Depression (also known as major depressive disorder) is a serious medical condition that can affect the way you feel and act towards others. Many people with depression feel that life is no longer worth living. They may feel hopeless, like there is "no way out”.
Clinical depression is a very serious illness. People with this condition have long-term often debilitating feelings of sadness and low self-esteem. There can be suicidal thoughts. Depression makes ordinary tasks such as going to work, cooking, cleaning and even personal hygiene very difficult (or impossible).
Once a doctor has evaluated the symptoms, prescription medications are usually prescribed. There are many types of anti-depressant medications: tricyclic antidepressants, MAO’s (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRI’s (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) and a few others!
A recent study (January 2010) published in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that antidepressants are only effective for those with severe depression. Patients with mild to moderate depression had no benefits with prescribed medications. Never the less, medications are prescribed with alarming frequency to patients who may not benefit at all. Pharmaceutical companies profited $9.8 billion (2008) on antidepressants alone!
Worse yet, the side effects from antidepressants are unacceptable for many people. Often the side effects are worse than the symptoms of depression! Some side effects of each type of medication:
- Tricyclics-blurred vision, constipation, difficulty urinating, worsening of glaucoma, impaired thinking, fatigue and high blood pressure.
- MAO inhibitors-weakness, dizziness, headaches, tremors, deadly if mixed with certain other drugs.
- SSRI’s-loss of appetite, weight loss, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, headache and sexual problems.
- SNRI’s-loss of appetite, weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, headache, sexual problems, liver failure and high blood pressure.
Many of these medications have “discontinuation syndrome” which really means BAD WITHDRAWAL! In other words, you cannot just quit taking them or you will become very, very ill.
Another very scary thing about these medications is the risk of suicide, especially in younger patients.
“Cannabis shows anti-depression benefits, but too much has reverse effect.” Said?Sidhartha Banerjee in the Canadian Press.
Montreal—“Cannabis in small doses has some beneficial effects for ?curbing depression, but too much of the drug can cause the polar ?opposite effect, a new study suggests.”
The neurobiological study conducted jointly by McGill University and ?a research institute affiliated with the Universite de Montreal ?indicates, “Cannabis in low doses increased serotonin levels in the ?brains of laboratory rats.” The depletion of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that controls moods, ?leads to depression. Anti-depression drugs work by increasing the ?serotonin in the brain. However, when the doses were increased on the rats, the effect was ?described as completely reversed, even devastating. Serotonin levels ?dropped significantly.
"We know from anecdotal evidence that (human) smokers of marijuana ?experience good effects but they also experience unwanted ?effects
rove results. ,” said McGill PhD student Francis Bambico, who authored the ?study, which is to be published Wednesday in the Journal of ?Neuroscience.
"Some smokers experience anxiety and agitation. But at very high doses ?and in certain circumstances, it leads into depression-enhancing ?effects, particularly if you take in a lot of cannabis at very high ?doses."
“Humans using cannabis as an anti-depressant is problematic since it's ?hard to control the dosage when it is smoked in the form of marijuana ?joints,” says lead researcher Dr. Gabriella Gobbi (Italy).
Marijuana Therapy Dissolves the Depression
Every year approximately 15 million people are diagnosed with Clinical Depression. Women suffer the most, then men, then the elderly, and then the teens and finally even little kids. Brain chemistry is blamed, or past history, or present problems, or future worry, or personality, Heredity, Drugs, Isolation, Loneliness, Lack of Self-Esteem, even Spiritual Alienation. Medical Treatments suppress the symptoms via legal, prescribed, profit-producing drugs (poisons). The results are dismal. Less than half obtain relief. Side effects include addiction, digestive problems, permanent organ damage, mental confusion and possibly suicide. Psychological Counseling is another popular avenue for dealing with Depression. It is really just talking about yourself and paying someone who is trained to listen. Its record of accomplishment for helping Chronic Depression is itself depressing. New Age Idealism claims to diminish negativity with aromatherapy and positive thoughts. Sometimes this is effective in the short term, but loses its glamour quickly. Breathing became habitually, invisibly slightly diminished which equals less than optimal functioning. In Western medicine, the nuances of the breath are not studied. In the East, the intricate subtleties of “the breath” have a profound effect on personal experience. Diminished oxygenation to the organism, especially to the brain is immediately remedied with marijuana. “Specifically, the brain receives more richly oxygenated blood and simultaneously receives a greater supply of that blood because of the dilation in all brain capillaries and so much more.” “Marijuana actually helps the brain to grow new cells. When fully oxygenated through The Marijuana Response the brain thrives and expands” “Along with appropriate exercise, diet, moderation in lifestyle, over the long term, Marijuana Therapy is a most basic and beneficial remedy for Clinical Depression.” Reference: Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nov 1, 2005 “Cannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis (brain cell growth) and anti-depressant-like effects.”
Medical cannabis has been used for centuries to treat depression. English clergyman Robert Burton (1621) stated that cannabis was helpful to treat depression. Four hundred years ago, it was used for depression in India. In the 17th century, physicians in England to treat depression prescribed it. In 1890, British physician J. R. Reynolds determined that cannabis was helpful for depression and other illnesses (asthma, forms of epilepsy, nerve pain, painful menstrual cramps and migraines and tics).
More recently, patient surveys show that many people to treat depression with very good results are using cannabis. Many studies also show that patients who are depressed as a result of another serious disease such as cancer, HIV, MS or chronic pain, report less depression symptoms with the use of cannabis!
Research has shown that low doses of cannabis increased serotonin levels in the brain which improves mood. Higher doses of cannabis achieved just the opposite effects serotonin levels depleted increased symptoms of depression. Currently, many people with depression symptoms use medical cannabis. Patients must be careful to use low to moderate doses to achieve positive effects! If symptoms worsen stop or lighten the dosage. Low doses may give the relief needed and without the unwanted side effects of conventional medicines. Counseling, exercise and healthy diet will also improve results
