What is Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy as the name says, is a type of illness that occurs to diabetic patients. It is a type of nerve damage that occurs because of high blood glucose. High blood glucose can damage nerves throughout the patient’s body. More often than not, diabetic neuropathy damages nerves of patient’s legs and feet. It is considered one of the most devitalizing and impending diabetes complications. Diabetic neuropathy causes immense pain, discomfort and disability.
There is no successful treatment for the discomfort and pain caused by diabetic neuropathy. However, Marijuana Doctors recommend medical marijuana to help patients get some relief from debilitating symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.
Types of Diabetic Neuropathy
According to Florida marijuana doctor, there are four major types of Diabetic Neuropathy, these are:
Peripheral Neuropathy: It is the most common type of diabetic neuropathy that typically affects your legs and feet. Besides, peripheral neuropathy can also impact your hands and arms. It can range from mild to severe.
Autonomic Neuropathy: It is a group of symptoms occurs when the nerves (which manage every day body functions) of the patients get affected. These functions include blood pressure, cardiovascular, sweating, heart rate, digestion, bowel and bladder emptying, etc.
Proximal Neuropathy: This is however, less common type, which is also called diabetic amyotrophic. More often than not, older patients with type 2 diabetes tend to develop this type of diabetic neuropathy.
Focal Neuropathy: It is also called mono-neuropathy. It usually occurs when a group of nerves or a specific nerve suffers damage, thereby making the affected area become weak. This type often affects one’s upper body, head and legs.
Besides other treatments for diabetic neuropathy, medical marijuana or medical cannabis is also prescribed by marijuana doctors to their patients. Research shows that medical marijuana is used to provide aid in many medical conditions, such as reducing nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, for improving appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, and reducing chronic pain and muscle spasms in diabetic neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy pain can significantly affect patients’ quality of life. Because of acute pain and discomfort, people with diabetic neuropathy eventually lack interest in all forms of enjoyment in life, recreational activities, sleep, routine work, social activities, etc. They even feel a lack of energy levels due to which they feel depressed and anxious.
Medical Marijuana Treat Diabetic Neuropathy Pain – How?
The use of marijuana as medicine has not thoroughly been tested because of the production and governmental restrictions; however, Florida marijuana doctor suggests that medical marijuana is a helpful anti-inflammatory therapy as it does not have any side effects as steroids has.
Furthermore, marijuana doctors suggests that cannabis or cannabinoids are of great use in case of arterial inflammation that occurs during a diabetic’s life. Also, medical marijuana helps protect nerve covering from inflammatory attacks that are caused by glycoproteins in the blood. Using medical marijuana helps patients to get rid of Anxiety, Burning, Depression, Pain, Tingling etc. that occurs due to diabetic neuropathy.
Well, now we know that medical marijuana can be used to treat diabetic neuropathy pain, but the question is how to use medical marijuana.
There are 5 Effective and Smoke-Free Ways to Use Medical Marijuana. These are:
- Inhalation
When marijuana is inhaled through smoking, the lungs absorb cannabinoids and quickly transport them to the bloodstream. However, it has shorter effects. There are 3-D Printed medical marijuana Inhalers in the market, these inhalers are pocket-sized. Patients with diabetic neuropathy can use 3-D inhaler for effective results, even it allows marijuana doctors to prescribe the proper dose of medical marijuana to patients. These inhalers dispense controlled doses and are totally smoke-free.
3-D inhalation of medical marijuana can help patients get rid of acute pain, along with neurological and psychological symptoms.
- Marijuana Gum
A marijuana gum, is under development, it will be able to help patients’ combat gastroenterological disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is common in autonomic neuropathy. Marijuana gum will focus on delivering a controlled dose of Cannabis effectively and rapidly in a highly bio-available form.
- Transdermal Patches
Transdermal patches are very common form of using medical marijuana. Transdermal patches contain both THC and CBD, and the ratio or the dosage varies from case to case depending upon the severity of diabetic neuropathy pain. The sole purpose of these patches is to deliver cannabis to the patient through the skin and into the bloodstream, without having to smoke.
- Suppositories
Another very common method of delivering medical cannabis is – Suppositories. Even Florida marijuana doctor advocates its use. Marijuana doctors claim that suppositories are more effective than any other method of using cannabis, as, suppositories provide better and rapid absorption of cannabis than any other delivery method. In this method, marijuana is absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes in the rectum.
- Nebulizers
Finally, another method of delivering cannabis is – Cannabis Nebulizers. It is said to be the cleanest, purest, and least harmful method of delivering medical marijuana to the patient. It comes in a kit that includes six therapeutic-grade cannabinoid-extract blends, thereby providing effective treatment in diabetic neuropathy pain.