What Is Chronic Pain ?
Chronic pain is a medical condition in which a person feels pain for a long time. There is no specific body part where it occurs. It can impact the quality of life, and for that reason, you must not ignore it.
Some common types of chronic pain are:
- Back Pain
- Cancer Pain
- Knees Pain
- Migraines
- Nerves Pain
People use opioids for pain relief, but many consumers have reported experiencing severe side effects. To avoid negative effects, people were looking for natural alternatives for pain relief.
One such alternative treatment is the use of medical marijuana. Yes, chronic pain is one of the most common qualifying conditions for a medical card in Florida.
Medical Marijuana & Chronic Pain or Back Pain
Of the many physical and mental issues medical marijuana is used for, treating chronic pain is the most prevalent. Research shows that chronic pain has always been the most common qualifying condition reported by patients seeking medical marijuana. This is largely due to the effects cannabinoids have on the body.
Many users will notice that cannabis delivers a physically relaxing and relieving sensation when it’s used due to THC interacting with the body. This is useful for reducing the sensation of severe or chronic pain and making it easier to handle.
It isn’t just THC that helps with chronic pain, either. A study on the use of cannabinoids in difficult-to-manage pain found that CBD also helps by providing analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties for the body. As such, some patients who suffer from chronic or severe pain may use CBD as an alternative to marijuana.
Medical marijuana is also helpful as it provides a more natural and less harmful alternative to traditional pain medications. Opioids can often lead to addiction and other unwanted side effects, whereas cannabis and CBD minimize these risks.
How Medical Marijuana Helps with Chronic Pain Symptoms
As well as helping to counteract the sensation of pain, medical marijuana can also help with many symptoms and complications that come along with chronic pain and with many conditions that feature chronic pain as a symptom, such as Arthritis, Parkinson’s Disease, and Cancer.
Severe and chronic pain can often lead to excessive fatigue and sleep problems. Some marijuana strains counteract fatigue by providing stimulating effects, whereas some can promote sleep and help users get a more restful night of sleep.
Those suffering from severe and chronic pain may also experience severe mood problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Medical marijuana has been shown to relieve mood issues and promote a more positive and optimistic state of mind.
If you haven’t heard of it, there is a fascinating part of your physiology called the endocannabinoid system. This is part of us from birth and is an internal (‘endo’ meaning internal) system that regulates a wide variety of body functions, including fertility, cognitive processing, appetite, mood, memory, and processing the ‘exogenous’ cannabinoids in medical marijuana that you vape or ingest.
These wonderful compounds are also what you feel during a ‘runner’s high’ or other physical exercise. A 2007 article describes its importance and functions:
“The endocannabinoid system has been recently recognized as an important modulatory system in the function of brain, endocrine, and immune tissues. It appears to play a very important regulatory role in the secretion of hormones related to reproductive functions and response to stress.”
Unfortunately, our supply of these amazing compounds that regulate how we feel can become deficient over time, our bodies fall out of balanced homeostasis, and health difficulties are produced. By supplementing your system with medical marijuana for chronic pain and getting exogenous cannabinoids, you can promote harmonic balance, which is what the body needs to achieve in order to heal naturally.
How to Use Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain
We understand that chronic pain can interfere with your life and can stop you from doing things that you love. If this frustration has led you to consider medical marijuana for chronic pain, but you’re unsure about the ways to consume cannabis, we’re here to help.
Here are some methods of using medical marijuana for chronic pain:
How to Get Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain?
Now that we know cannabis works for chronic pain, we want to move you one step closer to getting marijuana. We are here to help you know how and where you can get medical marijuana for chronic pain.
There is only one thing that you require to buy cannabis from medical marijuana dispensaries near you, and that is a medical card. Follow these easy steps to get a medical marijuana card in Florida:
- Visit a medical marijuana doctor near you to assess your symptoms and condition.
- If your condition qualifies, you will get a doctor’s recommendation.
- Using that recommendation and other necessary documents, your doctor will help you apply online for a medical card via your state medical marijuana program.
Once the state approves your application, you are free to purchase and keep medical marijuana with you for your condition.
Should I use Opioids or Marijuana for Pain?
People using medical marijuana for pain can answer this question better than anyone else. So why not find our answer from research?
According to research, people find almost similar or even better effects on using medical marijuana for chronic pain than they find for using opioids.
However, there are some things to notice. The use of opioids decreased by 64% in patients after the use of cannabis, and there are no side effects of using cannabis for chronic pain is no side effects.
FAQs About Chronic Pain and Medical Cannabis
Is marijuana good for chronic pain?
Yes, medical marijuana is good for chronic pain. It interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system to control pain and inflammation.
What are the negative effects of marijuana?
A person using medical marijuana can experience the following side effects:
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Fast heartbeat
- Panic attacks
- Slow reaction time
What is the most effective form of medical marijuana for pain relief?
There is no single form of medical marijuana that is more effective than others. Each form differs in how long it takes to kick in and how long the effects last.
- Smoking marijuana is best for faster relief, but the effects don’t last long.
- Marijuana edibles take time to kick in, but the effects are long-term.
What is the best marijuana for pain?
The best medical marijuana strains for pain relief are:
- Harlequin
- ACDC
- Blue Dream
