Medical Marijuana For HIV/AIDS In New York
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in human beings. HIV attacks the body cells that help us fight infections, thus compromising our immune system. If left untreated, HIV kills the CD4 or T cells in our body making us prone to many diseases.
Without proper treatment, an HIV-positive person is most likely to develop AIDS. It is a serious condition and should be treated as promptly as possible. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, read on to know more about the disease and how medical marijuana can help you with the symptoms, and how you can get a medical marijuana card in New York.
HIV treatment and its negative side effects
Once diagnosed with HIV/AIDS your doctor is likely to prescribe you antiretroviral therapy. But this therapy can have potential side effects. Some common side effects of antiretroviral therapy are severe nerve-ending pain, trouble sleeping or insomnia, nausea and vomiting, depression, anxiety, and mood changes. Medical cannabis is effective in reducing and managing these symptoms in patients.
There are also HIV medicines that are effective in treating the disease. The common types of HIV drugs are Protease inhibitors, RT inhibitors, Integrase inhibitors, Fusion inhibitors, and multidrug combinations.
These conventional drugs are pretty effective in treating HIV/AIDS but they usually have significant side effects. The most common side effects of HIV medicines are nausea, which then aggravates the HIV/AIDS-associated weight loss and loss of appetite. Eventually, nausea, loss of appetite, and weight loss can lead to wasting syndrome or Cachexia in patients. AIDS wasting syndrome is one of the main causes of death in HIV/AIDS patients.
The Effectiveness Of Medical Cannabis Treatment
Antiretroviral therapy is seen to cause severe pain and discomfort in a significant percentage of HIV-AIDS patients. Many patients also experience side effects such as weight and appetite loss, vomiting, and nausea. In cases when these problems become extreme, the patients may stop their treatment altogether.
The Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes presented information about how the use of marijuana alongside conventional HIV/AIDS treatment increases the likelihood of patients continuing their treatment.
Cannabis can be effective in eliminating nausea, appetite loss, and vomiting associated with HIV/AIDS treatment. This in turn allows you to stop losing weight while getting enough essential nutrients thus ensuring that your chances of getting affected by Cachexia become lower. Cannabis also helps in alleviating the neuropathic pain associated with drug therapy. Columbia University’s 2007 clinical trial data reported that HIV/AIDS patients who inhaled marijuana four times daily experienced substantial benefits in terms of food intake without any discomfort or cognitive hampering.
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego reported in 2008 that cannabis led to a significant reduction in the intensity of neuropathic pain in HIV/AIDS patients. There was also a noticeable improvement of mood disturbances in patients. Their physical health and quality of life also improved substantially during the study treatment. The findings suggested that cannabinoid therapy was an effective option for pain relief in patients with medically intractable pain due to HIV/AIDS.
According to recent research information, using marijuana helps inhibit the inflammation of the brain that is associated with HIV/AIDS. Cannabis stops the virus from attaching to the cells and thus works as an anti-inflammatory agent. Proof has also been found about how marijuana can slow down the virus replicating within the body.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) claimed that in AIDS patients who suffer from severe pain, nausea, and appetite loss, cannabinoid drugs can offer broad-spectrum relief not found in any other single medication.
If all these studies are to be taken into consideration, it can be said that medical cannabis is a positive and effective addition to HIV/AIDS treatment options.
HIV/AIDS Symptoms That Can Be Treated With Medical Marijuana
Cannabis has a positive connection to HIV/AIDS as can be understood from the aforementioned studies. Marijuana is effective in the treatment of many of the usual HIV/AIDS symptoms and many of the side effects of antiretroviral therapy as well. Medical Marijuana is effective in treating some of the major HIV/AIDS symptoms, one of which is Peripheral Neuropathy. This refers to a common pain that is experienced by patients with HIV/AIDS. Peripheral Neuropathy occurs when there is serious damage caused to the nerves outside the spinal cord and brain.
The nerve damage can hamper coordination, cause pain, and muscle loss. Many patients even experience a burning and pricking sensation, usually in their arms and legs, called paraesthesia. Studies have shown that medical marijuana has been effective in improving the symptoms in patients who suffer from peripheral neuropathy. A significant number of the study patients reported that their nerve pain was improved by the use of medical cannabis. Medical cannabis is particularly effective in thwarting nausea and consequently improving appetite. Patients need to maintain proper nutritional intake to fight the disease. Nausea can be a major cause of patients not being able to consume food properly. Marijuana helps in improving nausea and also stimulates appetite making it an effective option in HIV/AIDS treatment.
HIV/AIDS can be an extremely painful experience for many patients. The disease often causes severe pain which is not helped by the use of traditional medicines. A 2005 survey showed that medical marijuana helped in mitigating this pain with almost 94 percent of the 140 respondents saying that medical marijuana provided relief from their muscle pain. Medical marijuana is effective in improving mood and helping with illness-related depression and anxiety. Surveys have shown how cannabis can be effective in elevating mood and helping patients with their mental well-being.
How To Choose A Cannabis Strain For Hiv/aids?
Medical marijuana has numerous strains that can be effective in providing relief to HIV/AIDS patients. But all strains do not work similarly for everyone. To understand what suits you, it is advisable to discuss the same with your medical marijuana practitioner. You can also visit the dispensary of your choice and talk to an experienced budtender. Some of the common strains used for managing HIV/AIDS symptoms are Blue Diamond (useful in treating pain and depression), Critical Sensi Star (useful for nausea, sickness, and pain), Big Wreck (helps with troubled sleep), and Diamond OG (useful in pain and stress). There are many other strains that you can explore. Be ready to try out quite a few strains before you find the right one for yourself. Seek professional help as it will help you choose better and also understand more about the dosage of any particular strain.
How to use medical marijuana?
There are many ways to use medical cannabis. It can be smoked, inhaled via vaporization, consumed orally, and even applied topically for muscle pains. The way you choose to use medical marijuana depends on your particular need. If you are looking for the immediate effect you can smoke or inhale your marijuana dosage. On the other hand, if you want delayed effects then oral consumption is the best option for you. If you are new to using cannabis, you can try smoking or vaporizing it as you will be able to understand the effects better. This can be useful if you are still experimenting with different strains and dosages. Once you settle into the process, you can try consuming marijuana through edibles.
Getting your Medical Marijuana Card in New York
You can get your medical marijuana card in New York without leaving the comfort of your home! With our group of expert doctors, we will give you a customized treatment plan in no time. You will not have to physically visit our clinic. Just fill in an application form and you will be able to connect with certified doctors in an easy and hassle-free manner.
Serving you is our priority and we will give you the certification within 24 hours of filling up the application. Don’t worry, our 100% money-back guarantee will make sure you lose no money in case you do not qualify for a medical marijuana card.
Having a medical marijuana card in NY is extremely beneficial as it allows you legal access to marijuana that too from state-authorized dispensaries. This way you will have to spend less and get a better-quality product.