What We Know About Marijuana and Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease causes many aggravating symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and more. It’s a terrible affliction that causes a lot of pain to those who suffer from it. While typical medication or surgery can’t provide much value, cannabis can. Cannabis for Crohn’s disease is an excellent way to manage symptoms, particularly abdominal pain and nausea. And, it comes with many other general benefits that are helpful for managing seizures, PTSD, and more you may not even know about. For all the info on Crohn’s disease, weed, and how you can manage your symptoms, keep reading.
General Health Benefits
Before going into the specifics of marijuana and Chrohn’s disease, we’re going to outline the general benefits of cannabis usage. There are many different compounds of cannabis available, but the ones you’re going to see most often in a medical setting are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is considered a psychoactive compound — it’s responsible for the mental aspects of a high and how your perception of reality shifts. CBD gives more physical benefits, easing pain, nausea, and anxiety. Getting a balance of both promotes pain-reducing and overall mindfulness.
Specific Crohn’s Disease Benefits
When it comes to marijuana and Crohn’s disease, these are the specific benefits you receive:
- Decreased inflammation
- Pain-relief
- Anxiety lowering
- Suppressing nausea and vomiting
- Growing appetite
By using cannabis for Crohn’s disease treatment, you can alleviate your pain, nausea, and vomiting, and better regulate your food intake.
Pain Alleviation
The first and foremost benefit of using weed for Crohn’s disease is pain alleviation. In a scientific study in 2005, “Cannabis Alleviates Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease,” the journey and benefits of marijuana and Crohn’s disease were documented through a series of questionnaires. Crohn’s disease sufferers described their symptoms, their cannabis usage habits, and the results of it. They were able to rate the symptoms they suffered from zero to ten. As the study continued, the patients saw huge improvements to their appetite, nausea, depression, pain, and more. Read the study for more details on pain alleviation.
Decreasing Inflammation
Cannabis’s ability to curb inflammation was documented in a 2004 study titled “The Endogenous Cannabinoid System Protects Against Colonic Inflammation” through the Journal of Clinical Investigation. While the study does not go specifically into the area of marijuana and Crohn’s disease, it talks about how powerful cannabis can be as an anti-inflammatory. The researchers recognize cannabis’s potential for intestinal disease conditions, including Crohn’s disease, and how it can be applied therapeutically in the future.
Lowering Disease Activity
Cannabis’s effects on disease activity were shown in the 2011 study, “Treatment of Crohn’s Disease with Cannabis: An Observational Study,” through the Israel Medical Association Journal. The study looked closely into 30 Crohn’s disease patients and their experiences with cannabis. All of them claimed their usage decreased disease activity. That means their symptoms and incidents of irritable bowel movements went down.
And More
This study doesn’t stop with disease activity. It covers marijuana and Crohn’s disease in depth. One particular topic that’s brought up is how the anti-inflammatory benefits of weed for Crohn’s disease, when combined with the general sense of well-being it gives patients, offer the right balance for easing the physical symptoms and subjective experiences with the disease. Put simply, using cannabis for Crohn’s disease treatment is shown to work, and there are plenty of other studies that confirm it.
The Best Strains
Not all cannabis strains are created equal. When it comes to marijuana and Crohn’s disease, in particular, Sativa offers the best benefits. Sativa has a high concentration of THC, so it offers more mental benefits than strains high in CBD. These products specifically are the ones that are recommended for alleviating Crohn’s disease:
- Willie Nelson – appetite
- Hash Plant – inflammation
- Lemon Jack – fatigue
- Medicine Man – pain relief
- Jean guy – pain
Everyone is different, though. You can start with these, or pick out something on your own and see how it feels. You’ll be sure to find the right choice for your symptoms with a little patience.
Methods of Consuming
For marijuana and Crohn’s disease, there are three primary ways to use cannabis: Smoking, vaping, and edibles. Smoking is the most common method. Used by getting a rolled cigarette/joint or with a bong. It has the fastest effects, but it wears off quickly and can be bad for the lungs. Vaping is a cleaner alternative that has similar effects, but without being as bad for your lungs. Edibles are getting more and more popular, and are the most recommended when it comes to cannabis for Crohn’s disease. They can be taken at any time, don’t have any lung effects, and will last longer. They will take longer to kick in though, so you’ll need to be a bit more patient.
Potential Side Effects
While there are many benefits to marijuana and Crohn’s disease, there are still some side effects to be wary of, including:
- Anxiety
- Dry Mouth
- Excessive hunger
- Red Eyes
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Giddiness
- Paranoia
Most of the time, these won’t be serious and just mean you’ve taken too much or that product didn’t react well with your system. Crohn’s disease and weed are all about moderation and finding the right choice for yourself. As long as you know how to calm yourself down and make it through the rest of the high, you’ll turn out okay. And you’ll know more about what not to do the next time around.
Discover the Benefits for Yourself
There are a number of great benefits when it comes to marijuana and Crohn’s disease. You can reduce your pain, lower your anxiety, and limit the amount of disease activity you experience. There are many studies that directly illustrate how effective cannabis is for Crohn’s disease treatment, which you can look through for more info. There are also many different strains for you to choose from. While Sativa is recommended, you’re more than welcome to try out different products and see what’s best for yourself. As long as you use it responsibly, you shouldn’t run into any issues during your treatment.
If you have any questions on this topic or cannabis in general, feel free to contact us. Start the journey to your medical marijuana card with Ozark MMJ Cards.