Yeah, it sounds like bullshit. That's what makes it so great of an expression. There really is such a thing and you would think cannabis with 66 cannabinoids would help that. Dr. Russo, the researcher for GW Pharmaceuticals has a theory that migraines are caused by endegenous cannabinoid deficiency. The body does have endogenous cannabinoids and it is really unclear what a deficiency means or causes, an unclearness due to prohibition of course. But anyway the pill companies have another big announcement on cannabinoids and depression. The pharmaceuticalization of cannabis marches on-
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-12/mu-nad121305.phpPublic release date: 13-Dec-2005
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Contact: Ian Popple
ian.popple@muhc.mcgill.ca
514-843-1560
McGill University
New antidepressant drug increases 'brain's own cannabis'
This press release is also available in French.
Researchers have discovered a new drug that raises the level of endocannabinoids--the 'brain's own cannabis'--providing anti-depressant effects. The new research published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests the new drug, called URB597, could represent a safer alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression, and open the door to new and improved treatments for clinical depression--a condition that affects around 20% of Canadians.
In preclinical laboratory tests researchers found that URB597 increased the production of endocannabinoids by blocking their degradation, resulting in measurable antidepressant effects. "This is the first time it has been shown that a drug that increases endocannabinoids in the brain can improve your mood," says the lead investigator Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, an MUHC and Université de Montréal researcher.
Endocannabinoids are chemicals released by the brain under certain conditions, like exercise; they stimulate specific brain receptors that can trigger feelings of well-being. The researchers, which included scientists from the University of California at Irvine, were able to measure serotonin and noradrenaline activity as a result of the increased endocannabinoids, and also conducted standard experiments to gauge the 'mood' of their subjects and confirm their findings.
"The results were similar to the effect we might expect from the use of commonly prescribed antidepressants, which are effective on only around 30% of the population," explains Dr. Gobbi. "Our discovery strengthens the case for URB597 as a safer, non-addictive, non-psychotropic alternative to cannabis for the treatment of pain and depression and provides hope for the development of an alternate line of antidepressants, with a wider range of effectiveness." <snipped>
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