Whenever we hear the words marijuana, Indian hemp, cannabis, or some other names for which it is known, what comes straight to our mind is smoking, and our faces become distorted. We believe its one of the abhorred things in the society, something that should never be discussed with pleasantness and freedom. We all forget that weeds are one of the green herbs created by God, and that everything God made or gave us is good and for our own benefit. The problem in the case of Indian hemp is just that it is being misused and abused. There are a lot of rightful and very beneficial uses of marijuana that have never crossed the minds of many people, and it is becoming a trending health product on a global scale. This explains why some countries in recent times have legalized or are considering legalizing the use of cannabis. One of the most striking of them is that it has been discovered to fight some deadly diseases that have defied modern medicines. Want to find out how? Then read on…
Here are 10 Major Diseases Known to be Curbed or Cured with Marijuana
1. Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a serious brain disease which on most occasions start as dementia, and then wind up being Alzheimer’s disease. It is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually start slowly and gets worse over time. Its major symptom is loss of memory and cognitive malfunction. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the number of Alzheimer’s cases is expected to rise by 176% to 13.8 million by 2050, and this follows a 68% increase between 2000 and 2010. The disease has no particular drug for complete cure. There is a new discovery that drugs made from cannabis can be used to control if not completely cure the illness. The good news is, based on a multi-author abstract published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease last year, cannabinoid THC may be useful in slowing the formation of beta amyloid, the plaque that floats around in Alzheimer’s disease patients’ brains that reduces their cognitive function. The scientists went so far as to say that cannabinoid-based medications “will be the new breakout medicine treatments of the near future.”
2. Epilepsy/Seizures
A seizure is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. It is common in people who are epileptic. Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological problem, with only Alzheimer’s, stroke, and migraine coming before it. According to records, epilepsy affects about 150,000 people in the U.S. annually, and over their lifetime, people have about a 1-in-26 chance of developing epilepsy. It is also considered one of the world’s most problematic health issues that have defied cure so far. However, as researches remain unending, scientists have discovered that cannabis-based drugs, (a chemical compound known as cannabidiol, or CBD, that does not have psychoactive properties – the “high” feeling that marijuana produces), can actually reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures and epilepsy in an individual as much as by 54%. While the findings are promising, more research is needed, such as randomized-controlled trials to help eliminate the possibility of a placebo effect,” said study author Dr. Orrin Devinsky, director of New York University Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.
3. Multiple Sclerosis/Muscle Spasm
Multiple sclerosis (MS), also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata, is an inflammatory disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system to communicate, resulting in a wide range of signs and symptoms, including physical, mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems. Studies have shown that THC – the active ingredient in cannabis can help control spasticity in patients with MS, and that this works best by taking a controlled amount orally.
4. Cancer
In recent times, many people have reported using a daily oral dose of concentrated THC cannabis oil to cure cancers from the skin to the lung. This treatment has also been tested in dogs (although canines require much lower doses, and giving too much can have serious adverse affects). Cannabis is approved in all 20 medical marijuana states and Washington, D.C. for the treatment of cancer pain, to help increase appetite and decrease nausea following chemotherapy.
5. Schizophrenia
You will actually be wondering how an illness such as schizophrenia could be controlled or cured with marijuana, since the intake of marijuana is even believed to result to some symptoms that are schizophrenic. The type of cannabis discovered to prevent schizophrenia is the CBD. While marijuana is known to cause temporary psychosis-like effects, it is not CBD, but THC, that’s responsible. In 2012, a study published in Translational Psychiatry hinted that cannabinoid CBD may prove to be an attractive substitute for current antipsychotic treatments. Also, GW Pharmaceuticals announced on that it has started Phase 2 clinical trials on a drug made from the marijuana compound cannabidiol (CBD). The company, which holds the only license for growing cannabis in the UK, says the new drug features “purified CBD” as its active ingredient. In total, the study examined 39 patients, dosing 20 with CBD and 19 with amisulpride. While both led to similar Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores upon study completion, it was noted that the CBD group had fewer side effects than the amisulpride group.
6. Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus type 2 (formerly non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) in the context of insulin resistance and relative lack of insulin. This is in contrast to diabetes mellitus type 1, in which there is an absolute lack of insulin due to breakdown of islet cells in the pancreas. In May 2013 a three-authored study published in The American Journal of Medicine observed that marijuana could play a key role in controlling people’s blood sugar levels. The study, which looked at 4,657 people, including both active and former marijuana users, showed that current marijuana users had a 16% reduction in fasting insulin levels and an accompanying 17% drop in HOMA-IR, which measures insulin resistance and beta-cell function. The GW Pharmaceuticals is also developing a drug known as GW42004 for type 2 diabetes.
7. Asthma/Breathing Disorders
This is another postulation that will definitely sound contradictory to you, since it is virtually believed that marijuana can affect the lungs negatively and also give rise to some respiratory illnesses, (though it is without proof). All the same, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, THC’s anti-inflammatory properties actually help dilate inflamed respiratory passages in an asthmatic patient. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease and cannabis is a proven anti-inflammatory substance, so the finding is quite plausible. The problem here is the ability of the users to keep to moderation, and not to become addicts, just a puff or two will do.
8. Erectile Dysfunction/ Impotence
One of the most common causes of erectile dysfunction is high cholesterol, which can clog blood vessels and weaken blood flow to the penis. Over time, it may also result in abnormal tissue build up, leading to permanent dysfunction. Studies have shown that marijuana can reduce the effects of high cholesterol. New findings published in the journal Clinical & Developmental Immunology in conjunction with the National Institute of Health explain how marijuana may help. Men suffering from high cholesterol may actually look to weed for a solution, as clinical studies indicate that cannabinoid activation can reduce the harsh effects of hypercholesterolemia – the most common threat in the development of erectile dysfunction. “Hypercholesterolemia is one of the most important risk factors for erectile dysfunction, mostly due to the impairment of oxidative stress and endothelial function in the penis. The cannabinoid system might regulate peripheral mechanisms of sexual function,” according to the report.
9. Arthritis
Pain relief is one of the most recognized effects of cannabis. Just as in the case of multiple sclerosis, marijuana is also helpful to patients of arthritis because study has revealed that it evidently fights inflammation of the joints. It has been discovered that smoking the natural herbs itself help to alleviate pain even more than the medical marijuana that are specially prepared for the treatment. A recent survey conducted by Health Canada and the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids found that about 36-percent of Canadian medical marijuana patients, representing the largest group using cannabis to treat any medical condition, regularly smoke weed to calm arthritis pain. Though this is not to be encouraged because of the negative effects that come with addiction.
10. Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting primarily the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The Wyoming Institute of Technology(WIT) working closely with a medical marijuana dispensary in Denver and also with a team from GlaxoSmithKline, developed a trial medication based on “Chunky Crimson” which is consumed three times daily, and coupled with a suppository admitted once daily. Human trials showed that 99.8% of recipients of the test drug were fully cured of Hepatitis C, while the remaining 0.2% showed signs of reversal, and could theoretically be cured with continued administering of the rectal suppository alone. However, nobody is claiming that smoking marijuana is good for you; in fact, decades of studies have found the possibility this practice may do harm to the cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological systems. But the facts regarding marijuana use for those with chronic Hepatitis C, is beginning to blur the line holding marijuana as an illicit, liver-harming drug.
Note: The major barrier to the widespread use of marijuana-based treatments is their psychoactive effect. As a result, scientists have been searching for ways to achieve the same benefits without the “high feeling”.