Marijuana Medical Handbook: Practical Guide to Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana [Paperback]

Gregory T. Carter M.D. (Adapter), Dale Gieringer Ph.D. (Author), Ed Rosenthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0932551866 | ISBN-13: 978-0932551863 | Edition: Revised

An estimated 40 million Americans have medical symptoms that marijuana can relieve. Marijuana Medical Handbook is a one-stop resource that gives candid, objective advice on using marijuana for healing, understanding its effects on the body, safe administration, targeting illnesses, side effects, and the various delivery methods from edibles and tinctures to smokeless vaporizer pipes. The book also details supply issues, cultivation solutions (in a chapter by renowned expert Ed Rosenthal), and legal consequences. This thoroughly revised edition incorporates the most up-to-date information on the ever-changing politics of marijuana, the plant's usage, and medical research on it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Marijuana Medical Handbook is the only book written for people who have little or no experience with marijuana, but want an honest and informative account of its medical value, especially concerning symptoms related to cancer, AIDS/HIV, glaucoma, and many more ailments and illnesses. Marijuana is an invaluable and safe medical resource when used properly. Now everyone can explore its healing powers with confidence as the Marijuana Medical Handbook answers such serious questions as: What is marijuana's effect on the Body? What illnesses is is suitable for? How can you administer it safely? What are the real side effects? How can you guarantee a consistent supply? What are the legal consequences? The Marijuana Medical Handbook provides a comprehensive profile of the properties, effects, dangers, and uses of marijuana, along with a step-by-step guide to maintaining your own personal garden. The Marijuana Medical Handbook is an important reference guide and a valuable contribution to today's medical and political dialog affecting national and state laws and ordinances regarding marijuana and its medical applications. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Quick American Archives; Revised edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932551866
• ISBN-13: 978-0932551863
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Medical Books > Pharmacology > Reference
  • #30 in Books > Medical Books > Pharmacology > Pain Medicine

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an Honest Look @ Marijuana, August 12, 2008

By 

T. Beattie (Vancouver, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marijuana Medical Handbook: A Guide to Therapeutic Use (Paperback)

I, after MANY years (7 years) of suffering from chronic intractable migraines & the pain increasing over the last 2 years the Dr's have run out of ideas & procedures that might help, I've been over 40 classes of medication had 2 surgery's & more procedures than I care to count. After going on disability successfully, my husband & I are still close to losing our home, our 1st house actually. So, I've gone back to work with the help of marijuana. I've known for a long time that it helps but because of the stigma attached to it & that I had really only ever used it recreational I didn't know exactly how to go about using medicinally. So to educate myself on it I went to the online library & amazon & started searching for books; once I started reading this book I realized I don't need any others & I'm recommending all my friends & family to read it too so that they can better understand everything as I have. This book is really the most honest book I've seen; it doesn't shy away from the disadvantages of marijuana; yes there are some! And it doesn't just highlight the advantages instead I feel like it gives you all the available information it can & then allows you to decide for yourself how you feel. This book is so good, I hope to buy it soon so that I can own it & mark it up with my favorites & for reference later on & I will educate my future children with this book!

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest look at how Marijuana is used, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Marijuana Medical Handbook: A Guide to Therapeutic Use (Paperback)

This is the only book that tells you about marijuana use--what emotional and physical feelings you can expect, how it is prepared for both smoking and even recipes for those who prefer to cook with marijuana. The book also includes a chapter on cultivation by Ed Rosenthal. This is an important feature since many patients prefer to have the control over their medicine that personal cultivationa assures.

50 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A useful examination of medical marijuana, October 7, 2009

By 

LEON L CZIKOWSKY (Harrisburg, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marijuana Medical Handbook: Practical Guide to Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana (Paperback)

This book is based on a data bank of over 9,000 patients.

Medical marijuana is legal in 13 states, Canada, the Netherlands, and Austria. There is also a pharmaceutical spray version of marijuana that can be used in 23 countries, but not within the United States. It is legally used by approximately 300,000 patients in the US. It is believe there are several million patients illegally using marijuana for medical purposes.

The use of marijuana has been found to be effective in treating the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Tourette's syndrome, and pain. There are studies showing marijuana is useful for patients with hepatitis C, gastro-intestinal disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). There are some indicating that marijuana is useful for patients with cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's diseases.

A drawback to marijuana is it has toxins that can create a high effect that dulls mental senses. These toxins and the high effect can be removed by vaporizing the marijuana.

Marinol is a synthetic chemical available in capsules made from sesame oil that contains pure THC found in marijuana. It is allowed by the Food and Drug Administration to suppress nausea, while is a common ailment by patients who receive chemotherapy who need to fight nausea in order to take their medication. Patients state that medical marijuana is far superior to Marinol which lacks cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids found in marijuana that allow marijuana to be more effective. In addition, nausea patients have difficulty swallowing the Marinol capsules. Patients state they prefer inhaling such medication, which can be done with marijuana but not with Marinol. Inhalation also offer for better dosage control, whereas capsules have the dosage pre-determined. Marinol is also expensive, costing up to $1,000 for sixty capsules.

Sativex is a cannabis spray administered under the tongue. It is available for Canada and 22 other countries, primarily for multiple sclerosis patients.

Medical marijuana has been found to help stimulate appetite and repress nausea. This is helpful for patients with cancer, HIV, and AIDS. Six studies found marijuana suppressed nausea in 90% of people studied while one study found it suppressed nausea in 59% of people studied.

It has been suggested the marijuana can be useful in stimulating the appetite of people with anorexia and with morning sickness.

Marijuana was found in a study to reduce muscle spasms in 88% of patients studied with spinal cord injuries.

Marijuana has been found to reduce spasms with patients with epilepsy, gastrointestinal disorders, menstrual cramps, cerebral palsy and a number of other disorders. It also reduces tics faced by people with Tourette's syndrome.

A study of 339 Parkinson's disease patients found 46% of patients found substantial relief although it took almost two months of use before the relief took effect.

Marijuana has been found to relieve pain. Recent studies and studies going back to the 19th century have found this to be the case. In the 19th century, marijuana was prescribed for migraines and for pain from rheumatism. A number of patients experience pain related to several ailments for express pain relief from marijuana.

A study with a small sample size found that Marino diminished some of the negative psychiatric effects experienced by Alzheimer's patients. An animal tissue study found it cannabinoids may slow the progression of Alzheimer's.

Marijuana may have positive effects for other psychiatric ailments. It may improve the mood of people with clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome. A study of insomnia patients found that using marijuana helped them sleep better. It is noted that insomnia is often a side effect of withdrawal from heavy marijuana usage which can last for up to several weeks. Marijuana should not be used to alleviate stress as stress comes from external conditions.

The use of marijuana may help alleviate the symptoms of addiction withdrawal, be it alcohol, tobacco, or narcotics.

Marijuana decreases fluid pressure on the eyes of glaucoma patients. Thus using marijuana can prevent blindness from glaucoma. Among the few patients legally allowed by the Food and Drug Administration to use medical marijuana have been glaucoma patients.

There has been a study that indicated that the direct application of cannabinoids to some types of cancers in animals shrinks them. This does not mean that inhaling them would have a similar effect.

Marijuana increased heart rates which could pose a problem to people with heart disease. It can make some people feel faintness. Smoking marijuana can be harmful to the throat and lungs. It should be noted that the amount of smoke involved from typical marijuana users is far less than the amount of smoke involved in tobacco users.