Medical Cannabis Offers Hope for Patients with Lupus
Lupus is treated with conventional medications — including immunosuppressant drugs and anti-inflammatory medications. However, it can also be managed naturally with alternative treatments, such as medical cannabis.
Jun 20, 2017
Health
What Is Lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease because it’s a problem of the immune system. According to a study, lupus shares many symptoms with other illnesses — including thyroid disorders, fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, or other autoimmune disorders, making it hard for patients to receive a proper diagnosis of lupus.
Today, lupus is treated with conventional medications — including immunosuppressant drugs and anti-inflammatory medications. However, it can also be managed naturally with alternative treatments, such as herbs, medical cannabis, chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, meditation and a nutrient-dense diet.
Lupus Symptoms & Warning Signs
There are two kinds of lupus that cause different sets of lupus symptoms: discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). DLE mainly affects skin and is usually triggered by exposure to sunlight that causes skin lesions. DLE usually doesn’t damage internal organs or glands like the other form of lupus does, however, SLE, on the other hand, affects the entire body and is more serious.
The most common signs and symptoms of lupus include:
- Fatigue and lethargy: This can make it hard to work, exercise, take care of a family and keep up with everyday demands.
- Frequent high temperatures (fever)
- Muscle or joint pain
- Skin rashes
- Sensitivity to sunlight
- Easily becoming short of breath and having chest pains
- Anemiaand abnormal blood clotting: This contributes to fatigue and other problems.
- Fluid retention and swelling
- Dry eyes and blurred vision
- Digestive problems
- Trouble sleeping normally
- Hair lossor changes in hair texture:
- Loss of libido: This can be due to stress, fatigue and hormonal changes.
- Lupus symptoms for women might also include vaginal dryness and irregular periods.
- Headaches and mood changes: This includes cognitive impairments, such as brain fog, confusion and memory less.
Lupus and Medical Cannabis
Cannabis can also help curtail the pain associated with inflammatory diseases like lupus. Receptors CB1 and CB2 are involved in the mediation of pain caused by inflammation, so as the cannabinoids in cannabis act upon the receptors, pain decreases. One study found that cannabis use is prevalent among the chronic pain population and their primary responses for reasons for use included improvements in pain.
By the nature of the disease, lupus can cause inflammation virtually anywhere in the body. When inflammation occurs in places like the heart, lungs, kidneys, or brain, quelling this inflammation becomes a gravely serious task. As a result, cannabis’s ability to mediate the inflammatory response is immensely helpful to anyone who suffers from lupus.
Conclusion
Cannabis is considered an ideal medication to help Lupus patients cope with the symptoms of the disorder like nausea and pain. It’s also known to be an anti-inflammatory, suppressing certain parts of the immune system – Researchers are hoping this finding will lead to new treatments. Lupus is a serious illness and poses the risk for various complications if left untreated and unmanaged.
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