Medical Cannabis: an Effective Tool to Manage Severe Pain
Many people have heard about medical cannabis or medical marijuana. This natural remedy can be used to treat inflammation in the body, as well as symptoms of a number of other medical conditions. Do you know why it is so effective as a means to manage severe pain?
About Cannabis: An Overview
Cannabis is a plant that grows wild in many parts of the world. Marijuana refers to the flowers (buds) and leaves of the female plant, which are cured (dried). Hemp is cannabis that is grown for its fibre. It’s used to make a variety of products, including rope, paper and clothing.
Medical marijuana is specifically bred to have larger buds than the wild variety. It also has higher levels of the compounds that affect the mind. These active pharmacological components of cannabis are effective in treating pain and other medical conditions in the human body because they are similar to a system that already exists in the human body. It is called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).
Endocannabinoid System
The body’s ECS is controlled by chemicals that it produces, which are known as endocannabinoids. These endocannabinoids are the chemicals that are responsible for keeping a number of the body’s functions in balance, such as appetite, sleep and immune function. They also regulate pain. When the body is stressed in some manner, these specialized chemicals go to work and attempt to deal with the issue.
When someone ingests cannabis, it mimics the function of these types of chemicals that the body produces naturally, resulting in relief from pain. Cannabis also lowers inflammation by working with the body’s endocannabinoid system.
Active Ingredients in Cannabis
Cannabis is a type of plant that contains more than 400 active chemicals. The active components found in cannabis are referred to as cannabinoids. There are more than 100 different cannabinoids present in cannabis. The most common one is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. This is the ingredient that produces the feeling of being “high” that recreational users experience.
CBD is another cannabinoid contained in cannabis. Unlike THC, it doesn’t give users a “high.” Instead it helps to dampen the effects of THC (euphoria and lethargy).
Heath Benefits of THC and CBD
THC and CBD offer a number of health benefits when ingested. THC is a strong pain reliever and anti-inflammatory, having many more powerful properties than both Aspirin and hydrocortisone. THC has anti-spasmodic and muscle relaxant qualities. It is also a powerful antioxidant.
CBD is second most powerful cannabinoid contained cannabis. It is the most common one found in hemp plants. CBD is known for its ability to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as tachycardia (rapid heartbeat). It has also been used to control some forms of epilepsy, can help to regulate blood pressure and reduce nausea.
CBD-rich cannabis strains provides powerful therapeutic benefits without giving users the sense of euphoria or lethargy that ones with higher levels of THC produce. Medical cannabis would be made up of these types of specially-bred strains. The medical marijuana available from authorized distributors is not the same product that the public pictures being available from street vendors.
The plant strains are selected and bred to provide the best results for patients. In the case of a medical treatment strain, the marijuana would likely contain a balance of THC and CBD that would balance its pain-relief, anti-inflammatory and other benefits with the risk of producing a feeling of euphoria and lethargy. Patients who use marijuana for medical purposes want to be able to remain functional while achieving pain relief and other benefits.
All cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, must be heated in order to convert their acids into active ingredients. For this reason, smoking is an effective way of ingesting the product. It’s the most expedient way to get the THC and CBD into the bloodstream. The interior of the lungs’ surfaces are covered with millions of alveoli (tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs). These air sacs have a surface area much greater than the skin, making it easy for the chemicals in the medical marijuana to enter the body, usually within seconds after ingestion. Vaporizers, which heat the cannabis to a level in order to vaporize the active ingredients without burning, may also be used to ingest medical cannabis.
Smokable Bio Cannabis Pharmaceutical from Tetra Bio-Pharma
Tetra Bio-Pharma is a publicly-traded company (CSE:TBP) that is actively engaged in developing bio pharmaceuticals and natural health products. The company works with cannabis and other medicinally-based plant elements as the basis for developing its products. One of the products Tetra Bio-Pharma is currently developing a smokable bio-cannabis pharmaceutical. For more information on Tetra Bio-Pharma’s products and clinical trials check out this link to their site: http://tetrabiopharma.com/products/