This post should not be misinterpreted as medical advice, rather the general benefits users have had using medical cannabis. If you suffer from pain, please speak to your doctor.
Medical cannabis is helpful for treating a number of ailments and conditions, including anxiety and sleep disorders. But did you know that medical marijuana can also treat chronic pain?
If you need pain management due to an injury, illness, or condition, you know how challenging it can be to find a treatment that works for you. Cannabis could be the answer.
Here’s what you need to know about using medical marijuana for pain management.
Cannabis may help relieve pain
By interacting with the body’s receptors, both THC and CBD may be able to temporarily relieve pain. This happens by reducing both pain signals and pain perception in the body.
THC binds with your body’s cannabinoid receptors and activates the brain’s reward system with a “high” feeling, so pain is reduced. Conversely, CBD does not cause a high and instead interacts with your body’s pain receptors for both pain and anti-inflammatory relief.
What kind of pain can medical marijuana help relieve?
If you deal with chronic pain, you already know there are a number of different kinds of pain.
Both THC and CBD can be helpful for a number of types of pain you may be experiencing, including:
- Nociceptive pain: inflammatory pain from tissue damage. This type of pain is often sharp, achy, or throbbing from physical damage.
- Neuropathic pain: pain from damage to the nervous system. This type of pain can feel like pinching or stabbing due to injury, underlying diseases like Multiple sclerosis (MS), HIV, Parkinson’s disease, shingles, and more.
- Central pain: pain that results from nervous system dysfunction. This type of pain is used as a catch-all term for pain that’s difficult to treat. It may be caused by injury or unknown cause.
Cannabis can have additional benefits
For those conditions where pain is coupled with other symptoms, there’s even more hope.
For instance, those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and treat with medical cannabis may also benefit from marijuana’s anti-inflammatory effects on top of pain relief.
A safer option
Many patients who suffer from pain are prescribed pain medication like opioids. It’s no secret that pain pills are highly addictive and have a number of other side effects.
Additionally, many patients are unable to take certain medications — including ibuprofen or aspirin — due to other conditions.
Instead, using medical marijuana, patients experience pain relief without the same addictive qualities and extreme side effects.
Medical marijuana may be just the solution you’ve been searching for when it comes to managing your chronic pain. Talk to your doctor today to see if it’s a good fit!
At Hive Medicinal, we’d love to help with your medical marijuana needs as your local Maine dispensary. Take a look at our current products or, better yet, stop by in person!
