Marijuana has been used for centuries to treat various conditions that are untreatable otherwise. HIV wasting syndrome is one such disease which medical marijuana has proven efficacy in treating.
Medical marijuana can reduce the pain, nausea, depression, and weight loss associated with this condition. It’s also predicted that regular use of medical marijuana can help alleviate the progression of this disease in the long-term.
A lot of these theories are based on solid medical studies. And while more research is required, here’s what you need to know about how marijuana can help with HIV wasting syndrome.
Early Use of Marijuana
In the late 20th century, HIV was a primary cause of high mortality rate due to illness-induced deaths. HIV drugs were not only more likely to fail in their first generation of trials, but also risked the wellbeing of patients because of debilitating side effects.
The disease also had a domino effect, leading to other conditions like Kaposi’s sarcoma—a form of skin cancer, HIV wasting syndrome, and AIDS-induced dementia. HIV wasting—the progressive loss of weight among patients—was one of the main reasons why medical marijuana became recognized as a prominent medicinal cure for serious ailments.
However, since laws at the time disallowed consumption of marijuana, it couldn’t be used in clinical settings.
Evidence for The Benefits of Marijuana
Scientific investigation has largely had to succumb to legal pressures that prohibit experimentation with marijuana. However, a drug by the name of Marinol (dronabinol) has been known to contain a synthetic variation of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is why studies using Marinol can be used to examine the effect of THC on this condition.
HIV Wasting Syndrome
Research reports from both short-term and longitudinal studies have shown that Marinol can significantly stabilize weight loss and also boost appetite. In a lot of cases, it led to an almost one-percent increase in lean muscle mass.
HIV-Associated Nerve Pain
Peripheral neuropathy is a major painful condition associated with HIV, which was mostly found to be correlated to first generation HIV drugs. These harsh drugs were capable of uncovering nerve cells and exposing nerve ends, causing severe discomfort to the patient. The severity can reach a point that even a feather-light object may inflict unbearable distress on the body.
Research has supported the analgesic effects of marijuana which have proved successful in treating this condition. One such finding was discovered in General Clinical Research Clinic in San Francisco which revealed that smoked marijuana improved pain by 34% which was twice better than the placebo group.
If you’re looking for reliable New York medical cannabis cards issued by state-licensed New York marijuana doctors, contact us. We deal with a range of disease including HIV/AIDS and our doctors may just have the right solution for you.