New Jackie Mac piece on anxiety and depression in the NBA has interesting stuff on some Celtics

Jackie Mac is writing a five part series on anxiety and depression in the NBA for ESPN. The links to the first two pieces are below. The first has some interesting stuff from Pierce about what he dealt with with after getting stabbed in 2000. The second focuses mostly on Marcus Morris. In addition to providing insight into Marcus' character, the second piece also reveals how the Celtics are once again ahead of the curve. Hopefully pieces like this will show potential free agents what a class organization Boston is. Usuallly I cut and paste articles, but these are too long.


http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24382693/jackie-macmullan-kevin-love-paul-pierce-state-mental-health-nba

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24382693/jackie-macmullan-kevin-love-paul-pierce-state-mental-health-nba

Rarely discussed is how much NBA players smoke marijuana. It's a lot. This is not good for players, despite talk of the benefits of medical marijuana. Don't get me wrong. There are considerable benefits from hemp extracts- from the CBD cannabidiol oil either applied externally or swallowed, but not from the mind altering THC. Smoking marijuana is quite simply a horrible way to deliver the active ingredients.

Check out this report:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6086073/Smoking-cannabis-ages-brain-average-2-8-YEARS.html

Mental health for everyone is very much a part of the health triangle (physical, social and mental) so it would be ignorant of anyone (fans, players or ownership) to think that mental health issues do not exist for NBA players.

There still is a huge stigma attached to mental health issues that may finally be breaking down (at least a little bit) with some of the recent admissions by certain players.

We have always heard of a sprained ankle or a broken finger, etc, but there is much more to total health of all of the athletes that we love to cheer for.

part 3:

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24383926/jackie-macmullan-ocd-adhd-medication-marijuana-nba-mental-health

Interesting stuff on Shane Larkin, and some comments from Doc.

worcester wrote:Rarely discussed is how much NBA players smoke marijuana. It's a lot. This is not good for players, despite talk of the benefits of medical marijuana.  Don't get me wrong. There are considerable benefits from hemp extracts- from the CBD cannabidiol oil either applied externally or swallowed, but not from the mind altering THC. Smoking marijuana is quite simply a horrible way to deliver the active ingredients.

Check out this report:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6086073/Smoking-cannabis-ages-brain-average-2-8-YEARS.html

Alcohol is also a huge problem. Many people find THC intoxicating initially, but later find that it also induces anxiety - users often describe feelings of paranoia - and thus it can exacerbate the problem it was initially intended to relieve. Also, weed is still mostly a young person's vice. As players get older, social situations where people smoke become fewer and farther between. Alcohol is socially acceptable, and has sedative properties that reduce anxiety. Thus, the risk of long term alcohol abuse is very high, especially once players leave the game.

Treating ADHD presents an interesting dilemma. Currently, people are prescribed Adderall or something similar. Adderall is a mixture of several compounds that are amphetamine derivatives, i.e. speed. Seems counterintitive to prescribe speed to someone who manifests hyperactivity, but it actually seems to help people focus. One could also argue that it might provide players with an edge; most amphetamines are banned from the olympics since the provide energy and reduce fatigue.

Marijuana is now legal in many states (MA included) and as it comes out of the shadows, professional horticulturist are growing more and more strains - some with much of the THC removed.

Painting with broads strokes doesnt do the subject any justice.

worcester wrote:Rarely discussed is how much NBA players smoke marijuana. It's a lot. This is not good for players, despite talk of the benefits of medical marijuana.  Don't get me wrong. There are considerable benefits from hemp extracts- from the CBD cannabidiol oil either applied externally or swallowed, but not from the mind altering THC. Smoking marijuana is quite simply a horrible way to deliver the active ingredients.

Check out this report:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6086073/Smoking-cannabis-ages-brain-average-2-8-YEARS.html

Sorry, but I have to disagree.

First, you should know that the Daily Mail is a tabloid known for publishing sensational articles on medicine and science that are poorly supported. The for-profit Amen Clinic cited here has been criticized by the American Psychiatric Assoc. for it's over reliance on brain scans to diagnose mental conditions.

People with experience in the use of CBD will tell you that for at least some uses CBD effectiveness requires or is enhanced by the inclusion of some THC. Actual amounts vary by individual but I can tell you from personal experience that CBD alone doesn't always work. A few years ago I began to experience the morning aches and pains typically associated with aging. I was waking up feeling much worse than when I went to bed. An edible of THC and a high level of CBD taken at bedtime virtually eliminated that pain. In the past few months I've begun to experience joint pain during the day that is probably the onset of arthritis. I tried straight CBD during the day but got no noticeable relief. I have been taking an edible of THC/CBD three times daily and gotten dramatic relief. I am sixty-nine and still working as a software analyst, a profession that requires some fair degree of mental acuity. I would say that, if anything, my job performance has improved because I am no longer distracted by the pain. My doctor agrees that some THC seems to be required to make CBD effective for pain.

I have a friend who suffers from another form of arthritis. He had to retire early due to the pain. His pain was especially bad before bed and he couldn't sleep because of it. He started taking a THC/CBD edible and was able to sleep largely pain free. When he ran out of the edible he had to resort to prescription painkillers that were addictive and expensive. Both he and his doctor felt the THC/CBD was the far better treatment.

Btw, inhaling smoke of any kind is probably never good but there are numerous alternatives today in edibles and vaping.

https://www.projectcbd.org/guidance/cbd-misconceptions

Vaping is still smoking. I have successfully treated many, many patients with pain syndromes using CBD oil externally and curcumin bonded with whey protein internally. I would not write off the findings of the Amen study so quickly. I am glad the THC-CBD combo works for you, but don't write off the efficacy of solo CBD oil so quickly either,by mouth or external. Of great importance is the quality of the CBD oil which varies GREATLY. I find that oils derived from CBD crystals metabolize better when taken internally or applied externally. A good source to review, compare, and contrast the quality of various CBD oils is cbdoilreview.org.

Still, your experience is 100% valid so keep on doing what works for you.

worcester wrote:Vaping is still smoking. I have successfully treated many, many patients with pain syndromes using CBD oil externally and curcumin bonded with whey protein internally. I would not write off the findings of the Amen study so quickly. I am glad the THC-CBD combo works for you, but don't write off the efficacy of solo CBD oil so quickly either,by mouth or external. Of great importance is the quality of the CBD oil which varies GREATLY. I find that oils derived from CBD crystals metabolize better when taken internally or applied externally. A good source to review, compare, and contrast the quality of various CBD oils is cbdoilreview.org.

Still, your experience is 100% valid so keep on doing what works for you.

Vaping is not still smoking. Smoking is, by definition, the combustion of matter, in this case plant matter just like tobacco, though joints don't contain the same harmful additives and most users don't smoke forty joints a day. Vaping is the heating of the oil to produce a vapor. They are entirely different physical processes. And if you had ever smoked and vaped your lungs would let you know instantly that there was a significant difference.

I do not discount the potential for CBD by itself to be effective in some cases. But I sense a prejudice in your approach to treatment to including any THC. I know of no proven reason for this. Unfortunately the government position on marijuana has short-sheeted good research for many decades. Who knows what will be proven in the future. But when your patients don't respond to solo CBD I would hate to think that you are stopping there because you think controlled use of THC is harmful. I would also point out that I do not find anything stated by Amen Clinic that details what they considered use vs. abuse. And of course there is no differentiation between the use of pure CBD and THC/CBD in that study. Nor is there any consideration of the possibility that reduced blood flow to the brain is actually part of the reason the drug is effective in the treatment of certain conditions.

atcross, I am guiding by Hippocrates's dictum: "First, do no harm."
Call vaping by whatever name you wish, it does involve the vaporization of oil by heat which is then inhaled into the lungs. Are you so sure that does not pose any long term health risks?

Please consider the following article from that notably ultra conservative, anti-marihuana magazine
Rolling Stone:

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/are-weed-vape-pens-safe-202125/

You say you know of no proven reason for being cautious about ingesting THC.
Consider these sources: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ending-addiction-good/201404/studies-show-long-term-effects-cannabis-the-brain

https://www.livescience.com/24558-marijuana-effects.html

You write, " But when your patients don't respond to solo CBD I would hate to think that you are stopping there because you think controlled use of THC is harmful."

I actually employ several non-THC methods developed over the past 5000 years by the Chinese which successfully address pain syndromes. Most Americans live in a world of limited choices - pharmaceuticals, surgery, or self-medicating with herbal derived chemicals such as THC. There are many other avenues, proven to be safer and still effective. They are widely used in Asia and Europe. The pity is Americans are not more widely aware of them.

You are free to make your own choices. I have made mine.

Link between marijuana use and schizophrenia documented:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/scientists-discover-genetic-link-between-13151184