People who receive a Chrohn’s diagnoses are often subject to years trialing different medications, and to date there is no one ‘cure’.
But new research suggests that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for Crohn’s patients.
A promising new study has found that cannabis can have a remarkable effect of symptoms of the disease.
Crohn’s is a condition where the bowel and digestive tract becomes inflamed and unable to function correctly. It can be incredibly painful and can flare up at any time with little warning.
The condition does not only affect the digestive system, it can also cause inflammation in the eyes, joints, and skin.
The study, published in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology documented the effects of cannabis on Crohn’s sufferers.
21 patients were used in the study, 13 men and 8 women who have suffered from Crohn’s for many years.
All of the patients had another thing in common -they had all tried the same treatments will little effect. Anti-tumor agents, steroidal therapy, and immunomodulators are common treatments for the condition, but had had no positive results for the trial group.
THC treatment
The participants were split into two groups for the 10 week study.They were each given rolled up cannabis to smoke, however on groups contained 115mg of THC.
The group that were given THC showed remarkable results. 5 of the 11 patients went into complete remission with their condition. 10 of the 11 patients saw their Crohn’s Disease Activity Index fall from 200 to 100, this is the score which is used to measure Crohn’s flare ups.
Even those patients whose condition was not completely cleared up reported positive effects. They all reported that they were in less pain, were sleeping better and had regained their appetite. Loss of appetite in common in Crohn’s sufferers as patients try to stay away from anything that will inflame their bowels further, although this often leads to dramatic weight loss.
Cannabis is now being viewed more as a medicinal drug with the potential to heal a range of health problems, rather than a recreational drug.
It is known to help treat epilepsy, PTSD and even cancer.
The Crohn’s study is the first of its kind, and so more studies will have to be carried out in future. The pharmaceutical industry is so stringent with their testing that drugs can often take years to get from the research stage to the chemists counter, but this is a step in the right direction.