medical cannabis therapies and autistic trial participants. Below is more information about the study and its results via a news release from NORML:

Haifa, Israel: Preparations of CBD-rich cannabis reduce anxiety and other autistic symptoms in children, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Israeli scientists assessed the efficacy of CBD-dominant cannabis extracts in a cohort of 65 children (ages 5-12 years) with autism. Study participants consumed customized doses of cannabis extracts for six months.

Researchers reported: “We observed significant differences in the autistic children’s overall anxiety and in some anxiety subtypes. Significant improvements were observed in RRBI [restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests], including the total score, and specifically in compulsive, ritualistic, and sameness behaviors.”

The study’s authors concluded: “Our study suggests positive implications for CBD-rich cannabis treatment in alleviating anxiety and RRBI symptoms in autistic children. … We strongly recommend further double-blind, placebo-controlled studies using standardized assessments to validate these findings.”

The findings are consistent with those of numerous other studies showing that cannabinoid treatment provides symptom improvements in children with autism. Observational studies have also shown that the use of cannabis can provide benefits to adults with autism.

Full text of the study, “Effects of medical cannabis treatment for autistic children on anxiety and restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests: An open-label study,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. Additional information on cannabinoids and ASD is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Researchers estimate that roughly 20% of the world’s population suffers from chronic pain. It is possible that due to various factors, many cases go undiagnosed in some regions of the world, and that the actual number of chronic pain sufferers could be much greater.

A patient experiencing temporary pain is not the same as chronic pain. Chronic pain occurs when patients still suffer from it well after the expected recovery time for an injury or illness, sometimes lasting weeks or even years.

Investigators in Israel recently conducted a study in which they examined reported disease burden rates and cannabis extract use among chronic pain patients. Below is more information about the study and its results via a news release from NORML:

Haifa, Israel: Patients’ use of cannabis oil extracts is associated with long-term improvements in their pain intensity and related symptoms, according to data published in the journal Pain Reports.

Israeli researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of cannabis extracts in a cohort of 218 middle-aged chronic pain patients (mean age: 54) over six months. Patients consumed sublingual extracts containing standardized THC and CBD concentrations.

Cannabis treatment was associated with sustained reductions in pain intensity, opioid use, anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation. Though some subjects did report “mild to moderate” side effects from cannabis, these events did not interrupt their “continuous use” of marijuana extracts throughout the study period.

“Cannabis seems to have an impact on the ‘disease burden’ of chronic pain,” the study’s authors concluded. “It also has a positive effect on functioning and health-related quality of life.”

The researchers’ findings are consistent with those of other larger observational studies involving thousands of pain patients enrolled in medical cannabis access programs.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis oil extracts for chronic pain: What else can be learned from another structured prospective cohort,” appears in Pain Reports. Additional information on cannabis and chronic pain is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

Insomnia is a major health issue around the globe. Whether people suffer from insomnia as a primary condition, or it is a side effect caused by a different condition or medication, an inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep can have a significantly negative impact on a patient’s overall health, both physically and mentally.

When a suffering patient is deprived of proper sleep, they can become more irritable, and completing routine activities can become more difficult. Insomnia impairs brain functions such as memory and decision-making, and it can also cause depression. Physically, insomnia can impair a person’s immune system, in addition to other concerns.

The cannabis plant has served as a sleep aid for many insomnia sufferers over many years, and that appears to be the case in Israel according to the results of a recent study. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Haifa, Israel: Cannabis use prior to bedtime is associated with improved sleep quality, according to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

Israeli investigators assessed the relationship between cannabis and self-reported sleep quality in a cohort of 347 subjects who reported suffering from anxiety. Subjects reported their quality of sleep each morning for 30 days.

Researchers reported: “Cannabis use [was] … linked to higher perceived sleep quality versus non-use. … These findings add to the emerging evidence of cannabis’s sleep-enhancing properties.”

The survey’s findings are consistent with those of others concluding that consumers  frequently use  cannabis to mitigate sleep disorders, including insomnia, and that moderate doses of cannabis improve sleep quality. Data published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine previously reported that the enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is associated with a significant reduction in the sales of over-the-counter sleep aids among the general public.

Full text of the study, “Daily diary study of associations between alcohol, cannabis, co-use and sleep quality in individuals with intentions to use cannabis to cope with anxiety,” appears in Drug and Alcohol Review.Additional information on the use of cannabis for insomnia is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Battling cancer is one of the worst things that a human can go through. Even if a patient is able to battle and overcome their cancer, the toll it takes on their body and mind is often substantial. Part of that is due to the condition itself, and part of it is the result of the treatment(s) that they have to endure to treat their condition.

Anyone who has battled cancer or watched as a loved one had to battle cancer will often be quick to describe how hard life is to cope with during their battle. Modern medications can only provide a certain level of comfort, and often that comfort is very temporary.

Many patients report using medical cannabis to help them cope with their cancer battles, and according to the results of a new survey conducted in Israel, the strategy seems to help. Below is more information about the survey and its results via a news release from NORML:

Tel Aviv, Israel: The majority of cancer patients suffering from refractory pain say that the use of medical cannabis helps them cope with their illness, according to survey data published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

Israeli researchers surveyed 138 cancer patients authorized to use cannabis products. (Medical cannabis is legal by prescription in Israel.) Thirty-eight percent of respondents said that cannabis significantly helped them to cope with their illness while 32 percent said that it “partially” helped them.

Authors concluded: “A large majority of patients using cannabis report that the therapy significantly improves their ability to cope with their illness, with almost 40 percent stating it has done so to a large extent. In this cohort of patients with intractable cancer pain that has proved minimally responsive to numerous conventional treatments, including of course powerful opioids, adjuvants and radiotherapy, this seems to be a striking response. … This … seems to suggest that this therapy should be considered in addition to current therapies for cancer-related pain and could be offered to patients even earlier in the course of their illness and treatments than is acceptable now.”

Other studies have documented sustained improvements in pain intensity, cognition, and sleep quality among cancer patients who consume cannabis products. Cancer patients also report decreasing their use of opioids following cannabis therapy.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis for refractory cancer-related pain in a specialized clinical service: A cross-sectional study,” appears in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

Chronic pain and depression are two of the most common health conditions found around the globe. Researchers estimate that roughly 1.5 billion people around the world suffer from chronic pain to some degree.

Additionally, it is estimated that more than 280 million people suffer from some level of depression globally. Obviously, there is some level of overlap between the two groups, with many people suffering from both chronic pain and depression.

Elderly patients are much more likely to suffer from one or both of the conditions. Fortunately, a recent study found that the use of medical cannabis products is associated with symptom reductions in elderly patients experiencing pain and/or depression. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Tel Aviv, Israel: The sustained use of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products is associated with significant reductions in pain, depression, and opioid use among elderly patients, according to observational data published in the journal Biomedicines.

Israeli investigators assessed self-reported outcomes in a cohort of 119 elderly (mean age: 79) patients prescribed medical cannabis products. (Israeli law permits qualified patients to access state-regulated cannabis products, and an estimated 100,000 Israelis are currently authorized to use them.) Most of the study’s participants suffered from chronic pain and consumed cannabis via tinctures. Subjects utilized cannabis products for at least six months.

Authors reported that medical cannabis use was associated with clinically significant reductions in patients’ chronic pain scores. They also reported that patients reduced their use of opioids by nearly half following cannabis treatment – a finding consistent with other studies.

Cannabis use was also associated with reduced symptoms of depression and overall improvements in patients’ daily living, especially among those over the age of 80. The latter finding is consistent with several prior studies reporting health-related quality of life improvements among older adults who initiate cannabis treatment.

Researchers concluded: “Cannabis contributes to the amelioration of depressive symptoms …while also achieving discernible pain alleviation. … Our findings also demonstrate the relatively favorable safety profile of cannabis therapy” in the elderly patient population.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis is not associated with a decrease in activities of daily living in older adults,” appears in Biomedicines. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Cannabis Use by Older Adult Populations.’

Roughly 5 million people around the globe suffer from ulcerative colitis, some of which will endure at least one surgery in their lifetime due to the condition. Of the patients that require surgery, roughly 20% of them will develop a condition known as chronic pouchitis.

Chronic pouchitis involves inflammation in the lining of a pouch created during surgery to treat ulcerative colitis, in addition to surgery from a small list of other diseases. Symptoms of the condition include diarrhea, abdominal pain, joint pain, cramps, and fever.

Researchers in Israel recently examined cannabis’ ability to help treat symptoms of chronic pouchitis. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Tel Aviv, Israel: The daily use of herbal cannabis provides sustained relief to patients diagnosed with chronic pouchitis, according to data published in the journal ACG Case Reports. (Pouchitis is an inflammatory condition that frequently occurs in patients following surgery to treat ulcerative colitis.)

Israeli researchers assessed the use of cannabis in nine patients with treatment-resistant pouchitis. Patients inhaled one gram of herbal cannabis (16 percent THC) daily in addition to their regular medications. Patients were monitored for one year.

Investigators reported: “Symptom improvement was reported by eight of nine patients, including improvements in abdominal pain and swelling, nausea, appetite, and general well-being. Mood, memory, concentration, sleep, alertness, and daily function were also improved. Patients reported no events of hallucinations, negative behavioral effects, restlessness, or confusion. None reported IBD [inflammatory bowel disease] exacerbation.”

They concluded: “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the effect of cannabis consumption among patients with chronic pouchitis. … Cannabis use led to significant symptomatic improvement and better quality of life in this group of patients with refractory pouchitis. Larger, controlled studies are needed to further evaluate the role of cannabis in the treatment of chronic pouchitis.”

Prior studies have shown that cannabis can mitigate symptoms associated with a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and gastroparesis.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis improves clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients with chronic pouchitis,” appears in ACG Case Reports. Additional information on cannabis and GI disorders is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.