Can Cannabis Treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
There is a very big difference between people being tired and people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When you are so tired that no matter how much you rest, the tiredness just doesn´t go away, you might have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis). As often happens with medical conditions, the reason for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is not easily understood or explainable. They don´t know if it is caused by a viral infection, a psychological issue, or a combination of things. To make it harder, the symptoms are similar to other diseases and diagnosing it, is not easy and often overlooked. It is more encountered among women in their 40´s and 50´s and therefore hormonal disbalances are not discounted.
It is a Medical Condition
Because it is so hard to diagnose, for the longest time those suffering from the symptoms didn´t get the proper recognition for it. After years of not knowing if it was pure imagination, it was finally medically named Myalgic Encephalopathy or Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease. Seeing that extreme fatigue is a common symptom, it makes it complicated to treat properly. Quality of life is one of the most debilitating aspects the sufferer is dealing with. To complicate things more, there are not many conventional ways to treat this syndrome.
Symptoms not easily detected
Sometimes people don´t understand why, but all of a sudden, they start to feel extremely tired. It could have developed over months and could change daily and vary from week to week. But interestingly enough, it is not such a new condition. Between the 1930s and 1950s, there were reports of people complaining of prolonged fatigue. It was then called nervous exhaustion.
What are the Symptoms?
There is quite a range of symptoms for Chronic Fatigue, but here follow some of the more common ones:
- Severe Physical and Mental fatigue- Even if you rest, it doesn´t go away and is so severe that it interferes with daily activities
- Feeling week – when you are active, you feel worse. When you stop the activity, you don´t feel better, in fact, you feel worse. It takes a very long time to bring some form of relief
- Difficulty with Sleeping patterns – You either have a difficult time to fall asleep or to wake up. Even after you have slept for a long time, you still wake up super tired.
- Pain- You could experience pain in one specific place, or it could be all over your body. It could also move from one place to another.
- Short term memory loss – There could be trouble remembering something or concentrating or even finding the correct word.
- Sensitive – Noise and light sensitivity is very common. Emotions are also fluctuating easily.
- Slow – Everything is slower. Thinking and movement slow down. The person often feels disorientated and confused
- Muscle problems- There are sometimes problems with muscle coordination and muscle weakness.
Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Currently, there are not many ways to treat the disease. Because it is so difficult to understand what the cause is, no general treatment is available. At the moment, the best is to find a way to manage the symptoms. You can either get psychological counseling or physical therapy. For this reason, many are trying to find an alternative method such as yoga, acupuncture or massage.
Why Cannabis is Excellent to Treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
There are many benefits of using cannabis to treat CFS. Many of the above- mentioned symptoms are treatable with cannabis. Both THC and CBD could be used effectively to treat the side-effects of Chronic fatigue. Cannabis can:
Improved Sleep – There are many studies proving that Cannabis can improve deep sleep that helps with relaxation. The person feels more refreshed afterward.
Pain Management- Marijuana is excellent for relieving pain. All kinds of pain are treatable with cannabis. It could be neuropathic or due to an injury. Pain caused by inflammation is also successfully relieved by taking cannabis orally or topically. Cannabis can also treat headaches and joint pains
Depression- Depression is a horrible side-effect of Chronic Fatigue. Many studies have shown cannabis to be a great alternative in treating depression and other likely symptoms. People suffering from chronic fatigue, often have problems with anxiety and emotional distress.
Tiredness and Muscle Weakness – Apart from fatigue caused by the disease, some conventional meds could also cause additional side effects. The trick in using cannabis is obviously to find the correct strain to relief tiredness, as some strains could rather cause deep relaxation. In general, it is better to look for Sativa and Sativa-dominant strains because of their energizing and mentally uplifting effects.
Some Cannabis Strains Great for Chronic Disease
Super Silver Haze- This strain is very known for its energy boost. It contains between 18 – 23% THC
Jack Herer – This Sativa strain has between 18 – 24% THC content and is very good in treating physical and mental tiredness
Durban Poison – This strain coming from South Africa is as pure as a Sativa strain you can get. It contains between 18 – 26% THC and is powerful all around. It is good for mental, physical and overall energy.
Conclusion
Cannabis is found to be a great alternative treatment for Chronic Fatigue. Apart from dealing with the symptoms related to the disease, it also has many other great health benefits.
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