The benefits of marijuana in the medical world plus its health effects: uses, side effects, interactions

The use of marijuana is quite controversial. Its existence is also considered illegal and is included in illegal drugs. On the other hand, actually this plant which also thrives in Indonesia is a medicine that has quite a lot of health benefits. But even though its use is not always dangerous, marijuana can affect your body and mind when it enters the body.

Marijuana at a glance

Marijuana or marijuana comes from a plant named Cannabis sativa . This one plant has 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids. Each of the ingredients has a different effect on the body.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidol (CBD) are the main chemicals used in medicine. Please note, THC is a compound that makes you feel drunk or high .

Cannabinoid compounds are actually produced by the body naturally to help regulate concentration, body movement, appetite, pain, and sensations in the senses. However, in cannabis, some of these compounds are very potent and can cause serious health effects if misused.

Marijuana or what is also called cimeng is usually used by burning like a cigarette. Not only the leaves, flowers, seeds, and stems are also often used as ingredients for smoking.

In addition, marijuana is also widely mixed into food, ranging from brownies, cookies, curry, brewed as tea, or inhaled with a vaporizer.

The benefits of marijuana in the medical world

Quoted from WebMD, marijuana can be a medicine if it is processed medically. Dustin Sulak, a professor of surgery, researches and manufactures marijuana for medical use. Sulak recommends several types of marijuana to his patients and has had surprising results.

When given marijuana, patients who have chronic pain experience improvement from before. Then patients with multiple sclerosis also experienced fewer muscle spasms than before. In fact, patients with severe intestinal inflammation are starting to eat again.

This Sulak research is quite strong and adds to the long history of the benefits of marijuana which can be used as a therapeutic drug. But the problem is, because it is classified as illegal goods, it is difficult to do further research on the effectiveness of marijuana in the medical world.

This type of marijuana for medical drugs

In the United States alone, there are four types of marijuana that have been permitted to be produced for medicinal or medical purposes, namely:

Marinol and Cesamet

These two drugs are used to treat nausea and loss of appetite due to chemotherapy and in patients with AIDS. These two drugs are different forms of THC, which is the main ingredient in marijuana that gives it flavor high . Both of these were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the equivalent of BPOM in Indonesia, in the 1980s.

To stimulate appetite, your doctor will prescribe marinol at a dose of 2.5 mg once or twice a day before lunch, dinner, and / or bedtime. However, if it is prescribed to relieve nausea due to chemotherapy, your doctor will give you a dose of 5 mg 1 to 3 hours before chemotherapy and 2 to 4 hours after.

One of the physical side effects of marinol is weakness, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fast heartbeat, flushing, and dizziness. While the psychological side effects that usually arise are anxiety, drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, and paranoia.

Epidiolex

This drug is used in children with epilepsy and the US Food and Drug Administration legalized it in 2013. However, its free use is strictly prohibited.

Sativex

This drug is a drug that is currently undergoing clinical testing in the United States and is a drug for treating breast cancer. This drug is a combination of chemicals contained in the marijuana plant and sprayed into the mouth. Sativex is approved in more than 20 countries to treat muscle spasms from multiple sclerosis and pain from cancer.

Benefits of marijuana for health

Based on various studies that have been conducted, marijuana has a number of other health benefits, which many people may rarely know. Behind people's bad opinion about marijuana, it turns out that there are positive sides or benefits for health, such as:

1. Prevent glaucoma

This one plant can be used to treat and prevent the eyes from glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease that increases pressure in the eyeball, damages the optic nerve, and causes a person to lose sight.

Based on research conducted by the National Eye Institute in the early 1970s, marijuana can reduce intraocular pressure (IOP), aka eyeball pressure, in people with normal pressure and people with glaucoma. This effect is able to slow down the process of this disease as well as prevent blindness.

2. Increase lung capacity

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in January 2012, it was stated that marijuana does not damage lung function. In fact, this material can increase lung capacity. Lung capacity is the ability of the lungs to hold air when breathing.

In the study, the researchers took samples from 5,115 young adults over a period of 20 years. Tobacco smokers lose lung function during this time, but marijuana users show an increase in lung capacity.

This is related to the way of using marijuana which is usually smoked deeply. Therefore, the researchers concluded this maybe into a kind of exercise for the lungs. However, of course long-term exposure to high doses of marijuana smoke can damage the lungs.

3. Prevent seizures due to epilepsy

A study conducted in 2003 showed that marijuana can prevent seizures due to epilepsy. Robert J. DeLorenzo, from Virginia Commonwealth University, gave this plant extract and its synthetic form to epileptic mice.

This drug is given to mice that have seizures for 10 hours. As a result, the cannabinoids in this plant are able to control seizures by holding responsive brain cells to control stimuli and regulate relaxation.

4. Kill some cancer cells

A content in cannabis called cannabidiol can stop cancer by turning off a gene called Id-1. This evidence comes from a study conducted by researchers from the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, which was reported in 2007. In many cases, it is believed that marijuana is able to kill other cancer cells.

In addition, evidence suggests that marijuana can also help fight nausea and vomiting as side effects of chemotherapy. However, although many studies have shown its safety, this plant is not effective in controlling or curing cancer.

5. Reduces chronic pain

A review conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicines reports the fact that in the medical world, marijuana is often used to treat chronic pain. This is because marijuana contains cannabinoids which can help relieve this pain.

Reporting from Harvard Health Publishing, this one plant can relieve pain due to multiple sclerosis, nerve pain, and irritable bowel syndrome. Not only that, this one plant is even widely used for diseases that cause chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia and endometriosis.

6. Overcoming mental problems

A study published in Clinical Psychology Review shows evidence that marijuana helps treat certain mental health problems. Researchers found evidence that this plant can help relieve depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, marijuana is not an appropriate drug for mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder and psychosis. The reason is that this one plant can actually worsen the symptoms of people with bipolar disorder.

7. Slows down the development of Alzheimer's

A study published in Molecular Pharmaceutics found that THC can slow down the formation of amyloid plaque. These plaques that form can kill brain cells associated with Alzheimer's.

THC helps block this plaque-making enzyme in the brain from forming. However, this research is also in its early stages so more reinforcing studies are needed.

How to use marijuana for medical purposes

Medically, marijuana can be used in various ways, such as:

• Inhaled through a device called a vaporizer
• Eaten, mixed in cooking
• Applied to the skin in the form of a lotion, oil, or cream
• Dropped directly on the tongue
• Drink it directly

Which method needs to be done depends on what the doctor recommends. The reason is, each method works in a different way.

Inhaling is one of the ways the effects can be felt very quickly. Meanwhile, if you eat it eaten, it will take your body 1-2 hours to feel the effect.

Cannabis side effects in medicine

Just like other drugs, marijuana used in the medical world can also cause various side effects such as:

• Red eye
• Depression
• Dizzy
• Heart rate increases
• Hallucinations
• Low blood pressure

In addition, this one drug can also affect body movement and coordination. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that marijuana can make you addicted and increase your desire to use other drugs.

Marcel Bonn-Miller, PhD, a substance abuse specialist at the School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, states that the more frequent and higher THC levels are used, the more likely you are to experience addiction.

Therefore, doctors will be very careful when they have to give this one drug so that the body does not have a severe addictive effect. Maybe this is also one of the reasons why until now marijuana is not legalized in Indonesia.

Health problems due to marijuana

Besides having benefits in the medical world, cimeng (another name for marijuana) can also cause health problems that are not kidding. This is especially so when you use it carelessly without the doctor's permission. Here are the various negative effects on the body, namely:

Effects on the brain

The active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, acts on the cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and influences the activity of these cells. Some areas of the brain have many cannabinoid receptors, but other areas of the brain have few or none.

Some cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that affect pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, sense perception and coordination of movement.

When you take it in high doses, users will experience various symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, memory impairment, and disorientation (dazed). This happens because the cannabinoid receptors are overactive.

Effects on the heart

Marijuana can cause your heart rate to increase by 20-50 times more per minute. In fact, the effects can be more severe when you take them together with other medicines.

When your blood pressure and heart rate jump sharply, you are four times more likely to have a heart attack in the first hour after smoking marijuana.

Effect on bones

Research has found that people who smoke large amounts of cimeng have lower bone density. As a result, these people are more susceptible to fractures and osteoporosis later in life.

In addition, research conducted at the University of Edinburgh, England, found that heavy users of the snail experienced a reduction in their body mass index. This also affects bone density tends to disappear, thereby increasing the risk of osteoporosis.

Effects on the lungs

Cimeng that is consumed by burning like a cigarette can cause a burning and stinging feeling in the mouth and throat. In addition, the researchers also found the fact that cimeng smokers can experience the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers, such as:

• Prolonged cough
• Sputum production increases
• Acute chest disease
• Increased risk of lung infections

Although most cimeng smokers do not consume as much of this plant as tobacco smokers, its effects should not be ignored. This is because cimeng or marijuana contains more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke.

Not only that, smokers also tend to inhale deeper and hold it in their lungs. As a result, the risk of disease is much greater.

Despite its medical benefits, marijuana can also have negative effects if consumed in excess. Therefore, if there are other drugs that might be more effective and of course legal, it looks like you don't have to switch to this one plant yet. The reason is that in Indonesia, the use of marijuana for medicine is still not legalized.

Don't use marijuana carelessly

Never use marijuana carelessly for self-pleasure. Keep in mind that marijuana is an illegal item that falls under the category of illegal drugs.

Under the law, marijuana is included in class I narcotics along with methamphetamine, cocaine, opium, and heroin. Let alone consuming it, growing marijuana is not for the benefit of science and can even be subject to criminal bondage.

So, don't abuse this one plant, huh.