Why is thc good for you

This is an area where few other options exist, and those that do, such as Neurontin, Lyrica, or opiates are highly sedating. Patients claim that marijuana allows them to resume their previous activities without feeling completely out of it and disengaged. I have also heard of its use quite successfully for fibromyalgia, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis , and most other conditions where the final common pathway is chronic pain.

Marijuana is also used to manage nausea and weight loss and can be used to treat glaucoma. A highly promising area of research is its use for PTSD in veterans who are returning from combat zones. Many veterans and their therapists report drastic improvement and clamor for more studies, and for a loosening of governmental restrictions on its study. This is not intended to be an inclusive list, but rather to give a brief survey of the types of conditions for which medical marijuana can provide relief.

As with all remedies, claims of effectiveness should be critically evaluated and treated with caution. Many patients find themselves in the situation of wanting to learn more about medical marijuana, but feel embarrassed to bring this up with their doctor. This is in part because the medical community has been, as a whole, overly dismissive of this issue.

My advice for patients is to be entirely open and honest with your physicians and to have high expectations of them. The researchers say that this 39 percent reduction in seizure occurrence provides strong evidence that the compound can help people living with Dravet syndrome, and that their paper has the first rigorous scientific data to demonstrate this.

However, the study also found a high rate of side effects linked to CBD. More than 9 in 10 of the children treated with CBD experienced side effects — most commonly vomiting, fatigue , and fever.

The patient information leaflet for Epidiolex warns of side effects such as liver damage, sedation, and thoughts of suicide. At the other end of the spectrum is the plethora of studies that have found negative associations between marijuana use and health. They are listed below.

Daily marijuana use is believed to exacerbate existing symptoms of bipolar disorder among people who have this mental health problem. However, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report suggests that among people with no history of the condition, there is only limited evidence of a link between marijuana use and developing bipolar disorder. Moderate evidence suggests that regular marijuana users are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts , and there is a small increased risk of depression among marijuana users.

Marijuana use is likely to increase risk of psychosis, including schizophrenia. But a curious finding among people with schizophrenia and other psychoses is that a history of marijuana use is linked with improved performance on tests assessing learning and memory. Although there is no evidence to suggest any link between using marijuana and an increased risk for most cancers, the National Academies of Sciences did find some evidence to suggest an increased risk for the slow-growing seminoma subtype of testicular cancer.

A study that explored the relationship between marijuana use and lung disease suggested that it was plausible that smoking marijuana could contribute to lung cancer , though it has been difficult to conclusively link the two. The authors of that study — published in the journal Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine — conclude:. A caution against regular heavy marijuana usage is prudent. Recreational use is not the same as medicinal use and should be discouraged. There is evidence that demonstrates both the harms and health benefits of marijuana.

Many scientists and health bodies — including the American Cancer Society ACS — support the need for further scientific research on the use of marijuana and cannabinoids to treat medical conditions. However, there is an obstacle to this: marijuana is classed as a Schedule I controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which deters the study of marijuana and cannabinoids through its imposition of strict conditions on the researchers working in this area.

If you happen to live in a state where medical use of marijuana is legal, you and your doctor will need to carefully consider these factors and how they relate to your illness and health history before using this drug. For instance, while there is some evidence to support the use for marijuana for pain relief, you should certainly avoid marijuana if you have a history of mental health problems. CBD extract comes from the cannabis sativa plant. It does not cause a high and may have some health benefits.

Learn more. In some respects, smoking cannabis can cause similar damage to the lungs as smoking tobacco. Learn more here. Cannabis has many potential uses, including the treatment of specific symptoms of multiple sclerosis MS.

Checkley said. And that seems to be the general consensus on cannabis-based studies -- that they are, to some degree, inconclusive. Still, Dr.

Checkley claims the study seemed to dispel some of the common ideas that THC has more beneficial properties than it may actually possess.

According to Dr. Checkley , the study couldn't find any link between cannabis or cannabinoid use and many of its supposed benefits. However, the report allegedly found some connection with THC or cannabis use and certain psychiatric conditions. Checkley continued. And there has also been a small increased risk of depression as well as increased incidents of suicide attempts and completion.

And there was also increased incidents of social anxiety disorder. Other studies done last year have shown similar conclusions, although all remain somewhat skeptical.

Apart from psychiatric problems and doubt over its benefits for curing symptoms, THC use has also been linked to reduced motor skills, Dr. Checkley says. The study used 21 studies from different countries with a sample size of almost , participants, claims Dr. Checkley explained to TheStreet. And so I think the information there was pretty robust, given the number of studies and given the number of countries, and the number of participants supporting that relationships between cannabis use and the increased chances of being in a motor vehicle crash.

However, despite numerous studies, all of the experts seem to agree that due to cannabis' classification as a Schedule 1 drug, the limited studies researchers are able to perform leave the substance's actual effects very much still in question.

Although still speculative, THC has been shown to potentially help increase appetite in eating disorder patients, help with neurodegenerative diseases, and even potentially help cancer patients. Studies have shown that THC may help patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as provide pain relief for some patients.

In fact, even Dr. Checkley concluded that THC and cannabis have several proven benefits, including relieving symptoms like vomiting for chemotherapy patients and providing pain relief. So, you can't say for sure that it's definitely the case, but the research that's out there today and the early indications are overwhelmingly positive.

While many doctors are still hesitant to use the seemingly controversial compound, others have only glowing reports of the drug's effectiveness in treating a wide variety of medical issues.

One such advocate is Dr. Aung-Din, M. He was formerly skeptical of THC and cannabis -- but a pivotal case changed his mind. When presented with a case of a year-old male who had suffered brain injuries at 15 and was having intractable seizures, Dr. Aung-Din was persuaded by the patient's mother to try cannabis medication as a treatment -- which worked.