Cannabis can fight asthma

I was unable to attend since I was roaming in the Bahamas, as a member of the Caricom election observer team for the May 10 general election. I cannot say what, exactly, transpired at the lecture but this is what I wrote when I saw the announcement.

It’s a one-hour lecture so one would expect that the bulk of it would be devoted to studies that show how wonderful GSK’s products are for treating asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

Of interest is an article in the British Financial Times on February 8, headlined “GSK beats forecasts but braces for asthma drug challenge.” So I would brace myself for an infomercial- type lecture.

GSK’s flagship asthma product is Advair, “an asthma treatment that has been one of its most reliable revenue generators since the 1990s.” But here’s what GSK has to say about its own product: “People with asthma who take long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) medicines, such as salmeterol (one of the medicines in Advair Diskus), have an increased risk of death from asthma problems.” Among others, a 1992 article in the New England Journal of Medicine by Spitzer, Suissa, Ernst, et al, is relevant. It is entitled “The use of Beta-agonists and the risk of death and near death from asthma.” So we’ve known about this for a long time, it’s admitted by the manufacturer, yet this product has been a most reliable revenue generator since that time — a tribute to the power of advertising/promotion and the state of medical “science.” GSK also states, “Children and adolescents who take LABA medicines may have an increased risk of being hospitalised for asthma problems.” And this is prescribed to children? It adds, “Advair can cause serious side-effects, including: fungal infection in your mouth or throat (thrush), pneumonia, weakened immune system and increased chance of getting infections (immunosuppression), reduced adrenal function, sudden breathing problems immediately after inhaling your medicine, serious allergic reactions, increased blood pressure, a fast or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, bone thinning or weakness (osteoporosis), slowed growth in children, eye problems including glaucoma and cataracts.” There’s a lot more.

If you can convince someone to take that, you can convince them of anything. More details can be found here: https://www.advair.

com/risks-and-side-effects.

html In case you’re wondering, Symbicort (one of Advair’s competitors) is no better.

The TV advertisement gives a hint but more details can be found here: http://www.rxlist.

com/symbicort-side-effects- drug-center.htm I’m pretty sure we won’t hear anything along these lines: “Cannabis has been shown to be an effective treatment for asthma sufferers. However, upon further investigation, it is learned that it is actually THC that is delivering relief in its role as a bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory, the two types of relief most critical to patients directly prior to or during an asthma attack.“Several other cannabinoids, such as CBD, CBC, and CBN, also deliver anti-inflammatory efficacy, but only THC provides a specific bronchodilator benefit. In addition, the significant ability of cannabis to fight anxiety, one of the primary triggers of asthma attacks, means that it is a superb preventative.

The best asthma attacks, of course, are those that never occur.” For more details, see https://gooeyrabinski.

com/tag/asthma/ Of course, cannabis is illegal here so asthma sufferers are condemned to using drugs whose manufacturers admit can be dangerous to their health, while being denied a safer and more effective alternative.

Oh for a few politicians with some spine, will and courage, who would truly act on behalf of “the people” rather than continue to kowtow to big business interests.

NOEL KALICHARAN via email