Cannabis and Diseases Part 3
The article focuses on how cannabis can be used to treat diseases. In the third part, we will focus on liver fibrosis, alcoholism, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and autism.
Article content:
Cannabis and liver fibrosis
Currently, no states approve the use of medical marijuana in the treatment of liver fibrosis. However, research could change a lot. The medical journal Cell Death and Disease conducted a study showing that Cannabidiol (CBD) in marijuana triggers a molecular response in liver fibrosis, which we can very simply explain as the suicide of unwanted cells. Marijuana seeds with a high CBD content can be found here.
This reaction between malignant cells and CBD is the key to stopping the excessive accumulation of liver tissue that causes this disease and ultimately leads to liver failure and the death of the patient.
It is alarming that liver fibrosis is the tenth most common cause of death among Americans. This disease affects the lives of more than 400,000 Americans. The legalization of medical cannabis could be the way out.
Cannabis and alcoholism
Several studies have recently been conducted focusing on the use of cannabis as a medication to treat alcoholism. The research showed that the administration of cannabis helps in most cases, both in acute alcohol withdrawal and in long-term alcohol abstinence. When a person consumes marijuana, the receptors in their brain are activated and triggered, which helps with alcohol dependence.
It is a well-known fact that when a person stops alcohol consumption after many years of use, there is a high probability of death. A conducted study (INSERM, Complutense University Madrid, and CAD-Cannabis for Alcohol Dependence) showed that cannabis during alcohol withdrawal protects neurons from cell death. If this cell protection does not occur, it can ultimately lead to the death of the alcoholic.
Furthermore, and this is perhaps one of the most amazing things, is that the use of cannabis can reverse intoxication and help in the prevention of alcohol poisoning. I am not saying it is a good way to get drunk and think that I will be fine if I smoke a few joints.
It can help, but it is better not to try it.
Cannabis and diabetes
Despite the constantly growing amount of information about marijuana and its health properties that help in treatment, there is very little scientific data on whether it is beneficial in the treatment of diabetes or not. There is a lot of unofficial information suggesting that the use of cannabis can help stabilize blood sugar levels (as it reduces catecholamines and glucocorticoids - hormones that cause stress).
Marijuana acts as an anti-inflammatory treatment without the side effects of steroids.
However, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Tylenol and Aleve cause liver or kidney damage. Therefore, the properties of cannabinoids are of great benefit. Cannabis has another property useful for diabetics: it is neuroprotective. This means it helps protect nerves from inflammatory attacks, reduces pain, and helps relieve muscle cramps that many diabetics suffer from. Marijuana is a vasodilator, promotes blood circulation, and lowers blood pressure.
Likewise, cannabis provides fatty acids when added to food. This represents a great advantage for arterial and heart health. Cooking with cannabis can be very beneficial for diabetics, also because it is much easier to prepare food at home than to eat ready-made food from elsewhere.
Cannabis can also be mixed with aloe or emu oil to create a cream or ointment against pain, tingling, and restless legs syndrome. And one final tip: if a patient has problems with hypoglycemia at night, they can eat a small amount of cannabis cookies before going to bed or right in the morning.
Cannabis and high blood pressure
Statistics in America show that 31% of the adult population suffers from high blood pressure or hypertension. In those who suffer from hypertension for a long time, serious damage can occur to the vascular walls, blood vessels, and organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys. A common sign of this hypertension is a heart attack.
Other dangers include brain aneurysms, narrowed renal vessels, and damaged ocular vessels, which can lead to permanent blindness. Long-term hypertension can also cause brain damage and memory loss. Cannabis should be considered a suitable treatment for patients with high blood pressure and could even save their lives.
Unlike many medications from pharmaceutical companies commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, marijuana has few, if any, negative side effects. People with heart problems should not use these commonly prescribed medications to lower blood pressure; the problem is that many people with hypertension also have heart problems. Nevertheless, these medications continue to be prescribed.
Further research is needed, but initial studies suggest that cannabis could be a perfect alternative for the treatment of hypertension. In tests on laboratory animals, studies showed that marijuana opens blood vessels and thereby lowers high blood pressure. Other studies on humans showed that when smoking or inhaling cannabis, the heart rate initially accelerates and then slows down.
We know that the main factors contributing to high blood pressure are obesity, anxiety, and insomnia.
In all three cases, marijuana has proven to be an effective medication. By treating these symptoms, we completely eliminate or reduce hypertension.
Cannabis and arthritis
According to common statistics, there are more than 31 million Americans suffering from arthritis. This disease occurs in two variants, both causing pain, swelling, and restricted joint movement.
Two types of arthritis: These two types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis, caused by a disorder of the patient's immune system, and bone arthritis, which mostly occurs in older people where the cartilage is damaged. Both types can manifest as chronic joint inflammation, usually due to an injury.
Cannabis and arthritis: There are many studies in this area showing that cannabis and cannabinoid-containing medications can be effective for arthritis, as well as for other degenerative joints, hips, and connective tissues. Since all these diseases involve frequent episodes of extreme pain, cannabis helps combat them. It is especially useful, either alone or in combination with other pain medications. Western medicine documents the use of marijuana as a painkiller for muscles and bones since the year 1700.
In addition to its pain-relieving effect, cannabis also has strong anti-inflammatory and immune properties, which means it could be a valid form of directly treating chronic inflammatory diseases - including arthritis.
More than one source shows that a Chinese text from the year 2000 BC defines cannabis as the "destroyer of rheumatism". Studies conducted on humans confirmed data from studies on rodents and show that treatment with cannabis is effective for rheumatoid arthritis, which is one of the conditions that officially allows the use of medical marijuana in certain parts of the United States. Furthermore, patients who used cannabis were able to reduce the amount.
In this case, cannabis particularly relieves pain, especially in