Senior citizens embrace marijuana oil for pain relief
Q: I have had great results from marijuana oil for neuropathy. Last year, I had extreme pain in my feet at night. They were so swollen that I had trouble putting my shoes on in the morning. I could not be as active as usual.
I took prescribed gabapentin for the pain. When I read in your column about natural approaches such as benfotiamine, curcumin and alpha-lipoic acid, I started taking them. Almost all my neuropathy symptoms disappeared, and I no longer need the gabapentin. At 88, I still get occasional foot pain at night. It is instantly relieved by topical marijuana oil.
I live in an upscale retirement community, and a large number of people here are using marijuana oil to relieve pain without side effects.
A: Cannabis-based medicines have some scientific support for chronic pain (Pain Physician, September 2017). In states where medicinal marijuana is unavailable, some people are using cannabidiol (CBD) oil instead. This cannabis-derived compound does not make people high and has become widely available without a prescription. More clinical research is needed to explore its painrelieving potential.
Q: I had a very bad case of atopic dermatitis when I was in my teens. It cleared up after that, until recently. Now it’s back with a vengeance.
Nothing has provided much relief, including clindamycin and Halog cream. Can you suggest anything else?
A: Atopic dermatitis is a serious allergic skin condition. Another name for this red, itchy rash is eczema. It can be extremely uncomfortable, and scratching may expose the skin to infection. That may be why your doctor prescribed the antibiotic clindamycin.
Halog is a strong cortisone-type cream. Your doctor might prescribe a medication to calm your overactive immune reaction in your skin. Two topical immune-suppressing drugs have been used for years: tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel). Common side effects include temporary itching and burning. Other reactions include headache, upper respiratory tract infection, swollen glands and viral skin infections (cold sores, shingles or warts).
Two newer options are crisaborole (Eucrisa) and dupilumab (Dupixent). Crisaborole is an ointment, while dupilumab is an injection. Dupilumab is significantly more effective than placebo at calming symptoms of atopic dermatitis. However, it is pricey. It also can trigger troublesome eye symptoms such as conjunctivitis and keratitis (QuarterWatch, December 2018).
Q: I have had a bad case of blepharitis for many years. My doctor prescribed hot compresses. It’s impossible to keep a washcloth or a gauze pad hot for more than about a minute. I discovered a great solution: using a hand warmer. This is a packet that one shakes to acti- vate and then can stuff in a glove to keep one’s hands warm in winter. It stays warm for hours. It’s hot enough to provide relief but not so hot that it hurts the eyes.
A: Thank you for sharing this intriguing idea. Another option for people with dry eyes is a Dry Eye Relief Mask (DERM). This moist-heat compress contains tiny silica beads that can be warmed in the microwave. It, too, lasts more than a minute and may prove an alternative to the hand warmer. Heat can help make the oils in the meibomian glands of the eyelids less thick. This in turn can help ease blepharitis and dry eye syndrome. In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Send questions to them via www .peoplespharmacy.com.