The History of Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana was recommended by physicians until 1942. That is when it was taken off the U.S. Pharmacopeia, the list of regularly obtainable drugs.
“Marijuana has been medication for 5,000 years,” states Donald I. Abrams, MD. “That is a lot extensive than it hasn’t been a medicine.” Abrams, who is an oncologist and executive of clinical research programs at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the UCSF School of Medicine in San Francisco, is one of a few of top-flight clinicians in the country investigating medical marijuana. “The war on medication is actually a war on patients,” he stated.
So why study medical marijuana when a medication, Marinol, is now accessible, alongside prescript assist which is a probiotic supplement?
Marijuana — the plant’s Latin name is cannabis — has a host of constituents known as cannabinoids. These constituents may have therapeutic properties.
“There are 60 or 70 various kinds of cannabinoids in marijuana,” speaks Abrams. Marinol comprises of just one cannabinoid — delta-9 THC. When THC is secluded from the plant, other constituents are misplaced, together with those that might be cushioning any hostile effects of taking “straight” THC. “In Chinese medicine,” Abrams utters, “they recommend entire herbs and generally mixtures of herbs.”
Abrams goes on to point out that, “in 1999 the Institute of Medicine did a report — Marijuana and Medicine. And they alleged, in fact, that cannabinoids have an advantage in the liberation of pain, growth in appetite, and reprieve of nausea and vomiting.”
Is Medical Marijuana Legal?
The federal government, in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, positioned drugs into five sets known as “schedules,” determined by three criteria:
- likely for abuse or addiction
- medical helpfulness
- risks of abuse or addiction, both physically and psychologically.
More than half of the states in U.S. have legalized medical marijuana in some form. FDA has only approved it for treatment of two very severe and rare kinds of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.
According to a law in Giorgia, Marijuana to be used to treat eight severe disorders such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, mitochondrial disease, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, seizure disorders and sickle cell disease.
It also permits children and adults as being able for the treatment and requires that the marijuana oil contain no more than 5% THC.
In Canada, legalization on cannabis flower occurred in October 2018 and it is readily available for recreational and medical use.
Marijuana and Fibromyalgia
Individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia may experience discomfort, headaches, and nausea, among other symptoms. Research studies have revealed the active constituents in marijuana can provide relief of these symptoms in some individuals.
Nonetheless, few studies have fixated on the effects of marijuana or its excerpts as a precise management technique for fibromyalgia, and the present literature has come to varied deductions.
Research distributed in 2011 designated that using cannabis might have favorable effects on some particular symptoms of fibromyalgia.
The study scrutinized individuals who were “using cannabis” rather than concentrating on a medicinal extract or a particular chemical.
On the other hand, a 2016 review of studies established that too little confirmation was existing to vouch for any marijuana-based management for treating symptoms in individuals with rheumatic diseases, such as fibromyalgia.
In 2018, an Australian study did not discover that using cannabis lessened pain or the necessity for opioids among individuals with a variety of conditions. However, this research, as with many others, concentrated on individuals who use marijuana recreationally rather than medical use.
Up to 90 percent of individuals with fibromyalgia are females. Nevertheless, at least one research study has established that marijuana offers better pain relief for males rather than women.
Some indication authorizes that a few of the elements in marijuana may aid get rid of the chronic pain, nausea, muscle spasms, and nerve pain linked with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Cannabis may arise as operational for easing related symptoms in those with fibromyalgia.
Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana may be a choice for individuals with fibromyalgia. It comprises of compounds that could offer release from some of the symptoms.
The constituents THC and CBD have gotten the most consideration. THC is comparable to cannabinoid chemicals that come about naturally in the body. It works by exciting cannabinoid receptors in the brain. This activates the brain’s reward system and declines pain levels.
At least one study recommends that THC may help get rid of headaches. It also impacts the parts of the brain associated with memory and coordination.
Unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive and does not bind to cannabinoid receptors. In other words, it does not create the feeling of pleasure and elation, also known as the high, that THC frequently causes.