Does Marijuana Help Treat Glaucoma or Other Eye Conditions Florida Patients What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma is a condition which is characterized by the optic nerve getting damaged over time. The first effect is reduced peripheral vision which can possibly lead to total blindness. A cause of optic nerve damage is known as Intraocular pressure (IOP), which simply means that eye pressure is higher than normal. Why marijuana? The legalization of marijuana is becoming more widespread in the US and Canada, for medical and recreational use. This has led to conversations and studies around the use of marijuana in the treatment of many health conditions. Marijuana is known to lower blood pressure, therefore, it serves that it would be a good option in the treatment of Glaucoma. I would advise that it isn’t that easy. Research conducted in the 1970s and 1980s showed a measurable decrease in intraocular pressure for about three to four hours after ingesting THC or smoking cannabis. However, this is a really short time considering that to treat Glaucoma and preserve vision, patients require that their eye pressure is controlled 24 hours a day. Downside of Marijuana You might already begin to see the problem here. In order to treat Glaucoma using marijuana, intraocular pressure would have to be reduced by 3-5 mmHg and maintained. This means that about 18-20 mg of THC would have to be ingested six to eight times a day, every day. To put it in perspective, marijuana would need to be smoked every 3-4 hours. This would be impossible for anyone with an active lifestyle or who operates machinery or drives cars all day and any sound Marijuana Doctor in Florida would not recommend it. Marijuana cigarettes would also not be the wisest of options considering they contain chemical compounds that can cause damage to the lungs just as smoking tobacco cigarettes. Studies also show that chronic use of marijuana can have permanent effects on brain function. What about other forms of marijuana? One may argue that the undesired effects of marijuana use in the treatment of Glaucoma could be averted by simply making marijuana eye drops. However, studies conducted show that these can lead to burning, irritated eyes and no significant reduction in eye pressure. The reason for this is probably because THC is insoluble in water and it has been difficult to develop a solution with high enough THC content to be effective. What is the way forward? As it is, any doctor who prescribes marijuana cigarettes to treat Glaucoma would as well prescribe alcohol every hour for the same. This is because alcohol also lowers blood pressure. This is however unrealistic. Scientists are still years away from seeing how cannabis compounds can be isolated, made long-acting and their side effects eliminated in order to be effective in the treatment of Glaucoma and other eye conditions. Please contact our offices to schedule your next appointment.

Can Medical Marijuana Help Improve Sleep For Florida Patients?

Medical marijuana is usually used to relax your mind or creates a sense of drowsiness in your mind, and it eventually helps the person to sleep well. That’s why, marijuana doctors often recommend medical marijuana to improve patients’ sleeping patterns, but would it really work for all the people out there? In order to check it, we need to study results of various research studies. The ongoing legality debate allows us to understand the potential use of marijuana for medical benefits.

Relationship with Insomnia

A 2011 research study on Cannabis and Insomnia states that cannabis or marijuana helped the 147 patients to sleep early regardless of whether they had been experiencing sleep problems or not.

PTSD and Marijuana

In 2014, a research study was conducted on people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to check whether marijuana can help improve their sleeping cycle. Although short term impact of marijuana improved their sleeping cycle yet it’s important to determine whether it will continue to improve in the long run or not and if yes, what’d be the possible side-effects (if any)?

A research study which used rodents concluded that rats who were experiencing anxiety issues felt relaxed and went into deeper sleep after having marijuana. However, at the same time, another study conducted on young adults states (who don’t have any sleeping disorders) in 2016 that marijuana intake disturbed their sleep quality.

Although it is important to conduct marijuana studies on larger scale, many researchers also suggest that marijuana improve the sleeping pattern of the individuals who are experiencing sleep problems whether it’s insomnia, stress, PTSD or any other reason.

Should You Get Marijuana to Improve Your Sleeping Pattern?

Marijuana doctors usually don’t recommend medical marijuana for longer periods as the patients might get addicted and can experience mental health issues in the long run. It particularly is applicable to people who have history of mental health issues or are relatively more vulnerable to mental health issues.

Here are some natural fall asleep techniques which you can use to improve your sleeping cycle:

• Set a specific time to go to bed everyday even it’s your weekend
• Make sure you’re sleeping in a dark and quiet room
• Don’t go to sleep after you have just finished your meal. Avoid eating at least one hour before you’re scheduled to go to bed every night
• Routine exercise is necessary
• No caffeine intake in the evening and night

According to the American Sleep Association, 50 to 70 million U.S. adults experience symptoms of a sleep disorder. That’s why, if you’re planning to consider medical marijuana to improve your sleep cycle, it is recommended that you should contact professional marijuana doctors in your  today. But this isn’t true across the board. Some studies have found that sleep can actually be impaired by regular use of marijuana. It’s clear that marijuana changes sleep cycles. 

Long-term marijuana use has been shown to have changes on the amount of gray matter in the brain. Also, while cannabis is often used to reduce anxiety, some people find that high-THC strains make them more anxious or paranoid. Many in the medical marijuana community refer to cannabis as an effective treatment, with little to no side effects, for a range of sleeping disorders.

Something else THC is responsible for? Inducing sleep. So you’ll want a strain that contains more THC than CBD.

Conditions Effectively Treated by Medical Marijuana For Floridians

Research has shown that medical marijuana is highly effective in the treatment of various medical conditions as marijuana is known to assist patients with medical benefits and pain management relief. Many patients who suffer from side effects of conventional medical treatments such as severe nausea, vomiting and dehydration respond positively to medical marijuana.

Marijuana Doctors in Florida treat various patients with medical marijuana who have benefited from faster recovery, less dependence on standard medication, fewer doctor visits, and improvement in mood and general wellbeing. Marijuana or Cannabis contains over 100 chemicals called cannabinoids. The two main chemicals used in medicine are Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), which most people are familiar with says a tampa marijuana doctor.

Epilepsy, for example, is the fourth most common neurological disorder that is diagnosed in over 100,000 Americans annually. Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome are two rare and severe forms of epilepsy that the FDA has approved medical marijuana to treat. People with epilepsy received little benefit from standard antiepileptic medications on the market and suffered significant side effects, such as tremors, hives, violent outbursts, and hallucinations. The chemicals in medical marijuana bind to endocannabinoid receptors in the brain to provide direct relief from spasms, as well as relieve side effects of various anti-convulsant drugs.  

The following conditions include but are not limited to those that respond positively to medical marijuana: 

Anxiety

ALS (Lou Gehrig’s)

Arthritis

Chronic Pain

Cancer

Chron’s Disease

Diabetes

Glaucoma

Hepatitis C

HIV

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Lupus

Migraine

Multiple Sclerosis

Parkinson’s Disease

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Seizures

Severe & Chronic Pain

Severe Nausea

Sickle Cell Anemia

Countless Americans have come forward to share their success stories with medical marijuana. Several of them have been and can be treated by a marijuana doctor in Florida. Many cancer survivors and people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis have accredited their recovery to medical marijuana use. Research has also proven repeatedly that marijuana is a highly effective in the treatment of nausea, vomiting and pain associated with Cancer treatment for many patients in orlando and other areas of Florida. Nausea and vomiting is known to be debilitating to the body as it may cause loss of appetite and severe dehydration, which lead to other complications. Chemicals such as CBD provide relief from nausea, vomiting and other side effects that conventional medicine is ineffective at treating. Despite the restrictions placed on marijuana at the federal level, medical marijuana remains the most effective medication for several conditions as it provides affordable, safe and fast relief, without side effects.

Lakeland Marijuana Doctors are committed to assisting you with the process of obtaining your medical marijuana card. We are your most trusted medical marijuana provider in your area. We are the leader in providing patients with quality, convenient, reliable, and trustworthy medical marijuana doctor evaluations in Florida. We know your health is your priority and we strive to offer excellence and quality care at every step of the process. For more information, feel free to contact one of our locations closet to you and we would be happy to assist you.

If you or someone you know is interested in seeing a marijuana doctor in Florida, please contact our offices to get started now!