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Neuropathy and
Cannabis
by Peter Kershaw , Contributing Writer
As defined by the medical establishment , neuropathy and the pain that accompanies it is the result of nerve damage . Neuropathy is often referred to as “ peripheral neuropathy ” because nerve damage is to the peripheral nerves ( i . e ., outside the brain and spinal cord ). Neuropathic pain most commonly presents in the extremities but may less commonly affect other parts of the body . Neuropathy is not a single health condition but rather an umbrella term describing a range of nerve damage issues resulting from underlying health issues .
Neuropathic pain is varied , running the spectrum from mild discomfort to excruciating and debilitating . Neuropathic pain can manifest as allodynia ( the perception of pain in the absence of painful stimuli ), hyperalgesia ( exaggerated response to pain stimuli ), and dysesthesias (“ pins and needles ”). Patients may describe sensations of :
● Burning
● Shooting / stabbing pain
● Numbness
● Tingling
● Muscle weakness
● Loss of motor control
Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common forms of neuropathy . High blood sugar causes nerve damage affecting around half of all diabetics . Of those , most report pain , tingling , or numbness in the feet and toes . Neuropathy can also result from other health problems , such as an autoimmune disease or a traumatic injury . Chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients can also result in nerve damage .
Neuropathy is estimated to affect at least 20 million Americans . Figures are likely much higher since many sufferers are never diagnosed and treated . For many years , it was common to hear doctors tell patients that their neuropathy was “ irreversible .” Thankfully , in more recent times , that ’ s been changing . While an “ irreversible ” prognosis may still be true in some cases , it ’ s not true for all patients .
Treatments
Where it concerns the treatment of pain , medical doctors in the U . S . are among the most inadequately trained in the world . “ Neuropathy ” has too often been used as a catch-all phrase that proves almost meaningless to the patient seeking specific answers from the doctor who has been inadequately trained to provide them . The result has too often been exactly the same as it has been in many other areas of medical “ science ” — the reflexive prescribing of pharmaceuticals that treat only symptoms . Neuralgia patients frequently report the pain relief achieved by these drugs is , at best , disappointing . But even worse than often proving ineffective , it ’ s quite common that they have unpleasant and even harmful side effects .
A doctor formally trained in neurology ( Neurologist ) will likely order a complete workup , including imaging tests ( i . e ., CT or MRI scans ), to look for herniated disks , compressed nerves , growths , or other problems . Additional tests may include electromyography ( EMG ) to measure and record electrical activity in muscles to isolate nerve damage . If the diagnosis is a spinal injury , what then ? Surgery should be the absolute last resort , but it ’ s often the first recommendation , including for cases of nerve impingement or , as it ’ s more commonly known , entrapment neuropathy . For such a condition , there are much safer and potentially more effective treatments available than surgery , including chiropractic .
Unfortunately , it ’ s very unlikely that a medical doctor will make a referral to a chiropractor , even when such a referral would be in the patient ’ s best interests . But where it concerns spinal and neck injuries , a competent chiropractor ( perhaps followed up with a competent physical therapist ) may prove to be the only safe and effective thing that can reverse that specific form of neuropathy . In my own case , I suffered neuropathic pain due to nerve entrapment resulting from a whiplash injury in an auto accident . From the very first treatment , my condition improved dramatically . Even still , I can periodically experience less than painfree days , and this is where medical cannabis enters .
Cannabis for Neuropathy
In Asian and Middle Eastern countries , cannabis has been used for many centuries to treat chronic pain ( including neuropathy ). In the West , its successful use for “ neuralgia ” was documented in 1843 by Dr . Martin H . Lynch ( professor at Durham College of Medicine ). “ The patient labors under agonizing pain of a ‘ stabbing ’ character .” Through the moderate oral application of cannabis tincture , the patient experienced rapid and dramatic relief of her pain . 1
Specific cannabinoids in the cannabis plant have proven to be effective analgesics , the
20 January 2024