Marijuana as Medicine
It is argued that Greek physician and father of medicine, Hippocrates, said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Within that idea is the contention that naturally occurring substances are highly effective at treating human ailments. Proponents of medical marijuana assert that, as both a substance that occurs in nature and a substance produced by the human body, marijuana is a highly effective medicine.
Marijuana contains THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is full of cannabinoids, compounds that create drug-like reactions in the human body. THC echoes compounds created by our own bodies. These compounds are created within the endocannabinoid system, which is located primarily in the body’s central nervous system but found in the peripheral nervous system, too. Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years. The first record of its use was in China approximately 5,000 years ago. Advocating for its use medicinally is nothing new, but the list of ailments it can help has grown exponentially.
How Can Marijuana Help?
Anyone who lives with a chronic and/or debilitating health condition will tell you unequivocally that their days are spent navigating life through a cloud of “maybes.” Maybe a chronically ill person can:
- Get out of bed that day
- Attend to showering and grooming
- Make a meal
- Work through their pain or brain fog
- Run errands
- Clean or do laundry
Within the scope of the “maybes” lies the challenge of navigating those simple tasks through pain, which, in turn, affects their mental health. Medical marijuana can help relieve pain, inflammation, and many other forms of physical and mental suffering, allowing the user greater functionality and quality of life.
What Conditions Can Be Treated?
Through the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Certification program, one can legally obtain medical marijuana to treat numerous medical conditions. Some conditions that qualify for medical marijuana treatment are:
- AIDS and HIV
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Cancer
- PTSD and post-traumatic pain
- Autoimmune disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Glaucoma
- HIV
- Scoliosis
- ADHD/ADD
- Anxiety and depression
- Hepatitis C
- Crohn’s and other inflammatory bowel diseases
- Insomnia
- ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- Alzheimer’s
- Migraines
- Movement Disorders
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Seizures
- Substance Abuse Disorder
- Tourette’s Syndrome
People with other medical conditions may be eligible for a medical marijuana card in Massachusetts, as well. A primary criterion for determining eligibility is the level of the affliction an individual experiences. A condition must be certified as debilitating and altering the quality of an individual’s life to qualify for medical marijuana.
Eligibility
To be approved for the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Certification program, your condition must be certified by a Massachusetts state-accredited, licensed medical marijuana practitioner. You can make an appointment with our nurse practitioner, who will go through your medical records and history with you to determine your eligibility for a medical marijuana card.
Live the Best Life You Can
Living with less pain and less restriction of function and activities can only be positive. If you are seeking a medicinal option with a lengthy history of efficacy and live in the Worcester, Massachusetts area, please call Canna Card Express so we can help you life the best life you can.
Disclaimer: The information contained here was not written by a medical doctor and is intended for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for medical advice.
