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How do you like the idea of smoking medical cannabis for asthma symptoms treatment? Since smoking is the most popular way of using cannabis for recreational purposes, it may seem unlikely to treat respiratory problems in this way. Any therapist will agree that smoking tobacco is a bad idea for people with asthma, but there is evidence that cannabis can have a beneficial effect on people with asthma or other respiratory diseases.
What Is Asthma?
Asthma is a lung disease in which a patient’s airways shrink and swell during an attack, resulting in a lack of breath, and cough. If not treated, attacks can be fatal. Asthma is common in children and there is no cure for the disease, although medical treatment may minimize negative complications. Many patients experience limited symptoms, but in the US, more than 3,000 people die each year from asthma-related causes. Coping with the disease is complicated by sudden attacks – they can be triggered by daily activities such as exercise – and the fact that they are increasingly associated with allergies.
The Effect of Cannabis
Even within the medical community, there has long been a debate about whether cannabis is beneficial for asthma sufferers when smoking Delta 8 joints. Asthma is considered an inflammatory disease and hemp is a well-known anti-inflammatory substance, so could the benefits outweigh the risks of smoking? Research has shown THC’s ability to widen the airways and suppress coughs as symptoms make the intake of hemp really helpful for some sufferers. It turns out that cannabis does the opposite of tobacco smoke in the sense that it expands rather than narrows the bronchial passages.
Threats or Benefits?
While there is almost a consensus that THC widens the airways, this info usually comes with a warning that smoking can have negative consequences, leading to throat irritation and tissue inflammation. Moreover, this may cause a lung function deterioration – the worst thing asthma sufferers have to worry about. But the conclusions are uncertain; one huge 20-year research found that moderate cannabis smoking improves lung function without consequences seen in smokers.
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Many therapists were surprised to find out that their patients feel almost instant relief from asthma attacks after smoking hemp. MaryJane could be as helpful as the most widely prescribed inhalers but without the complications of corticosteroids, such as high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression among other serious side effects. So what should an asthma sufferer choose – cannabis or steroid treatment?
The most common pharmaceutical treatment for asthma attacks is the use of corticosteroids delivered through inhalers that vaporize the drug. Cannabis vaporizers are improving in quality and popularity. When THC is delivered through a vaporizer, it still has an almost immediate broncho-dilating effect.
Conclusion
THC and CBD are increasingly showing their effects as anti-inflammatory medicines. Hopefully, the rise in acceptance and use of medical cannabis will lead to more in-depth research on how it can help asthma patients breathe easier.