Medicinal Cannabis Ends Pain Crises in Capixaba Jiu-Jitsu Practitioner

Caroline Vaz (text) and Charles Vilela (interview and editing)

It was at the end of 2017 when Tales Loss, now 19 years old, experienced his first crisis. During a jiu-jitsu training, which he has been practicing since 2015, he was surprised by severe back pain that left him immobilized. "I didn't know what was happening, I thought it was a common injury from the fight, so I kept training until March 2018, and when I had the crises, I would be stopped for a week recovering and then I would return. In March was when I had my first crisis that never went away. Because of it, I still feel pain in my lower back today," commented the young man. The pain crises caused Tales to miss several classes in his Environmental Engineering course at the Federal University of Espírito Santo. 

From there, Tales decided to seek out some doctors to better understand his situation. He mentions that he went through two orthopedists, who could not diagnose his disease. The second professional referred him to a rheumatologist, with whom he began treatment at the end of 2018. Still in pain, Tales continued practicing jiu-jitsu and, at the beginning of 2019, he had his second major crisis, in the sternum - the bone in the front part of the ribcage, to which the ribs are attached -, which prevented him from breathing and eating properly. 

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The diagnosis came only in October 2019, almost 2 years after the onset of the pain, after undergoing 8 magnetic resonance imaging scans: Tales suffers from an autoimmune disease, spondyloarthritis. According to the rheumatologist who prescribed the conventional medication, the pain should completely disappear. But that's not what happened: the daily pains and, especially, the crises, continued to be part of the young man's life.

Due to the ineffectiveness of the biological medication, Tales decided to seek support in alternative medicine, with Medicinal Cannabis. "In January of this year, I decided to talk to my brother about cannabis. I researched a lot and saw some cases similar to mine, where the plant was helping. The following month he obtained a non-prescriptive oil from an artisanal producer." In March, Tales had a consultation with a prescribing doctor, who recommended the Full Spectrum 1:1 CBD:THC oil, which he has been using three times a day since then. 

Because the intense pain crises only occurred during moments of excessive physical exertion or when resting, he could not clearly and quickly observe the effects of Medicinal Cannabis, since during the quarantine period, the physical activities he performed had been interrupted. "When I'm not training, I still feel pain every day, but what worries me are the crises that leave me immobilized. If I exercise, my pains decrease, but if I overdo it, they increase significantly," he comments. Therefore, even though the pain crises have been alleviated with cannabis, the effects of the plant during Tales' normal routine, which includes fights and other physical exercises, have not yet been conclusive.

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It was in the pain crises, the condition that worried Tales the most and where he saw the greatest suffering, that Medicinal Cannabis had its greatest effect. "After four, five months using the oil, I noticed that I hadn't had any more pain crises. So today I no longer have crises, which is what really bothered me, but I still feel daily pains, but they have also decreased." In addition to the positive effects of the oil on the crises, he also points out that he saw his sternum pains disappear, which were extremely strong and debilitating.

Today, Tales sees that physical exercise is necessary for his health condition, but it must be done with caution. "A few years ago I was a bit reckless, trained all day, and the body can't handle that, and that's when my pain crises started. Today I know that I must listen to and respect my body," he admits. 

Regarding living with daily pain, Tales comments that, strange as it may seem, he has gotten used to it. "I believe that if you keep fighting against pain, it will always win, so you have to walk alongside it and know how to control it." He also adds that he hopes to improve even more and has goals to resume training in 2021, taking all necessary precautions.

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Tales' history with Medicinal Cannabis inspired his older brother, Jeterson Loss, to create the Capixaba Medicinal Cannabis Association (ACAMC), the first association on the subject in Espírito Santo, which began its activities in November. The association's goal is to fill the gap in knowledge and assistance in accessing medicinal cannabis that was previously a reality in the state.

According to Tales, associations like the one his brother participates in are necessary so that the patient can obtain correct guidance that simplifies access to care and medication as much as possible. "In addition, the association also provides the necessary information that Medicinal Cannabis can bring health benefits and helps to end the prejudice that many people still have."

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