Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune condition that mostly affects the gut and intestinal tract. Medical marijuana for Crohn’s disease is a viable option for thousands of patients. But should you really by using pot to treat this chronic illness?
Keep reading for your guide to using the natural chemicals in medical marijuana for Crohn’s disease.
Pain Management and Opioids
America is in the midst of a prescription painkiller epidemic. The painkillers in question are opioids and are inappropriate to treat the chronic pain associated with Crohn’s. This is different from acute pain, which a flare-up or surgery may cause.
The difference between “chronic” pain and “acute” pain is that you don’t expect the chronic pain to go away any time soon. This is the harsh reality of autoimmune disease. There may be a level of pain and discomfort that you are going to have to learn to live with.
Chronic Pain
How you deal with this reality will in large part determine your quality of life. There is no connection between “pain” and “quality of life”. People cope with pain and have great lives, and people who experience no physical pain sometimes live lives of terrible suffering.
Physical pain happens because nerve cells in the body send pain signals up the spinal cord and into the brain. With all autoimmune disorders, these signals can become confused and the patient may experience severe physical pain. What should you do about it?
One option is to take opioid drugs, like morphine or fentanyl. These drugs work for physical pain. If you get shot and wounded during a military firefight, the medics will administer opioid drugs to relieve your suffering. There is a major problem though.
Opioid Side Effects
The problem with these miracle pain relievers is that they are chemically addictive and are less effective over time. This means that you have to take more and more of the drug for it to be useful. This can be a deadly trap for people suffering from chronic pain, like that caused by Crohn’s Disease.
A downward spiral almost always ensue. The sufferer becomes addicted to the drugs and then the pain comes back. It’s a nightmare.
The person goes from having massive pain to addiction and still having the massive pain. The only escape becomes an excruciating withdrawal process – and then the pain is still there and worse than before.
This is why it’s called a national emergency by medical professionals. Crohn’s disease and marijuana may be something you should explore. It’s not physically addictive and there are no harmful side effects.
Medical Marijuana for Crohn’s Disease: Appetite Enhancer
Everyone knows that stoners get the munchies. THC is a drug that interacts with the natural endocannabinoids in your body in ways science hasn’t quite figured out yet. How cannabis and Crohn’s disease works isn’t exactly known, but it’s clear that smoking pot can increase your appetite for food.
This may be especially important for Crohn’s patients, who may face having to change their diets in ways that seem unpalatable. If your doctor puts you on an immune protocol diet, it might be hard for you to eat enough food to get all the nutrients you require.
Crohn’s patients face a special problem in that the disease affects the lower intestine and colon in many patients. Some patients even have their colons removed in place of an external colostomy bag.
Cannabis for Crohn’s can be a lifesaver for some of these patients.
If your goal is to eat more and your problem is that you’re having a hard time getting it down, medicinal marijuana can help.
Using cannabis for Crohn’s now doesn’t give you an excuse to eat junk food! If you increase your appetite with marijuana, make sure you consume healthy foods according to the diet your doctor prescribes. “Healthy” means different things for Crohn’s patients at different stages of the disease, so make sure you talk to your doctor about it.
Inflammation
Inflammation is one of the ultimate scourges of anyone who has an autoimmune disease like Crohn’s. It’s not 100% clear what the connection is, it’s a sort of chicken and the egg situation. What came first, the Crohn’s or the inflammation?
They go together. Many patients have reported a reduction of generalized inflammation from consuming cannabis.
Hot Air Vape
If you had Multiple Sclerosis, the easy advice would be to try edible marijuana products. Crohn’s patients might have dietary and digestive issues which make that difficult. Be careful with edibles if you have Crohn’s. Go slow and eat small portions.
“Vaping” is a confusing term that means different things to different people. Usually, people mean smoking concentrated Butane Hash Oil [BHO]. This product is made by chemically extracting the THC from the plant, concentrating it, and then smoking it [usually in a pen].
There is a lot of controversy about this type of “vaping” and it’s purity and health effects. The science is definitely not in. Crohn’s patients should use caution when consuming unregulated chemical products.
A different kind of “vape” is a hot air evaporator, like a Volcano. These devices don’t burn the plant [producing potential carcinogens], or expose the plant to chemicals like Butane. Marijuana and Crohn’s disease go better together without harsh chemicals.
Hot air vaping is definitely the safest way to inhale marijuana. There are no chemicals of any kind added to the product. And since the air is hot enough to evaporate THC, but not hot enough to burn plant fiber, there is no burning reaction to add burnt carbon to it.
A Quantum Leap in Cannabis
America [and the world] is undergoing a massive change in its perception and use of cannabis. Medical marijuana for Crohn’s disease has proven safe and effective to treat pain, inflammation and as an appetite enhancer. There are almost no negative side effects and it is safe when compared to opioid drugs.
There is a lot to learn about cannabis. For more expert information, check out our blog.
