New Health Guide
Cannabis or marijuana has been used for medical purposes for much of recorded history. Marijuana prohibition has caused many negative consequences, one of the most tragic being denying the use of medicinal cannabis to patients that could see a great deal of benefit from using this remedy.
Medical cannabis is commonly used to soothe nausea symptoms. The National Cancer Institute instituted two trials of FDA approved dronabinol and nabilone drugs as a way of controlling nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The study found that taking these drugs orally worked more effectively in controlling these symptoms than medications currently approved by the FDA for this purpose.
Cannabis is also frequently used as an appetite stimulant. Another trial by the National Cancer Institute noted that patients that suffered from weight loss related to HIV/AIDS that used dronabinol saw an increase in their appetite that allowed them to better stop their weight loss compared to those taking a placebo. The trial did reveal that dronabinol was not as effective in stimulating the appetite of advanced cancer patients when compared to current treatment options. Studies on healthy people revealed that inhaling cannabis can increase the intake of fatty or sweet foods. Food consumption also increases in animals exposed to fumes from this drug.
The American Cancer Study in 2004 performed a study on those with multiple sclerosis. They found that those that used liquid cannabidiol or THC extract saw a decrease in their shaking or muscle spasms. When a study was performed on those with severe MS disabilities, using THC decreased their muscle stiffness and tremors with eight patients reported feeling a “high” and two experienced slight paranoia and discomfort.
It has long been believed that cannabis can be used to aid those that have chronic neuropathic pain caused by spine surgery, alcoholism, amputation, MS or HIV. In 2010 a study by the Canadian Medical Association Journal took 21 women and men averaging 45 years of age and provided them with 2.5 percent THC, 6 percent THC, 9.4 percent THC or a placebo. Each subject smoked their allotted dose for two months three times a day five days a week with no knowledge of the strength of the medication. Those that received the highest dosage reported that their lower back pain reduced from an average 6.1 to 5.4
Cannabis is known to reduce pain and aid in relaxation, which has led to many using this drug as a means to battle sleep conditions including insomnia. A study by the National Cancer Institute noted that test subjects that inhaled marijuana had less anxiety, an improved sense of well-being and an overall improved mood. Patients that had a cannabis extract sprayed under the tongue reported that they got better sleep.
