Cannabis helps to alleviate Asthma
Asthma is a lung disease that causes a person’s airways to narrow and swell during an attack - which leads to wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. If not managed, attacks can be fatal. Asthma often becomes evident in children and there is no cure for the disease, though treatment can keep complications to a minimum. In the U.S. over 3000 people die from asthma-related causes every year. Management of this disease is complicated by the sudden onset of the attacks— they can be triggered by everyday activities like exercise—and the fact that they are being increasingly linked with allergies.Cannabis has been used as a means of treating the symptoms of asthma for millennia, in various medicinal traditions including those of ancient India and China.
Even in the medical community, there has long been debate over whether or not cannabis is helpful for asthma patients when smoked. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease - and Cannabis is a known anti-inflammatory. Evidence is showing that cannabis may have beneficial effects for those with asthma or other respiratory conditions—even when smoked.
Studies cite THC’s ability to dilate respiratory passages and inhibit coughing as factors that make it beneficial for some patients. Turns out, cannabis actually does the opposite of tobacco smoke in that it expands, rather than constricts bronchial passageways.
Up to 76% of patients experience chest pain during an attack. Generally, asthma-related pain is characterized by a deep ache or sharp stabbing sensation that develops gradually over the first few hours of the attack, and slowly dissipates as the attack recedes.
Several studies into the general effect of cannabis on asthma have noted subjective improvements in pain.
The known bronchodilatory and analgesic effects of certain Cannabinoids suggest that they could be useful in managing asthma-related pain both by reducing pressure and constriction in the lungs, and by acting directly at the nociceptors (pain-sensing nerve cells) themselves.
There is increasing evidence for the fact that Asthma may be triggered or caused by bacterial or viral infections in early childhood, which due to their effect on the immune system, leave sufferers susceptible to various allergens and irritants.
Cannabinoids including THC, CBD, and CBG have been shown to have a broad-spectrum bactericidal effect against many common and infectious pathogens. One group of bacterial agents suspected of being a potential underlying cause of asthma is the Streptococcus genus, which includes S. pneumoniae and S. aureae, has been shown in several studies to succumb to the bactericidal effect of cannabinoids.
Asthma is considered to be a chronic inflammatory condition, as persistent, low-level inflammation has been found to occur in the bronchi and bronchioles even during non-attack circumstances. During an attack, levels of inflammation increase, exacerbating the levels of constriction caused by muscular contractions of the bronchial tissue.
Cannabinoids are well-known for their anti-inflammatory effects, and while most studies thus far into cannabis and asthma have focused primarily on the bronchodilatory effect, some have also observed a reduction in bronchial inflammation. Furthermore, cannabis is currently being investigated for its ability to produce targeted therapies for immune-modulated inflammatory diseases.
The ability of cannabis to act as a bronchodilator is perhaps its most significant property in terms of the treatment of asthma. During an asthma attack, the bronchioles (the branching network of tubes that carry oxygen to the alveoli) become constricted, causing the rate of oxygen flow to drastically reduce.
Several studies have shown that administration of cannabis in various forms can significantly improve bronchoconstriction both during an asthma attack and in normal circumstances (sufferers of severe asthma often have lower-than-average airflow compared to non-asthmatics even when an attack is not occurring).
It is thought that cannabis’ ability to reduce muscular spasms (involuntary contractions) plays a significant role in the management of bronchoconstriction during an asthma attack. The bronchi and bronchioles are composed of smooth muscle, and during an attack, they contract and narrow as well as becoming inflamed.
In a study published in 2014, researchers took bronchial lung tissue from 88 human patients and subjected it to electrical field stimulation to cause the muscle tissue to contract. They then administered THC, the endogenous cannabinoid 2-AG, and various synthetic agonists of CB-receptors type I & II. They found that certain agonists of the CB1-receptor, including THC, reduced muscle contractions in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, it was observed that the endogenous cannabinoid 2-AG had no effect.
The ability of cannabis to act as an expectorant (a medicine that promotes the secretion of sputum by the air passages, used especially to treat coughs) is somewhat controversial. It has been used as such for thousands of years, and appears in the ancient pharmacopoeiae of China and India, but modern research has been sparse and has thus far yielded only ambiguous results.
After smoking 0.5 grams of the 2% THC marijuana, participants recovered immediately from the bronchospasms and over-inflation of the lungs.
Other studies from 1976 and 1978 provide further support for these findings. The studies found that very small doses of THC, when applied through an inhaled aerosol, worked as a bronchodilator in patients with asthma.
Compounds in marijuana, such as CBD, are also known to reduce anxiety at appropriate doses. This makes marijuana effective at not only relieving the inflammation and muscular contractions associated with asthma, but also at relieving the anxiety and stress that contributes to asthma attacks.
A 1976 study showed that THC acts as an effective and immediate bronchodilator in patients with asthma. Researchers administered THC as an aerosol spray at doses of only 200 μm (1/5th of a milligram). Even at this tiny dose, THC was found to have a similar effect to salbutamol, a common anti-asthma medication.
More Research on Cannabis and Asthma
CBD treatment significantly decreased the levels of cytokines involved in the immune response to an allergen,
In humans, several attempts to decrease inflammatory response in asthma have been tested. Anti-interleukin-4 and anti-interleukin-5 had been effective in reducing exacerbations and persistent eosinophilia in asthmatic patients [22]. In addition, anti-interleukin-9 and anti-interleukin-13 decreased symptoms associated with asthma [23, 24]. In this context, since CBD was used safely in humans, it is possible to suggest that a rapid transition to study its effects in humans is possible.
Studies suggest that endogenous cannabinoid receptor agonists inhibit the activation of C fibers via cannabinoid CB2 receptors and maxi-K+ channels in guinea pig airways.
Activation of cannabinoid receptors prevents antigen-induced asthma-like reaction in guinea pigs.
Pre-treatment with SR, AM or both reverted the protective effects of CP, indicating that both CB1 and CB2 receptors are involved in lung protection. The noted treatments did not change the expression of cannabinoid receptor proteins, as shown by Western blotting. These findings suggest that targeting cannabinoid receptors could be a novel preventative therapeutic strategy in asthmatic patients.
The role of cannabinoids in inflammatory modulation of allergic respiratory disorders, inflammatory pain and ischemic stroke.
Two types of cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, which belong to the G protein-coupled receptor family, have been identified and are targeted by numerous exogenous and endogenous ligands. The activation of CB2 receptors on mast cells has direct antiinflammatory effects, causing decreased release of pro-inflammatory mediators by these cells. The activation of CB1 receptors on bronchial nerve endings has bronchodilator effects by acting on the airway smooth muscle and may be beneficial in airway hyperreactivity and asthma. Moreover, pharmacologic interference with endocannabinoid metabolism has been demonstrated to result in anti-nociceptive activity, mediated by CB1 and CB2 receptors, in animal models of inflammatory pain. The presence of endocannabinoid machinery in the central nervous system, together with high levels of CB1 expression, suggests that the endocannabinoid system is an important modulator of neuroinflammation and a possible drug target. In selected conditions, the activation of CB1 receptors in cerebral blood vessels can have beneficial antiischemic effects. However, as endocannabinoids can also bind to vanilloid receptors, they may also mediate neurotoxic effects.
Asthma Medications
The most common pharmaceutical method of treating asthma attacks is through the use of corticosteroids delivered through inhalers that vaporize the medication. Complications from corticosteroids can include high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression among other severe side effects. Asthma patients may also be familiar with a nebulizer, which is a tabletop machine that does the same thing.
Cannabis Vaporizers have been improving in quality and growing in popularity.
Cannabis Vaporizers vs. Corticosteroids
One thing many medical professionals are considering is whether cannabis can replace or decrease the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of asthma. Inhalers containing corticosteroids are currently the most-diagnosed treatment for asthma, but unfortunately, the medications contained within prescribed inhalers have been associated with dangerous side effects/Pages/Sideeffects.aspx), including depression, anxiety and high blood pressure. Because of this, many asthma sufferers have been looking for steroid-free treatment solutions - and marijuana is currently one of the leading options.
One of the best ways to deliver cannabis to a person suffering from asthma is through vaporization. Modern inhalers work by vaporizing the medicine within, so it stands to reason marijuana vaporizers could become just as popular in the asthmatic community. In addition to being safer and cleaner than smoking, vaporizers are also highly portable, efficient and effective. Because of these characteristics, cannabis vaporizers could easily replace vaporized corticosteroids with a safer and more effective medicine.
One thing many medical professionals are considering is whether cannabis can replace or decrease the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of asthma. Inhalers containing corticosteroids are currently the most-diagnosed treatment for asthma, but unfortunately, the medications contained within prescribed inhalers have been associated with dangerous side effects/Pages/Sideeffects.aspx), including depression, anxiety and high blood pressure. Because of this, many asthma sufferers have been looking for steroid-free treatment solutions - and marijuana is currently one of the leading options.
One of the best ways to deliver cannabis to a person suffering from asthma is through vaporization. Modern inhalers work by vaporizing the medicine within, so it stands to reason marijuana vaporizers could become just as popular in the asthmatic community. In addition to being safer and cleaner than smoking, vaporizers are also highly portable, efficient and effective. Because of these characteristics, cannabis vaporizers could easily replace vaporized corticosteroids with a safer and more effective medicine.
Vaporizing
Rather than inhaling smoke, asthma sufferers can vaporize their marijuana instead. Vaporizing avoids most of the toxins in marijuana smoke that irritate the lungs. At the same time, it effectively delivers the beneficial compounds in marijuana.Much like smoking marijuana, vaporizing is a rapid method of administering cannabinoids. In other words, the effects can be felt instantly. Whereas edibles can take 30 minutes - 2 hours before the effects start working. Vaporizing is similar to the inhalation of THC aerosols used in studies, which were found to provide immediate relief from symptoms of asthma.
With THC and CBD increasingly showing their clout as anti-inflammatories, it remains to be been seen if long-term use of cannabinoids can help improve asthma over time, not just treat the attacks.
Hopefully, growth in the acceptance and use of medical cannabis will lead to some more in-depth studies on how it can help asthma patients breathe easier.
Resources:
https://www.projectcbd.org/condition/13/Asthma
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/can-cannabis-help-asthma-patients-27df
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM197305102881902
https://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/top-6-benefits-of-cannabis-for-asthma/
https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/marijuana-asthma-can-it-help
https://www.leafscience.com/2017/08/28/can-marijuana-help-treat-asthma/
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2015/538670/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16103691
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18266975
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22420307
