Although many more studies need to be done on medical marijuana, many people are learning and experiencing about the benefits of the plant as it becomes legal throughout the United States. Although many more studies need to take place, cannabis is showing promising signs of helping multiple conditions. In fact, it is helping people, where many pharmaceutical drugs have failed.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN correspondent and neurosurgeon, has helped generate buzz about the many medical benefits CBD, in his new documentary “WEED,” and even apologized for his previous position against it.
5 Health Conditions Cannabis Is Helping
Seizures
D. Samba Reddy, Ph.D., R.Ph., studies therapies for epilepsy and he recently published an article, bout the current state of research into medical marijuana for treating epilepsy.
“There was a lot of media attention about how medical marijuana is good for epilepsy,” said Reddy, a fellow of both the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). “We became interested in finding out whether there was scientific evidence in the literature to support the claims of these people who have seen great benefits.”
ADHD
The International Association for Cannabis as Medicine published a case study showing potential for marijuana (specifically THC) to be helpful in treating ADHD. The report showed promising results in better moods and focused performance.
Eating Disorders
The National Eating Disorder Association estimates that there are 30 million people in the United States with an eating disorder. Treatment usually resorts to a combination of therapy and multiple medications, but medical marijuana is showing promising results in lowering anxiety and increasing hunger. Only 5 of the 23 states that have legalized medical marijuana include eating disorders on the list of eligible conditions. However, more studies are helping move legislation forward so everyone can have the option to use medicinal cannabis.
PSTD
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is caused by disturbing episodes that cause anxiety and the following symptoms: re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyper arousal (e.g., flashbacks, social isolation, insomnia). PTSD comes from changes in brain chemistry that occur at the time of the trauma that cause extremely high stress levels. Many new studies are confirming cannabis is an effective treatment for PSTD.
Martin Lee, a Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) affiliate studied PTSD and cannabinoids in depth. “Researchers found that people with PTSD had lower levels of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoidcompound, compared to those who did not show signs of PTSD,” Lee wrote, “Innate to all mammals, anandamide (our inner cannabis, so to speak) triggers the same receptors that are activated by THC and other components of the marijuana plant.”
Cancer
Even if cannabis isn’t the miraculous cancer cure, there is no question that most cancer patients, no matter their age, can benefit from cannabis medicine. Cannabis has not only been shown to help increase appetite and reduce both nausea and pain. Some cases have even been shown to shrink tumors or kill cancer cells.
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