[420patriot]

Multiple Sclerosis and Marijuana: Active Brain Adaptation

By 420patriot


Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. The disease attacks the brain by first inflaming; then scarring over vital highways in the brain known as neural pathways. The scar tissue is irreparable and causes a permanent misfiring or blockage of key information in the brain. The disability caused from each scarred neural pathway is dependent upon the area of the brain affected. If blockage occurs on the neural pathway that is utilized when a person closes her hand, there may be delay or even inability to complete this task. Fortunately, the sophistication of the human brain allows for quick adaptation when it has the tools available.

You are trying to close your hand when you realize you are holding a lemon. You obviously can't continue the task of closing your hand until you resolve the lemon problem. I prefer to make lemonade in this situation by tearing apart the lemon and shoving it in my face. If I wasn't high, my M.S. fatigue may encourage me to just look at the lemon and feel sad that I can't close my hand.

Imagine your brain is driving to work and it comes across accidents, road blocks, street maintenance, and other blockages. The brain of a multiple sclerosis person may get fatigued by the long hard journey to work everyday; while the more active, cannabis-stimulated brain may begin thinking about alternate routes to the same destination thereby bypassing the blockage. For those of us with M.S., cannabis provides the simplest, most effective means of waking up our brains and forcing our brains to look for novel approaches to our seeming limitations.
(if you can't run, try skipping...)

Marijuana is particularly useful with multiple sclerosis and pre-Alzheimer’s brains. The brain is forced to process information in novel ways while affected by marijuana causing unique neural pathways and adaptations to be formed. When I found that my leg was stiff and walking became perplexing, I started to skip around my house when nobody was watching. Eventually that skipping moderated into a new cadence for walking that completely ignored the leg stiffness. Eventually the stiffness disappeared, leaving me with a slightly different, arguably superior, walk & cadence than before the skipping. I can tell you that if I wasn't high as a kite, I would not have gone around my house skipping from place to place. The marijuana helped my brain develop an adaptation to the symptoms. Silly as it seems, a few days of skipping or a lifetime of misery was a much harder choice to make than it would seem. Decisions in this regard rely on a "leap of faith" by the individual, but luckily they don't take too long to bear fruit. The patient's outlook is very important as they let the medicine help them to fight the disease.

Marijuana interacts with the brain in such a way to help facilitate new neural pathways on new neural highways thereby taking detours around scarred and inflamed brain tissue caused by multiple sclerosis and pre-Alzheimer’s individuals. Marijuana forces the brain to be more active in the healing and adaptation process.

My personal experimentation has led me to counter MS symptoms by consuming concentrated marijuana products which seem to allow my brain to jump-start the healing process. Luckily in California, I am able to purchase the concentrated marijuana from a local dispensary. I spend about $400 a month for medical grade cannabis. I figure that I have been saving my insurance company over $2,500 a month in prescriptions. Currently, they won't pay for my marijuana.

I promise myself to march anywhere I can to help others obtain legally accessible medical marijuana. Eventually, the United States federal Government will recognize my right to freely use marijuana. In the meantime, I am careful to follow all local & state laws about medical marijuana. The people of California have proven to be compassionate and willing to see the truth about marijuana. Other states are learning from our success and, in time, they will find compassion as well.

[HappaGuy]

Pretty awesome post 420Patriot!

I have run across clinical research that backs up what you say about MMJ stimulating growth of new nerves in the brain - until recently thought an impossibility.

If I can find the time I'll post the links. Yours is such a powerful testimonial that it deserves footnotes.

Speaking of which, may I suggest you post this on the Tainted Testimonials thread in the Court Support forum?

[ASA Field]

You can find some of this research here: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article...=4558#research

[420patriot]

Originally Posted by ASA Field

You can find some of this research here: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article...=4558#research

This is a fantastic resource. Over the last few years, the support and information I have received from Americans for Safe Access has been a Godsend. Thank you.