Could Cannabis Be Used As A Potential Treatment for Inflamation? – Cannabis Health Insider

Inflammation, although a life-saving immune response, can also range from unpleasant to downright life-threatening. When a body is injured or infected, the white blood cells rush to the affected area to release signaling proteins for protection, while also pushing out potential pathogen, and then start the healing process.

However, blood flow and spark fluid secretions are increased by these proteins, which cause redness, swelling, and pain, which is inflammation. Inflammation is commonly caused by the false identification of harmless substances, even our tissues, by the immune system, which in turn produces painful and often chronic conditions like arthritis, ulcerative colitis, skin conditions, asthma, and general soreness and joint paint.

Mass-market drugs by the dozen are used for the treatment of inflammation, including over-the-counter aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, that although reliable and effective, carry side effects. Furthermore, herbal and natural remedies have also gained popularity in recent years.

However, even the most popular inflammation treatments have their side effects such as ulcers, liver damage, and kidney damage that can be caused by taking high doses of Advil with the active ingredient ibuprofen, over long periods.

Furthermore, fluid retention, high blood pressure, mood, and memory swings, and hormonal imbalance, can be caused by steroids even in the short-term.

Meanwhile, all kinds of inflammation are shown to be alleviated by medical cannabis, which also works in ways that are different from conventional drugs. Cannabis compounds have been shown to suppress cytokines and chemokines the inflammation-causing proteins, unlike the hormone-mimicking steroids and ibuprofen, which works by blocking prostaglandins (released in the brain in response to injury).

National Institutes of Health funded a comprehensive scientific peer review that was published in the journal, Future Science, in 2009, that explained that compounds in cannabis can identify when and where the immune system is over-reacting, and can hence help down-regulate those responses at the site instead of throughout the body. The effectiveness of cannabis in particular for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is singled out in the review. This disease, not limited to, can include ulcerative colitis and Chrohns disease.

Regulation of the tissue response to excessive inflammation in the colon has been shown by cannabinoids. The results suggesting the modulation of the physiological activity of the cannabinoid system during colonic inflammation could potentially be a therapeutic tool for the treatment of several diseases.

130 clinical studies that mostly involved lab mice, and similar academic reviews and papers are cited by the review. The review concludes that receptors in the endocannabinoid system, are found on the immune system, which is why cannabinoids can play an important role in the regulation of the immune system.

Despite the promising research, clinical trials involving humans have not been performed. Dr. Sue Sisley, the pioneering medical researcher with a groundbreaking study of cannabis for PTSD, has also shown agreement to the general findings of the 2009 review. Sisleys research, placebo-controlled, blind clinical study that involved more than 70 former US soldiers for their response to cannabis therapy, will help understand the effect of cannabinoids on inflammation in the human body.

According to Sisley, although they have not quantified the degree of anti-inflammation, drawing blood for markers for inflammation, and measuring it pre-treatment and post-treatment, can help see if cannabis has an impact on the inflammatory process.

The results of Sisleys research will not be revealed until it is completed later this year or early next. However, a positive outcome could cause renewed interest in further exploration of the development of cannabis therapies for inflammation, including the different consumption methods, strains, and terpene profiles that will be best suited for certain types of inflammatory response.

However, Sisley has explained although it is believed that strains high in the terpenes Myrceneand Pinene may have the highest anti-inflammatory effects, there is no proper evidence to support this.

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Could Cannabis Be Used As A Potential Treatment for Inflamation? - Cannabis Health Insider