Medical Cannabis and Diabetes

One of the earliest significant studies to be written [1 ] claimed that cannabis might help diabetic PWDs in the following ways:

• lowering blood sugar (A huge amount of anecdotal data accumulating among diabetics confirms this.)
• activity that has anti-inflammatory properties that might help reduce some of the arterial inflammation linked to diabetes
• By triggering receptors in the body and brain, "neuroprotective" actions help prevent nerve inflammation and lessen neuropathy pain.
• "Antispasmodic agents" work as a "vasodilator" to keep blood vessels open and reduce muscular cramps and GI problem discomfort.
• For diabetics, open and improved circulation helps to gradually reduce blood pressure.
• Butter and oil substituted with cannabis "benefits heart and arterial health generally"
• Additionally, it may be utilised to create topical lotions that reduce tingling and neuropathic discomfort in the hands and feet.
• aids in calming restless leg syndrome (RLS) in diabetes patients so they can sleep better: Patients are advised to use a vaporiser or consume cannabis to help them fall asleep.

All of this is still supported by evidence, which has actually been confirmed and expanded upon over the previous ten years.

Diabetes and Cannabis Research

While there is mixed data about marijuana's ability to reduce the chance of getting type 2 diabetes, research indicates that it has real benefits for those who have already been diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2, particularly those who have problems.

According to a significant 2013 research that appeared in the American Journal of Medicine :

• cannabis components may help regulate blood sugar.
• Despite appearing to consume more calories, marijuana users are less likely to be obese and have lower body mass index (BMI) readings.
• Additionally, marijuana users showed greater levels of slimmer waistlines, and lower cholesterol

“The most important finding is that current users of marijuana appeared to have better carbohydrate metabolism than non-users. Their fasting insulin levels were lower, and they appeared to be less resistant to the insulin produced by their body to maintain a normal blood-sugar level,” According to Murray Mittleman, the study's principal investigator and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, TIME.

In addition, it was found that past and present marijuana use was linked to lower levels of fasting insulin, blood glucose, insulin resistance, BMI, and waist circumference in thousands of subjects in a 2014 summary of the promising epidemiological evidence on marijuana in the management of diabetes published in the Natural Medicine Journal [3 ].

And in 2015, Israeli researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem published a study demonstrating how cannabidiol (CBD), a substance present in cannabis, has anti-inflammatory qualities that may be used to treat a variety of ailments, including type 2 diabetes [3 ].

There is also strong scientific support for the idea that cannabis can help treat diabetes-related complications, such as eye disease. For instance, cannabis significantly lowers intraocular pressure (the fluid pressure inside the eye) in people with glaucoma [5 ], which is brought on by diseases that severely restrict blood flow to the eye, such as diabetic retinopathy [6 ].

Very potent stuff!

Why Medical Cannabis?

Why is marijuana being discussed so much as a medication while most illegal narcotics are considered bad for you?

The endogenous cannabinoid system, which was discovered and is known for being probably the most essential physiologic system involved in establishing and sustaining human health," appears to be the key.

The body has endocannabinoids and their receptors in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells, among other places. The cannabinoid system functions differently in each tissue, but homeostasis—the maintenance of a constant internal milieu despite changes in the external environment—is always the end aim. At every level of biological life—from the subcellular to the organism, and maybe even to the community and beyond—cannabinoids support equilibrium [7 ].

How Can Cannabis Help Diabetes?

Let's imagine you were a marijuana user or were considering trying it. What impact would it have on your diabetes?

Many PWDs claim that over time, frequent usage leads to decrease blood sugar levels and A1c readings. The available research demonstrates that marijuana can reduce insulin resistance, which is beneficial for those with type 2 diabetes but usually not for those with type 1. They have nothing to go on other than anecdotal evidence.

However, as was already said, a substantial body of research demonstrates that marijuana is useful in treating a variety of conditions, including eye diseases, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and a number of other conditions frequently linked to diabetes. Therefore, if you have one or more problems from diabetes, marijuana may very possibly help you feel better or stop the deterioration of your condition.

Marijuana has a significant role to play in the field of mental health since it has been proven to be successful in treating conditions ranging from severe depression to post-traumatic stress disorder. Why is that so? The results of a study released in February 2015 [8 ], which demonstrated that marijuana use in animals helped restore brain levels of endocannabinoids, which influence emotion and behavior and have been associated with lowered levels of pain and anxiety and raised levels of well-being, may provide one explanation.

Of course, some people with depression won't respond well to marijuana because it can also make some people feel more anxious and paranoid.

Hypoglycemia is most likely the main danger associated with marijuana use and diabetes; there are many worries that PWDs' glucose levels would fall and go unrecognized until they reach deadly levels.

In other words, marijuana *could* make you feel better, more relaxed, and pain-free while also lowering blood sugar levels, but you also need to use caution.

The Medical Establishment appears to be in agreement merely that additional investigation is required in this case .

References

[1] Part IV - Treatment with Cannabis

[2] The Next Diabetes Drug?

[3] Marijuana in the Management of Diabetes

[4] CBD compound in cannabis could treat diabetes, researchers suggest

[5] Glaucoma and Diabetes

[6] Diabetic Retinopathy

[7] Harm reduction-the cannabis paradox

[8] New Study Finds Marijuana To Be Effective Against Depression

[9] Smoking cannabis could reduce the risk of diabetes by controlling blood sugar