How Medical Marijuana Helps with Neuropathies

Neuropathy consists of the damage to the sensory, motor, or automatic nerves that originate from an internal cause. It’s a technical and constant condition that influences almost 20 million individuals in the United States (1).

Otherwise called peripheral neuropathy, this condition leads to weakness, numbness, and pain to the furthest points of the body like hands and feet. The pain is regularly portrayed as stabbing, burning, or tingling and can be very detrimental. It originates from various issues, including traumatic injuries, infections, toxins exposure, diabetes, and hereditary predispositions.

Currently, medical marijuana is considered as a treatment for people with neuropathy since it alleviates the pain related to the disorder. To thoroughly see how cannabis can help treat neuropathy, it is good to know more about neuropathic pain.

To learn about neuropathic pain, it’s good to examine peripheral nerves. They are grouped into different categories with specific functions; sensory nerves that get the sensation from temperature, pain, and contact; motor nerves that regulate muscle development; and autonomic nerves that control essential capacities like blood pressure, pulse, digestion, and bladder.

Also, when nerve fibers are destroyed, dysfunctional, or harmed, they can transmit inaccurate signs to other pain centers. Peripheral neuropathy can influence one nerve (mononeuropathy), at least two nerves in various regions (multiple mononeuropathy) or numerous nerves (polyneuropathy). Most people experience the ill effects of polyneuropathy; however, everything depends on which nerves are affected.

However, pain is mind-boggling and subjective. It can’t be estimated, it’s difficult to describe, and it varies from one person to another. Therefore, there is a wide range of treatment choices. Standard neuropathy treatment analysis the fundamental side effects causing the nerve pain. Those determined to have neuropathic pain are usually prescribed non-steroidal ant-inflammatory drugs or potent painkillers, including morphine. If diabetes causes the issue, treatment will include blood sugar control. Furthermore, if pain results from carpal tunnel syndrome, splints, and non-intrusive treatment might be the recommended course.

More recently, medical marijuana appears to help patients that are unresponsive to pharmaceutical pills. This is mainly due to the relationship between medical marijuana to our internal endocannabinoid system.

Peripheral nerves that recognize pain sensations contain cannabinoid receptors and are also influenced by any method of cannabis ingestion. When THC and CBD are ingested into the body, they activate your CB1 and CB2 receptors, which control the neurotransmitter and central nervous system, therefore regulating pain.

(2) A small 2010 research discovered that singlehandedly ingesting 25mg of 9.4% tetrahydrocannabinol homegrown cannabis three times a day for five days lowers the impact of pain, improves sleep, and was significantly tolerated.” A different 2013 research found that in contrast to traditional neuropathic pain medication, cannabis truly lessens the pain with low doses (1.29%) as a pain reliever with a medium dose (3.53%). Also, a 2015 study found that cannabinoids are powerful at bringing down pain levels related to cancer, neuropathy, and other intense and constant pain conditions. Detailed research still needs to be conducted on cannabis and pain.

Sources

1. http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchicago.edu/faq/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2950205/