Medical marijuana is reported to ease pain, control nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, and help manage weight loss and regain appetite among patients with HIV/AIDS. It can also help control glaucoma by lowering pressure inside the eye.
Identify Your Symptoms
The medical marijuana plant (Cannabis sativa) contains chemicals called cannabinoids. The most well-known are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and cannabidiol, or CBD. THC has mind-altering effects; CBD does not. Marijuana may help control pain, relieve nausea and vomiting, and boost the appetite in people with some medical conditions. It can also interact with other medicines that treat your illness, including pain medications. This can cause side effects such as dizziness or drowsiness. Talk to your doctor before you start using cannabis.
The FDA has approved a liquid medication with a purified form of cannabidiol to treat two rare kinds of severe epilepsy in children. It’s available by prescription only. It’s also approved to reduce the nausea and vomiting that can occur with cancer chemotherapy. The FDA has also approved the cannabis-related drugs dronabinol (Marinol, Syndros) and nabilone (Cesamet) to treat AIDS-related loss of appetite.
Several studies suggest that cannabis can ease the symptoms of certain conditions, such as nerve pain from diabetes or spinal cord injury. The American Academy of Neurology notes that in gold-standard randomized clinical trials, cannabis reduced pain by 40 percent. It also reduces symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety and depression. However, more research is needed to prove that it helps other conditions.
Identify Your Wellness Goals
Whether your wellness goal is building muscle or practicing mindfulness, establishing healthy habits can take time. It’s important to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-bound) for yourself, as these will help you track your progress over the long term. It also helps to create a routine, which can be done by setting a schedule for each day or writing out your intentions with pen and paper. It can be helpful to share your goals with others to help keep you accountable.
Medical marijuana has been shown to help with conditions such as cancer, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and severe nausea from chemotherapy and other treatments. But researchers aren’t sure it works for everything. For instance, they aren’t sure it helps with Alzheimer’s or ALS and don’t know why it works for some conditions while not helping others.
It’s also difficult to compare results across different studies. Observational data may look promising, as can results from animal or test-tube studies. However, many factors can influence these studies, and what helps mice or a clump of cells in a petri dish may not necessarily help humans. That’s why finding a doctor willing to collaborate with you on a treatment plan is important.
Identify Your Tolerance Levels
While THC is effective at relieving debilitating symptoms, it’s easy to build up a tolerance and stop experiencing the full effects of marijuana. If you’re noticing that it takes more and more of your favorite marijuana products to get the same effect, this could be a sign that you’ve built up a tolerance.
If this is the case, there are a few things you can do to reset your tolerance without taking a break from cannabis altogether. First and foremost, it’s important to drink plenty of water. This will help flush your system of THC and other toxins. In addition to this, you can also try switching up your marijuana products with different terpene profiles and cannabinoid ratios. Depending on your unique needs, you can switch from a high-THC indica to a low-THC sativa or vice versa, resulting in you feeling the same effects at less of a dose.
Many industry pros recommend taking a tolerance break (or T-break) for 48 hours to lower your tolerance. While this is a tried-and-true method, not all medical patients can take time away from their treatment. If you’re a medical patient with a recurring condition like chronic pain, it may not be feasible to cut out marijuana completely.
Identify Your Strains
We’re all familiar with the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But in the case of cannabis, looking at a bud’s visual traits, smell, flavor, and effects can help you determine the strain. Of course, this is not a foolproof method, but it will give you a general idea of what you’re dealing with.
Medical marijuana contains chemicals called cannabinoids. The two most well-known are delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is what causes the psychoactive effects of marijuana; CBD doesn’t have any mind-altering side effects.
The most common way of using marijuana is by smoking it, either in a joint or with a pipe or bong. Smoking has several advantages, including quick relief from pain or nausea and easy dosage regulation. However, it can irritate your throat and lungs if you have asthma or lung problems.