Crohn’s Disease is an intestinal disorder that affects the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. It causes chronic inflammation and can lead to severe complications like malnutrition, ulcerations, and even bowel perforation. Sufferers may experience symptoms such as pain in the abdomen, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, fever, or weight loss. According to Missouri medical marijuana doctors of DigiDrs, medical marijuana can help treat Crohn’s disease effectively in the following ways:
Modulates Pain Response
Medical marijuana has been shown to modulate pain responses. Studies have repeatedly shown that people who smoked cannabis were able to withstand higher levels of experimental pain than those who didn’t smoke. The anti-inflammatory properties of THC can also help relieve Crohn’s Disease symptoms.
As a result of this, medical marijuana can help relieve Crohn’s disease pain and inflammation in the same way it is currently being used for other chronic illnesses like arthritis or cancer treatment-induced nausea and vomiting.
Modulates Autoimmune Response
The immune system is the body’s complex and highly interconnected network of cells that fight off diseases. Crohn’s disease causes chronic inflammation by fighting hard against all sorts of harmless foods and other substances in the stomach, intestines, or mouth. Medical marijuana has been shown to modulate this reaction from overactive to a manageable level, reducing inflammation and pain.
This modulation of Crohn’s disease immune response by medical marijuana is more effective than other treatments because it is suppressing the immune system and stimulating our bodies’ natural healing mechanism.
Modulates Inflammatory Response
The inflammatory response is the body’s way of fighting off bacteria and viruses. Autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s disease involve inflammation, and in this case, it doesn’t know what to attack, so it attacks everything and this can be counterproductive. If we regulate our immune system with medical marijuana, we can reduce inflammation, which also reduces pain.
Medical marijuana also modulates our inflammatory response by turning down the overreaction of a Crohn’s disease sufferer’s immune system to harmless substances that enter their body.
Improves Motility
The motility of the intestines is a measure of how well bowel movements are moving through the system. For people with Crohn’s disease, their intestinal movement can be slowed or halted, leading to complications like malnutrition and ulcerations. Medical marijuana has been shown to stimulate stomach contractions in test animals, so it may have a similar effect on humans.
Medical marijuana can also improve motility by stimulating the stomach muscles, which increases how often and quickly food moves through your intestines – this is called gastric emptying. People with Crohn’s disease have an increased chance of having delayed gastric emptying (i.e., their food sits in their stomach longer than expected), leading to ulcerations. When medical marijuana is used, the motility of their intestines improves, and this complication becomes less likely.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Another symptom of Crohn’s disease is stress and anxiety levels, which can affect a person’s quality of life. Medical marijuana has been shown to reduce these two symptoms by decreasing the activity in our amygdala (the part of the brain that regulates fear).
Improves Appetite
One of the most common symptoms is a decrease in appetite due to chronic pain and nausea. Medical marijuana can increase one’s appetite by stimulating receptors on stomach cells that trigger hunger pangs when food enters our system.
Medical cannabis also improves your appetite by balancing hormones like ghrelin, which regulates how hungry you feel from moment to moment. When ghrelin levels are off, you won’t have the same appetite as when they’re in balance, leading to a decrease in food intake.
Relieves Depression
Crohn’s disease patients can also experience depression due to chronic pain and illness. Medical marijuana has been found to be an effective treatment for this as well because it stimulates the release of endorphins in the brain that make us feel happy or euphoric.
Tames Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are also common symptoms of Crohn’s disease. Medical marijuana can numb these symptoms by stimulating the vagus nerve, which helps regulate nausea and vomiting because it’s connected with our digestive system.
As shown above, medical marijuana may be the solution for people living with Crohn’s disease looking to reduce their symptoms and improve their quality of life.