Are you also experimenting with pure medical cannabis (the buds of the cannabis plant), edibles, oils, or tinctures to control your pain? In other words: manufacture your own unique medicinal cannabis cocktail! A recent study suggests that a combination often works better than any edibles on its own.
Combination inhalation and non-inhalation of weed works best
Researchers at the University of Michigan recently published a study that aims to advise doctors on prescribing medical cannabis to patients for pain management. The conclusion was unequivocal. After analyzing data from 1,087 patients, they found that a combination of inhalation and non-inhalation "delivery routes" gave patients the highest satisfaction with their results. By 'route of administration', we obviously mean how people consumed their cannabis. "While all participants reported similar reduced pain, participants who used non-inhalation and inhalation delivery routes reported greater improvements in health than the non-inhalation and inhalation subgroups," the researchers write in the study, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Guidance of doctors
How to treat pain with cannabis is, of course, an incredibly important topic. After all, pain management is one of the main reasons why people turn to medicinal cannabis. In the United States, medical cannabis is now more readily available than ever. People in 38 states can legally use cannabis for specific medical conditions. In some states, those conditions include the treatment of chronic pain. Unfortunately, it is not (yet) that far here, but it is certainly interesting to see from which developments on the other side of the big pond we can learn lessons. In conducting this particular study, the team at the University of Michigan Medical School sought to mentor physicians and other clinicians. They helped them advise patients on the use of medicinal cannabis and on prescribing prescriptions.
Many types of medicinal cannabis
Medical cannabis comes in many shapes and sizes, including buds, edibles, concentrates, lotions, creams, and tinctures. In addition to the different methods of administration, they also differ in their interaction with our body chemistry. For example, smoked or vaporized buds cause effects within five to ten minutes, while people may not feel the impact of tinctures, edibles, and topicals until 15 minutes or even hours later. The researchers noted that the difference in the effect of these cannabis edibles has not been well studied in the context of pain treatment. They contacted 1,087 adults in the United States and Canada who self-administered medical cannabis to manage chronic pain. The patients all agreed to complete a survey from January 2018 to August 2018. Each of them reported his or her habits regarding taking cannabis. In addition, they expressed their level of satisfaction with how the cannabis affected their pain. The mean age of the patient was 49.6 years. More than 60% were women.
Patients reported a reduction in pain
All participants in the study reported a reduction in pain, regardless of what cannabis edibles they used or their habits when using it, such as morning versus evening. However, those who followed a schedule of smoking/vaporizing cannabis combination and edibles that do not require inhalation reported "significantly greater improvements in health and more frequent replacements of medical cannabis for other painkillers," the study shows. The study also provided insight into how people use medical cannabis. For example, they reported that 45% followed a non-inhalation plus inhalation routine, while 36.2% used inhalation only and 18.8% only non-inhalation. The study also found that women and elderly patients tended to use cannabis edibles that do not require smoking or vaping. The new study provides an important step in determining how patients use medical cannabis, as well as the impact of different combinations of edibles on chronic pain. The idea, of course, is that the more experts learn in this field, the more efficient the treatment of patients will be.
Which consumption methods can you choose from?
As described above, you can choose to smoke or vape medical marijuana. Vaporizing or evaporating is preferred because there is no combustion involved. If it is pain that can be treated externally, you could combine vaping with edibles such as cannabis cream. With this, you immediately treat the painful spot. You could also opt for a combination of smoking or vaping with edibles. Make sure that your space cake or other treats do not contain bulk sugar. Cannabis edibles, often a combination of CBD and THC, can also offer relief. Whichever method you choose, the motto with medical cannabis is: to measure is to know. So try which combination works best for you and get started with this.
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