Medical Marijuana: Valid Treatment for Depression?

Medical marijuana holds center stage as a treatment for depression these days. Just in the United States, the National Institute of Mental Health says that over 16 million adults succumbed to depression in 2012 alone. Globally, this figure sits at 350 million people. This is an overwhelming statistic, and depression is now the main cause of disability worldwide, more so among women than men.

Sufferers turn to a variety of coping mechanisms, from alternative medicine to dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. Now, with cannabis a potential solution, there is hope. Science already finds marijuana effective at treating an array of mild to severe health issues, including anxiety, pain, nausea, insomnia, even the side effects of chemotherapy treatment, but what about depression?

Symptoms of Depression

Before treating depression, it is imperative that you understand exactly what it is first. There is a big difference between feeling sad and depressed. According to WebMD, true depression will present itself in a number of clear physical symptoms that can have numerous repercussions on one’s health, in addition to feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and emptiness.

Depression can cause severe fatigue. Sufferers often have trouble concentrating. Many find comfort in food, either under- or over-eating, frequently accompanied by gastrointestinal problems. Sleep is often difficult. Many cannot sit still. Headaches are incredibly common, as is physical pain. Most contemplate suicide at one time or another; some actually do it. Depression is serious. It requires immediate help.

Diagnosing Depression

Because blood tests cannot measure depression, doctors rely heavily on qualitative tests to make formal diagnoses. Different tests exist, but they typically require some honest answers to questions of big life events that could be responsible for depressive episodes, along with physical health, emotional state, and mental wellbeing. Fortunately, pretests for depression are online, along with other resources.

Types of Depression

Depression varies in both severity and symptoms. Diagnosing and treating it is rather complicated. The most intense type is major depression. As its name says, this is completely debilitating, stopping people from getting out of bed, going to work, even participating in relationships with family and friends. This is undoubtedly the worst form of this illness, destroying many lives in the process. 

Dysthymia, or chronic depression, is not as severe. Although it can come with episodes of major depression, in its chronic form, sufferers endure extreme sadness and weight fluctuations, just to a lesser extent. Atypical depression often has none of the normal symptoms associated with depression, but sufferers cannot sleep and succumb to intense bouts of anxiety.

Many types of depression relate to specific events, times, even mental health problems. For example, some mothers suffer postpartum depression after giving birth. Sudden physical changes can cause emotional and behavioral changes, even physical ones. Then, bipolar depression comes from imbalances within the brain and includes intense mood swings. Seasonal depression occurs from lack of sunlight.

Treating Depression

Treatment is as diverse as the many different types of depression. According to Mayo Clinic, doctors often prescribe antidepressants to stop the brain from short-circuiting. Among the most common antidepressants are SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These help to regulate serotonin in the brain, the happy hormone either used incorrectly or lacking in depressives.

SSRIs are just one of many medications for treating depression, from Wellbutrin to Cymbalta, all of which rebalance irregular chemistry in the body. Although they do work to some degree for many patients, not all, they come with some truly horrible side effects that include anxiety, irritability, constipation, insomnia, fatigue, weight gain, and uncontrollable hunger. What is the alternative?

Using Cannabis to Treat Depression

With scientists discovering more about the medical properties of cannabis, society has become more accepting of it as a treatment option for a horde of ailments. Researchers have been studying the effects of marijuana on depression at length. One particular study by the Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo uncovered some interesting findings.

It found that endocannabinoids, a compound produced naturally by the body, might play a crucial role in treating depression caused by chronic stress. Endocannabinoids affect all bodily functions, from behavior to emotional, cognition, motor control, sleep, and more. When you endure extreme stress, the body starts suppressing these important endocannabinoids.

Because endocannabinoids are very similar to phytocannabinoids, those produced by cannabis plants, supplementing the endocannabinoid system with marijuana proves extremely helpful in treating depression. However, the researchers have yet to conduct clinical trials on humans, with animals being their only subject thus far.

Despite this, the research team found that administering cannabis to animals produces a very similar effect to natural endocannabinoids, which effectively fights stress and related depression. Although there is no denying the need for further research, these results show promise in using cannabinoids to treat depression naturally long into the future. Scientists are still conducting studies into this.

With plenty of anecdotal evidence and now promising research, it is clear that medical cannabis may well be the safest and most effective treatment for depression. What is more, because it is plant-based, it does not have any of the nasty side effects associated with common pharmacological drugs. Now, depressives have an alternative solution to treating their condition naturally.

Order Marijuana Delivery 

You can find medical cannabis at any marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles. If you have a recommendation letter from your doctor to treat your depression with weed, then you can order marijuana delivery direct to your doorstep, safely, easily, and without breaking any laws. If you or a loved one suffers depression, keep your eye on the news for more developments in this field of study.

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Essential Therapeutic Benefits Of Marijuana

Till now, we had learned many, many medical properties of medical marijuana. But the scientists are discovering more about the positive benefits of marijuana on human health. In many countries, cannabis is still controversial despite this many countries are using it heavily. 

Cannabis is responsible for the plant’s psychoactive effects because it contains tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. Cannabis is going mainstream because of its legalization around the world. Let’s check out what are the essential therapeutic benefits of marijuana?

Stress And Anxiety: Stress is one of the biggest humankind’s risks in today’s life. It is the origin of most modern diseases as we impose a consistent stream of stressful factors into our daily routine lifestyle and diet.

According to researchers, it has been found that the cannabis plays an effective role in minimizing specific stress receptors located in the hippocampus, the region of the brain which is directly responsible for stress, anxiety, and flight response.

Asthma: It has been found that cannabis has the ability to dilate bronchial tubes in asthma sufferers, enabling them to breathe easier and improving their oxygen flow because of it contains is a natural anti-inflammatory with analgesic effects.

According to studies, it is clear that cannabis has an extremely positive effect on lung health, even improving lung capacity in smokers.

Heart: Marijuana is a powerful antioxidant which is used in the therapeutic treatment of several heart-related diseases. Different animal studies showed that cannabinoid therapy proves useful at preventing many cardiovascular issues, including strokes, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis.

In the study, researches revealed that marijuana could effectively relax and dilate blood vessels, which improves blood circulation throughout the body and reduces high blood pressure.

Pain: Marijuana is used in the treatment of pains from ancient times to the modern day because of its legendary painkilling properties.

Some evidence shows that cannabis helps in hindering neural transmissions within pain pathways of the body, as well as easing inflammation responsible for causing the pain.

Conclusion: There are so many pieces of evidence which show that marijuana can have enormous therapeutic benefits on many healing processes, including for those suffering chronic, even terminal illnesses, such as cancer.

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Cannabis: Weird, Effective Treatment for Sleep Imbalances

Sleep is among the most crucial functions of the human body. While some folks can sleep easy, almost effortlessly, many have some kind of sleep disorder or another. Sadly, the effects of not sleeping well extend much further than just feeling tired. It can affect performance at work, put strain on relationships, and lead to a myriad of other health problems all their own, from mild to very serious.

Fixing Sleep Imbalances with Cannabis

The science of sleep is still in its early stages, being very much an evolving field of study. However, current research suggests that marijuana therapy can prove essential in helping people treat various sleep issues, ultimately giving them their lives back. Scientific studies aside, almost everyone is familiar with the effects of cannabis swear by its ability to improve both quality and length of sleep.

Scientifically, research proves cannabis extremely effective at treating these common sleep imbalances:

Sleep Apnea

Many people suffer from sleep apnea. This condition is common, interrupting breathing for up to 30 seconds at a time. It affects sleep quality enormously, disturbing oxygen flow to the body and affecting cognitive function on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, marijuana can help significantly, giving these people a second chance at living a healthy, happy, and normal life.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, an interesting study investigated the use of synthetic cannabis, medical-grade, in treating sleep apnea in sufferers. Results were extremely positive, with researchers finding marijuana reducing sleep apnea immensely in the short-term. Furthermore, the study showed no negative side effects on the sleep architecture of its participants.

Insomnia

The U.S. National Library of Medicine published a study finding at least 4 in 10 Canadians suffering at least one side effect of insomnia, some more than one. Medical marijuana could just be the answer to lowering this statistic and allowing them finally to get some much-needed shuteye. In a review by the National Center for PTSD and Palo Alto University, researchers made an interesting discovery.

They found that “cannabidiol, or CBD, may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of insomnia”, and that “tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may decrease sleep latency.” This is excellent news for anyone struggling to fall asleep at night and suffering the consequences of it every day. However, the research team did note that high levels of THC might have the potential to affect sleep quality in the long-term.

Fatigue

Fatigue, or hypersomnolence, is the opposite of insomnia. Sufferers struggle to stay awake during the day, often taking frequent naps regardless of where they are and without any relief from their tiredness. They suffer various symptoms, such as mental fogginess, performance and productivity issues, financial troubles, relationship stress, health concerns, and more, despite regular siestas and fitful sleep.

Fortunately, cannabis can help tremendously. Some strains of marijuana, not all, boost alertness, increase energy, stimulate cognitive function, and balance the sleep-wake cycle. Sativa strains are best for treating hypersomnolence, even Sativa-dominant hybrids. However, Indica strains tend to be more sedating, so avoid them if you are trying to keep awake during the day.

Restless Leg Syndrome

Explained by the name, restless leg syndrome manifests as an uncontrollable, irresistible need to keep your legs moving, especially when lying down or sitting. This is why the disorder is so very detrimental to getting any sleep, let alone a full night of it. Currently, there is not much research into how cannabis affects restless leg syndrome, but some studies do exist, and their results show much promise.

For example, according to Science Direct, a team of researchers conducted a study that found medical marijuana resolving restless leg syndrome completely in six participants. These results warrant further investigation to understand the mechanisms of action in achieving this, but it is evident that cannabis was the sole therapy responsible for this achievement.

Final Thoughts

As scientists delve into studying the role of cannabinoids in human health, it is becoming increasingly clear that marijuana is a safe and effective therapy for many medical conditions, including sleep imbalances and their symptoms, and without harming consumers in any way. Unlike tranquilizers and other drugs used to treat sleep disorders, cannabis comes without any nasty side effects.

However, when using cannabis to treat sleep issues, it is vital that you use the right strains. Some strains will make you sleepy; others will keep you awake. Conduct as much research as you can before starting cannabis therapy. Get advice from experts. You may have to experiment some to identify which strains work best for you, but that is, after all, more than half the fun.

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