Marijuana has long been used to cure different health conditions, but it was after its legalization in most states of the U.S. that the demand increased even further. Ever since medical marijuana was legalized, researchers and healthcare practitioners have been trying to use it as an alternative treatment for severe and chronic diseases.
These researches have started bringing fruitful results as medical marijuana is not considered a potential alternative treatment for many healthcare conditions where traditional medicines fall short. This is what we are going to focus on in this blog.
Read on as we describe the top 7 benefits of medical marijuana for your health.
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Table of Contents
Chronic Pain Relief
Temporary pain in your body is normal and can happen to almost everyone. But the problem starts to grow bigger when this pain persists for a longer period and becomes chronic. This type of pain can lead to bigger problems and negatively affect your daily life.
Traditional medicines are a good treatment for this type of pain but they mostly provide temporary and little relief. Medical marijuana, on the other hand, is a great solution for patients who haven’t found relief with conventional treatments.
The cannabinoids in marijuana, including CBD and THC, reduce chronic pain by interacting with the pain receptors in your body. These compounds also improve the inflammation defensive mechanism, which reduces the pain caused by arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
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Reduced Inflammation
Inflammation in your body is caused due to injuries or illnesses in your body. This inflammation goes away as soon as your injury or illness is cured. However, sometimes, this inflammation can become chronic and lead to serious health problems. This is especially useful for patients living with arthritis and other related conditions.
Medical marijuana has anti-inflammatory properties because of the CBD content in it. This CBD improves your immune system’s response to inflammation, which then fights to reduce and alleviate it from the system. This reduction in inflammation ultimately improves your underlying health conditions and promotes overall well-being.
If you want to use medical marijuana for any of such conditions, you will need first to obtain a medical marijuana card. This card can be obtained from your state’s medical marijuana program.
However, in Texas, there is a Compassionate Use Registry Program by which you can obtain medical marijuana. To qualify for this, you can consult a certified doctor to issue Texas marijuana prescription for medical cannabis access.
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Alleviation of Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are mental health conditions that may not show any obvious symptoms but can deteriorate your overall health. While several traditional medications are used to manage anxiety and depression, these medications also have side effects on patients.
To alleviate these side effects, doctors term medical marijuana as the best alternative treatment to manage anxiety and depression. This is because of its interaction with the endocannabinoid system of your body. This system works to regulate mood and emotional responses.
The CBD and THC present in marijuana provide a sense of relaxation and promote feelings of euphoria. This way, medical marijuana works by improving your mood and alleviating the symptoms related to anxiety and depression, thereby improving your overall health.
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Improved Sleep Patterns
Due to our busy daily life schedules and prolonged exposure to screens, we often find it difficult to get quality sleep. In the wake of this problem, people use traditional medicines, but they often provide more side effects than benefits.
This is where medical marijuana can come to help. Marijuana strains that are rich in CBD are helpful in regulating your sleep patterns. By interacting with the endocannabinoid system, it promotes relaxation, thereby modulating your sleep-wake cycles.
As mentioned above, marijuana helps reduce anxiety and depression, which is the main cause of disturbance in sleep cycles. So, if you are in need of improving your sleep, marijuana can be a healthy addition to your sleep routine.
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Nausea and Appetite Regulation
While nausea and appetite reduction can happen in normal day-to-day life, it is often triggered in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments. These side effects of such treatments can be managed by using marijuana.
Marijuana strains with higher contents of THC compound can help alleviate nausea and appetite irregularities associated with cancer treatments. This is done when THC interacts with the brain and suppresses the feelings of vomiting.
Moreover, this THC also aids in the release of neurotransmitters that promote appetite regulation. When a patient starts to eat healthy, it leads to increased food intake, which, in turn, helps maintain daily nutritional value.
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Glaucoma Management
Glaucoma is an eye condition in which there is an increased pressure on the eyeball. This pressure is caused due to the buildup of fluid inside the eyeball that increases the pressure on the front part of the eye. If this pressure keeps building, it can lead to vision loss and permanent optic nerve damage.
Traditional medicines are used to suppress this pressure, but they may have other side effects. Medical marijuana works by decreasing this pressure inside the eye, which then provides relief from glaucoma.
However, one thing you must keep in mind in this regard. Medical marijuana can only be used with other medicines to reduce the pressure inside the eye. It should not be used as a standalone treatment for the treatment of glaucoma.
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Addiction Recovery Support
You may be wondering after reading that medical marijuana can help in addiction support. And yes, it is true. Contrary to common misconceptions related to marijuana, it has actually shown many promising results in helping with addiction recovery.
The most important and helpful results were shown for people struggling with opioid addiction. If you have a marijuana dosage with controlled THC and CBD amounts, it can help you with the cravings and keep you withdrawn, which can lead to a safe and easier path to recovery.
You must keep in mind that marijuana is a way less harmful alternative to substances with higher addiction potential. This way, it can be a valuable component of addiction treatment because it eases the transition towards a drug-free life.
