Now that you’ll soon be able to get your own Alabama Marijuana Card, it seems like a good time to remember what this movement has always been about: bringing safe, natural medicine to people who are suffering.
So we would like to highlight a recent article from health website Eat This, Not That about the qualifying conditions for which doctors most recommend medical marijuana.
Surprise! Medical Marijuana Is Actual Medicine!
As strange as it may seem to say in a post-Reefer Madness world, it was only recently in human history that marijuana became the stigmatized plant that we know today.
As Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis doctor who teaches at Harvard, told Eat This, Not That, “Many people aren't aware that cannabis was a popular treatment in this country in the late 1800s and early 1900s — commonly dispensed by doctors — and that the American Medical Association was one of the strongest voices testifying against prohibiting it in 1937.”
Like any medicine, medical marijuana works best when it’s used according to your doctor’s directions. Unfortunately, due to the stigma against medical marijuana and the fact that it’s still prohibited at the federal level, there is still an inadequate amount of research to say for sure exactly which conditions medical marijuana treats most effectively.
But according to the doctors with whom Eat This, Not That spoke, these are the top four conditions for which doctors most strongly recommend medical marijuana.
Medical Marijuana Can Safely Treat Anxiety and Depression
The fact that medical marijuana can effectively help treat anxiety and depression should come as no surprise to regular readers of AlabamaMarijuanaCard.com’s blog. We told you back in December about a study conducted by researchers from the University of South Carolina, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and other mental health research organizations, and was published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. That study found that “Medicinal cannabis products, especially products high in CBD, may help to treat symptoms of depression, improve sleep, and increase quality of life.”
Psychology website reporters PsyPost spoke with the lead researcher on that study who told them that “Traditional antidepressants may effectively treat these disorders in a lot of people, but they do not work for everyone and can have unpleasant side effects. Medicinal cannabis products, especially products high in CBD, may help to treat symptoms of depression, improve sleep, and increase quality of life.”
Unfortunately, Alabama law doesn’t currently recognize anxiety as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana patients, but depression patients may get an Alabama Marijuana Card.
Medical Marijuana Helps Patients Manage Pain
Medical marijuana also safely and effectively helps patients manage their pain, and it does so for a variety of different conditions.
As Dr. Grinspoon wrote for the Harvard Health Blog, “While marijuana isn't strong enough for severe pain (for example, post-surgical pain or a broken bone), it is quite effective for the chronic pain that plagues millions of Americans, especially as they age.”
Even better, marijuana treats pain more safely than opiates, a far more popular and dangerous option for pain management. Dr. Grinspoon writes that “Part of (medical marijuana’s) allure is that it is clearly safer than opiates (it is impossible to overdose on and far less addictive) and it can take the place of NSAIDs such as Advil or Aleve, if people can't take them due to problems with their kidneys or ulcers or GERD.”
“Patients claim that marijuana allows them to resume their previous activities without feeling completely out of it and disengaged,” Grinspoon added, making it superior to other popular pain treatments in yet another way.
Medical Marijuana Can Help Patients Dealing With Sleep Disorders
Medical marijuana can also treat a variety of sleep disorders effectively and safely. Unfortunately, as with anxiety, the state doesn’t recognize sleep disorders as a qualifying condition to use medical marijuana.
That exclusion of sleep disorders from the qualifying conditions is even more disappointing when one considers how common those issues are. In fact, the CDC reports that about 70 million Americans have chronic sleep issues.
Dr. Michael Breus, a psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders and has been recognized as the best sleep doctor in California, wrote that “cannabis use reduces the time it takes to fall asleep, and lengthens time spent in deep, slow wave sleep.”
So if you have a sleep disorder as well as a qualifying condition that allows you to apply for an Alabama Marijuana Card, you may want to talk to your doctor about getting more of your medicine by using it to treat both conditions. Dr. Breus cautions patients to only use cannabis as a sleeping aid under the guidance of their physicians.
“In addition to increasing the euphoric and mind-altering effects, higher concentrations of THC can make you feel sluggish the next day,” Breus wrote. “Don't be shy about asking a lot of questions, and working with your physician and dispensary to make an informed choice you're comfortable with. Even if you live in a state where cannabis is legal without a prescription, I recommend talking with your doctor, as you would before using any sleep aid or supplement.”
Medical Marijuana Can Help Improve Libido
Yet another condition that medical marijuana may be able to help you with but that the state of Alabama doesn’t recognize as a qualifying condition is a diminished sex drive.
According to Dr. Becky K. Lynn, a sexual medicine and menopause expert, “I've had several patients come to me and say, ‘I have low libido. Can you help me? And, oh, by the way, if I use marijuana, I can orgasm, no problem.’ They also tell me that low libido improves with marijuana.”
Dr. Lynn was also the lead researcher on a peer-reviewed study that found that “Marijuana appears to improve (women’s) satisfaction with orgasm. A better understanding of the role of the endocannabinoid system in women is important, because there is a paucity of literature, and it could help lead to development of treatments for female sexual dysfunction.”
The Most Important Condition Medical Marijuana Can Help Is Yours!
Of course, to any individual the most important condition medical marijuana can treat is the one they have. If you have one of the qualifying conditions, why not find out today if you qualify for an Alabama Marijuana Card?
Reserve an evaluation online today with one of our compassionate cannabis doctors.
We’ll make an appointment for you just as soon as we’re cleared to, and you and your new doctor will discuss your conditions and whether you qualify for an Alabama Marijuana Card. And if you make your reservation online today, you’ll even save $25 off the cost of your evaluation!
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
At Alabama Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at (833) 781-5633, or simply reserve a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Alabama Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information.
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