Medical Marijuana for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is estimated to affect around 3.1 million adults (1.3% of the whole population) in the United States. As patients seek new methods to relieve the painful symptoms of IBD, many have found that marijuana offers a beneficial alternative to traditional symptomatic relief.

What is IBD?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the medical term designated to a group of disorders that are known to cause chronic inflammation in the intestines, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, both affecting the digestive system. There are many existing treatments to manage this lifelong condition, with marijuana usage promising to provide further relief for IBD patients.

IBD Symptoms

Some of the common symptoms of IBD can be listed as:

• Abdominal cramps and pain
• Diarrhea that may be bloody
• Severe urgency to have a bowel movement
• Fever
• Weight loss
• Decreased appetite
• Iron deficiency anemia due to blood loss

Although the listed symptoms are known to be the most common ones, there are potentially more symptoms that are painful for IBD patients, which may even reduce their quality of life. Weed can offer relief for these more difficult symptoms.

How Can Medical Marijuana Help?

The principal compounds of marijuana, namely Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD), are phytocannabinoids (plant-based cannabinoids) that have various effects on human biochemistry and are potentially beneficial in suppressing symptoms. Marijuana consumption helps alleviate common IBD symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, and decreased appetite. However, marijuana use for IBD is not functional for curing the disease itself. Furthermore, the use of cannabis for IBD and for other types of intestinal disorders is currently being studied to get a better understanding of its effects and benefits. Since inflammation is known to cause pain and discomfort, the inflammation-reducing properties of weed make it a highly efficient remedy for IBD.

How We Help

As one of the 18 qualifying conditions for medical marijuana use in Missouri, you should evaluate IBD symptoms with a doctor. From there, the doctor will determine whether medical marijuana for IBD would be beneficial for your case. If you intend to seek treatment of the symptoms of IBD with marijuana, begin your certification process with Ozark MMJ Cards today.