What Can Medical Marijuana Treat?

Imagine the roar delight by marijuana users and potheads when pot, weed, marijuana or cannabis was legalized in Colorado. Although its use is still illegal in some states, some have decriminalized it while some even allowed its use as a medicinal drug. For over thousands of years, cannabis has also been used as a medicinal plant, aside from being a way to get high. Some studies have proven its effectiveness to treat several diseases and complications, which include the following:

Nausea and vomiting

Pot can be used to treat nausea – a side effect of numerous drugs – which can induce vomiting. In the case of cancer patients, some of their post-chemotherapy sessions include smoking cannabis. Regardless if it's smoked in a joint or vaped by using a weed vaporizer, its effects are instantaneous due to its ability to relax the brain. Once you get rid of nausea, you get rid of vomiting.

Weight loss due to having no appetite

In relation to the previous paragraph, drugs and other forms of treatment may cause the patient to lose his appetite, aside from inducing nausea and vomiting – this is where pot steps in. Why? Well, one of its astounding effects is to stimulate appetite, thereby preventing weight loss due to treatment. Remember, not eating enough could lead to more complications.

Relieves physical pain

Pot has been proven to relieve pain, especially since it relaxes the muscles thus numbing the pain. Aside from which, it also relaxes the brain as well. The “high” or “stoned” feeling also gives instantaneous relief, especially in the case of people experiencing chronic pain all the time. People with cancer, multiple sclerosis and AIDS can easily find relief in cannabis.

Crohn's disease – inflammatory bowel disease

Medical pot was used in an experiment in Israel, in order to determine its effectiveness in treating Crohn's disease. In the study, there were two groups of Crohn's disease patients, 11 smoked a joint twice a day for eight weeks while 10 were given placebo cigarettes.

Almost half of the joint smokers experienced a dramatic, complete remission of the disease, while all but one only experienced remission in the placebo group. Aside from which, 10/11 of the patients, now potheads, experienced relief from the disease's symptoms, including fatigue, diarrhea, pain and weight loss. To add, they also experienced improved sleep and appetite, things the disease take away from the sufferers.

Glaucoma – potentially blinding

Simply put, glaucoma is an ailment of the eyes that is characterized by too much pressure on the optic nerve. The affected nerve is responsible for carrying visual information from the eye to the brain. This gets worse over time and can potentially cause blindness. Pot can reduce the pressure on the eyes, thus delaying intraocular pressure and may even treat it.

Although its effects vs cancer has yet to be fully understood, there have been positive developments in recent years, including one that allowed it to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Having said that, if you're new to it, remember to only use medicinal marijuana if it's legal for you to do so. Only use it in a recreational manner in Colorado.