Vaporizing with carotid artery disease

[skippy]

I've just been diagnosed with a blocked carotid artery after having a " mini stroke" of the eye.
I gave up smoking 6 months ago and began vaporizing and am really enjoying it. I know smoking is bad especially with my blocked carotid artery, but would vaping still be ok? its not like I'm inhaling smoke.

 

[vape4life]

I've just been diagnosed with a blocked carotid artery after having a " mini stroke" of the eye.
I gave up smoking 6 months ago and began vaporizing and am really enjoying it. I know smoking is bad especially with my blocked carotid artery, but would vaping still be ok? its not like I'm inhaling smoke.

Your heart rate still increases unless your tolerance is sky high. Risk factor for a heart attack is pretty huge during the first bit of being high. If it was me, i would do some real hard long thinking about it all.

 

[JustOnCloud9]

I think its ok if you vape. Still, You should ask your doctor or a doctor who specilizes in that area of the body if vaping is ok

 

[lwien]

Your heart rate still increases unless your tolerance is sky high. Risk factor for a heart attack is pretty huge during the first bit of being high. If it was me, i would do some real hard long thinking about it all.

I never did understand that. They say that it could raise your heart rate 10 to 20%, (some say 20 to 50 beats a minute) but shit, I jog at 70-80% (for me, that's about an extra 80 over my resting heart rate) for an hour and I'm in ok shape........nothing great cause I'm pretty slow but I'm also 67 and pushing 225 lbs along, so when they say, and I've heard it before, that the risk is pretty huge, I just don't get it. If that risk is huge for someone half my age in average shape, I'd hate to think what in the hell my risk is, when I'm out there puttin' in the miles............

But yeah, to the OP, you're talkin' something pretty serious so I'd talk to the doc about it, as most here, I'd imagine, would also suggest.............or, just stop using MJ completely (rolling the cards on the safer side........I think)

 

[PlanetHaze]

We are not doctors, but we really believe in high dose vitamin C therapy to clear your blocked carotid artery. High Dose is greater than 2000 mg/day. You can research more
http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/

http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/may2000_vitamin_c_01.html , conclusion from the article is below

Conclusions
Our direct observation, based on carotid ultrasound testing, show that very high vitamin C supplement users have remarkably healthy carotid arteries. When adjusted for other factors such as age, elevated homocysteine, LDL cholesterol and glucose, these very high vitamin C takers as a group appear to have less carotid pathology than the general population. A review of previously published findings indicates that consuming a wide variety of very high potency dietary supplements, combined with blood screening to monitor cholesterol, homocysteine, glucose, iron and other atherogenic risk factors, confers a significant protective effect against the development of carotid artery disease.

The only kind of vitamin C that we personally use and have no affiliation with at all is http://www.livonlabs.com Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C
down side is the price, about 2.00 / day, that gets you two 1000 mg packs a day

 

[lwien]

......we really believe in high dose vitamin C therapy to clear your blocked carotid artery. High Dose is greater than 2000 mg/day. You can research more

http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/may2000_vitamin_c_01.html , conclusion from the article is below

We? I'm not so sure. A quote from the above link: "The news media has disseminated several articles over the last few months implying that dietary supplements are useless and dangerous. The basis for these articles are press releases from mainstream supported groups such as the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society. These organizations receive financial grants from the pharmaceutical industry, and have openly expressed their bias against dietary supplements in court briefs filed in support of FDA regulatory restriction."

What's interesting is that the above quote is provided by a site who derives profits from selling supplements, so using their logic, they are also biased in their findings.

There are arguments from both sides of this equation that seem valid, so personally, I'm not convinced that high doses of any vitamin is beneficial for there are studies that show that the exact opposite is true.

 

[weedemon]

if your gonna take a supplement make sure your body can actually absorb the minerals and vitamins from it. a big joke is quite often the chosen compound of choice is chosen on cheapness, not how well your body can actually use it. Ester-C was another good brand of vitamin c to buy i believe.

 

[max]

Your heart rate still increases unless your tolerance is sky high.

.000002 is more than .000001, but is that a significant difference? Depends on the context. And so does the increase in heart rate.

Risk factor for a heart attack is pretty huge during the first bit of being high.

Since you haven't defined what volume of intake you're talking about, and being high is a very subjective state, I'd say that statement has no real value, as far as accuracy or advice.

 

[t-dub]

Excellent perspective max. A question that hasn't been asked in this thread is: What exactly are we asking our medicine to do in this situation? Are we medicating for recreational purposes or are we combating nausea or some other condition? Its important to have the goal in mind so you can balance the risk vs reward equation. If cannabis is being used to manage symptoms that otherwise would require a pharmaceutical be prescribed, well I would rather add cannabis to the mix, or even a supplement, rather than another pill. Cannabis lowers blood pressure and works as a vasodilator by relaxing the walls of the arteries which may, or may not, be helpful for you in your situation, you should consult with your doctor to find out. Here is an article on the cardiovascular effects of cannabis I found, there is a section discussing strokes, neuroprotectivity, and cerebrovascular effects:

http://www.idmu.co.uk/canncardio.htm

Edit: Another thing a doctor will be able to address is how cannabis will interact with the medications you are currently taking.

 

[skippy]

Excellent perspective max. A question that hasn't been asked in this thread is: What exactly are we asking our medicine to do in this situation? Are we medicating for recreational purposes or are we combating nausea or some other condition? Its important to have the goal in mind so you can balance the risk vs reward equation. If cannabis is being used to manage symptoms that otherwise would require a pharmaceutical be prescribed, well I would rather add cannabis to the mix, or even a supplement, rather than another pill. Cannabis lowers blood pressure and works as a vasodilator by relaxing the walls of the arteries which may, or may not, be helpful for you in your situation, you should consult with your doctor to find out. Here is an article on the cardiovascular effects of cannabis I found, there is a section discussing strokes, neuroprotectivity, and cerebrovascular effects:

http://www.idmu.co.uk/canncardio.htm

Edit: Another thing a doctor will be able to address is how cannabis will interact with the medications you are currently taking.

Thanks for the replies and feedback. I'm not too sure what is going on yet as I've just been diagnosed and need more tests, ATM I'm just on aspirin to thin the blood and the specialist has sent me for some tests to see just how badly blocked the carotid artery is.
I do have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and need to get that under control as they are both problems for my illness.
I've googled lots about it and it seems smoking is really bad for your arteries and they suggest you stop immediately if you do smoke, but I have already. I cant find anything that says vaporising would be bad for your arteries but if cannabis actually lowers your blood pressure rather than lifts it that could be a plus.
As for my heart rate going up I'm not sure that would be a problem, my heart seems ok, and as Iwien said, doesn't exercise lift your heart rate anyway?


EDIT, thanks for that article T dub, it was very interesting.

 

[lwien]

As for my heart rate going up I'm not sure that would be a problem, my heart seems ok, and as Iwien said, doesn't exercise lift your heart rate anyway?

I know. That's what doesn't make any sense. Doctors will recommend that on average, one should exercise at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week and that they should raise their heart rate to at least 60% over your resting heart rate so why would a 10 to 20% increase in heart rate be considered a "huge" risk when consuming cannabis?

Hell, a 10 to 20% increase in heart rate can happen when you just stand up after sitting down for a few minutes. My resting HR is 50 and when I stand up, it goes up to 70. And I exercise at between 125 to 140 bpm for an hour (I use a heart rate monitor), so go figure.

 

[t-dub]

if cannabis actually lowers your blood pressure rather than lifts it that could be a plus.

Skippy, I am living proof that cannabis can lower blood pressure. A while back I had a systemic reaction to a chemo session and broke out in a bleeding rash all over my body. It was extremely serious and we used a drug, normally used for organ transplants, called Gengraf (Cyclosporine) to suppress my immune system. It took over a year to heal, however, one of the unintended consequences from the drug therapy was hypertension. I was started on an ACE inhibitor which I failed on due to a cough it caused and was moved to Micardis. I was told by 2 docs that this would be a permanent situation. The Micardis, however, was causing a lot of orthostatic hypotension which can be dangerous if you faint and hit your head. I slowly weaned down the Micardis, started vaping, then switched over completely. Its been a little over a year now and my BP is better than when I was on the drug (129/80 last check) and no more dizziness or bad side effects. I can't even begin to tell you how huge a deal it was for me to be able to throw that blood pressure medication into the trash. Its really a major medical victory for me and I think it surprised my wellness team a bit

 

[skippy]

That's a good outcome,t-dub. I am keen to keep vaping if I can as I have had two discs in my back operated on years ago and have the same problem in my neck with two more now, I find vaping relaxes me better than any other treatment or drug. As long as vaporising doesn't block up my arteries like smoking does I can only see pluses rather than minuses about continuing it,especially if it can help reduce my blood pressure.

 

[snew]

I personally have a number of stints. My biggest problems is and increased heart rate, without MJ. I have multiple chronic issues which cause a lot of pain. If I don't us MJ then I have to use opioids. The side effect of those and the on going addition battle that I'm sure to loss.
Most of the studies use smoking marijuana as the method of ingestion. So I'm always questioning the studies since the method may be the problem not the drug. Anyway I check my blood pressure both before and after vaping a number of times and do not see an increase in my heart rate from vaporization. My blood pressure does drop however. The combination of high heart rate and low blood pressure in not good and should be watched.
It really does make me question MJ use often, however, the pain relief, works so much better for me. For me medications are always pros and cons. I find few doctors that I can discuss MJ use with. Most are positive. Chronic illness is a dilemma that has few easy choices and even fewer concrete answers.
I have read the info on Mega Dose Vitamin C, although I find the info interesting I always question any doctors who have the answer and you can only buy it from them. I don't understand why others have not begin to manufacture this Vitamin C. Not saying it doesn't work but I have been looking at it lately and I'm pondering it.
New to this site and appreciate the intelligent discussion.

 

[BigDaddyVapor]

Your heart rate still increases unless your tolerance is sky high. Risk factor for a heart attack is pretty huge during the first bit of being high. If it was me, i would do some real hard long thinking about it all.

In my case, I take 300mg of Metoprolol Tartrate and 10/12.5mg Lisinopril HCTZ a day (thats just for my BP). You would have to hook me up to an auto battery, to induce any sort of cardiac event.

But, I agree. Look at your individual case. I discussed it with a few doctors to.... just made sure, that it was off the record and no mention in my charts (yes, I do regularly check).