Chronic Pain Relief: Top reason for seeking Medical Cannabis
Chronic pain affects more people than diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, all combined. It is the most common cause of long-term disability. Chronic pain is a heterogeneous problem with multiple and variable pathophysiological mechanisms. It can limit the quality of life and lead to serious health issues.
For pain, doctors typically prescribe opiates or narcotic drugs. However, for chronic pain, opiates bring relief with a wide range of side effects like nausea, sedation, dependency. It becomes a hassle for patients consuming it long-term.
Long-term use develops tolerance to opiates and people are required to increase their dosage or frequency. Today, effective pain-relieving medications with minimal side effects and long-term efficacy are being sought-after. Patients are exploring natural alternatives to conventional painkillers.
Why Cannabis Medicine?
As per the Atharva Veda, the comprehensive ancient Indian Ayurveda system, the cannabis plant is one of the five most important herbs in the natural world. Cannabis has been used for five millennia to treat multiple health conditions, including pain, migraine, inflammation, and neuralgia.
Medical cannabis is widely used to relieve pain because of its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. It can be leveraged for neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, osteoarthritis and others.
Cannabis for pain relief?
Pain signals are interpreted by the brain when it is experienced by any body part. The nerve signals originate in receptor-bearing cells that become activated by change in their environment.
The peripheral nerves that detect pain sensations contain abundant receptors for cannabinoids, and cannabinoids appear to block peripheral nerve pain in the experiments conducted.
The THC in cannabis relieves the pain by interacting with the body’s natural cannabinoid receptors and reducing pain signaling and pain perception. CBD stimulates immune response and attenuates pro-inflammatory cytokines, the small proteins involved in signaling pain.
Studies suggest that opiates and cannabinoids suppress pain through different mechanisms. In that case, medical cannabis could be consumed along with opiates to increase the pain-relieving performance while limiting their side effects. The effect of cannabinoids on pain affects variable sites in the nervous system ranging from the peripheral sites to the cerebral cortex.
Types of Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists for more than 12 weeks. The pain can occur in nearly any part of your body. It may feel sharp or dull, causing a burning or aching sensation. It can be caused due to numerous medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis, headaches, and others. The most common types of chronic pain include:
Headache
Chronic daily headaches are those that occur 15 days or more a month and persist for longer than three months. The analgesic properties of Cannabis along with its anti-inflammatory properties are helpful in treating headache disorders. Cannabis also possesses anti-epileptic properties that influences migraine-induced nausea. A recent research by Washington State University showed that cannabis reduced self-reported migraine severity by 49.6%.
Post-surgical Pain
Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is one of the most common surgical complications. To help recover naturally and without the use of side-effect prone prescription pain-killers, medical cannabis is being prescribed for holistic recovery. Medicinal cannabis has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties which can help reduce post-operative pain.
Post-Trauma Pain
Post-traumatic pain is a chronic pain that occurs after a traumatic injury. According to recent studies, cannabinoids may help treat PTSD in two therapeutic ways. First, cannabis can reduce activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with fear responses to threats. Secondly, the plant’s cannabinoids could play a role in extinguishing traumatic memories.
Lower back pain
It is a common painful condition affecting the lower portion of the spine. A balanced ratio of CBD: THC has been found effective for chronic pain and chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain.
Cannapain is a natural Cannabis medicine for alleviating pain that affects mobility, like neck and backache. It is efficacious for most muscular spasms and sciatica pain.
Cancer pain
Pain is a common and dreadful symptom among cancer patients and survivors. Cannabinoids such as THC and CBD in a balanced ratio help the patients relieve pain. It produces analgesia by acting on multiple pain targets within the peripheral and CNS along with the activation of CB1 and CB2 receptors.
Cannapain mitigates the side effects of chemotherapy, reduces fatigue, and provides relief from neuropathic pain.
Arthritis pain
Chronic pain stemming from systemic inflammation, such as arthritis, is benefitted by the anti-inflammatory effects of medical cannabis. Cannabis oil for pain relief is increasingly being used by patients.
Neurogenic pain (pain caused by nerve damage)
Neurogenic pain is caused due to dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system in the absence of nociceptor (nerve terminal) stimulation by trauma or disease. Cannaflam is a natural Cannabis medicine for chronic inflammation. It soothes aching joints, strengthens bones, and promotes cartilage regeneration.
Psychogenic pain (pain that isn’t caused by disease, injury, or nerve damage)
Psychogenic pain is mainly attributed to psychological factors, such as depression or anxiety. There are two ways in which Cannabis helps alleviate psychogenic pain. First, it helps relieve the pain due to its analgesic properties. Secondly, it helps improve nausea associated with long-term pain and its medications. Additionally it has potent anti-anxiety properties as well as improves quality of sleep.
Foreword
There is no magic pill for chronic pain, but the condition can be managed efficiently. It is important to develop a safe and effective pain management plan with holistic benefits. Medical cannabis is shown to reduce nausea, pain, and inflammation. Cannabis medicines in India are widely trusted as a natural alternative as their side effects are minimal and are safe.
To leverage cannabis medicine, discuss how to include it in your regimen, its benefits, and medical interactions in more detail with the Vedi Herbal’s doctors. Fill the form and get medical advice from certified doctors at Vedi.
