The Medical Benefits of Cannabis: Who Can Benefit from Its Use?

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The Medical Benefits of Cannabis Who Can Benefit from Its Use

First, people feared it would interfere with their established businesses. Then, they demonized weed by saying that cannabis is “the devil’s weed with roots in hell.” Then, they banned it and continued the anti-cannabis propaganda for over 80 years.

Fortunately, the lid is off, and the status of cannabis is quickly changing in the medical and legal spheres. More studies and anecdotal observations indicate that cannabis isn’t a dangerous herb that kills people or makes them possessed and uncontrolled. Like other medicinal plants, cannabis has its purpose in creation, and therapeutic value is one of its purposes. 

The legalization wave across the United States has allowed Americans to explore cannabis’s medical value and potential. This post discusses some of its health benefits that already have clinical proof. Please keep reading to learn how it can improve your health. 

Glaucoma Treatment 

Cannabis effectively treats glaucoma. This medical condition adds pressure to aching eyes. Using cannabis reduces the pressure by providing much-needed relief. 

Improved Sleep Quality

Cannabis improves sleeping breathing patterns. Recent studies showed that participants with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who use dronabinol (synthetic THC) before sleeping reported a significant reduction in the number of times they experienced breathing interruptions. 

Improved Appetite

Improved appetite is another cannabis benefit. Patients suffering from different medical conditions experience reduced appetite levels. Others have diminishing appetites because some medications suppress appetite. 

The good news is that cannabis restores appetite because its THC element inhibits leptin production. Remember, patients with a healthy appetite recover faster because good feeding is necessary for maintaining a healthy body and quickening recovery. 

Reduced Inflammation 

Cannabis also reduces inflammation and its resulting pain. Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research study confirmed this medical potential and revealed pronounced anti-inflammatory properties of weed. 

Prevention of Relapsing Drug and Alcohol Addiction 

Drug and alcohol addiction is a big health challenge facing Americans of all ages. Once people have hooked themselves to these substances, leaving them becomes difficult. Fortunately, different studies have indicated that cannabis significantly helps addicts recover from their addiction. 

For instance, a comprehensive review of evidence published in the Clinical Psychology Review disclosed that cannabis helps drug and alcohol addicts fight addiction. Another 2018 study revealed that CBD is beneficial in assisting drug and alcohol addicts.

A preclinical test with lab rats also established that CBD could reduce stress-induced cravings, anxiety, and diminishing control impulse that usually causes people to revert to drugs and alcohol. 

Relief for Anxiety Disorders 

Anxiety is everywhere in a generation where people live in fear. Things are crumbling everywhere, from homes to the economy to social order. The rate at which people are stressed and worried is skyrocketing. 

Fortunately, cannabis is one of the silver bullets that help reduce rising anxiety levels. A Clinical Psychology Review publication assessed all published scientific materials investigating cannabis use in treating symptoms of mental illness and found it beneficial. 

Another preclinical study revealed that CBD could effectively treat the following forms of anxiety and disorders:

  • Generalized anxiety disorder.
  • Panic disorder.
  • Social anxiety disorder.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder. 
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The study’s authors also discovered evidence supporting cannabis use in relieving depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. However, cannabis use and effectiveness in this area don’t mean it helps in all mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder and psychosis.

Lower Blood Pressure 

High blood pressure is another lifestyle disease killing and impairing the life quality of millions of Americans. Just like anxiety and depression, people are under pressure because many things around them seem to collapse. 

Fortunately, a 2017 JCI Insight study established that CBD could lower human blood pressure. It reduced participants’ blood pressure before and after stress tests. These trials included mental arithmetic, isometric exercises, and the cold pressor test. 

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Slower Alzheimer’s Disease Development 

Cannabis also slows Alzheimer’s disease progression. This mental condition is a degenerative cognitive disorder that affects many older people worldwide today. Fortunately, cannabis’s components have anti-inflammatory effects that inhibit the brain inflammation causing this disease.

Reduced Hepatitis C Side Effects and Better Treatment Effectiveness 

Cannabis reduces Hepatitis C side effects and enhances its treatment effectiveness. The traditional pharmaceutical Hepatitis C treatment has several adverse side effects, such as depression, aching muscles, nausea, and exhaustion. These adverse reactions last for several months in some patients. Using cannabis products reduces these reactions and makes the overall therapy more effective. 

Seizure Prevention

The quest to establish CBD’s effectiveness in controlling epileptic seizures lasted for decades. However, modern clinical findings suggest that CBD may indeed play a positive role in epilepsy treatment. A recent study disclosed that CBD reduces symptoms and seizure frequency. 

The study’s results were so convincing that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose reluctance to approve cannabis-derived remedies is almost skeptical, approved a CBD medication. This CBD-containing drug (Epidiolex) effectively treats two severe, rare forms of epilepsy—Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Controlling these epilepsy variants has proved difficult for conventional medicines. 

Research shows that using CBD to treat epileptic seizures significantly reduces them in children suffering from Dravet syndrome. Remember that this syndrome’s seizures last long, are repetitive, and are potentially fatal. That’s why 20% of children suffering from it die before reaching 20 years. With these figures in mind, one may adequately evaluate the breakthrough in epilepsy management that weed has enabled. 

Fighting Cancer 

CBD also benefits cancer patients in two ways. First, it effectively relieves chemotherapy effects among patients (see more details in a later section). Second, it prevents cancer cell growth and kills cancer cells in cervical cancer cell lines.  Moreover, it has many other cancer-fighting capabilities for preventing various cancers, treating tumors, and benefiting the immune system. 

Treating Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorders 

Cannabis also benefits patients suffering from gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. A recent study discovered that patients could effectively use CBD in preventing and treating GI issues. Some of these disorders include the following:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS);
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD);
  • Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis.  

CBD’s anti-inflammatory qualities are critical to reducing and preventing these symptoms. 

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of disability, affecting over 25 million adults in the United States. This is another area cannabis is effective. A large review from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examined over 10,000 scientific studies on cannabis’s benefits and possible adverse effects to determine how medical cannabis can treat chronic pain. Fortunately, the review discovered that cannabis or products featuring its cannabinoids effectively relieve chronic pain. You can get more details about this subject by following this link https://askgrowers.com/blog/cannabis-for-americans-with-disabilities.

Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects

Cannabis and its related products help chemotherapy patients manage their treatment’s side effects. The FDA has approved several prescription drugs containing synthetic substances similar to THC. These drugs mimic THC’s ability to help cancer patients cope with the painful and uncomfortable side effects typical of cancer chemotherapy. 

Two of these drugs are Marinol and Syndros; they contain dronabinol (synthetic THC). This element treats nausea and vomiting. Cesamet features nabilone, a synthetic element resembling THC, and also addresses nausea and vomiting. It also treats appetite loss and weight loss among HIV/AIDS patients. 

Managing Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity

Cannabis manages Multiple Sclerosis (MS) spasticities. A cannabis-derived oral spray medication Sativex helps treat muscle spasms and stiffness multiple sclerosis causes. This prescription drug contains CBD and THC and sells in over 25 nations worldwide. 

This drug is still under testing in the United States to allow it to treat adult patients with MS. However, Canada has already approved it as an adjunctive treatment for adult patients who don’t respond well to conventional medications.  

CBD Regulates and Prevents Diabetes

Lastly, CBD benefits diabetes patients. Its impact on insulin enables it to regulate and prevent diabetes symptoms. Cannabis stabilizes blood sugar levels, lowers blood pressure, and improves blood circulation. All these benefits are necessary for diabetes prevention and control.

Closing Remarks 

Cannabis has many health benefits anyone can exploit. These range from preventive to curative benefits of various health conditions, some of which don’t respond well to conventional treatment. Hopefully, these clinical findings and facts will help you make an informed health decision. Go ahead and sample the health-boosting boons of weed safely and knowledgeably. 

The article was produced by Tia Moskalenko, a full-time blogger at AskGrowers with an avid interest in bridging the knowledge gap among cannabis consumers. Tia is a competent researcher who shares her analytical insights and findings to boost people’s awareness of weed’s benefits for various health conditions. 

About the Author

Jared Levenson is a former binge eating wrestler turned Zen Buddhist Monk, Internal Family Systems counselor and nutrition wellness coach. He's helped hundreds of people through universal meal principles and internal family systems to make peace with food, stop binge eating, and find true health and wholeness.

@jared_levenson

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