Cannabis for Sinusitis
How Medical Cannabis Helps Sinus Issues and Sinusitis from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
Sinusitis occurs when there is an inflammation of tissue in the sinus. A healthy, normal sinus would be filled with air; but when they are blocked, bacteria and germs can cause an infection.
Causes of sinusitis include the common cold, allergic rhinitis, nasal polyps, and a deviated septum. There are different kinds of sinusitis: acute (lasts 2-4 weeks), subacute (lasts 4-12 weeks), chronic inflammation (last 12 weeks or more), and recurrent (sinusitis that occurs several times a year).
All kinds of sinusitis are extremely uncomfortable and painful. Symptoms include pressure or pain in the face, stuffy nose, runny nose, inability to smell, congestion, or a cough. Severe cases of sinusitis may also be accompanied by bad breath, fever, fatigue, and dental pain. Those with chronic sinusitis tend to experience pus in the nasal cavity, feeling of congestion in the entire face, discolored postnasal drainage, and fever.
Treatment options for sinusitis vary on the severity of the condition. In most cases, the condition goes away on its own and doesn’t come back. Home treatment in the form of steam breathing, sinus flushing, and warm flushing are done.
For severe cases, antibiotics and medications are prescribed. These medicines aren’t always effective enough to stop sinusitis in its tracks; another disadvantage is that some people can develop a resistance to medicines. Antibiotics can also have serious side effects and unwanted reactions. These can range from mild allergic reactions to diarrhea, rashes, fungal infections,upset stomach, and vomiting.
How Cannabis Can Help
Those looking for natural means of managing sinusitis can use cannabis safely without worrying about its side effects. Expectorants are commonly prescribed for sinusitis patients, and while cannabis isn’t an expectorant, studies show that it acts as a bronchodilator. This means that if you have sinusitis and use cannabis, it can help you breathe a whole lot easier.
Most patients with sinusitis also suffer from headaches and migraines. Cannabis has potent pain-killing properties that can provide fast relief for headaches caused by sinusitis. It’s already being used widely by cancer patients to manage pain, so you can be sure that for a minor condition such as sinusitis it will work just as well. Cannabis also works well to treat other kinds of pain and discomfort brought about by sinus infections.
Another way that cannabis can help is that it can treat inflammation effectively, which is the primary cause of sinusitis. People who suffer from chronic and recurring sinusitis will benefit from consuming cannabis on a regular basis to prevent inflammation and thus another episode from happening.
Anecdotal Evidence
A man named Mark Shapiro wrote a blog online about how smoking medical marijuana helped him manage chronic sinusitis. He purchased medical cannabis that is high in CBD and had no psychoactive effects. He found that taking a few puffs of the stuff helped to clean out his sinus, and it even helped to reduce the number of times he’s had to wash his nose. The pot gave him relief from sinusitis that no other medicine was able to do. Mark suffers from many other conditions and went through a lot in the past, health-wise, but now he takes care of his health with just $20 a month, and by spending $10 on some weed that effectively treated his sinusitis.
While smoking small amounts of cannabis helped Mark, most would be better off using other forms of administration. Naturally, smoking cannabis wouldn’t be a practical way to get relief if you already have difficulty breathing - opt for other forms of administration such as edibles, oil, or vaping. Edibles will take a longer time to produce relief from the pain caused by sinusitis, but it’s already being used as a method of choice for people who prefer not to smoke cannabis.
Have you used cannabis to treat sinusitis? Share your story with us in the comments below!
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