Many therapeutic centers use medical marijuana to help patients with numerous health conditions. Frequently, they employ it as a safer alternative to antacids in treating symptoms associated with acid reflux.
For many of us, eating remains one of the most pleasant things we like to do. Obviously, we cannot live without food, but spending time with friends and love ones, dining together is one of the most regular social activities. Nothing is more annoying if you suffer from acid reflux. It could be something you drink or eat that causes this problematic situation and causes frustration. Frequently, people use medications for relief. However, long-term use of antacids can be harmful to health. The good news is that the cannabis plant can come to the rescue as well. Marijuana in medicine is a safer alternative to antacids, which can treat symptoms associated with acid reflux. Cannabis's unique properties can improve acid reflux and relieve pain.
Why do we have acid reflux?
Acid reflux is when stomach contents travel up the esophagus. Another name for this is gastroesophageal reflux disease or acid regurgitation. If acid reflux happens more than twice a week, it is inspected as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). If left untreated, it can cause dangerous complications, causing an unpleasant burning sensation in the chest that sometimes runs down the throat. This feeling is generally known as heartburn. When the person suffers from acid reflux, there is a constant bitter or sour taste at the throat's back. Occasionally, food or liquid may also flow back from the stomach into the mouth. In critical cases, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) can cause difficulty swallowing. It can also lead to breathing problems such as asthma or chronic cough. Some people are born with a hiatal hernia - when harmful digestive acids enter the esophagus and cause gastric reflux. Other risk factors also play a role. Such as:
- Eating a large meal and lie down on your back or bend over
- Snacking just before going to bed
- Obesity or overweight
- Smoking
- Eating foods like chocolates, mint, coffee, tomatoes, onions, spicy foods, garlic, and fatty foods
- Carbonated drinks, tea, coffee, or alcohol
- Taking specific medications, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, blood pressure medications, or certain muscle relaxants.
When you experience acid reflux, you may have the following symptoms:
- Belching and persistent hiccups
- Sour or bitter taste in the mouth
- Flatulence or nausea
- Bloody or black stools
- Dysphagia - a feeling of food that is stuck in the throat
- Dry cough, wheezing, hoarseness, or persistent sore throat.
Can Marijuana Cure Acid Reflux?
You may ask - why is medical marijuana a good alternative in treating acid reflux? Cannabis is effective in treating several gastrointestinal disorders. "Good health starts in the gut," as many say, and cannabis provides benefits that can keep a healthy gut by working more as a dietary supplement than a medicine. The cannabinoids (THC Delta 8, THC, CBD, etc.) in marijuana are similar to the endocannabinoid system compounds. The endocannabinoid system regulates numerous biological functions. Part of these systems is the digestive tract. The endocannabinoid system manages several roles in the digestive tract.
This includes:
- Reducing the inflammation associated with acid reflux
- Reduction in gastric acid secretion
- Increasing the pain threshold
- It affects the relaxation of the esophagus.
Our stomach has many CB1 and CB2 receptors, and the digestive system typically attracts the body's endocannabinoids. Cannabinoids like CBD, Delta 8 THC and THC enter the body through these receptors in the gut and send signals to the brain to regulate various systems. It has anti-inflammatory properties. The cannabis plant's properties can improve acid reflux and relieve pain. Long-term treatment with antacids is harmful to the health. Some of the symptoms that cannabis treats for acid reflux include:
- Upper stomach burning or discomfort - chronic acid causes a burning sensation in the chest, upper stomach, and throat. Cannabis is effective in treating these sensations.
- Nausea - patients with acid reflux often also suffer from nausea. Cannabis can relieve nausea.
- Inflammation - direct damage to the esophagus is caused not by acids but somewhat by the secretion of cytokines. It is a type of protein that causes an inflammatory response in the esophagus. It is the inflammation that causes damage.
- Stress and anxiety - medical marijuana can treat other factors that trigger acid reflux, such as anxiety and stress. Marijuana is effective in treating anxiety and stress-related conditions that would eventually reduce acid reflux.
Medical Studies On Cannabis
The pathophysiological basis of the therapeutic effect of medical cannabis has not yet been fully elucidated. Despite all the progress in treating chronic gastrointestinal diseases, for some patients, the treatment does not achieve optimal long-term effectiveness. Consequently, many patients resort to complementary and alternative medicine. The study on the effects of the cannabinoids in the body has been of interest to many experts from numerous medical departments since the beginning of 1980. The discovery of cannabinoid receptors in 1988 and endogenous molecules activating these receptors (in 1992) led to discovering the body's endocannabinoid system. Pharmacological modulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system offers new therapeutic options in treating many diseases and symptoms, including vomiting, nausea, cathexis, Crohn's disease, and some other conditions. Cannabinoids are an attractive therapeutic option because they influence many symptoms with insignificant side effects. Experience in patients with GIT disease shows that the use of cannabis is effective and helps in situations where standard therapy fails.
Marijuana is effective against many disorders and diseases. It is much safer than traditional drugs. Some cannabis smokers experience acid reflux and think it is caused by weed. But the hemp plant itself cannot cause acid reflux problems.