Medical Marijuana - Research and Community experiences

Free the tree content

Known Usages for Medical Marijuana thumbnail

OK, cannabis can be used medically, but for what illnesses?

Welcome to the Medical Marijuana section where we cover how Marijuana can help, or cure, certain illnesses.

We decided to do this section after talking with a friend’s mom that has recently been diagnosed with Glaucoma. We were telling her how certain cannabis strains prevent sight loss, to which she answered : “I’ve never smoked pot, I’m not going to start now”. Her response didn’t really shock me but it is saddening to see that we, as a society, are far from using marijuana’s great potential…

This is especially true when you consider that we have used cannabis medically for millenniums, and it is only in the past centuries that this been questioned, and forgotten.

It’s nonsense to think that we are not using the medicine that nature provides us. This is one of the core reasons why we decided to build this site and community.

In order to establish context we are going to go at this in 3 steps :

Talk about medical marijuana uses that have existed for centuries.
Explore more deeply specific illnesses where cannabis is used, or where research is currently on going.
Share experiences from people like you and me that have used cannabis for their illness

Hope this will be useful !
If you’re using cannabis medically, share your experience with the community so others can benefit <3

Medical Marijuana - Table of content

Acne

Anorexia & Bulimia

Anxiety

Asthma & Breathing Disorders

Chemotherapy side effects

Crohn’s & Gastrointestinal Disorders

Epilepsy

Hepatitis C

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Lung Cancer

Menopause

Multiple Sclerosis – Muscle Spasms

Migraines

Nausea

Nerve Pains

Obesity

Parkinson’s Disease

Period Pains

Poor Appetite and Weight loss

PTSD

Seizure Disorders

Sciatica Pains

Strokes

Tourette Syndrom

Medical Marijuana use for Acne Removal

Cannabis oil has gone mainstream and taken the health industry by storm as a potent treatment of many skin problems, including acne.

According to a research article published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, cannabidiol in cannabis oil produces a trinity of cellular actions. It suppresses skin cell proliferation, normalizes the overactive triggering of sebaceous glands & sebum production by “pro-acne” agents, and prevents the activation of inflammatory cytokines. Read the article below to learn more on how cannabis oil can help with acne problems.

Medical Marijuana use for Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa

On paper the idea that Medical Marijuana would help for Anorexia is kind of a no-brainer. All smokers have felt that hunger called “the munchies” where you just can’t get enough under your tooth.

That said this is not actual proof that it could help out and there is very little research on the subject currently although research on Cannabis as a stimulate for the appetite for HIV/AIDS patients has officially confirmed that Marijuana is effective as an apetite stimulant.

What element in Cannabis stimulates appetite

The research has shown that it’s the endocannabinoid system (its own cannabinoid system) of Cannabis that has such a powerful influence on appetite.

In 2011 a group of researchers in Belgium suggested that since eating disorders are related to a dysfunctional regulation and imbalance within the endocannabinoid, marijuana-based products should be a very effective and safe way to treat the patients.

What kind of Weed to use?

A studies done by the University of Cagliari in Italy show that THC and other cannabinoids can help preventing weight loss. We would advise for you to go for a hybrid a balanced ratio of THC and CBD.

How can Medical Marijuana help for Anxiety

It’s well known that many smokers consume cannabis is order to relax, I mean after a long day of work a little joint of a soft indica is always nice right? 🙂
That said, in this case what’s extremely important is not to smoke too much! THC is know to relax in small levels, but can stress out and produce anxiety in higher dosages.

Researchers conducted a study, covered by Business Insider, to find what is now called the “Goldilocks” zone : The perfect amount and strains of marijuana in order to calm people without making things worst.

Emma Childs, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois, published in her findings that “low doses of THC will reduce stress levels while higher doses had the opposite effect”

What kind of weed to smoke for anxiety

In this case go for a strain that doesn’t have high levels of THC.
Everyone is different so it’s hard to give a specific amount of strain, here’s a couple tips to help you chose

Go with a strain that isn’t too strong in THC. Around 5% to be on the safe side
Don’t smoke too much at once. It can take a little while for the effect to come so don’t rush it 😉
Ask friends that smoke regularly to try the weed out first.
They’ll be able to let you know how strong it is
Start small. When trying out a new strain just take a hit or two and see how it effects you.
Test & learn: Since most of us live in area’s where marijuana isn’t legal you don’t really, and can’t really, know what you’re smoking which is unfortunate..
(if you want to help us change that contact us!)
Grow your own strain; It’s actually pretty easy and the best way to know what you’re smoking (+ you learn sooo much about plants, it’s awesome 🙂 )

Hope this will have helped you out and you’ll be able to relax more

Medical Cannabis and Asthma

It might seem a little weird thinking that smoking marijuana would help for people having Asthma issues or other Breathing Disorders, but that’s really due to the fact that our brains are biased by cigarettes and their smoke.

Studies have shown that marijuana smoke or administrating THC “exert potent dilating effects of human airways).
Furthermore Daniele Piomelli, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of California told Reuters in 2000 that their research lets them think that “by targeting cannabinoid receptors in the upper airways we can control coughs in a number of conditions, which is important because most current treatments basically act on the brain cough center”.

What strain for Asthma?

For Asthma you will need to use a strain containing THC since it seems to be the main component helping at lung dilution.

Another important thing is that you need to make sure that you’re smoking un-treated marijuana. If the buds contain chemicals their combustion can be much more harmful than beneficial.

Cannabis helping HIV/AIDS side-effects

In this case there is still no-one that has found a cure.. but HIV and AIDS patients can find some relief to symptoms thanks to marijuana.
A study done by the National Center for Biotechnology Information concludes with the following:

“Thise data suggest that for HIV-positive marijuana smoker, both dronabinol and THC were well tolerated and produced substantial and comparable increases in food intake.”

Here are the full results of this study:

“As compared with placebo, marijuana and dronabinol dose dependently increased daily caloric intake and body weight in HIV-positive marijuana smokers. All cannabinoid conditions produced significant intoxication, except for low-dose dronabinol (5 mg); the intoxication was rated positively (eg, “good drug effect”) with little evidence of discomfort and no impairment of cognitive performance. Effects of marijuana and dronabinol were comparable, except that only marijuana (3.9% THC) improved ratings of sleep.”

How can Marijuana help HIV&AIDS patients

As the studies showed in the previous point, cannabis can help improve

Food Intake
Global mood
Sleep

It’s important to also note that patients showed very little evidence of discomfort and no impairment of cognitive performances.

What strain for HIV/AIDS?

THC is the main component that came out of this study, meaning that you will need to use a strain containing THC.
The THC level may differ depending on if you’ve smoked, your body’s natural resistant and other factors so we would advise you to start with lower levels of THC and go up if needed.

Compare cannabis products & prices

Make the best choice

CHECK IT OUT

A problem growing your plant ?

We help you with a free diagnostic

Contact a grower

Marijuana Helping people with Alcohol Addiction

One of the conventional argument to keep marijuana illegal in most countries is generally that Marijuana is a gateway drug but in this case we have a nice example where Marijuana can help people get off other addictions.

How can Cannabis help with Alcoholism

In states of the USA where medical marijuana is legal recovery programs have started to use it as a new tool on alcoholism as well as opiate addictions.
Here’s how cannabis can help:

Alleviate withdraw symptoms
Reduce negative side effects
Better management of symptoms
Protect neural cells from dying out during the withdraw period
Reduces the “cold turkey” effects.

Medical Marijuana for Alzheimer patients

Cannabis has many positive effects to people that have been diagnosed with Alzheimer disease.
From helping preventing Alzheimers to reducing the speed of it spreading as well as helping with many of the side effects, this application of Marijuana is becoming more and more accepted.

How can Cannabis prevent Alzheimer disease

A preclinical study published in 2014 by a group of 9 scientists and the University of South Florida and Thomas Jefferson University show that very small adoses of THC slows down the production of beta-amyloid which is the main suspect for the progression of Alzheimers.
This study is corroborated by the findings of 7 other researchers published in on NCBI’s (National Center for Biotechnology Information) website.

How can Marijuana help Alzheimer patients

Studies that show that Cannabis can help prevent Alzheimer also bring forward many other advantages which are the improvement of:

Slow progression of the sickness
Aggression
Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia
Hallucination

Here’s the conclusion of the study published on NCBI:

“Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of Abeta aggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease.“

What strain for Alzheimer’s?

The dosages and strains will depend on the person and what stage of the disease the person is in.
Within the prevention or early faces very low levels of THC will bu sufficient to be effective, further down the line levels may need to be increased in order to help with the other side effects that can come with this disease.

Medical Cannabis for Rheumatoid Arthritis Pains

Cannabis is known to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, help sleep so it’s not very surprising that researchers found in 2011 that marijuana can help with people dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

How can Marijuana help Arthritis patients

Marijuana is definitely a full medication of Arthritis but it can strongly help with its symptoms while producing little, or no, side effects. Here are the mostly known ways that it’ll help you out:

Pain relieving
Anti-inflammatory
Improves sleep quality

What strain for Arthritis?

Low levels of Thetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are needed for the effects to be felt.
Although it’s important to say that, as always, this depends on everyone so the best way to know is to test and learn. Start with the lowest levels of THC and go up if needed.

Medical Marijuana for Autism Symptoms

In this case things are currently moving very much especially with an upcoming study at the Children’s hospital of Philadelphia, which will be the first of its kind in the US.
In partnership with an Australian biopharmaceutical company, Zelda Therapeutics, they plan on studying the benefits of medical marijuana in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

How can Marijuana help Autism

Many parents of autistic children have been militating for a long time pushing for the legalization of marijuana to treat symptoms like:

Anxiety
Self-injurious behaviors
Sleep dysregulation
Troubles with social interactions.
Regulate mood
Reduce seizures
Alleviate symptoms linked to chemical phamaceutical side-effects.

In the USA, mothers advocating for this have grouped themselves in the advocacy grop called Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism (MAMMA).
If you are in this situation we advise you to get in contact with them, whether you are in the United States or not in order to have support and information.

Bladder Infections

Bladder infections fall in the category of urinary tract infections. Anybody who has ever had a UTI will tell you that it is one of the worst sensations a person can endure. The constant pelvic pain and burning in the urinary tract can make things very difficult.

In most cases, bladder infections start small, and sometimes acute cases are resolved without any treatment, but if the infection spreads, it may take a long time to recover.

A great way to naturally treat a bladder infection is to use cannabis. Studies have shown that marijuana has a lot of amazing health benefits, and it can also be used to ease the symptoms of bladder infections.

Cancer Patients aided by Medical Cannabis

There are many stories out there of people that have self medicated using cannabis after being diagnosed with different types of cancer.
Within the most famous you have Dennis Hill, a prostate cancer patient who decided to replace chemotherapy with a cannabis oil treatment, 6 months later he was cured.
After the diagnosis showed that all the cancer cells had disappeared he grouped together his full story, along with medical records and journals of progress that you can find here.

There’s also the story of Kelly Hauf, a brain tumor patient that decided to try out cannabis oil during the months before her brain surgery.
By the time her surgery was due the doctors found that the tumor had fully disappeared. You can find her sorry here.

It’s important to note that many doctors advise patients not to assume that cannabis was the cause of these incredible recoveries. As Dr Abrams, the leading oncologist at UCSF, if cannabis was the only reason for these remissions we would expect to see many more survivors.

Current research – Cannabis has anti-cancerous properties?

Scientists have been studying more and more the subject and have found that cannabinoids like CBD and THC kill cancer cells of animals in laboratory conditions, without harming any of the healthy cells nearby.

Although the researches have found that Cannabinoids destroy cancer cells the effectiveness is related to 3 factors:

The type of cannabinoid
The dose
The type of cell the cannabinoid is acting on

Furthermore in some instances it can make matters worst. For example “with breast cancer in which cannabinoid receptors may not be expressed by the cancer cells, cannabinoids may worsen the disease, because the immune system is weakened, and the breast cancer cells are resistant to cannabinoid-induced apoptosis”

What side effects can Marijuana help with

Insomnia
Nausea and Vomiting
Skin irritation
Appetite and weight management
Mental health and well-being
Sleep
Digestive distress
Chronic Fatigue
Sexual Health
Anti-cancerous properties

Can't find your answer?

Send us your question

CONTACT GROWERS

Contribute to our knowledge base

Submit articles, videos or tips to enrich our library

Make a contribution

Chemotherapy Side effects eased with Medical Cannabis

It’s well known that going through chemotherapy is rough, most likely one of the roughest things someone can go through, from the hair loss to constant vomiting, passing by the memory loss and mood swings, it’s not a chill ride..
Within the past years research on medical marijuana has been teaching us more and more about the different ways it can help for many sickness, a lot of which are side effects of chemotherapy.

The main point that is effective here are linked to the cannabinoids produced by the endocannabinoid system (ECS) of marijuana.

How can Marijuana help with Chemotherapy

The cannabinoids in marijuana have been found to act on many different cells which allow them to be affective on a wide range of issues. Here’s some of the most known ones:

Memory loss
Mood disorders
Pain (nociceptive or neuropathic)
Sleep disorders
Metabolism and appetite disorders
Immune function
Nausea and vomiting
Anorexia
Weigh loss
Fatigue Constipation
Itching
Sexual function

Medical Cannabis for Inflammatory Bowel and Crohn’s Disease

As research continues and more and more uses to cannabis arise in the medical community people dealing with Inflammatory Bowels or Crohn’s Desease can wonder if there’s any way it could apply to them.

Research done in 2011 by an Israeli team of doctors concludes that Cannabis may have a positive effect on the deseases activity especially by reducing the activity index as well as the need for other drugs and surgery.

How can Marijuana help with Crohn’s Disease

Reduces the activity index of the desease
Lowers need for other drugs
May limit the need for other surgeries.

It’s important to note that research is still ongoing.

Medical Marijuana and Chronic Pain

Marijuana possesses pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties that help in improving the daily suffering of patients. Read the article below to find out how medical marijuana can help alleviate pain and why its an efficient treatment.

How can CBD help with Dementia

While it may sound odd to you, there is some evidence that CBD, or cannabis can help with some of dementia’s most troubling symptoms. With many dementia patients experiencing anxiety and depression.It is only natural that people have turned to CBD to help them control their symptoms.

If the world of CBD is new to you but you’re looking for a way to help someone read the article below to discover 5 things you need to know about how to use CBD for dementia symptoms control.

Can't find what you are looking for?

Tell us how we can help out

Make a request

Can't find your answer?

Send us your question

CONTACT GROWERS

Depression and marijuana

Depression and marijuana : how it is a complex relationship

Depression is a very severe and detrimental disorder. Most people believe that pharmaceutical antidepressants are a cure for depression, whereas, in reality, they only numb the symptoms of depression and provide temporary relief.

Recent studies into the medical benefits of cannabis have shown that it can be an effective alternative to antidepressants. The relationship between cannabis and depression is a little more complicated, learn more about this in the article below.

How to cure depression with cbd

CBD is an effective remedy for many ailments and conditions, including relieving depression. Many people use CBD in different forms to deal with their depression and anxiety, but how does this work specifically for depression? Below are a few common ways that CBD works when it comes to treating depression caused by various triggers. It is vital to know how CBD works on depression before attempting to use it.

Medical Marijuana and Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is one disease that causes extreme musculoskeletal pain. The pain can lead the whole family to depression. Attending and serenading your loved one to sleep is tedious. CBD products contain cannabidiol chemicals that soothe and relieve pain. So the patient experiences peaceful and relaxed sleep.
Learn more about this in the article below.

Cannabis and Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a serious condition that can lead to blindness. In the simplest of terms, glaucoma is an eye condition in which pressure at the front of the eye begins to increase. Research on how cannabis can effectively treat glaucoma began back in the 1970s. It was first noticed then that the administration of cannabis can drop the eye pressure caused by glaucoma by 20%-30%.
Learn more about this in the article below.

CBD and Hair Loss

Cannabis is now being widely used for cosmetics. This may be attributed to the rising popularity of CBD-infused products. Since CBD is rich in key nutrients, it can help maintain healthy skin and hair. CBD won’t change your hair itself but will create the ideal conditions in your body to promote hair growth.

Whether its due to side effects or genetics, this article will help you discover how to stop hair loss with CBD products.

CBD Oil for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer patients, especially while undergoing chemotherapy, suffer from numerous symptoms and side effects. Several studies on the benefits of CBD for patients fighting lung cancer have revealed how it can help alleviate many symptoms. CBD for lung cancer comes in numerous forms, which are handy to offer relief, find out more by reading the article below.

Cannabis and Menopause

Menopause starts affecting many women past 40 and comes with a myriad of uncomfortable symptoms. One way to cope with them is using CBD to calm your body. In the article below find out how cannabis helps your body calm down while undergoing the different stages of menopause.

Medical Marijuana and Parkinson’s Disease

Many doctors, scientists, sufferers of Parkinson’s Disease, and their families have turned to CBD oil to help manage the debilitating symptoms of the neurodegenerative condition. CBD, a molecule contained within the cannabis plant, has been shown in scientific studies to present many interesting qualities and abilities that assist with a variety of ailments and physical issues.

Find out more by reading the full article below

Using CBD for period pains

It’s often marketed as the new miracle natural solution everywhere, but is CBD is really good for periods? If you have painful menstrual symptoms every month it can be upsetting to have to use pharmaceutical drugs to address this natural phenomenon. Especially on such a regular basis. There had to be other ways to address this worldwide age-old phenomenon. CBD has proven pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties that can really help your body through this difficult part of your cycle.

Find out more by reading the full article below

Medical Marijuana for Sciatica Pains

Sciatica pain is a prevalent nerve issue that is faced by many people all over the world. It is a form of back pain that is caused because of some sort of disturbance in the sciatic nerve. The pain experienced can vary widely, it can go from a mild ache to a sharp, burning sensation or even in some cases excruciating pain.

Cannabis can be used as a very effective and organic alternative solution to pharmaceuticals, which can have more permanent side effects. Certain marijuana strains are best to treat these pains.