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Cannabis To The Rescue Again! This Time It’s Crohn’s Disease
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If you or a member of your family suffers from one of the several types of inflammatory bowel problems, we have good news for you. In a recent study, about half of the subjects who smoked pot on a regular basis found that they had a complete remission of all of their symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
This study, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, found that consistent use of cannabis by subjects who had been diagnosed with severe Crohn’s disease, had a complete turnaround of their disease. The results of this study indicate that the anti-inflammatory compounds of cannabis are most likely responsible for quieting, or removing, symptoms for most patients.
Although Crohn’s disease is often referred to as an autoimmune disease, it is actually an immune deficiency state. This disease causes a chronic inflammatory problem so severe that it attacks a victim’s gastrointestinal tract, anywhere between the mouth and anus, in an attempt to fight off natural antigen’s in the body, which are harmless.
Symptoms of this disease range from mild abdominal pain to more severe symptoms of nausea, vomiting, weight loss, fever, and consistent, and even sometimes bloody diarrhea.
Currently, there is no cure for Crohn’s disease. As of today, most treatments are aimed at merely limiting flare ups and attempting to control symptoms. For some people, simple dietary changes work well. For others, damage becomes so intense that surgery is needed to remove affected areas. Many people take some type of corticosteroids.
It is estimated that about 600,000 people in America suffer from this disease, however, those with less severe symptoms may never be diagnosed. Others do not get diagnosed until after they have been suffering with the disease for years.
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Photo credit: bigstock.com
This study was conducted by the scientists at Meir Medical Center in Israel who wanted to look at the effects of cannabis on subjects who suffered severe Crohn’s disease. The researchers wondered if the drug’s anti-inflammatory compounds, which have been proven to be effective for other ailments including MS and arthritis.
Although researchers had heard that marijuana had been reported on social media as being beneficial for those with inflammatory bowel disease, there had been no previous studies in this area. This study involved 21 people who had severe Crohn’s disease that did not respond well to other medications. For this study, 11 of the subjects smoked two blunts each day during the 8-week study period. The other 10 subjects were the control group.
Of the subjects who smoked marijuana, 5 of these subjects achieved complete remission. All subjects reported improved appetite and much improved sleep. (People with this disease sometimes have 20 bowel movements a day, often waking up several times during the night) The study found that 10 of the 11 subjects had an improved clinical response.
This study shows exactly how the THC rich cannabis plant can produce significant clinical, steroid free, side effect free benefits to those who suffer from Crohn’s disease.
READ ALSO: Is Cannabis Also A Cure For Parkinson’s Disease?
Although researchers were hesitant to call their study a complete success because, as they said, there was not a 100 percent remission in all cases, even though 5 out of 11 did have complete remission. However, the other 6 did find some relief from their symptoms that they had been unable to obtain by other treatment methods.
Researchers noted that their findings indicated that further studies involving larger groups were needed, as well as another method of consumption other than smoking.
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