Diabetes and Lupus

by
Mick

I am a 35-year-old male diabetic with systemic lupus diagnosed 12 years ago. For the first six years I was on prednisone therapy, always sick due to the interaction of the steroid and diabetes. I had known for years that marihuana lowered my blood sugar levels. Anyway, I found it brought great relief from my lupus symptoms, which include nausea, lack of appetite, and painful joints and muscles. I have now been smoking daily for five to six years and find that marihuana gives me a quality of living not available to me before. I have been steroid-free during this entire time, and my diabetic control has never been better. I have only missed one day in three years of a physically challenging job. My life is healthy and productive, and I owe a great deal of that to marihuana. My wife also smokes it for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

There is something else about marihuana that I feel needs to be addressed, and that is side effects. I have been on many medications with adverse side effects. Marihuana is the only drug that also produces a desirable side effect—it makes you feel good, period. You know when you use it you are immediately having a better day. Psychologically this has to be of great benefit to a chronically ill person.