Average, everyday Americans are dealing with an epidemic of pain. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, more than 20 million Americans of all ages deal with some type of chronic nerve pain. But some experts think the real number of folks dealing with neuropathy is even larger than that!
Due to the difficult nature of both treating and diagnosing neuropathy, many dealing with the characteristic tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, and often excruciating pain of neuropathy have to do so without much help from traditional doctors and Western medicine. That’s where medical cannabis comes in!
Instead of being forced to opt for synthetic and expensive pharmaceutical treatments like Lyrica, Neurotin, or even dangerous and addictive painkillers that further expand the amount of Americans hooked on opioids, patients are turning to medical cannabis for relief.
With that in mind, we here at FadeMD wanted to break down exactly how and why medical cannabis products are perfect for those dealing with issues associated with neuropathy, digging into the statistics and science to give prospective and current medical patients a clearer picture of what products are best for their symptoms. After all, there’s no sense in us hooking you up with licensed, certified medical cannabis doctors and helping you get your card without breaking down which products will help you most, right?
So with that in mind, let’s get right into it!
What Exactly is Neuropathy?
Before we dig deep into the science of how and why cannabis can help, let’s first take a moment to break down what exactly it is in the first place. Well, that’s a somewhat complicated question to answer.
As its name suggests, neuropathy refers to any type of pain as the result of nerve damage. That means that there are a lot of different subcategories and causes of neuropathy. A massive array of conditions like diabetes, autoimmune diseases, HIV, inherited disorders, tumors pressing on nerves, traumatic brain injuries, and even stuff as simple as vitamin deficiencies. Some dealing with neuropathy still end up with pain despite not having any of those conditions, with pain seeming coming from nowhere for no reason.
On top of that, neuropathy pain can manifest itself in a variety of different ways. Some examples are peripheral neuropathy, impacting the feet, legs, hands, and arms, sensory neuropathy, which affects your sense of touch, and cranial neuropathy, which causes excruciating pain in your head. Those are just three examples, with the reality being that neuropathy can impact any nerve in pretty much any part of your body.
How Can Medical Cannabis Help?
So with a problem as varied and serious as neuropathy, how can cannabis help? And even more importantly, how does medical cannabis stack up in terms of other more traditional treatment opinions? Well, as it turns out, really well!
Not only have medical cannabis products proven to be just as effective at treating pain without the nasty and often addictive side effects, but they have also been shown to be effective replacements as well. One study showed an astounding 82 percent of patients were able to reduce or totally halt taking any OTC medication when using medical cannabis, with 88 percent stopping any other pain-related medication at all! In fact, the effect of medical cannabis is so substantial for pain that states with medical cannabis programs saw their opioid prescriptions fall by nearly 2.21 million daily doses per year.
But how exactly is that possible? What’s so special about medical cannabis products that makes them so effective? There are several factors to consider here.
Firstly, we need to take the endocannabinoid system into account. Medical cannabis products are packed with cannabinoids like THC, which acts like a numbing agent for nerve pain when it hits the brain’s CCB1 and CB2 receptors, CBD, which turns down pain signals from damaged nerves and reduces all cause inflammation, and minor cannabinoids like THCV and CBG both are effective at treating chronic pain as well.
All of those cannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid system, spreading the effects of the medication all over your body quickly and effectively. Just like nerves, the endocannabinoid system goes throughout the whole body, allowing it to reach spots where opioid-based painkillers just can’t. With that in mind, medical cannabis is an awesome solution to an often frustrating and agonizing problem, especially for a condition as tricky to diagnose and treat as neuropathy.
The other factor to consider is the mental side of treatment. Since neuropathy is a chronic condition you can rarely cure, consistency and reliability are key to effective treatment. That means that those dealing with neuropathy need a treatment option that’s not only effective but is easy to dose and free of side effects that could derail them. Medical cannabis provides that peace of mind for a few reasons.
First, medical cannabis products have advanced to the point where accurate dosing is the norm. Whether it’s capsules, transdermal creams, or tinctures, you can treat neuropathy quickly and effectively with the dose you need, no matter where your pain is.
On top of that, cannabis has a way of soothing the mind of worries. That THC and CBD will help ease anxiety, help you relax, and ease the discomfort until the cannabinoids in your medicine can kick in.
After all, it’s not like it’s a secret that there’s a serious mental component to pain.
The Bottom Line
No matter how you slice it, it’s clear that medical cannabis has a role to play in helping those dealing with neuropathy to get some kind of relief from their symptoms. Despite years of their medical potential being ignored thanks to Reefer Madness-era prohibition laws, that trajectory has changed over the past two decades or so. The bottom line is that not only is medical cannabis as, if not more, effective than addictive, artificial opioids, but it’s a better long-term option for patients all over the country.
Plain and simply put, getting a medical card of your own is a great option for those looking for relief from their neuropathy.
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