The Potential Treatments Offered by Medical Cannabis

The prospects of cannabis as a medicine reaches a multitude of symptoms and conditions. While the evidence available in medical literature is promising, more studies are needed to draw firm conclusions in regard to what cannabis can and cannot treat. However, the anecdotal evidence and studies that have been published give us a general idea of what the plant’s potential is. Despite the lack of clinical studies published in mainstream medical journals, you’ll find that individual states list an array of illnesses for which practitioners may recommend cannabis so that patients may obtain a license or certificate.

The most common conditions cannabis is used to treat are severe or chronic pain, caused by nearly any form of illness, along with seizures, muscle spasms, inflammation, and digestive issues such as Crohn’s disease or nausea and vomiting induced by certain medications.

What we’ve been finding is that while cannabis may not cure a condition, it offers relief from either a condition’s symptoms or the side-effects prescription medications may create. There is ongoing research on whether cannabis can effectively treat various illnesses, even cancer, but until the plant is legalized on a federal level, it’s difficult to have proper research and studies done in the United States with human subjects. A great deal of our knowledge comes from surveys, studies done on animals, or studies conducted in other countries. One of the main sources of clinical data on cannabis is from research scientists and physicians in Israel. The fact is, allopathic medicine in the U.S. needs more evidence to identify the clinical applications of medical cannabis and strongly support its use as a viable treatment.

Be sure and talk to your medical practitioner about how cannabis can possibly supplement your treatment and lifestyle. As we continue to learn more about the medicinal qualities of cannabis, various states have allowed use of cannabis to treat the following conditions:

AIDS

Alzheimer’s disease

Anorexia

Autism with self-injurious or aggressive behavior

Cachexia

Cancer

Cerebral Palsy

Chronic Pain

Cystic Fibrosis

Epilepsy/Seizures

Fibromyalgia

Glaucoma

Hepatitis C

Hospice Care

HIV

Huntington’s Disease

Inclusion Body Myositis

Lou Gehrig’s Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / ALS)

Lupus

Migraines

Multiple Sclerosis

Muscular Dystrophy

Nail-Patella Syndrome

Nausea

Neuropathies

Post Laminectomy Syndrome

Post-Concussion Syndrome

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Severe Arthritis

Severe Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis

Sickle Cell Disease

Spasmodic Torticollo (Cervical Dystonia)

Spinal Injuries

Terminal Illness

Tourette’s Syndrome

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Ulcerative Colitis