Cannabis and it's therapeutic benefits for Arthritis
Arthritis is an umbrella term used to describe 200 rheumatic diseases affecting the joints and their surrounding tissues. It causes inflammation and stiffness that develops abruptly or gradually around one or more joints.
Although more common in seniors, arthritis can severely impair a person of any age, leaving him or her unable to work or perform daily duties. In the United States, arthritis is the most common cause of disability, and high levels of stress and depression are often associated.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 53 million Americans have arthritis, with women making up 60 percent of the arthritis diagnoses.
Genetics may cause arthritis, along with obesity, joint damage, infections, and occupations requiring repetitive bending or squatting. Dysfunction of the immune system and an abnormal metabolism can also lead to various forms of arthritis, though many rheumatoid diseases are caused by a combination of factors.
Forms of arthritis are broken into seven main categories:
- Inflammatory arthritis — joints become inflamed for no apparent reason.
- Degenerative or mechanical arthritis — the body tries remodeling the bone to restore stability. Osteoarthritis is an example.
- Soft tissue musculoskeletal pain — pain felt in tissues rather than joints or bones, affecting overused body parts. For example, “tennis elbow.”
- Back pain — unspecified pain associated with muscles, discs, nerves, ligaments, bones, or joints in the back such as osteoporosis.
- Connective tissue disease — pain in tendons, ligaments, and cartilage characterized by inflammation of the skin, muscles, lungs, and kidneys.
- Metabolic arthritis — inflammation in a joint caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi (examples of causes include food poisoning, STDs, and Hepatitis C). Antibiotics can usually treat it.
- Infectious arthritis - too much uric acid may form sharp crystals in a joint that cause sudden, excruciating pain. Gout is an example.
Although they don’t heal joint inflammation, analgesics like Tylenol, Percocet, and Vicodin may be prescribed to reduce pain along with creams containing menthol or capsaicin. Over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil, Motrin, or Aleve may be taken to reduce pain and inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis is treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to prevent the immune system from attacking inflamed joints. Corticosteroids like prednisone and cortisone may also be prescribed to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system.
Exercise can ease pain and stress levels for people with arthritis. Dietary changes may manage arthritis, as meats and foods high in sugar can exacerbate inflammation.
A scientific consensus has emerged on cannabis therapeutic value based on a growing body of successful preclinical and clinical trials. Those studies show that cannabis has anti-inflammatory effects that can help arthritis patients live happier, healthier lives.
Consequently, cannabis is gaining popularity as a treatment for arthritis. Cannabis can ease pain and reduce swelling without the potentially life-threatening side effects caused by frequent NSAID or opiate use.
Marijuana can relieve pain or repair arthritic joints.
Pain-detecting nerves are filled with cannabinoid receptors, and according to researcher Jason McDougall, cannabinoids control the firing of pain signals from the joint to the brain by sticking themselves to nerve receptors.
Another controlled study, conducted by the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Disease in the UK, showed that cannabinoids provided statistically significant improvements in pain on movement, pain at rest, and quality of sleep.
At a time when opiate abuse has reached epidemic proportions, cannabis treatment can be a far less harmful and less addictive way to treat those suffering from chronic pain associated with arthritis.
There are two cannabinoids found in marijuana that have especially profound efficacy for those with arthritis: CBD and THC. CBD, or cannabidiol, is responsible for immune system modulation, meaning it is helpful for an autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol — and byproducts of its metabolism — has been found to be anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain killing). THC is also known to reduce the anxiety and depression that commonly accompany severe diseases, especially those that affect one’s mobility.
The efficacy of cannabis for a wide variety of autoimmune and neurological conditions
is the core focus of the medical marijuana movement.
Cannabis is useful for people with RA and other chronic pain conditions because it alleviates pain, reduces inflammation, and helps patients sleep. Loss of appetite is common among those who suffer chronic pain. Cannabis therapy shows the promise of not only alleviating pain, but also stimulating appetite and encouraging an otherwise ravaged body to at least nourish itself as it attempts to fight a potentially deadly disease.
Arthritis, especially the life-altering RA type, is one of a long list of conditions found to be treatable with cannabis. The utility of this medicinal herb becomes apparent when patients realize that they can reduce or even eliminate a slew of pharmaceutical drugs — including their negative side effects. If cannabis did nothing but reduce the pain associated with conditions like arthritis, it would be worthy of further investigation as a valid medical treatment.
Fortunately, its ability to reduce things like anxiety, depression, and inflammation
make cannabis even more valuable.
Clinical Studies published articles on their experiences with cannabis as a therapeutic medicine for arthritis
"Increasing evidence from preclinical studies supports the interest of the endocannabinoid system as an emerging therapeutic target for osteoarthritis pain. Indeed, pharmacological studies have shown the anti-nociceptive effects of cannabinoids in different rodent models of osteoarthritis, and compelling evidence suggests an active participation of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of this disease. The ubiquitous distribution of cannabinoid receptors, together with the physiological role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of pain, inflammation and even joint function further support the therapeutic interest of cannabinoids for osteoarthritis. However, limited clinical evidence has been provided to support this therapeutic use of cannabinoids, despite the promising preclinical data. This review summarizes the promising results that have been recently obtained in support of the therapeutic value of cannabinoids for osteoarthritis management."
"In the first ever controlled trial of a CBM in RA, a significant analgesic effect was observed and disease activity was significantly suppressed following Sativex treatment. Whilst the differences are small and variable across the population, they represent benefits of clinical relevance and show the need for more detailed investigation in this indication."
- Preliminary assessment of the efficacy, tolerability and safety of a cannabis-based medicine (Sativex) in the treatment of pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
The therapeutic potential of cannabis for arthritis was explored
"-In vitro effects of CBD included a dose-dependent suppression of lymphocyte proliferation, both mitogen-stimulated and antigen-specific, and the blockade of the Zymosan-triggered reactive oxygen burst by peritoneal granulocytes. It also was found that CBD administration was capable of blocking the lipopolysaccharide-induced rise in serum tumor necrosis factor in C57/BL mice. Taken together, these data show that CBD, through its combined immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory actions, has a potent anti-arthritic effect in CIA."
-The nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an oral anti-arthritic therapeutic in murine collagen-induced arthritis.
"This study investigated whether the synthetic GPR55 agonist O-1602 can alter joint nociception in a rat model of acute joint inflammation. Acute (24 h) inflammatory joint pain was induced in male Wistar rats by intra-articular injection of 2% kaolin and 2% carrageenan. Single unit extracellular recordings were made from arthritic joint afferents in response to mechanical rotation of the knee. Peripheral administration of O-1602 significantly reduced movement-evoked firing of nociceptive C fibres and this effect was blocked by the GPR55 receptor antagonist O-1918. Co-administration of the CB₁ and CB₂ antagonists (AM281 and AM630 respectively) had no effect on O-1602 responses. This study clearly shows that atypical cannabinoid receptors are involved in joint nociception and these novel targets may be advantageous for the treatment of inflammatory pain."
-The abnormal cannabidiol analogue O-1602 reduces nociception in a rat model of acute arthritis via the putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55.
"CBD dose-dependently decreased joint afferent firing rate, and increased withdrawal threshold and weight bearing. Acute, transient joint inflammation was reduced by local CBD treatment. Prophylactic administration of CBD prevented the development of MIA-induced joint pain at later time points, and was also found to be neuroprotective. The data presented here indicate that local administration of CBD blocked Osteoarthritis pain. Prophylactic CBD treatment prevented the later development of pain and nerve damage in these Osteoarthritis joints. These findings suggest that CBD may be a safe, useful therapeutic for treating Osteoarthritis joint neuropathic pain."
-Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis.
CBD and THC are both medically therapeutic components of cannabis. Users should take precaution in consuming, inhaling, or vaporizing marijuana. It is recommended to start low and go slow, take your dosing a little at a time and slowly work up your tolerance before moving onto a higher dose. If pain is local, you can use cannabis lotions, oils, patches, or muscle freeze items.
Mary's Medicinals provide dozens of options for medical cannabis. www.marysmedicinals.com
It is recommended to use lotions or oils on the skin for direct on the spot pain relieve. However, some arthritis patients enjoy consuming cannabis oil as well, through tinctures, oil droppers, edibles, or vaping with a pen.
See Cannabis Dosing Guidelines for more information on cannabis dosing.
Always find a Trusted Medical Marijuana Professional for help with your specific condition and your specific route of medicine.
If you currently live in a state where medical marijuana is not legalized, please share this information, research the benefits of marijuana, talk with local state officials about the possibilities of removing the classification of a substance drug. The more we can educate, the more we can spread the truth from research, the more we can possibly open the minds of others to lift this legality burden.
*** Patients needs safe access to their marijuana medicine. ***
Please do your research on its potential therapy and spread the information. Naysayers may disagree with your opinions, but inform them of the correct facts!
RESOURCES:
https://www.projectcbd.org/condition/12/Arthritis
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-and-arthritis
https://www.massroots.com/learn/best-cannabis-for-arthritis?is=1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16282192
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10920191
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24494687
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21683763
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28885454
