Patients suffering from arthritis can be seen accessing medical cannabis as an alternative medication. First, you have to apply for a medical marijuana card and talk to a medical marijuana doctor online in Baton Rouge.
Of those using medical marijuana, it was reported in a study that most patients with arthritis reported improvement in physical function, sleep, and well-being.
Medical marijuana may not cure arthritis, but there are studies that demonstrate it can help relieve arthritis pain.
Arthritis Patients in Baton Rouge
In May 2020, it was reported from research that there was a lot of interest in medical marijuana among arthritis sufferers. The survey on arthritis patients who used medical cannabis showed that:
- 9 out of 10 in a 600-patients said it was effective in managing their pain
- 4 out of 10 said it decreased their reliance on other pain medications
- Nearly 6 out of 10 said cannabis products were more effective than other drugs
Likewise, another study noted that a vast majority of arthritis patients who reported using medical cannabis said it helped their symptoms.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. It is an informal way to refer to joint pain or joint disease.
It usually involves inflammation and/or degeneration or breakdown of the joints. Pain is felt when the joint is used.
Types of Arthritis
There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but the most common types are:
1. Osteoarthritis
It is the most common form of arthritis, wear and tear arthritis that develops when cartilages break down from repeated stress.
2. Ankylosing spondylitis
Also called arthritis of the spine and usually occurs on the lower back.
3. Juvenile arthritis (JA)
The immune system attacks the tissue around joints, affects children 16 or younger
4. Gout
Causes hard crystals of uric acid to form on the joints
5. Psoriatic arthritis
Joint inflammation that develops in people with psoriasis
6. Rheumatoid arthritis
It causes the immune system to attack synovial membranes in the joints
Causes of Arthritis
The causes of arthritis can be defined by how the joints are damaged, as well as a number of factors such as family history, repeated stress on the joints due to work, or an autoimmune disease.
Impact on Lifestyle of Arthritis
It is not easy to live with arthritis. It can be challenging to carry out everyday tasks. Since there is no cure for the illness, most people need to manage the symptoms of the disease for the rest of their lives.
Living with arthritis involves changing, overcoming, and coping with the problems it presents.
Overview of Arthritis Symptoms
People who suffer from arthritis will experience different types of symptoms which could be mild or severe.
The discomfort felt in the joints can either come and go or remain. Common symptoms of arthritis include:
- Pain
- Redness
- Swelling
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Warmth
Types of Arthritis Treatments
The standard treatment for arthritis involves non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and paracetamol.
For severe pain, opioids are sometimes prescribed. Other types of medication commonly used include:
- Painkillers
- Counterirritants
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
- Biological response modifiers
- Corticosteroids
Medical cannabis has been found to help relieve long-term pain, like the pain that arthritis causes. The two compounds in cannabis, THC, and CBD, can act separately or synergistically in treating arthritis pain by decreasing inflammatory factors and messengers which are the key drivers of arthritis.
Dr. Yili Huang, director of the Pain Management Center at Northwell Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., said that cannabis may help decrease, or in some cases, completely replace, the amount of opioid medication necessary to control pain.
He added that the reason why cannabis is effective in managing pain is how it works on many different pathways in our body and can even interact with the separate chemical pathways opioids work on.
In a 2005 article published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology, researchers J. Ludovic and Takashi Yamamura explained cannabinoids (CBD) might be a consideration for patients for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis.
A group of experts believes certain strains of medical marijuana can specifically help those who have arthritis.
As research shows that accessing medical cannabis can be an effective alternative to arthritis treatment, you can gain the benefits by first talking to a medical marijuana doctor online in Baton Rouge.
