Mr. Richard Reynolds offers his 'patient' perspective: I sent the following letter to the Shreveport Times, which reported on the Mayo Clinic study conducted by Dr. Aminah Jatoi in the Feb. 22, 2002 edition and which is discussed at your website (www.annieappleseedproject.org): Dear Ms. Rowell: Today I read the report on the front page of the "Health & Fitness" section of the Times that the Mayo Clinic has conducted a study which casts into doubt the effectiveness of marijuana in treating anorexia due to cancer chemotherapy. I had immediate doubts about this story and verified those doubts by reading the report at the Mayo Clinic's website (contact Mary Lawson at newsbureau@mayo.edu). The study of 469 patients utilized the MINIMUM dose of Marinol, which contains the synthetic version of THC, called dronabinol. At 5 milligrams per day (2.5 milligrams twice per day) dronabinol may not be as effective as the non-cannibinoid megestrol acetate, but dronabinol may be used, according to the Physician's Desk Reference, at gradually increased doses of up to 20 milligrams per day if there is an absence of serious adverse effects. Those MAXIMUM doses were not tested in Dr. Jatoi's study, and I believe it is disingenuous to report that a small study of one semisynthetic chemical from the 400 plus chemicals in the cocktail that is cannabis casts doubt over "the purported appetite-enhancement powers of marijuana." At best (and despite the Mayo Clinic's obvious distaste for medical marijuana reform) the study indicates that the minimum dose of Marinol is not as effective as 800 mg of megestrol acetate. Marijuana is marijuana, and dronabinol is not marijuana, and 5 milligrams of dronabinol is not 20 milligrams of dronabinol. And the Mayo Clinic study is about as scientifically illuminating as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I hope the Times will follow up the report with one that is slightly more discriminating about the nature of reality versus the myopia of propaganda. Sincerely, Richard Reynolds 2/02 via email 5/13/02 Update from R. Reynolds Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.