Cannabis & Asthma

Cannabinoids can help treat asthma symptoms

What is asthma?

Asthma is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases in the United States, affecting an estimated 35 million people and threatening 4,000 lives each year. The disease is usually caused by inflammation of the bronchi, resulting in tightness of the chest and difficulty breathing.

Symptoms include wheezing, coughing (especially at night), shortness of breath, and chest pain or pressure. Although the cases of asthma are not identical, the treatments are similar for all.

Current methods of treating asthma

Anti-inflammatory drugs are the most common treatment for asthma sufferers. Steroids are inhaled through devices called inhalers, and are short-acting bronchodilators. Bronchodilators open the airways, relieving shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and chest tightness caused by asthma.

Patients with more severe asthma use nebulizers to treat their respiratory problems. The nebulizer is a desktop device, similar to a sprayer, that converts liquid medicine into steam so that it can be more easily absorbed by the lungs when inhaled. These treatments can cause nervousness, headaches, nausea, and even more severe seizures. , such as epileptic seizures.

Exhaust as a safer alternative to smoking

While more and more evidence demonstrates the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD (cannabidiol) and some of the benefits of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) compounds found in cannabis, burning plant material through cannabis smoking releases carcinogenic components.

While there is no conclusive evidence that cannabis smoking causes cancer (in part due to growing evidence that some cannabinoids have anti-cancer properties), low- to moderate-frequency cannabis smoking has not been shown to causes lung dysfunction, evaporation (heating to release vapors, not combustion), is a safer method of inhalation.

Inhaling Cannabis smoke is unnecessary. Even if the inhalation method is best for an individual patient and his symptoms, evaporation is a safer and equally effective option. If you smoke cannabis, turning to exhaust is a healthier option.

Cannabinoids have been shown to enhance lung function

While cannabis tobacco contains some of the same toxins as cigarette smoke, cannabis cannabinoids work in a way that counteracts the harmful effects of tobacco. Whether or not it causes lung damage remains to be seen.

Studies have shown that THC can act as a temporary bronchodilator (for 1-2 hours), especially when swallowed. The New England Journal of Medicine, in a study published in 1973, reported that “Cannabis smoke, unlike cigarette smoke, causes bronchodilation instead of bronchospasm (narrowing of the airways) and, unlike opiates, does not cause central respiratory depression, ie reduction of respiration “. Another 20-year long-term study, conducted from 1985 to 2006, looked at 5,000 people from three U.S. cities. The researchers tested participants on cannabis and cigarette use, and tested their lung capacity, as well as the rate of air flow from their lungs. To their surprise, the researchers found that at low to moderate levels of cannabis smoking, lung volume and airflow rates increased after one year of use (365 cannabis cigarettes) to seven years (2,555 cannabis cigarettes).

While some may argue that lung capacity increases due to the large inhalations and shortness of breath that occur with cannabis smoking, this does not explain why the lungs of cannabis smokers are not as strained as the lungs of cannabis smokers. Oral administration, and possibly evaporation of cannabinoids, can open the airways, acting as a bronchodilator. Some asthmatics have found relief through the use of Marinol, an artificial, synthetic THC pill. Although the drug has greater psychotropic properties than real Cannabis and may, in some circumstances, be less effective than the plant itself, it is more effective than inhalers or nebulizers for most patients. Patients with asthma can benefit from cannabis ingestion due to its anti-inflammatory effect, through its use in edible or tincture form. For patients who have severe cases Asthma, swallowing cannabis oil in raw form could provide long-term preventative relief as an alternative to smoking.

Cannabis can help cleanse the sinuses and lungs

Doctors often advise patients to use a utensil to clean clogged sinuses every morning, a common problem for asthma patients. Some people dislike this method because it feels strange, and because it is not exactly what one would like to do every morning.

Conclusion

Needless to say, much more scientific research needs to be done to evaluate the effect of different methods of taking Cannabis by asthma patients. With more than 35 million people suffering from asthma each year, it is essential to find safe and effective treatment options in widely used medications that can cause unwanted side effects.

source: http://www.medicaljane.com/2013/02/02/asthma-and-cannabis-marijuana-shown-to-manage-asthma-symptoms/

Note :  All articles published here refer to information on all cannabinoids, but in Greece access to THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is not possible, which is not yet legal in our country.