2024-03-10 08:55:40
Trying to alleviate a chronic lung disease such as asthma with the help of cannabis seems at first glance to be at least an exotic approach when it comes to new medical options. After all, hemp products such as hashish and marijuana are often smoked or vaporized with a vaporizer and inhaled, which is understandably not recommended in pulmonology any more than schnapps is recommended for liver damage by an internal medicine specialist. A new study on cannabis consumption among teenagers and more asthmatic diseases in the same population group sounds like a warning that should be taken into account when it comes to the possible consequences of legalization.
Of course, cannabinoids such as the intoxicating THC are generally not suitable for adolescents, except in some therapeutic areas. But what actually applies to asthma for adults in view of the proven very powerful, anti-inflammatory active ingredients of the hemp plant, which can be easily consumed or drunk without involving the respiratory organs? There are creams and lotions, patches and much more and because cannabis is known to often have a therapeutically helpful interaction with the body’s own processes, nothing stands in the way of careful self-experimentation with appropriate information on the subject.
Study examines lung diseases in young people after cannabis legalization
The “Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health” analyzed the problem and, after comparing data, researchers there suspect that the release of marijuana, which has already been carried out in many places overseas, may be the reason for the increase in asthma. According to the study, more students in grades 9 to 12 are coughing and reaching for the breath spray, which relaxes cramped bronchial tubes, when using cannabis recreationally. The scientists also took tobacco smoking and demographic aspects into account. Alcohol has also not been forgotten and taken into account, which, last but not least, the teenager’s place of residence may have an impact on the respiratory organs.
Anyone who has to live next to the lignite power plant or in a trailer park right on the highway will probably have permanent breathing problems throughout their lives. Because both seem normal, so to speak, and legal cannabis is still very new, hemp is once again under suspicion instead of state failure in social issues. Bad air and obesity already in kindergarten? According to research, this is not an issue and there is no comparison with the changed legal situation for cannabinoids! Girls use joints more often than boys, says the analysis, which also makes a number of comparisons between the individual races, which is known to take up much more space in the USA than here.
Health risks for minors: hunger, hemp and hangovers?
Unemployment and exclusion, no money for fruit and vegetables – disadvantaged groups and their children are statistically more likely to suffer from asthma. This is likely to be similar in Germany as in the United States. However, the study does not explain why poor teenagers, of all people, can spend a lot of money on weed and have their parents hand it to them more without hesitation than their white classmates. What seems more important is the brief remark that hemp users who consume alcohol and cigarettes at the same time have an extra high risk of soon-to-be wheezing, especially since this unhealthy mixed consumption is generally observed more and more frequently during the sensitive period of puberty.
Unfortunately, this problem is only found in half a sentence of the report. Even medical laypeople should easily understand the contribution of addictive substances and chronic coughs, which have always been legal. Hashish and marijuana are taboo for minors, as are alcohol and cigarettes, which are much easier for young people to get than cannabinoids! In “God’s Own Country” drunk kids stagger around with bottles in wrapping paper, while in this country drinking is even sold as a cultural asset. But both in cannabis specialist shops in the USA and at dealers in Germany, it will certainly be more difficult for very young people to get THC than alcohol and tobacco.
Cannabinoids and asthmatic diseases: opportunities, risks and self-experiments
In any case, the authors of the study on weed-smoking high school students are calling for significantly more money for research, more prevention and more public debate on the subject of asthma and cannabis – actually all taken for granted in a modern health system, right? Unfortunately, this type of information only rarely happens in practice and patients, especially in Germany, are likely to only hear potentially negative effects described by their doctor when they ask about hemp for respiratory problems. However, truly informed doctors can access a number of exciting studies and read about the options available for use in cases of illness using cannabinoids.
Surprisingly, according to a study, about half of asthmatics smoke and vape hashish and marijuana and report positive experiences. It is conceivable for adults to try it themselves if the asthma spray is available in case of an emergency. Even if many of those affected do not describe any of the typical whistling noises when breathing when inhaling and coughing is not always mentioned, joints, bongs or vaporizers remain a real risk. Although vaporizers are considered therapeutically very efficient and are often used in studies, it is about the lungs and alveoli and it is advisable to try other methods of consuming cannabis.
Hemp products for eating and drinking, CBD oil and high-quality tinctures full of cannabinoids are suitable for asthma, as are ointments and creams for absorbing the contents through the skin. Sometimes, according to science, cannabis can even help as much as a bronchodilator! THC and other active ingredients inhibit inflammation and help the body with many processes by stimulating them, but of course free lungs are not guaranteed with such natural preparations.
A possible allergic reaction to the grass should also be taken into account, as asthma is often accompanied by an excessive immune system. Allergies to certain types of hemp are conceivable. Naturally, special caution applies during pollen season. Even if the doctor’s office is not yet aware of the latest research on cannabis, a discussion is necessary before any kind of self-experimentation. Interactions between THC and conventional medicine should be discussed, forms of intake and the individual effects of the cannabinoids in hemp.
#research #cannabis #asthma