Does Medical Cannabis Work for Nephritis?

Medical Cannabis for Nephritis

There are many different kinds of specialists in the medical world. Some more known and common than others. One such specialist is a nephrologist. This kind of medical doctor focuses mainly on the kidney and any abnormality derived from it. Just as complex it is to understand the cannabis plant, just as complex is the human body. There is a never-ending path to discovering the numerous complication we can encounter. The path a nephrologist choose is to understand what is going on with your kidneys if a general practitioner refers you to him.

Our kidneys play an especially important role in our physiology. In fact, it has a very essential role. As a filter, it removes excess water and wastes from your blood. This liquid gets discarded as urine. When there is any form of inflammation in the kidneys, the function gets disrupted. The result is nephritis.

What is Nephritis?

When you are diagnosed with nephritis, your nephrons, the functional parts of the kidney, are inflamed. This condition is also known as glomerulonephritis. Sometimes the condition appears rapidly, but sometimes it develops into a chronic disease. Nephrons are there to filter your blood. The tiny little blood vessels inside each nephron, are called glomeruli. That is why nephritis and glomerulonephritis are often used interchangeably.

Many different medical conditions can cause nephritis. That is why there are two main types of nephritis, namely acute and chronic. And then there is also lupus nephritis. We will touch on all of them.

Acute Nephritis

Acute nephritis develops overnight. It is often due to a severe infection like strep throat, HIV, and hepatitis. This kind of nephritis is referred to as acute glomerulonephritis. Another type of acute nephritis is also known as interstitial nephritis. It is a fast-developing condition that happens because of an infection or caused by a particular medication. It affects the spaces between the kidney tubules.

Acute nephritis could dissolve itself just as fast as it appears. But if it does not happen, it is crucial to find medical help as permanent damage could occur.

Chronic Nephritis

Similar to acute nephritis, chronic nephritis could spring from a sudden disease. The difference lies it the progress and subtlety of the disease. It is more dangerous as you don’t always know you are suffering from the disease and it could sadly lead to complete kidney failure. Often it derives from other autoimmune diseases, or it is hereditary.

Lupus Nephritis

Lupus is an autoimmune disease where your immune system erroneously attacks healthy tissue in the body. More than half of the people suffering from lupus ends up with lupus nephritis because the immune system attacks the kidneys. The symptoms of Lupus nephritis include:

Foamy urine

High blood pressure

Swelling of legs, ankles, and feet

What symptoms can you expect with Nephritis?

Acute nephritis often has symptoms like waking up in the morning with a puffy face. Urine also looks brown in color that indicates blood in the urine. You also tend to urinate less frequently. Chronic nephritis shows symptoms like:

Pink or brown urine indicating blood

Foamy urine indicating excess protein

Elevated blood pressure

Swollen face or ankles

Urinating more at night

Kidney inflammation

When it comes to the point of kidney failure, the following symptoms are present:

Loss of appetite

Nausea

Fatigue and insomnia

Muscle cramps at night

Dry and itchy skin

Often chronic nephritis happens because of too much medication such as antibiotics, or painkillers, but mostly the cause is not so clear.

Treatment for Nephritis

Doctors often prescribe antibiotics like penicillin to treat the disease. Pain killers could also be part of the package. When the disease is chronic, immune suppressors also will be included. But because there are so many side-effects, it leads to damage and discomfort. When kidney failure becomes imminent, dialyzes becomes part of the treatment.

How Medical Cannabis Can Help

It is not news anymore that societies over time have valued the potency of cannabis for medicinal purposes. Clinical research is still a bit behind, but it is clear that there are numerous properties that could have a positive effect on treating nephritis.

The anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties of cannabis

Because cannabinoids found in cannabis interact with the endocannabinoid system, it effectively can treat inflammation. It also acts as an immunosuppressor. This makes it then liable to treat nephritis as both inflammation and suppressing of the immune system are at play. Research has found that the increase of certain specific endocannabinoids leads to immunosuppression that allows healing from an immune-mediated injury to organs. When cannabinoids bind to the endocannabinoid receptors in the immune system, it has an immunosuppressive effect.

Marijuana has furthermore also the potential to relieve other side-effects of nephritis. It can improve sleep and side-effects derived from conventional medication. It is able to reduce inflammation and acts as a muscle relaxer. In addition, it also is able to treat headaches, anxiety symptoms, depression, and pain in general. As nephritis is linked to inflammation, medical cannabis is a supreme choice.