Marijuana’s popularity among US adults continues to grow. This can be explained by its changing legalization status in various parts of the country. Marijuana is used to treat numerous medical conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, appetite loss, and cancer. As America is becoming more accepting of medical marijuana, there have been many debates concerning what motivated people to use it the most. It seems that chronic pain is the most common reason why patients turn to medical marijuana. Patients report many health benefits, including enhanced pain management and sleep.
The chronic pain journey would be much more difficult without marijuana.
Living with chronic pain makes daily life almost unbearable, the quality of life suffering, and physical conditioning. The body is in constant pain, which affects mobility and the desire to do things. More often than not, pain management strategies are limited by variable efficacy, side effects, and expense.
Dangers of chronic pain
Chronic pain sufferers are more likely to experience the following:
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- depression
- changes in personality (1)
- poor sleep patterns
- reduced heart health
- poor sexual function
The outcome is that the search for an ideal treatment for pain management continues. There is strong scientific evidence that marijuana is an effective pain treatment, creating anti-inflammatory as well as pain-relieving effects. Pain results from the activation of brain cells responsible for the unpleasant sensation of pain. Marijuana targets the processes in the human body to reduce pain.
What does the research say?
Chronic pain takes its toll on emotions, relationships, and the mind. It doesn’t come as a surprise that many chronic pain patients present symptoms of anxiety and depression. With time, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to achieve positive feelings.
While pain isn’t always curable, at least it’s manageable. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine examined the effect marijuana has on chronic pain. They amassed substantial evidence confirming that the marijuana plant is effective when it comes to treating chronic pain in adults. The superiority of the marijuana plant represents a challenge as well as an opportunity for the medical community. A study carried out back in 2016 suggests that long-term marijuana administration yields positive effects in terms of pain as well as the quality of life outcomes in chronic pain. All in all, further research is necessary on the topic. However, it’s safe to say that medical marijuana plays an important part in managing chronic pain.
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Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor about the subject of medical marijuana as part of a pain management strategy. They’ll be happy to answer your questions and do everything it takes to ease your chronic pain journey. A team of healthcare professionals will work with you to develop a thorough plan to treat as well as manage pain.
Patients receiving marijuana for medical purposes need a state-issued ID card.
Patients receiving marijuana for medical purposes in states where this is legal need a state-issued identification card. The doctor must also ascertain that the patient has a medical condition that qualifies for treatment with marijuana. In Ohio, for instance, you can’t purchase marijuana if you don’t have a medical marijuana card. Simply put, to consume medical marijuana for pain and related symptoms, you need an Ohio medical marijuana card. Consumption methods can impact the active compounds that the human body absorbs.
Medical marijuana is illegal under federal law, meaning that pharmacies aren’t allowed to supply it. Healthcare professionals can’t prescribe marijuana; instead, they recommend it to people struggling with chronic pain and other illnesses because it could benefit them. The vast majority of doctors actively support medical marijuana and deem it helpful to the patient. Once a patient has a valid medical marijuana card, all they have to do is go to the dispensary. From there, they can purchase the various types of herbal marijuana.
Want to know more?
There’s could be more to marijuana than just helping to manage chronic pain. In fact, it could also be a tool to strengthen your immune system. That said, here are 5 Ways Cannabis Can Help Boost Your Immune System.
