Could Cannabis Replace Spinal Injections?

This is a topic of personal appeal to me. Both my mother and stepfather are what we would consider elderly. Both suffer from some form of spinal condition that compresses their nerves and causes pain. For years now, they have been told by their doctors that spinal steroid/anesthetic injections would be a great help and make their pain manageable.

Maybe, for a time, they were getting some relief. At this point, however, I feel like they continue to get these injections because their doctors continue to push them, but I really doubt their efficacy. They will go for their shots and within the space of 24 hours their pain is back, often times worse. I don’t know if there is some physiological reason that the pain increases, or if it is simply because they go in with the hope/belief that they will feel better and when they don’t, the disappointment magnifies their discomfort.

These injections range from $500-$2000 in cost, with an estimated 2.2 million given per year just to people on Medicare. That’s a total cost of between $1.1 billion to $4.4 billion per year. A sum from which I feel confident betting insurance/drug companies are gaining considerable profit.

The intention of the shot is to reduce inflammation and minimize pain. I agree that reducing inflammation is crucial in pain management, as much of our pain is directly related to inflamed tissues. But I don’t think that repeated, useless injections are going to help. I would wager they only open the door to further inflammation and infection. It is sad that many of the people who receive these injections aren’t aware of what cannabis could do to help them.

Cannabis is one of the safest and most effective anti-inflammatory agents in existence, which I suspect is a large part of why it is such a powerful medication. I’m hopeful that some doctors, especially in the MMJ states, are offering cannabis as a treatment. But for many people, their doctors don’t know about, don’t believe in, or are disallowed from suggesting cannabis.

There is no single box that sufficiently captures the lack of cannabis-as-medicine problem. I think it goes back to the fucked up incestuous relationship between pharmaceutical corporations and our healthcare system. Big Pharma has zero interest in actually curing a condition, they want to create a legion of the sick to produce a never ending revenue stream. There is no profit in curing illness, but there is immense profit in being the legal drug dealer to a throng of sick people.

I have tried, with limited success, to get my parents to try cannabis. They have experimented with a few edibles, and actually saw some pretty good results, but they choose not to continue using it because their doctors have instructed them against it in favor of the injections. As hard as I have tried to reason with them (even pointing out their own successful experience with cannabis), they are so convinced that their doctors know best, they have opted to go for injections.

If doctors are following the Hippocratic oath of “first do no harm,” I just don’t see how they can summarily deny their patients any treatment that may offer safe relief. I know that some of the problem lies in marijuana’s Schedule I status, but some of that responsibility has to also fall on the doctors. I think we often forget that a doctor is just a person, a fallible person, who is (hopefully) making an educated guess on how to help us. They are not omniscient.

It must also fall somewhat to the patients, and to all of us. We are our own best advocates for our health. If your doctor is repeatedly prescribing an ineffective treatment, you need to fire them. Remember, they work for you, and a second, third or even fourth opinion is often needed to get to the root of the issue.

Trust yourselves enough to follow your instinct and find a health practitioner who actually listens to you.