A Cooling Effect From Cannabis?

[User]

By Tod Mikuriya, MD

It has been observed by my office staff and confirmed anecdotally by colleagues that people seeking physician approval to medicate with cannabis usually register body temperatures markedly below 98.6.

Hypothermia in the mouse is one of the “classic tetrad” of symptoms indicating activation of the cannabinoid system. The genesis of hypothermia requires further study. The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission observed that one of the reputed benefits was to help laborers tolerate the heat. Cannabis was described as used to cool the passions —in contrast with alcohol, which heated them.

A slower metabolic rate, over time, might have implications for longevity.

Clinically, cannabis appears to actually lower temperature and a couple of patients have described a sense of cold with transient shivering. The question could be answered readily by comparing temperatures of persons who have THC metabolites in their urine and people who don’t. If there turns out to be a significantly lower temperature in the cannabis-using population, one might posit a slower metabolic rate which, over time, might have implications for longevity. Temperature has a significant effect on metabolic rate. We have to understand the mechanism of hypothermogenesis.

If there is a hypothermia, what influence is there on the HPA (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal networks) and all of the interactions affecting levels of circulating cortisol and epinephrine, etc.? With management of diabetes, cannabis decreases blood sugar by diminishing gluconeogenesis, which plays out in decreased insulin requirement and improved stability.

This hypothermogenic effect appears to be dose-related and could contribute to a neuroprotective effect after trauma. The optimum delivery method will require study. Hopefully, we will see a vaporizer on ambulances for treatment of head injury and seizures, and at the bedside of pre- and post-neurosurgery patients.

In addition to external cooling, cannabis quiets the irritable CNS. A combination of inhaled and oral cannabis would be appropriate for acute CNS trauma from internal or external etiology. I predict this will become accepted and mainstream in the future.

Raphael Mechoulam’s lab published a paper in 2003 showing that hypothermia appears to be an important factor as to why the synthetic THC analog HU-210 was protective in an animal model of stroke. [Leker, R.R., Gai, N., Mechoulam, R. and Ovadia, H. (2003) Drug-induced hypothermia reduces ischemic damage: effects of the cannabinoid HU-210. Stroke 34, 2000-2006]... If a patient presents to an ER with a stroke, the first thing they will do is put the patient’s head in a cooler and pump them full of antioxidants (vitamin E).


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[FishSticks]

After reading this article the other day, I found myself looking back to see if this was in fact true with me. Though I was stumped and couldn't come up with a specific time in which the heat was more tolerable, until today. The temperature today was in the 90's and it was very humid. I decided to test this out on my own and prepared a smoke. At around 1pm I headed out. The sun was very warm though it seemed as if it didnt matter much, the heat was not much of an issue at all. About an hour later and I still hadn't even broken a sweat. I stayed outdoors for the majority of the day, and clearly noticed that with the high the heat and sweat stayed away. I then began to notice as the high wore down, the sweat slowly started. :)

[Medical Marijuana]

I think this explains why folks refer to 'chilling out' when smoking cannabis lol.

[User]

i was stoned today (everyday actually) and opened the door to go outside, felt the blast furnace and decided not to go outside. my pot seems to prefer air conditioning. but i do think marijuana makes most unpleasant things a bit more tolerable.