The Northport Wellness Center is proud to be partners with East Northport, N.Y.-based Natural Pain Solutions, one of the first medical practices to be acknowledged as a medical marijuana treatment center in New York State.

Legalized in New York in 2014 under the Compassionate Care Act, medical marijuana can be prescribed to state residents only if they have been diagnosed with at least one of the following conditions: chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cancer, HIV infection or AIDs, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, neuropathy, and/or Huntington’s disease.

Dr. Amir Herman is a board-certified, family practice and osteopathic physician, who currently practices at Natural Pain Solutions.

Because New York has strict rules regarding who is authorized to undergo medical marijuana treatments, Dr. Herman ensures such patients have received an official diagnosis of one of the aforementioned diseases or ailments before writing a prescription. He evaluates every patient’s symptoms, which must be associated with their conditions, to determine the dosage of the medical marijuana each should receive.

A member of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP), and New York State Osteopathic Medical Society (NYSOMS), Dr. Herman explains how there are typical starting dosages of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the two main ingredients in medical marijuana—that he prescribes to a patient based on their diagnosis and symptoms.

“We usually start the patients on a high CBD with a low THC with Parkinson’s disease,” for example, “because of the way that the CBD works to help with the tremors and the neurologic aspect—much better than the THC does,” states Dr. Herman.

From there, he will see how the patients respond to the dosage, and then make the appropriate adjustments to ensure they benefit the most from the treatment.

A 2001 graduate of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) in Old Westbury, N.Y., Dr. Herman not only has experience aiding patients with the help of medical marijuana, but has also worked in other aspects of the medical field, including urgent care medicine, occupational medicine, and elder care medicine. Dr. Herman completed an internship at St. Clare’s Hospital, located in New York City, as well as a residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Besides helping his patients find significant pain relief with medical marijuana and reducing their intake of other medications, Dr. Herman spends much of his time counseling medical students and residents as they begin their careers.

To learn more about medical marijuana, contact Natural Pain Solutions to schedule an appointment.