Cannabis offers several benefits for health including its ability to offer pain relief. Researchers from the University of New Mexico used a mobile app to look at the effectiveness of cannabis medications. Rather than selecting a product and then studying how it works, the team used an app to determine the effects of common pain medications.
They used the largest database which recorded the use of commercially available cannabis products in the US for this. Their evidence showed that cannabis can greatly reduce pain. So much so that it can bring about a three-point reduction on a pain scale of 0 to 10 points. The results induced by cannabis were also found to be immediate.
Real-Time Recording Using the Releaf App
For the purpose of this study, scientists used the Releaf app which educates people on cannabis. Using this software helped overcome the limitations of clinical trials when it comes to finding the herb’s real-time effects. Often for their government-funded studies, researchers employ cannabis which is of the poorest quality. Moreover, there are also restrictions imposed by federal regulations.
According to what the general population reported, cannabis flowers or buds had the most significant analgesic responses. Cannabis with high markers of tetrahydrocannabinol provided the greatest level of pain relief. Comparatively, cannabidiol had a less strong association with pain relief. The study showed that 95% of cannabis use sessions went successful across different types of pain.
What This Means for Health And Wellness
Published in the Complementary Therapies in Medicine journal, this study suggests how cannabis products can be an excellent replacement for opioids. Now that more and more reports of the deadly side effects of opioid drugs are pouring in, the need for an alternative is long due.
Doctors start with prescribing opioids to patients who then continue using no-prescription heroin and opioid drugs. In comparison, cannabis products are better at eliminating pain and that too, with minimal negative side effects.
Researchers Say Cannabis Is Better
The scientists involved in this study said that cannabis is relatively safe as well as effective for pain relief. Jacob Miguel Vigil, one of the lead researchers of the study said, “I’ve seen numerous chronic pain patients substitute away from opioid use, among many other classes of medications, in favor of medical cannabis.”
Vigil said that high THC content in cannabis also elevates mood and distracts patients from the sensations that point to pain. Researchers also warned users about the risks associated with cannabis. They further added that compared to opioid use, the adverse side effects are minimal.
Vigil said, “When compared to the negative health risks associated with opioid use, which currently takes the lives of over 115 Americans a day, cannabis may be an obvious value to patients.” He continued that cannabis could also potentially reverse the effects of chronic opioid use such as social isolation, low immunity, and a slashed down lifespan.
