Pubdate: Fri, 22 May 2015
Source: Guardian, The (CN PI)
Copyright: 2015 The Guardian, Charlottetown Guardian Group Incorporated
Contact:  http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/174
Author: Dave Stewart
Page: A3

DEALING WITH PAIN

One of North America's leading experts on pain management is in
Charlottetown.

Dr. Mary Lynch will be speaking at the Canadian Pain Society's annual
scientific meeting about alternative therapies - everything from art
therapy to cannabinoids.

There are hundreds of natural components found within a cannabis
plant. Some of those have been classified as cannabinoids, chemicals
unique to the plant.

Lynch said one of the more well known and researched is
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, a substance primarily responsible for
the psychoactive effects of cannabis.

"The reason I'm interested in cannabinoids is because the body has a
built in pain defence network and an inflammation defence network and
part of our body's built in pain defence network is cannabinoid
based,'' said Lynch, who is a researcher, psychiatrist and physician
at the QEII Health Sciences Centre's pain management unit in Halifax.

Her goal is to develop a number of treatments for conditions such as
neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and other forms
of chronic pain.

Her studies have found about 14 per cent of patients who present to
pain clinics were using cannabis to control their pain.

Lynch says about one in five Islanders suffers from a chronic pain
condition that is severe enough to interfere with their quality of
life and normal function.

"That amounts to about 30,000 P.E.I. residents. That's a lot of
people.''

Medical marijuana production facilities have started popping up across
Canada and there is a group in Charlottetown still working through the
slow process of getting approval from Health Canada.

She isn't saying marijuana should be the first form of treatment for
people with chronic pain.

"If people don't respond to the first thing or the second thing, it
might be the third thing that they would try.'' But there are
challenges. "We are working in such a strict regulatory climate and
because of the controversial nature and the socio-political climate
the human research has been delayed. Consequently, we don't have a
series of agents that we can use for people with pain and
inflammation.''

However, it's not stopping people from using marijuana to ease
pain.

"While we're waiting for the science to develop what has happened is
people have found marijuana helpful and because they can't get access
to specific agents that are cannabinoid-based they have had to turn to
marijuana and that's why there is a medical marijuana program.''

Other topics that will be discussed at the conference include dealing
with children's pain and pain management.
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MAP posted-by: Matt