Although there were only small differences in overall CAM use by area, older residents of largely African American communities were enthusiastic users of relaxation, massage, and nutritional and dietary techniques. CAM modalities could be important adjuncts to traditional medical treatment of arthritis pain for minority communities.
This commentary describes the clinician experience of certifying patients for medical cannabis (MC) in a north suburban Chicago integrative family medicine practice. The physician and research assistant performed a comprehensive chart review of the first 166 MC patients certified in the practice. Based on this review, barriers and opportunities were elucidated to improve delivery of MC therapy in Illinois within the existing framework of regulation, licensing, certification, and distribution. The following factors have posed challenges for the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program. These factors are interrelated and include: (1) inadequate scientific knowledge regarding effectiveness, dosage, delivery mechanism, indications, and drug interactions in humans; (2) lack of educational standards for dispensary and medical staff training; (3) lack of communication and coordination of patient care; (4) complexity and inconsistent availability of dosing options; and (5) barriers to access for patients seeking this therapy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.