Before dealing with the question of how cannabis helps with a wide range of diseases and medical conditions, we should first define what medical marijuana is.
Medical marijuana, or its more popular name – medical cannabis, actually uses the marijuana plant or chemicals which it contains to treat chronic diseases or medical conditions. The cannabis is the same popular plant used for recreation, but is used for medical purposes.
The cannabis plant contains more than a hundred different chemicals called cannabinoids, while each has a different effect on our body. The two key chemicals used in the medical context are THC and CBD. The active ingredient THC is also responsible for the famous “high” experienced by uses after consuming cannabis.
Uses of medical cannabis
Medical cannabis is suitable for treatment of a wide range of diseases and symptoms, including Alzheimer’s, cancer, chronic illnesses, eating disorders, epilepsy, symptoms of pain, seizures, nausea and various mental conditions such as schizophrenia and post trauma. It has not yet been unequivocally proven that treatment with medical cannabis helps with all these conditions, and we presently see it used mainly to relieve symptoms experienced by oncology patients and to reduce chronic pain resulting from different medical conditions.
How does medical cannabis help?
What helps medical cannabis patients feel better are the cannabinoids, the active chemicals in the plant. These chemicals are very similar to those produced by the body and involved in important processes of appetite, memory, sleep, movement and pain, called endocannabinoids. The endocrine system is a unique communication system in the brain and body that affects those essential functions. The cannabinoids in the cannabis plant can behave like endocannabinoids in the human body, and are therefore effective in treating these conditions.
Study of medical cannabis
Although studies in this field are limited, there are several studies indicating that cannabinoids may reduce anxiety, inflammations and relieve pain, assist in cases of nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy, destroy cancer cells and slow down the growth rate of tumors, stimulate the appetite and improve weight gain in AIDS and cancer patients.
It is important to note that medical cannabis is not used as first-line therapy for any medical or health condition, but is an option to relieve symptoms when other approved therapies have been tried and failed to lead to improvement of the patient’s condition.
Before deciding which medical cannabis strain to use, consult authorized professionals who will review your medical history, personal data and symptoms. After obtaining a complete medical situation, it will be possible to establish the most suitable treatment strategy for your needs and choose the right cannabis strain or combination of several strains. It is important to note that this is a trial and error process, where each person responds differently to the active ingredients.
