How to determine if medical marijuana is beneficial for you

While recreational marijuana is still faced with controversy, the majority of Americans now believe that the drug should be legalized for medical purposes. As a result of the nation’s shifting attitudes on legalizing marijuana for medicinal uses, researchers have led some breakthrough studies to better understand the following health benefits that cannabis has on the body.

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STOPPING THE SPREAD OF CANCER CELLS

• Researchers have discovered that the active ingredients in marijuana can stop cancer from spreading.  Since marijuana is linked with anti-inflammatory activities that block cell growth and prevent the growth of blood vessels that supply tumors, the drug has been found effective with cancer in the brain, lungs, prostate, cervix, and even pancreas.
  
  

  CONTROLLING SEIZURES

  • For patients diagnosed with epilepsy and other severe seizure disorders, marijuana has been linked to preventing seizures by regulating relaxation in the body.
    
    

    PAIN RELIEF

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      While it is common knowledge that marijuana is a useful tool for pain management, researchers are now certain that cannabis can be used to reduce inflammation and discomfort for patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis too.
      For example, Tabitha (pictured) was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. After starting a program of physical therapy and medical marijuana, Tabitha is now able to stop relying on pharmaceuticals and begin experiencing a higher quality of life. For Fibromyalgia patients, medical marijuana provides many benefits such as controlling pain, boosting mood, alleviating stress, maintaining an appetite, and improving sleep. Because of these benefits, marijuana makes it possible for Tabitha to stay active and positive and overall improves her quality of life.
      
      

      PROTECTING THE BRAIN FROM TRAUMA

      
      

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      • According to research at the University of Nottingham, marijuana is able to effectively protect our brain from the trauma caused by stroke by lessening the area affected by the stroke. In addition to reducing the effects of strokes, marijuana can also decrease the bruising of the brain associated with concussions and activate the brain’s natural healing mechanisms.

      
      

    
    

    REDUCING THE SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMO

    
    

    • For cancer patients going through the awful pain and nausea associated with radiation from chemotherapy, medical marijuana is often prescribed to help reduce the side effects and avoid other additional health complications.

  
  

  
  

  SLOWING THE PROGRESSION OF ALZHEIMER’S

  
  

  • In a recent study lead by the Scripps Research Institute, researchers discovered that THC, the active chemical in marijuana, is able to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

    
    

    REDUCING ANXIETY FOR IMPROVED MOOD

    
    

    • Based on research conducted at Harvard Medical School, medical professionals believe that marijuana is able to decrease anxiety and act as a sedative to improve the user’s mood. Therefore, medical marijuana is becoming an increasingly popular treatment option for military veterans returning from war with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to regulate the system that causes fear.

    
    

    INCREASING TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR HEPATITIS C

    • When patients are diagnosed with hepatitis C, the harsh treatment that follows often leads to extreme fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, depression, and severe muscle aches that last for months. Of those receiving the treatment, 86% of marijuana users were able to successfully complete their therapy treatments with fewer side effects.

    
    

    ELIMINATING INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISORDERS

    
    

    • Patients who have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory bowel disorders can reap health benefits from using marijuana too because marijuana use can help regulate bacteria in the gut for improved intestinal functioning.

    
    

    BOOSTING METABOLISM

    
    

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      Despite the fact that marijuana smokers often eat more calories from the munchies, researchers in the American Journal of Medicine discovered that people who use marijuana have healthier metabolisms, weigh less than the average person and have a healthier response to sugar.
      
      In addition to the benefits listed, Medical Marijuana has many other uses and can be a helpful tool to assist patients in managing symptoms and relieving pain. Please contact your Medical Marijuana dispensary to attend a doctor’s clinic and learn how you can start the process to obtain your Medical Marijuana card.