At some point in our adult lives, everyone turns to an over-the-counter remedy for an illness at home. Can’t sleep? Take a pill. Feeling queasy? Pop a Tums. For many common ailments, however, marijuana can be a natural alternative.
Instead of suffering through it and waiting for the illness to pass, try asking your doctor about how medical marijuana could help with these all-too-common illnesses.
Insomnia
Here’s a no-brainer: Some types of weed can make you zonk out. It’s better for your sleep cycle and overall health than drinking a couple of glasses of wine to quiet your mind, too.
Migraine Headaches
Consuming marijuana has been proven to help migraine sufferers in some studies. Inhaling it in smoke or vape-form was better for patients than edibles, since it took less time to kick in and had fewer psychoactive effects.
Related: Here Are 10 Types Of Marijuana That Can Relieve Your Migraine
Nausea
A recent study showed the benefits of marijuana for a variety of illnesses, including nausea:
Although the report does not paint the cannabis plant to be all-healing substance that it is often touted, there does seem to be enough evidence floating around out there labeling marijuana an effective treatment for pain, nausea associated with chemotherapy, muscle spasms and insomnia.
Menstrual Cramps
Period pain sucks, but you don’t have to down a handful of Advil to battle it. Women are using marijuana tampons, as well as old-fashioned smoking and edibles, to combat cramps:
Although studies have not conclusively discovered how cannabis works to combat dysmenorrhea, researchers suggest that THC positively affects the nerves and assists in blocking out pain while also allowing for more pleasant signals to be received by the brain. CBD works in the immune system by suppressing the mechanisms responsible for inflammation. CBD also slows down electrical signaling to muscles and allows them to relax, thereby reducing cramping.
Related: Can’t Afford $50 Marijuana Tampons? Here’s How To Make Your Own
Depression
Research shows that CBD can affect the receptors in the brain that, when activated, reduced the symptoms of depression in the mice:
Researchers determined that, “activation of cannabinoid receptors (type 1 and 2) could mitigate depression-like behavior induced by SIS in a mouse model.” While mice outcomes do not always infer the same truth for humans, the fact that we share the large majority of active DNA with them is not lost on scientists and investors. Considering that several popular anti-depressant medicines have serious side effects including suicidal thoughts, possible application of cannabis could be very promising.
