More on MaryJane and PTSD

Salem-News.com (Jun-14-2007 00:02)
Medical Marijuana: PTSD Medical Malpractice
Dr. Phillip Leveque Salem-News.com

For those afflicted, there is no escaping PTSD, but sufferers may have some relief in sight.
old soldier artwork

PTSD has afflicted trauma victims, especially in war, forever.
"Wounded, soldiers" by ROCK-Salt! Art Proctor
authorsden.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is like a camouflaged elephant in the living room. Those who want to see it do so; those who don’t want to see it, do not.

Even officials of the Veterans Administration admit to seeing the “elephant” and have stated that probably 300,000 veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan war have PTSD or will develop it.

PTSD is an insidious mental disease. Hold on now, we who have it or have had it aren’t “crazy” but we do wonder why most of our doctors seem to think it might be “home-sickness” from playing “cowboys and indians” far from home. One afternoon in an artillery barrage would probably change their minds but physicians and psychologists are not likely to have had the privilege of being in an artillery barrage or anything like it....

...During this post-trauma time some caregiver will say to himself “let’s treat this patients PTSD” and here come a mélange of medications. Here is a list of some of the more commonly used medications. This list is from the article “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among Military Returnees from Afghanistan and Iraq” by Matthew J. Friedman in the April 2006 edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry: (This listing is ridiculous and unbelievable.)

Paroxetine – antidepressant Phenetzinel – enzyme blocker prolonging antidepressant Elavil – antidepressant Propanalol – anti-adrenergic Gabapentin – powerful anti-convulsant Risperidone – antipsychotic

(Why these weird medicines should work, or are supposed to work, is really a medical mystery. The adverse side effects of almost all of these makes one wonder why they should be forced onto a psychologically fragile PTSD patient.)

Others medications are common sedatives, strong analgesics, muscle relaxants, etc. almost all of which make the patient groggy, stupefied and more non-functional than possibly PTSD itself.

Many veterans with PTSD, especially those from Viet Nam, discovered that marijuana was better than any of the aforementioned medications. However, the official position of V.A. doctors under government regulations are not even allowed to discuss with patients that marijuana might help....

....The country of Israel, which has been in near constant warfare for fifty plus years, has recognized the benefits of medical marijuana for the treatment of PTSD. It is hopeful that their experience will soon get to the U.S. Of course, the Israelis have the Hebrew bible to fall back on. Kaneh bosum (cannabis) was used in biblical times as medicine.

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june142007/leveque_61407.php