Smoking Marijuana Lowers Inflammation

[Shandar]

Smoking marijuana lowers inflammation in the body. Researchers found lower levels of the inflammatory marker CRP in people smoking marijuana in the last 30 days.

Marijuana is creating the most headlines in the research community at the moment. Every week a new press release warns about the harmful effects of smoking marijuana in anything from findings based in quality research to anecdotal claims about adverse health effects. All the while a wave of legalization sweeps the globe making the drug more available to the public. Now new research finds that smoking marijuana means you have lower levels of inflammation overall.

Blunted Immune system: Smoking Marijuana Lowers Inflammation

The results of the analysis is found in the journal Drug and Alcohol dependence.

The study included over 9,000 people asking about their marijuana use and measuring the inflammation levels in their body's by analyzing a marker called C-reactive protein (CRP). Of the 9,000 people participating about 40% had never smoked marijuana while 48% reported smoking it at least once in their life. 12% (1,115) of participants said they smoked marijuana regularly, meaning at least once in the past 30 days.

Researchers found that when they analyzed the levels of CRP, in a simple blood test, they found that people reported using the drug in the last month also had lower levels of the inflammation marker.

This find isn't as established as you may think. Even though marijuana have been suggested as a drug possibly useful in treating chronic inflammation earlier studies have found that CRP levels might not be lower in pot smokers than in people never using the drugs. Earlier studies have included younger people, which might explain why the results varies as much as they do compared to this one.

In theory, smoking marijuana lowers inflammation, shouldn't be a controversial find. The mechanism is already established: Previous studies have found that activating the cannabinoid-2 receptor causes anti-inflammatory effects. This is also why lead researcher Alshaarawy think they saw lower CRP levels in regular cannabis users.

Since CRP levels are linked to an increased risk of heart disease it's kind of funny that marijuana also have been linked to increased heart problems. A study I don't put much stock in, although cannabis was found in the patients, other risk factors probably contributed to heart disease to a greater degree.

News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: GiefScience
Author: Brett Levin
Contact: Contact us Giefscience.com
Website: Smoking Marijuana Lowers Inflammation Giefscience.com

 

[Radogast]

While .. " Every week a new press release warns about the harmful effects of smoking marijuana"... there is never a link to scientific studies to back up those claims. As far as I can tell, those claims of danger are just wishful thinking.

 

[Slowpuffer]

I'm 72 now and if I die at 100, everyone will say that dam pot finally killed him. I've been smoking pot on a fairly regular basic for the last 55 yrs. and my lungs are clear as can be. I will say that smoking is a very unhealthy way to consume anything. As they say,' oh well," !!

 

[Radogast]

I'm 72 now and if I die at 100, everyone will say that dam pot finally killed him. I've been smoking pot on a fairly regular basic for the last 55 yrs. and my lungs are clear as can be. I will say that smoking is a very unhealthy way to consume anything. As they say,' oh well," !!

In my opinion, there is a big difference between inhaling the smoke of an antioxidant plant that carries THC and CBDs that fight cancer into your body,
and inhaling the smoke of a plant that carries a nicotine biocide and known carcinogens into your body.

 

[cleanslate]

Smoked cannabis is not the best way to get your phytocannabinoids -- many of them are lost through combustion -- but even in that form it is a far safer and more effective medicine than any FDA approved pharmaceutical you may stack up against it. Tashkin demonstrated--inadvertently, trying to find harm under his NIDA mandate-- at least twice, that smoked cannabis does not cause harm but is in fact protective against lung cancer.

The best ways to get the full benefit of cannabis as medicine in ascending order are: vaporizing, ingesting, trans-dermal patches and best of all suppositories for really heavy duty healing of terminal diseases. Using those methods of intake allows the cannabinoids, terpenes and the other 932 know compounds in cannabis to be more completely bio-available to the body.

If cannabis were as freely grown and available as lettuce or tomatoes we would have cheap affordable cannabis available as a outstanding food source and nutritional supplement that can be used routinely in everyday recipes. Eaten raw you don't have to experience the psychoactive effects. However, I would not recommend completely avoiding those psychoactive gifts from the healing herb, because that effect is a nutrient for the mind/spirit/soul that we need more than ever in this increasingly soulless and mad world.

 

[Radogast]

Smoked cannabis is not the best way to get your phytocannabinoids -- many of them are lost through combustion -- but even in that form it is a far safer and more effective medicine than any FDA approved pharmaceutical you may stack up against it. Tashkin demonstrated--inadvertently, trying to find harm under his NIDA mandate-- at least twice, that smoked cannabis does not cause harm but is in fact protective against lung cancer.

The best ways to get the full benefit of cannabis as medicine in ascending order are: vaporizing, ingesting, trans-dermal patches and best of all suppositories for really heavy duty healing of terminal diseases. Using those methods of intake allows the cannabinoids, terpenes and the other 932 know compounds in cannabis to be more completely bio-available to the body.

If cannabis were as freely grown and available as lettuce or tomatoes we would have cheap affordable cannabis available as a outstanding food source and nutritional supplement that can be used routinely in everyday recipes. Eaten raw you don't have to experience the psychoactive effects. However, I would not recommend completely avoiding those psychoactive gifts from the healing herb, because that effect is a nutrient for the mind/spirit/soul that we need more than ever in this increasingly soulless and mad world.

Well said. I am curious about the transdermal patch.
I had read that Mary's Medicinals is doing the patch and gel pens.
I don't know enough about the "carrier" mechanism of a transdermal application to feel comfortable with the purity of the delivery system.
I'm a little leery of pharmaceutical approaches to cannabis.

 

[J9BLACK]

I suffer from a form of arthritis, and have had this disease for most of my life. When it became legal, I decided to try cannabis as medicine and was thrilled to discover that arthritis was a qualifying conidtion. If it weren't the chronic pain that I suffer would be. Even now, I alternate between acetaminophen and naproxen to deal with pain that gets progressively worse near the end of each treatment cycle of the DMARD Remicade--which is coupled with an old anti-leukemia drug called methotrexate.

That cannabis relieves inflammation is of course directly relevant to my condition. Not only has cannabis relieved some inflammation, but it has relieved me of the following maladies:

alcohol abuse
obesity (I lost 60 lbs or about 25% of my body mass)
prescription drug use for anxiety/stress
myopia (for not seeing the world clearly)
overconsumption (of most resources)
ignorance (for not thinking and moving on social justice)

To cleanslate's point about cannabis as a nutrient...Cannabis has done more than to reduce some suffering, it has saved me physically, ideologically, and spiritually. With cannabis, I better understand the Lord.

 

[DerfMass]

I have been making body butter with infused coconut oil. Get healthy not high.

 

[cleanslate]

Well said. I am curious about the transdermal patch.
I had read that Mary's Medicinals is doing the patch and gel pens.
I don't know enough about the "carrier" mechanism of a transdermal application to feel comfortable with the purity of the delivery system.
I'm a little leery of pharmaceutical approaches to cannabis.

I agree with you in principal that cannabis should be consumed in the most unadulterated form possible. Apparently pharmaceutical grade patches (i.e. nicotine patches) have permeation enhancers and preservatives. Mary Medicinals doesn't seem to specify the formulation of their cannabis patches, possibly for proprietary reasons, but the basic concept sounds promising. It would be a great way for slow, continuous release of cannabinoids into the body for chronic pain and other conditions.

 

[cleanslate]

I suffer from a form of arthritis, and have had this disease for most of my life. When it became legal, I decided to try cannabis as medicine and was thrilled to discover that arthritis was a qualifying conidtion. If it weren't the chronic pain that I suffer would be. Even now, I alternate between acetaminophen and naproxen to deal with pain that gets progressively worse near the end of each treatment cycle of the DMARD Remicade--which is coupled with an old anti-leukemia drug called methotrexate.

That cannabis relieves inflammation is of course directly relevant to my condition. Not only has cannabis relieved some inflammation, but it has relieved me of the following maladies:

alcohol abuse
obesity (I lost 60 lbs or about 25% of my body mass)
prescription drug use for anxiety/stress
myopia (for not seeing the world clearly)
overconsumption (of most resources)
ignorance (for not thinking and moving on social justice)

To cleanslate's point about cannabis as a nutrient...Cannabis has done more than to reduce some suffering, it has saved me physically, ideologically, and spiritually. With cannabis, I better understand the Lord.

It is always uplifting to here someone's testimonial of the benefits they have received from the healing herb. There are no drugs, or even other botanicals, with that kind of broad spectrum medicinal/health benefits on the planet. If there is it is being kept secret. But the truth about cannabis is being revealed in spite of government/corporate slander and propaganda against the plant. The powers fear this plant like no other.
It is the "herb of life."