Chronic Pain
As many as one in five Americans lives with chronic pain, and the majority of those suffering from chronic pain are due to injuries or neuropathic pain (nerve-related pain). Even if an injury heals, pain, inflammation and trauma can remain. The components of cannabis that have been proven to help those with chronic pain are neuropathic (burning, lancinating), mechanical (dull, aching) and inflammatory (acute, sharp). Cannabis is a good analgesia without any toxicity, risk for addiction or negative interactions with other drugs or treatments.
Chronic pain that cannabis can help tremendously for:
• Myofascial Pain
Syndrome (MPS)
• Diabetic Neuropathy (DN)
• Neuropathic Pain
Syndrome (NPS)
• Central Pain Syndrome (CPS)
• Phantom Pain (PP)
• Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
• Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)
• Osteoarthritis (OA)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
• Discogenic Back Pain (DP)
• HIV Neuropathy (HIV)
• Malignant Pain (MP)
Arthritis
There are two cannabinoids found in marijuana that have especially profound efficacy for those with arthritis: CBD and THC. CBD is responsible for immune system modulation, meaning it is helpful for an autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis. THC and byproducts of its metabolism — has been found to be anti-inflammatory and analgesic. THC is also known to reduce the anxiety and depression that commonly accompany severe diseases, especially those that affect one’s mobility. Although sativa strains are usually credited for being better pain relievers, some indica strains can also provide relief from arthritis symptoms.
Psoriasis
(head and body)
When treating Psoriasis, the goal of treatment is to control your symptoms and prevent infections. Most cases use either topical medications, body-wide (systemic) medications, or phototherapy. Cannabinoids inhibit keratinocyte proliferation, and therefore support a potential role for cannabinoids in the treatment of psoriasis. Cannabinoids are readily absorbed through the skin, and because of cannabis’ anti-inflammatory properties and the regulatory effects of THC on the immune system, cannabis is the ideal method of treating psoriasis, as it avoids some of the toxicity associated with systemic therapies.
Cancer
Cannabis has been proven to treat and kill tumors and cancer cells in high doses. Scientists reported that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells growing in laboratory dishes. Some animal studies also suggest certain cannabinoids may slow growth and reduce spread of some forms of cancer. There have been some clinical trials of cannabinoids in treating cancer in humans and more studies are planned. How it works? When THC connects to the CB1 or CB2 cannabinoid receptor site on a cancer cell, it causes an increase in ceramide synthesis which drives cell death. A normal healthy cell does not produce ceramide in the presence of THC, thus is not affected by the cannabinoid. Ceramide also causes genotoxic stress in the cancer cell nucleus generating a protein called p53, whose job it is to disrupt calcium metabolism in the mitochondria. The key to this process is the accumulation of ceramide in the system. This means taking therapeutic amounts of CBD and THC, steadily, over a period of time, keeping metabolic pressure on this cancer cell death pathway. Cannabinoids has many benefits in the treatment of cancer-related side effects as well.
Gastrointestinal
The most common gastrointestinal disorders—Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease—affect millions of people. The disorders are different, but they each cause a great deal of discomfort and distress and both can be disabling. Painful cramping, chronic diarrhea or constipation, nausea, and inflammation of the intestines are all symptoms of these GI disorders that can be alleviated by cannabis. Research demonstrates that cannabis and cannabinoids are effective in treating the symptoms of these GI disorders in part because it interacts with the endogenous cannabinoid receptors in the digestive tract, which can result in calming spasms, assuaging pain, and improving motility. Cannabis has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and recent research has demonstrated that cannabinoids are immune system modulators, either enhancing or suppressing immune response.
Movement Disorders
Movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, which are sometimes interlinked, are among the many conditions that cannabis and cannabinoids may be particularly well suited to treat. Extensive studies in both animals and humans have shown that cannabis can treat many movement disorders affecting older patients, such as tremors and spasticity, because cannabinoids have antispasticity, analgesic, antitremor, and antiataxia properties. Cannabis also has enormous potential for protecting the brain and central nervous system from the damage that leads to various movement disorders. Researchers have also found that cannabinoids can alleviate the damage caused by strokes, as well as brain trauma, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis. More than 100 research articles have been published on how cannabinoids act as neuroprotective agents to slow the progression of such neurodegenerative diseases as Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s and particularly Parkinson’s, which affects more than 52% of people over the age of 85.
Eating Disorders and Cachexia
Many eating disorders have been studied as being due to an imbalance in brain chemistry. Some studies have provided insights into the role played by the brain’s endocannabinoid system. The normal function of the endocannabinoid system becomes impaired in people with either anorexia or bulimia. Marijuana can help balance an abnormal endocannabinoid system. More positive results have been seen with those suffering from anorexia nervosa than bulimia or other eating disorders. Cachexia or wasting syndrome is loss of weight, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and significant loss of appetite in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight. Medical cannabinoids are claimed to alleviate nausea and vomiting in chemo-/radiotherapy and in palliative care. They are also recommended for the treatment of anorexia and cachexia in patients with advanced cancer and for the control of chronic tumor pain.
Neuropathic Disorders
Several recent FDA-designed clinical trials report that inhaled inhaled marijuana can significantly alleviate neuropathic pain. In most cases, the use of standard analgesic medications such as opiates and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) is ineffective at relieving neuropathic pain. Further, long-term use of most conventional pain relievers, including acetaminophen, opioids, and NSAIDs, is associated with a host of potential adverse side effects, including stroke, erectile dysfunction, heart-attack, hepatoxicity, and accidental overdose death.
Migraines
Cannabis has been shown to possess analgesic properties that mask the pain caused by a migraine headache by mimicking the brain’s own chemicals that minimize the rate at which harmful signals are received. Cannabis is processed by the neurotransmitter system, which means that only painful signals are blocked, while other signals are administered normally. Cannabis modulates signals sent by the brain to the spinal cord, decreasing the overall amount of pain that is felt, without the severe side effects of prescription drugs. Recent studies also prove that cannabis can even reduce the frequency of migraines in chronic migraine sufferers. Other studies have revealed that cannabis has a positive effect in treating mental health issues as well as neurodegenerative diseases.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye condition in which the optic nerve becomes damaged over time, reducing side vision. It sometimes leads to blindness. One cause of optic nerve damage in glaucoma is higher-than-normal pressure within the eye (intraocular pressure or IOP). The idea that marijuana can be helpful in treating glaucoma dates to the 1970s. Studies conducted then showed that smoking marijuana lowered the IOP of people with glaucoma. As a result of this research, additional studies were conducted examining whether marijuana or its active ingredient, a compound known as THC, could be used to keep IOP lowered. This research was supported by the National Eye Institute, a division of the federal National Institutes of Health. The research found that when marijuana is smoked or when a form of its active ingredient is taken as a pill or by injection, it does lower IOP. However, it only lowers IOP for a short period of time—about three or four hours. Patients with glaucoma have found smoking can be problematic, as they have to keep ingesting it throughout the day for long term relief, but oral, sublingual and eye drop instillation have seen better long term relief.
Epilepsy
The medicinal use of cannabis for its anticonvulsant properties dates back to early civilizations including ancient China, India, Africa, Greece and Rome. People living with uncontrolled seizures who have previously attempted other forms of treatment have reported beneficial effects and reduced seizure activity, especially with CBD oil, including children. There are many different studies that prove that seizures can be decreased in patients with epilepsy, up to 60%.
Psychiatric Disorders
There are numerous studies that show some psychiatric disorders respond well to cannabis treatment, specifically THC and CBD. Anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and can lessen other symptoms associated—like pain, discomfort, paranoia, loss of appetite, irregular sleep patterns, and more. medical cannabis is not a curative medicine for these disorders, but can help these disorders become manageable, and can eliminate dependence on other prescription medications.