Canadians Living alongside Crohn's Disease Benefit from Using Medical Marijuana from Douglas's blog

Medical marijuana, cannabis, medical marijuana, pot, filter - no matter what it is called, medical marijuana has been demonized for years as being an evil drug. Despite positive research from institutes of study in many countries, medical medical marijuana (not to be confused with cannabis for recreational use) is still a matter of strong debate. Oddly enough, the debate is hottest not between the general citizens of a country, but between the medical community and the respective governments. In places where using medical medical marijuana is legal, studies are ongoing and often produce results that surprise many in the medical community. Others feel the results only serve to implement the belief that medical marijuana is not the demon plant propaganda has said it is.

Canadians and Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (related to Crohn's disease) are serious problems for more over 170, 000 Canadians. Ohjelmaa juhliin In fact, Canada has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world. Sufferers may have persistent diarrhea, vomiting, cramping and abdominal pain, and rectal internal bleeding. Many lose their appetite, which can cause unhealthy weight loss, while some are tormented by nausea and vomiting. Crohn's disease might be affected by the joints, ailing liver, skin and eyes, as well, and commonly causes great fatigue.

Crohn's disease is chronic; periods of remission are mixed with periods of intense activeness. Unfortunately, the medical community has been powerless to find the cause of this disease, although they believe it is du to an overactive immune system, initially triggered by outside influences. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) states:

"Many scientists now believe that the interaction of an outside agent (such as a virus or bacterium) with the human body's immune system may trigger the ailment, or that such an agent may cause damage to the colon wall, initiating or accelerating the ailment process. "

They further are convinced that, "Because there is no cure for Crohn's disease, with regards to medical treatment is to suppress the inflammatory response. This step accomplishes two important goals: It allows the colon tissue to heal you will relieves the symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Once the symptoms are brought under control (this is known as inducing remission), medical therapy is used to decrease the frequency of disease flares (this is known as maintaining remission, or maintenance). " - CCFA

Medicinal Therapy for Crohn's Disease

Much of the traditional medication (the medical therapy mentioned by CCFA) used to treat Crohn's disease includes a mixture of anti-inflammatory, antibodies, immune modifiers/suppressants and corticosteroids. Indeed, traditional medical treatments become a cornucopia of pharmaceutical concoctions. As with most man-made medicinal products, each treatment also causes some symptoms. For instance, the immunosuppressive medicines can cause nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. Steroids also cause these symptoms, with the addition of anxiety and depression, as well as bone thinning, peptic ulcers and other issues with prolonged usage. Mesalamine, an anti-inflammatory, can cause mild side effects like hair loss, headaches and overly anxious. However, it can also cause severe side effects such as pancreatitis, blood disorders, fatigue and tremors. Kidney dysfunction and IBD-like symptoms are also possible.

Medical Medical marijuana for Canadian Crohn's Disease Sufferers

Thanks to a number of organizations, medical institutes and studies, Canada has relaxed the laws on medical medical marijuana. It is legal for Canadian Crohn's disease suffers to have a medical medical marijuana excemption with a written doctor's prescription.

Many studies have proven that medical medical marijuana helps as an anti-inflammatory. Users of medical medical marijuana for Crohn's disease found themselves able to reduce - if not eliminate - the decision for steroid treatment and to reduce the immunosuppressive medications, as well as Mesalamine. A work in 2005 by the University of Bath in The uk noted that "some extracts from cannabis, known as cannabinoids, closely resemble molecules that occur naturally in our body, and by developing treatments that target this product, we can help the body recover from some of the effects of these diseases. " Although the University doesn't condone or support the use of medical medical marijuana, they are focusing on more research to narrow down the actual effects of cannabinoids on Crohn's disease. For actual Crohn's disease sufferers, however, the evidence is overwhelming. A pilot study by the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, reported at the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine with the following results:

"For all signs and symptoms [of Crohn's disease] evaluated in the study, the patients described marked improvements with the use of cannabis. Beneficial effects were reported for appetite, pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, activity, and depression. Patients also reported that cannabis use resulted in weight gain, fewer stools per day and fewer flare-ups of less extent. " Medical medical marijuana has been used to increase appetite, decrease depression, anxiety, vomiting and weight loss, as well as used as a pain suppressant for many individuals with other diseases. Multiple sclerosis, chronic pain sufferers and cancer patients have all found these benefits with the use of medical medical marijuana. Therefore, it is no surprise that cannabis is also being used by Canadians who suffer from Crohn's disease for the same symptoms.