7 Reasons You Should Use Medical Cannabis Daily
By Barbara M.
Medical cannabis, also known as medical marijuana is a medicine made from cannabis and cannabinoids which are provided by doctors for medical purposes such as pain relief and to subdue and control different disorders in the human body.
It’s legitimacy is increasing as more countries legalise cannabis and marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.
As a result of its increased popularity and first hand positive results from users, it is creating more possibilities for medical cannabis resources to be used on a daily basis for medical purposes. Below we have detailed 7 reasons to use medical cannabis on a daily basis.
Fight Cancer Cells
Medical cannabis can turn off the ID-1 gene which is a natural protein you have that helps spread cancer throughout the body. This control allows cancer sufferers to slow down their illness in a natural non-intrusive way that does not require chemicals or surgery, and it does not cause pain or accelerated hair loss. It actually reduces severe pain, nausea felt from chemotherapy and improve appetite which is very important because if not treated it can cause more difficulties for cancer patients.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) carried out a study into cannabis and cancer which showed how cannabis can help slow the spread of tumor growth in the brain, breasts and lungs. It must be stressed however that cannabis does not cure cancer, it helps control how it spreads and other ailments associated with it. Therefore daily use on medical cannabis could be used as an alternative to control the spread of cancer cells.
Stop Crohn’s Disease
Certain medical cannabis strains are great at fighting different forms of inflammation throughout the body. This means it is ideal in fighting against crohn’s disease. While the exact cause of crohn’s disease is unknown, we do know that there are a number of similar contributing factors within patients who suffer from it such as dysbiosis of the gut and foreign bacteria being attacked by our immune system. The bacteria causes the immune system to react as it should but in most cases it overreacts and inflames within the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine (colon).
Cannabinoids found in medical cannabis are used to treat crohn’s disease by calming the immune system down by stopping the proteins from reacting to the bacteria so aggressively. This is done by releasing anti-inflammatory compounds and stopping the release of pro-inflammatory proteins. This will also help with severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, fever, fatigue, wasting (not keeping weight on). Due to its control of inflammation cannabis could be used as a long term medicine to help control the causes of crohn’s disease.
Treats Glaucoma
Similar to cancer, medical cannabis is a great resource to use when fighting glaucoma by controlling the factors that contribute to the disease. Glaucoma occurs when your eyes IOP (intraocular pressure) levels increase. This increase causes pressure on the eye which can be painful and cause side sight loss (peripheral vision) and in untreated cases blindness.
Medical cannabis is great for treating glaucoma because it lowers your IOP levels using the cannabis resource THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). This treatment is one of the first known cases of a cannabis resource being used successfully for medical purposes. This research is supported by the AAO (American Academy of Ophthalmology). Daily usage will vary depending on individual circumstances as THC provides a high and too much will get you too high and too little will not have the desired effect.
Relieves Arthritis
Just like crohn’s disease, arthritis is an inflammatory ailment caused by foreign bacteria, germs and viruses however it is commonly found around the joints within the body and there are over 100 different types ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to temporal arteritis. THC, CBD and terpenes are the resources found in medical cannabis that treat arthritis by reducing the cytokine levels that are believed to be the cause of tissue deterioration around the joints that results in painful movement.
Therefore daily use would be advantageous for anyone who wishes to reduce joint pain, and increase mobility. However with THC you can receive a high depending on dosage so it is advised to start low and increase your dosage until you achieve the right balance for daily usage.
Epileptic Seizures
When treating epileptic seizures, medical cannabis interacts with the brains activity to ease the seizures. The two resources within medical cannabis that do this are THC and CBD. They individually target calcium/sodium ion channels, glutamate receptor antagonists, the GATA system and receptors agonists within the brain.
The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics shows similar findings as well as The New England Journal of Medicine which reported on a double-blind study. This is the Gold standard for proving the medical benefits of medical cannabis resources.
In relation to daily use and dosage, this would have to be measured on a patient to patient basis as some people are affected by seizures differently than others and therefore dosages need to relate to your condition. As always, balance is key.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects your brain, spinal cord and optic nerves and as a results it can affect your balance, vision, muscle functions and other basic bodily functions.
Although not fully tested, according to research by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), MS patients that have taken medical cannabis by pill or spray say it has helped them with their stiffness, pain and spasticity.
It is advised that anyone looking to use medical cannabis as an alternative medication should only use it in spray or pill form as smoking it will make their conditions worse.
Parkinson’s Disease
Taking medical cannabis for parkinson’s disease can help reduce tremors, provide better pain relief, better sleep, improved movement and mood. This is due to the medical cannabis resources THC and CBD once again fighting against inflammation and controlling brain activity to stop the body from attacking itself and subduing unnecessary brain activity.
These benefits have been reviewed in patients that smoked medical cannabis for their condition and it could be suggested that after more studies, when used on a daily basis medical cannabis could be seen as a long term medical alternative.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is clear that the history of cannabis as an illegal drug has held it back over the years from its wider medical potential and greater academic support. However as it becomes legalized more across the world the evidence will hopefully increase as more research and studies are conducted to support the already positive medical benefits of medical cannabis resources.