Asthma & Medical Marijuana

 

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory system typified by airflow obstruction and bronchospasm. Symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness.

 

Genetic and environmental factors are thought to play the major role in the cause of Asthma. Diagnosis is usually based on the pattern of symptoms and the response to therapy.

 

"Asthma doesn't seem to bother me any more unless I'm around cigars or dogs. The thing that would bother me most would be a dog smoking a cigar."

-- Steve Allen, Comedian

 

 

Medical Marijuana and Asthma

Marijuana has long been a folk remedy used to ease the symptoms of Asthma. Recently, research is beginning to find out, how and why it works..

 

Researchers have found the Medical Cannabis and its constituents, Cannabinoids appear to unblock airways in a similar fashion to some pharmaceutical drugs, but with different side effects.  An examination of human lung tissue revealed that THC can block muscle contractions by reducing the activity of an overactive signaling molecule (acetylcholine).

 

“It (THC) also succeeded in reversing experimentally induced asthma, in a manner that was comparable to what could be achieved with a standard therapeutic bronchodilator that was widely used at the time.”

-- Dr. Donald Tashkin, UCLA

 

 

Facts and Figures - 2014

• Number of adults with asthma is 18.7 million
• Percent of adults in the US is 8%
• Number of visits to a physician is 14.2 million
• about 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma
• 250,000 die annually from Asthma

-- Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

 

Further Reading

 

THC causes significant dilation (clearance) of lung airways

--  Bronchodilator effect of THC administered by aerosol of asthmatic patients,  Thorax Diseases 1976;31(6):720-723

As seen on https://mmjdoctoronline.com